doug galecawitz
01-09-2003, 11:43 AM
To begin with I would like, as usual, to begin with a disclaimer that the following thoughts are not necessarily my opinions, but rathers musings or thoughts I've pondered as to the meanings of TOOL's songs. On a whole I don't believe there are any real substantial meanings to any TOOL songs they are purposefully left open to interpretation so as not to limit the audience or corner the reader. If, however there are any direct and absolute meanings in the lyrics they can only be known by the writer, possibly.
On the surface level Hooker With A Penis can be taken stright as is, a word for word account of an encounter with an overly eager-to-judge TOOL fan. The TOOL fan on a moral tirade spouts off about TOOL being sell outs while he himself is covered head to toe in name brand fashions, trendy piercings, and sipping from a can of coke. Coca Cola being a subsidary of one of the largest conglomrates on this planet.
I especially like the effect of "between" as to imply the hypocracy of a fan who intakes soda as his contribution to a conglomorate, while simultaeneously lambasting at a band with the audacity to accept the same company's money. This could be TOOL's answer to fans who might of made an uproar over TOOL appearing on MTV with the video for sober. The catch 22 being that how can you lambast them for being on MTV, when you yourself watch it. If you don't watch it, then you don't know they're on there. When the song goes to the chorus of "I sold out long before you ever..." The point being made is that TOOL signed their contract and started producing music long before the fans heard of them, so what gives them a right to judge. This song, in my opinion, serves as a great companion piece to Nirvana's Serve The Servants. In that song the Cobain admits to selling out but asks, who is the judge and what gives them the right to judge?
Another take on this song might not be quite so direct but is more broad ranging, is that the song could be an all around condemnation of the whole term and notion and ideology of "selling out",or at least a questioning of it. The title Hooker With A Penis somewhat suggests a whole role reversal of sorts. The judges become the judged. TOOL is seeming to ask why they should be expected to cater to the ideologies of the fan base. What is it that defines selling out exactly? Is it not the individual that defines on their own dogma of what is or isn't "selling out"? And do they practice what they preach? Maniacal hypocracy is easy to fall into when dealing with such thoughts. The intersection of art and commerce has never been an easy one to negotiate, and is very subjective to where you stand at that corner. An unbiased opinion is a contradiction in terms. So for all intensive purposes what exactly defines selling out? When it comes down to linguistics "selling out" is a great thing. Think about when you hear the term in accordance with a concert: SOLD OUT. AS far as music fans on moral high horses and the punk inspiried idea of selling out seems almost ludicrous. That you shouldn't make any money off art or music is a paradox because why would anyone start a band in the first place? The truth is that if you've even heard of a band that means they've sold out already. The minute band accepts money, they've already theoretically sold out, so in the end there really is no such thing.
The term Hooker With A Penis implies that you went out looking to fuck, and in turn got fucked monetarily, and maybe physically. The tables have in one way or another been turned on you. This particularly true in the idea of democracy. An old saying comes to mind "Democracy is the theory that the people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard!" When a demographic of people go out and buy a product they almost automatically begin to expect that the product begins to be targeted for their demographic. In the end however you will eventuall come to a conflict of intrest (a popular theme with tool). The conflict of intrest being either A) with another demographic of people who want something diffrent. Or B) the makers of that product (band) themselves. Who are the fans to tell the band what the band should do? Imagine if you set out to do something but only did it the way someone else wants you to do it.
The final passage of the song seems loaded with humor in it's almost nihilistic view of itself. All you read and wear....etc is a shot at the idea of art as seperate from capitalism at any level or the idea of even people as being free of capitalism. This grand self realization that all things are interconnected and that there is no escape from it so just enjoy it while you can, kind of seems to transcend the rest of the song. The whole idea that there is no fair arbitrary way of judging what you are intristically a part of, and that there is no moral high ground from which to analyze free and independant of what you are analyzing is one of the great ideologies TOOL seems to undertake. Once you remove the idea that there can be any rock solid basis for any view can you free yourself of opinions, but with no solid foothold where does one go. TOOL may not have the answer but one does not end a journey for lack of a destination.
Personally what this song means to me was the beginning of me losing the idea that my opinions have any bearing or factual basis in the real world. This was one of the first songs by TOOL i really kind of listened to that made me question myself and my opinions. At the end I had to run smack into the face of the self realization that I am a huge hypocrite on a great many of things. While some of these I hope I cleared up, others I know I'm just as bad.
In closing I'd like to apologize for any misspellings, grammatical mistakes and the kind of jumpy way I think I might have written this. I'm sure I left out at least two major ideas I wanted to touch on and a few smaller ones, not to mention ones I hadn't yet thought of. But, that's OK. Because I'm not good enough. I'm not smart enough. But dog gone it some people still tolerate me.
On the surface level Hooker With A Penis can be taken stright as is, a word for word account of an encounter with an overly eager-to-judge TOOL fan. The TOOL fan on a moral tirade spouts off about TOOL being sell outs while he himself is covered head to toe in name brand fashions, trendy piercings, and sipping from a can of coke. Coca Cola being a subsidary of one of the largest conglomrates on this planet.
I especially like the effect of "between" as to imply the hypocracy of a fan who intakes soda as his contribution to a conglomorate, while simultaeneously lambasting at a band with the audacity to accept the same company's money. This could be TOOL's answer to fans who might of made an uproar over TOOL appearing on MTV with the video for sober. The catch 22 being that how can you lambast them for being on MTV, when you yourself watch it. If you don't watch it, then you don't know they're on there. When the song goes to the chorus of "I sold out long before you ever..." The point being made is that TOOL signed their contract and started producing music long before the fans heard of them, so what gives them a right to judge. This song, in my opinion, serves as a great companion piece to Nirvana's Serve The Servants. In that song the Cobain admits to selling out but asks, who is the judge and what gives them the right to judge?
Another take on this song might not be quite so direct but is more broad ranging, is that the song could be an all around condemnation of the whole term and notion and ideology of "selling out",or at least a questioning of it. The title Hooker With A Penis somewhat suggests a whole role reversal of sorts. The judges become the judged. TOOL is seeming to ask why they should be expected to cater to the ideologies of the fan base. What is it that defines selling out exactly? Is it not the individual that defines on their own dogma of what is or isn't "selling out"? And do they practice what they preach? Maniacal hypocracy is easy to fall into when dealing with such thoughts. The intersection of art and commerce has never been an easy one to negotiate, and is very subjective to where you stand at that corner. An unbiased opinion is a contradiction in terms. So for all intensive purposes what exactly defines selling out? When it comes down to linguistics "selling out" is a great thing. Think about when you hear the term in accordance with a concert: SOLD OUT. AS far as music fans on moral high horses and the punk inspiried idea of selling out seems almost ludicrous. That you shouldn't make any money off art or music is a paradox because why would anyone start a band in the first place? The truth is that if you've even heard of a band that means they've sold out already. The minute band accepts money, they've already theoretically sold out, so in the end there really is no such thing.
The term Hooker With A Penis implies that you went out looking to fuck, and in turn got fucked monetarily, and maybe physically. The tables have in one way or another been turned on you. This particularly true in the idea of democracy. An old saying comes to mind "Democracy is the theory that the people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard!" When a demographic of people go out and buy a product they almost automatically begin to expect that the product begins to be targeted for their demographic. In the end however you will eventuall come to a conflict of intrest (a popular theme with tool). The conflict of intrest being either A) with another demographic of people who want something diffrent. Or B) the makers of that product (band) themselves. Who are the fans to tell the band what the band should do? Imagine if you set out to do something but only did it the way someone else wants you to do it.
The final passage of the song seems loaded with humor in it's almost nihilistic view of itself. All you read and wear....etc is a shot at the idea of art as seperate from capitalism at any level or the idea of even people as being free of capitalism. This grand self realization that all things are interconnected and that there is no escape from it so just enjoy it while you can, kind of seems to transcend the rest of the song. The whole idea that there is no fair arbitrary way of judging what you are intristically a part of, and that there is no moral high ground from which to analyze free and independant of what you are analyzing is one of the great ideologies TOOL seems to undertake. Once you remove the idea that there can be any rock solid basis for any view can you free yourself of opinions, but with no solid foothold where does one go. TOOL may not have the answer but one does not end a journey for lack of a destination.
Personally what this song means to me was the beginning of me losing the idea that my opinions have any bearing or factual basis in the real world. This was one of the first songs by TOOL i really kind of listened to that made me question myself and my opinions. At the end I had to run smack into the face of the self realization that I am a huge hypocrite on a great many of things. While some of these I hope I cleared up, others I know I'm just as bad.
In closing I'd like to apologize for any misspellings, grammatical mistakes and the kind of jumpy way I think I might have written this. I'm sure I left out at least two major ideas I wanted to touch on and a few smaller ones, not to mention ones I hadn't yet thought of. But, that's OK. Because I'm not good enough. I'm not smart enough. But dog gone it some people still tolerate me.