The song is about Henry Rollins

[liquidvw]

This song is about Henry Rollins. Tool and Henry Rollins met in 1992 during the Lalapaluza (spelling) tour. During this tour they became friends. Henry even recorded a song on the album undertow. Somthing happened to destroy thier friendship. Not sure what what that was, but the end result is Hooker with a Penis.

[volcano lance]

Are you sure?

[hec8e]

nice theory but i think you need to flesh it out a little bit more... without supporting evidence you dont really have a case... but fuck, hey?

[46&2]

I truly doubt that. In a fairly recent interview (post Aenima, anyhow) Henry Rollins said that he was unaware of any bad blood and that he and the band get along fine.

Plus the decription just doesnt fit.

[jpmanson]

when Ænima came out, a few people tried to tell me that the song was about phil from pantera, after a while, these same people stopped talking about phil and instead started saying it was about others, such as rollins. now, i dont believe its about any famous musician at all.

i have a feeling that the character described in HWAP is a fictional character, not any one specific person. i think that the song is metaphorical, perhaps maynard was predicting that some of tool's fans would feel alienated by their newer music, perhaps he felt that he would lose a lot of fans with tool's change in musical direction.

i dont know though, this is just a little thought of mine, i just made it up on the spot too.

[Mister]

well i sorta agree with jpmanson's view that it is in many ways metaphorical. i mean, so what if its about rollins or phil or bill cosby or whoever cause thats just cheap gossip. i think the principal sentiments are pretty clear....perhaps you get people thinking that they have rights to tool like they're shareholders or something and therefore have the right to criticise them over non-sensical things. tool aren't servants of the people, they ain't gonna be taking requests anytime soon and they're certainly not gonna take advice from some punk with some kinda 'holier than thou' attitude. cause if they did, well then they'd be something completely different to what they are.good for them!

[LazyE462]

Um i think this song is about gypocrites. Like when he said the person was drinking coke, and telling maynard that MAYNARD was the sellout. Its about all those hypocrites and bandwagoners, who think that by doing one thing or another they sellout, when those customers and fans are the biggest corporate whores there are.

[drum_dood]

Originally posted by LazyE462
Um i think this song is about gypocrites. Like when he said the person was drinking coke, and telling maynard that MAYNARD was the sellout. Its about all those hypocrites and bandwagoners, who think that by doing one thing or another they sellout, when those customers and fans are the biggest corporate whores there are.

in a word, "exactly."

[SonOfWillieTheP]

Maybe it's about the "Bob Marley wannabe motherfucker" from "Opiate". (Lyrics: "1992, from the first EP")

[peripheral]

what he said

[dan]

Originally posted by hec8e
but fuck

?

[Xanadu]

I think everyone is right on with thier assesment of what it means or they way they read into the lyrics, but the lyrics seem like they refer to a specific event or meeting... I suppose they could have just personified this attitude by describing someone.

I would need to see some proof that it is a reference to HR or anyone specific.. WOuld love to see some.

[Adrian]

Originally posted by LazyE462
Um i think this song is about gypocrites. Like when he said the person was drinking coke, and telling maynard that MAYNARD was the sellout. Its about all those hypocrites and bandwagoners, who think that by doing one thing or another they sellout, when those customers and fans are the biggest corporate whores there are.

Pretty much...while touring the album, Maynard's little 'our t-shirts are for sale tonight' bit during the track sums up the idea.

[Hogpile]

I don't think the song is about Henry Rollins-but I wish it was. I fucking hate Henry Rollins with a passion. I can't think of a bigger self-righteous, arrogant, shallow, sell-out that ever came from underground music than Rollins himself. Except for maybe Glen Danzig. fuck em both, I hope they rot in heaven.

[spiralion]

In his comedy special where he talks about bangkok, I really do think he fucked a thirteen year old girl and didn't go to the zoo, he seemed kinda defensive about it.

He was also the downfall of the great punk bad Black Flag.

[Lazlo_Panaflex]

I dont get how Rollins gets his face everywere. Ive seen him in movies, TV, Music and just about every other random place. Weird....

[ignore-reality]

I fuckin hate Henry Rollins too.........just agreeing to what everyone else has said.

[Synethesia]

He's an angry guy, a horrible comedian, a half-ass poet, apparently straight-edge who acts like a coke-head, but i don't think the song has anything to do with him. I think it was him on politically incorrect with bill maher that solidified my annoyance with him. The song to me is obviously a general statement about people who claim to be hardcore but are just as big sell-outs as N'sync just in a different way.

[Jip]

tool doesnt strike me as a band who would write a song about a specific person like that. at least not a celebrity.

[Andy DV]

While I am also skeptical, I too heard this rumor. I even heard that Rollins was somewhat involved, if not a member of the band at some point in time. I'm assuming this was before they were even "TOOL" if this has any truth to it. But just to clarify, this was just a rumor I heard from someone in no way connected to the band. Probably bullshit, that is. I even heard a story that Maynard kicked Henry's ass. Whether or not that's true, it would be cool to see. Rollins has some good points and he's an AMAZING storyteller, but comes off as sort of an ass, in my opinion. Thanks, let the rumor mills churn...

[Hogpile]

Henry Rollins is complete dolt. He is the perfect representation of how easy it is in our society for a complete moron with no intellectual ability to be placed on a pedistal just long enough for their ego to run away with them. Everytime I see Henry Rollins on t.v. or happen to be cursed by another one of his epic "spoken word" performances I just laugh at the shallow concepts he talks about in a condesending, arrogant way, like what he just said was the missing equation in some deep universe we can't grasp quite like him. In fact he reminds me alot of some of the fucking highschool kiddie fucking morons that post on this site. I will say this though: I seriously fucking doubt Maynard kicked Rollins ass. I could probabily kick Maynards ass, and I'm no where near as buff as Rollins. Unless Maynards a black belt in some mystical martial art or something, which I'm sure someone on this site will tell you.

[Andy DV]

Not to validate the rumor I previously posted (I regret doing so, because a rumor is all it is), but oddly enough Maynard is supposidly proficient in some sort of martial arts, and even had a trainer on tour with him at some point. Funny that you say that.

[idontmind462]

To answer your one query I believe it's Lollapalooza.

[tomcat]

Originally posted by SonOfWillieTheP
Maybe it's about the "Bob Marley wannabe motherfucker" from "Opiate". (Lyrics: "1992, from the first EP")

Just so you know: the person he was speaking to was the lead singer of the band that came on before them at that show. He was a friend of manyard's, and he was just fucking wiith him since he had dreadlocks. I think it was Living Color but I'm not sure.
Anyway, I do think the song is about someone, but I don't think it's about Rollins. Two reasons why: In fact every song on the album does not follow the theme (ie satan's eye). There is usually at least two derivations from the theme on every album to break up the mood.
Second reason: Manyard did go off and write a whole album about people he knew (Perfect Circle). The sentiment and feel of it is very similar to Judith. So, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the idea that the song is about someone, and that it has to be more esoteric than that.
Third reason: I know more about Henery Rollins the person than I care to admit. He has a tendancy to alienate people pretty quickly. I don't think they were ever close enough for Manyard to feel that strongly about him. And, even though Rollins does deny any problems, I'm pretty sure they are not exactly on takling terms. Henery described himself perfectly in his music: "I'm a LIAR". He's all act, and no substance. He has a very Andy Warhol attitude towards music and culture. His art is in the commercialism and pop culture creation that is him.
It's probably what pushed Manyard and friends away from him.



tom

[Lachrymologist]

I think it is about how everyone is a sell out in one form or another, or that there is no such thing as a 'sell out' since, everyone is a consumer, and consumers are the market, so we can only sell out to ourselves, which is impossible.

[NoVestal]

Originally posted by Hogpile
Henry Rollins is complete...tell you.

I know you don't know Rollins well enough to feel so strongly about him without it being more to do with your SHADOW than Rollins. Come on. Who the fuck cares how important the material of a story is. If large groups find him interesting to listen to without musical accompaniment, there is something there that your elitism is missing.

[Yiakovos]

Maynard thinks "sell-out" is a stupid term. He thinks stupid ignorant asses like the character in the song are acting as if they aren't on the same level as Tool and the rest of the world, above the economy. Everyone needs money to live, so why judge how people choose to make it? And plus, if "sell-out" was an intelligible term, Tool doesn't seem to fit it at all.

[Hogpile]

Everyone needs money, true. How you get your money is what determines if you are a sellout or not. Whores make money by taking it in the ass and sucking dick. They are looked down upon, because although making money is necessary, it is not necessary to compromise a sense of self or to be a kiss ass or a yes man to do so. And further more, me being the guy who goes to work to make money, to buy these fucking bands records, gives me the fucking right to call them whatever I fucking want to call them. My money and the money of the other fans who buys their music is the reason they can continue making a shitload of money off of their music. If I think a bands a sell out then fuck em'. I will stop going to their shows and stop buying their records. Like Henry Rollins for instance. I will not spend money to support that guys bullshit exsistence.

[Yiakovos]

You entirely missed what I was saying. We are all in the economy, so calling people 'sell-out' is acting as if you are above it. Sure, we can stop listening to bands because they start making music we don't really like, but calling them sell-outs is just ignorant.

[Hogpile]

No man, your missing the point. And your ignorant. When I'm calling someone a sellout, I'm not knocking them for making the necessary money to make a living. I'm shitting on them for already being filthy rich, but looking for more ways to ride mass appeal to the bank. Theres a big difference between a band who is just doing what they love and happen to have millions of people love it and buy it(Tool for instance) and a band that goes out of their way to suck up to the mass amounts of teenagers and mainstream adults looking for the next fad to follow. I think the whore analogy I stated above says it all.

[Yiakovos]

So don't listen to them then. The bands that you think have no integrity probably won't give a flying fuck what you think. So ignore them. It's not like they're hunting you down, waving their records in your face, screaming "BUY!"

[brettmck10]

yep, ive been to both ol rollins and tool cocerts and i'll tell ya something...i was in the middle of the mosh pit,,pitting away and all, then like a movie the pit just gave away and descended, i was left alone just me and rollins, him just singing to me then givin me the eye i felt like the only person there xxx, then fuck i went to tools concert and lo and behold the fucken maynayrd cunt just dissed me all night....i thought those fucken E's work on everyone....seeyeup

[Yiakovos]

What the fuck are you talking about?

[brettmck10]

oh sorry matey, just took a little angle on things..should be back to normal any minute now..i havnt read any of your comments, just thought id throw something in.. yeah getting bored. just like to say rollins music used to appeal doing weights in my basement once upon a time but his aggresive style is something my kid sister would nod off to sleep with..ooohhhh the times are a changing..seeyoop

[VinHelfDog]

Originally posted by Hogpile
Henry Rollins is complete dolt. He is the perfect representation of how easy it is in our society for a complete moron with no intellectual ability to be placed on a pedistal just long enough for their ego to run away with them. Everytime I see Henry Rollins on t.v. or happen to be cursed by another one of his epic "spoken word" performances I just laugh at the shallow concepts he talks about in a condesending, arrogant way, like what he just said was the missing equation in some deep universe we can't grasp quite like him.

I'm not trying to stick up to Rollins or anything on this one but talk about a fuckin hypocrite. You sit here and whine about how you think he's too arrogant and such a dumbass. Do you feel that you yourself are above him because you use bigger words then he does? And then you come out saying "I don't think Maynard kicked his ass, cause I could kick Maynards ass." Please shut the fuck up.

[Hogpile]

Originally posted by VinHelfDog
I'm not trying to stick up to Rollins or anything on this one but talk about a fuckin hypocrite. You sit here and whine about how you think he's too arrogant and such a dumbass. Do you feel that you yourself are above him because you use bigger words then he does? And then you come out saying "I don't think Maynard kicked his ass, cause I could kick Maynards ass." Please shut the fuck up.

Number one, the kicking Maynard's ass was a joke. Number 2, what do bigger or smaller words have to do with anything? Numero Threeo piendaho, I don't really give a good cock in a horses ass what you think of my opinion. This discussion was leaning towards Rollins being a sellout, and in my opinion he is. If your a Rollins fan, and you think he has something to say, then by all fucking means, cough up your dough to listen to his bullshit. Post in, and post out on this site I deal with follow the leader fucks like yourself who seem to think my opinions are me stating that I'm better or worse than someone or something else, which is not the case. I'm just stating where I'm coming from on the subjects brought up in posts. And I will continue to do so, so kindly give your mother intimate anal sex while horseradishing your fathers veiny meatwhistle you cockriding sperm-herder.

[Nig]

..............if you didnt care about his opinion why did you have to defend yourself?

[Hogpile]

Originally posted by Nig
..............if you didnt care about his opinion why did you have to defend yourself?

I would define my post as more of an explanation than a defense. His opinion was merely inspiration for my explanation. But thank you for pointing that out. I must say that Bogpile was quite a witty little quirp though Nig. Not quite as witty as calling yourself Nig, but close. And funny too. But, uh, back to the nature at hand, Rollins is a fuckhead. And a sellout. I find it insulting that he generates noise in any shape or form that uses up ears and studio time that could be spent/used/utilized creating or making something decent and/or worthwhile. And while his defenders fight the good fight, he still remains one of the worse things to ever happen to the music industry.

[Nig]

well again bog, an explanation is an explanation, obviously, and requires effort to do. if you dont care, you dont care, and you wouldnt feel the need to use the effert to "explain" yourself. on that note, if you didnt care what people thought of your opinion, what are you doing here?? it is an opinion forum.
You think my name is "witty"? what Nig? you think this is some racist joke? haha you dont even know me and you can assume what it means......
what so wrong about being a sellout? personally i can see what is, but whats discussing it with such emotion going to do? it isnt going to change their morality and ethics, they are still going to do what they do, regardless. Also, there is nothing wrong with finding a market to earn money, then exploiting it. if it wasnt a good idea, people woudnt buy it. So on behalf of sellouts like henry rollins, and britney spears, jokes on Bogpile...

[Nig]

you seem pretty motavated to share with us how much you dont care pile of bog.....anyone else see the irony in this?? all you need to do is look through out the forum (i havent and i can still see it), and the posts to come. who are you trying to impress here?

[Skorpion]

ok not that i give a fuck about hogpile, but the bogpile thing, that was fuckin lame the first time you said it, then you went and said it like 4 more times. im pretty sure it was just a typo
and you didn't even mean to say it then you tried to cover it up by overusing it in your next posts.
to get back to the song...i believe it is about how maynard meets a fictional boy who represents original tool fans, look at the OGT, from '92, the first EP, part of the lyrics. an OG means original gangster (according to that rap shit) OGT possibly stands for like original gangster of Tool. then it goes to 'from 92', the first EP. Opiate came out in 1992. so maynard is sayin even if you are an original fan of something it doesn't mean your above the title of sellout. he says the boy is wearing vans, 501s, a beastie (boys) t, nipple rings, and tattoos while he was sipping coke, he explains him as a person who goes from fad to fad, labeling in his ignorance everyone and everything but himself. so maynard says all you know about me is what ive sold you. fuck it, buy my records, send me more money, i don't give a fuck what you think. i bust my ass to get paid for what i do, i dont need to take this shit, fuck you buddy

[Nig]

haha its a fuckin name!! have a cry..im sorry it must have takin you about a second of your time reading that name four times.... eat shit

[Tantobourne]

The little cat fights across these forums are so endearing....

I pulled this link from the toolshed 1994 article archive:

http://toolshed.down.net/articles/index.php?action=view-article&id=October_1994--RIP.html

It's Maynard and Rollins interviewing.

I don't know all that much about Rollins....was never into Black Flag or Rollin's solo stuff. He does carry himself with confidence which I guess would come off as arrogant and cocky. Then again...maybe he is just arrogance and cocky. I wouldn't know....never met him and probably never will. So he's doing what he likes....good for him. If anything, it's a reminder that with a similar dose of confidence and maybe some self-respect, we could put ourselves in places where we normally only dream of.

-Tant

[Ron]

Originally posted by jpmanson
when Ænima came out, a few people tried to tell me that the song was about phil from pantera, after a while, these same people stopped talking about phil and instead started saying it was about others, such as rollins. now, i dont believe its about any famous musician at all.

i have a feeling that the character described in HWAP is a fictional character, not any one specific person. i think that the song is metaphorical, perhaps maynard was predicting that some of tool's fans would feel alienated by their newer music, perhaps he felt that he would lose a lot of fans with tool's change in musical direction.

i dont know though, this is just a little thought of mine, i just made it up on the spot too.

I agree with you almsot 100%, yet i cant help from noticing that Maynard has a very strong rage against this person. i think it's because th eperson has two faces. i tihnk it's a fan that was wit them o nthe bus and sadi soemthing in th elines of: "you guys are selling out." or "your becoming main-stream and you're becoming pop" or soemthing. that upset Maynard because it's a fan, and he knows the fan is gonna "buy my new record" anyways, so why the fuck would he say shit like that.
that's my opinion anyways!

[Chuckie]

I'm agree with the hypocrite statement. The dude calling the band sellouts while sippin coke with nipple rings, nice observation, I never thought of it that way.

And yeah, this thread kinda went down, everyone basically trying to see who's better than who, a subconcious trait of all people.

I dont think there is such thing as a sellout. The whores may not like to do what they do, but they do make a shitload of money, more than average. It's all relative, since the guy in the office finds his job just a little irretating,He doesnt make near as much as the whore. The guy who's happy with what he does, doesnt make as much money as he'd like or could pontentially make. So then...in a way, we are all sellouts..but if thats the case, why would we single out certain individuals and call them sellouts, while denying the fact that we ourselves are sellouts. It just doesnt make sense.

And on musical terms, most bands that are deemed sellouts make the music they actually love. Even boy bands, marketed for the mass public to like, still like what they do, they dont complain, they know full well they are marketing tools. The people who buy they're records and drink coca cola dont care why they listen to that music or why they drink what they drink, they are simply just indulging their appetites, and thats something we all do. So, you have people denying what is provided for them basically because they dont want to be labeled a sellout, not because they actually dislike what is presented to them, hell I wouldnt be suprised if there were some closet nsync fans out there, denying their tastes simply because they dont want to be labeled what they label others everyday.

[neochrist]

i just want to say the song represents to me the fact that everybody is a consumer, and to have anything in this society it has to pretty much be paid for in one way or another, to say tool is or isnt a sell out is irrelevant, they make records, people buy them, they make money, its how they support themselves, its a job, to be literal, any band that makes money from there music is a sell out, but thats not the point, the point is tool doesnt wear plad pants cuz there in this week, if you understand that you understand my point, and on a side note, i find it would be quite ironic if tool were to come out after all there albums when its all said and done and say the just did all of there stuff about not conforming and thinking for yourself, just to appeal to the masses to make money, i would find it quite ironic but at the same time quite disappointing, but whatever the reason, they inspire me so ill keep paying there bills for now.

[Juicyman]

ok I think that the song Hooker With A Penis is about how people in the world just judge what they hear they fdont know the truth they judge on just what they want to hear. I also think it is about how hes (Maynard) telling everyone how everybody sells out and no one cannot sellout and make a record.

[Mr. Zebra]

I think Chuckie is dead on. Bravo.

Oh- and from what I've gathered from things they've both said, Maynard and Henry Rollins are good freinds. Why else would he be invited to contribute spoken word on Undertow? Apparently Maynard doesn't hate him; I don't think he'd allude to being close to him and allow him on their album if he did. I don't know- I like Henry Rollins. He's cuddly.

[Cylith]

The whores may not like to do what they do, but they do make a shitload of money, more than average. It's all relative, since the guy in the office finds his job just a little irretating,He doesnt make near as much as the whore.

I'm no expert on whores but...from what I know most of them are barely surviving...I think what your thinking of is whores that sleep with celebrities...those make a LOT of money for what they do.

By the way, I think the the point you're trying to make by using whores as an example is still understood, even if it is a little off.


PS- There is no such word as "gypocrites"...at least it's not in the dictionary I checked.

[AllforUnity]

That doesn't make any sense.

[radmanics]

PS- There is no such word as "gypocrites"...at least it's not in the dictionary I checked.

Look on your Keyboard mate:
asdfghjkl

I think this song is more than just a "we can't sell out because we're all buying/making money".... He's mocking the people who claim others are selling out also, as well as stereotypes of rock bands... "I sold my soul to make a record" an obvious reference to the occult which is assosiated with Heavy Metal?