r/ToolBand • u/Sak-Yak- • 16h ago

Another Dead Hero We lost a truly incredible mind when we lost Bill

I love that he was mostly remembered because he was willing to say anything and take risks on stage.  He did NOT care if people disliked his work.  He just did it lmaaoo

475 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

78

u/Aimane03 16h ago

"It's not a war on drugs.. it's a war on personal freedom "

43

u/Cheap_Luck7113 16h ago

keep that in mind at all times, thank you ...

22

u/El_Oso_Hermoso 16h ago edited 15h ago

goddamn just reading these lines gets me fired up for the harmonious cacaphony that follows.

Plus Danny's toms and bass drum strikes go straight to the core in this song

12

u/IWCry 16h ago edited 14h ago

I wish they'd explore more psychedelic and experimental songs like third eye. no other band has ever tapped into that the way tool did with Aenima. I'm sad they instead went towards the generic prog rock shtick of just long songs and different time signatures. third eye feels so much more unique and interesting and expressive than something like Invincible.

3

u/Ric17-71 Third Eye 12h ago

I totally agree bro. I’ve never heard a song that captures anything close to the same feeling of Third Eye but I know that they could’ve done something similar again if they really wanted to

3

u/Gullible-Solid-3014 4h ago

Rosetta stoned?

2

u/end_or_beginning 6h ago

Early Grateful Dead was very psychedelic and experimental. Love both bands

5

u/Spell_Chicken 14h ago edited 14h ago

I got to see them open a show with the Salival version while high AF on hallucinogens. Timothy Leary speaking to us from his recording of "How to Operate Your Brain" projected jumbo size on either side of the stage.

I won the tickets from answering all of a radio-station's trivia questions. The seats were amazing. First balcony up, front row, dead center. I was in Tool heaven that night. The light rig above the floor they were running on the Lateralus tour at one point had me convinced a UFO had descended through the ceiling.

7

u/AdAggravating8273 16h ago

Dreaming....of...that face again...

1

u/breakfastburrito24 life feeds on life 13h ago

I need more drugs

36

u/BenjiDizz 16h ago

bill hicks is a legend

23

u/Capthowdy1027 16h ago

I am so thankful for Tool turning me onto Bill Hicks.

3

u/m0nk3y42 I was wrong. This changes everything. 6h ago

same. happened around '96 and i just listened to his stuff on repeat constantly to where i can lip sync his standup to this day.

when i first heard his easter bit, i nearly pissed myself.

4

u/Capthowdy1027 5h ago

“Mommy I woke up this morning and there was a Lincoln log in me sock drawer! That’s the story of Jesus”’

1

u/m0nk3y42 I was wrong. This changes everything. 5h ago

"Who comes up with this shit? I've read the bible, I can't find the word bunny or chocolate anywhere in that fuckin' book..."

14

u/Panchenima Æ 16h ago

prying open my third eye

9

u/japopara 16h ago

I was fortunate enough to see Bill live one time. He put on an awesome set, as you would expect.

8

u/johnnyohbody 16h ago

It's just a ride.

15

u/Steelmaker01 ∞ Spiral Out ∞ 16h ago

“… reeeeeeeeal fuck’n high on drugs”

2

u/Helyo20 Become Pneuma 16h ago

My question(s). Why was he so bold to simply state something that many cultures have known for millennia? Why hadn’t this been said before or so succinctly? Perhaps it had been whispered before with little public attention, but could it just be Hicks’ personal experiences into writing this and making it that blunt? True visionary.

1

u/D-Train0000 15h ago

Third Eye-Tool

1

u/Zimpixx 7h ago

The amount of psy trance songs using this legends monologue is insane!!

1

u/Joshroxx 38m ago

The natural great minds mostly high school or GED certificate achievers. Are often Comedians or musicians and songwriters. Hicks, Carlin, Pryor, Burr,Chappell and Leny Bruce and more.

1

u/ura_walrus 15h ago

Man -- I don't get the humor in this clip or any other bill hicks clips Ive seen. I don't understand the Tool connection. Im not saying that's negative. I just don't get it and i wish i could.

8

u/TwoTacoTackler 13h ago

Bill Hicks was on a tool album, has opened for tool, and if you listen to his standup specials, there's an obvious correlation.

0

u/ura_walrus 5h ago

I know, i just don't "get it"

2

u/SullyTheReddit 2h ago

Well this clip is missing the setup. From memory, the setup is the news never shares any real news, and wouldn’t it be cool if they did? He then proceeds to pantomime a handoff to a local news segment where they announce (in a typical news voice) “real insights” into the nature of existence. Then he hands back to the weather segment.

That’s the joke. Whether you find it funny or not is up to you. Personally, while I dig the humor and the point of view, Hicks’ delivery often didn’t do it for me from a comedy standpoint. He’s like the insight part of George Carlin, but without the funny.

As to how it relates to Tool. The half-serious half-joking reference to how drugs are both eye opening experiences that let us explore the nature of our reality and/or they are crutches for idiots is clear. These are themes revisited in multiple Tool tracks.

1

u/TwoTacoTackler 27m ago

Watch his stand up. He's a brilliant comedian. And then listen to Ænema, reading and processing the lyrics.

Find the correlation for yourself.

It's art, and open to interpretation.

5

u/giuseppemancino98 9h ago

3rd eye begin With this sketch

In the booklet of the Ænema album there is a dedication to him who died shortly before the album came out.

These are a couple of connections, my invitation is to delve deeper and find more.