mockery?

[paraflux]

perhaps it mocks the short attention span of humans. It's kinda silly, cheesy, circusy. It also separates the last 4 songs from the rest of the album.

[Jojo]

I think it's one of those "They did it just because they could" things, i think tool is just letting they'r sense of humor shine through, they ARE human too ya know...


Jojo

[Talescaper]

Jojo, that seems the most plausable explanation.
I've long wondered how a deep emotional song as jimmy would have a prelude like Intermission.
Who knows, perhaps they just put it there to confuse us.
And confusion can be quite entertaining.

[nina]

it may have been made incredibly happy and fair groundy (fair groundy?)in order to emphasize the feeling of jimmy

also i don't think Tool would put things there to confuse us, rather to make us think
but then that depends on how sadistic they are i suppose


luv nina

[BentEnvelope]

Although Intermission could just be an intermission, I think there's an obvious connection to jimmy. The tune, also the main riff to jimmy, sounds "kiddie", like a song you would hear at a carnival because jimmy is supposedly about Maynard when he was a kid. With this in mind Intermission sounds like an introduction to the story of Maynard's childhood. Just a thought.

[ragna16]

In which case the track change could be seen as 'eleven' perhaps?

I also believe that this was the most trauma life, it is carefree and happy.

[mps]

couldn't it represent a mood change in the album?
the last half of ænima has a darker feel to it.

[Pho]

They sometimes play intermission live, whats that all about?
Anyone have any idea? or seen it live?

[megadan]

i think this is another case of serious/humor at the same time, making a point. Almost like satire, in a way. The "song", on it's own, is just kinda of funny, light. But when juxtaposed directly with the dark, opening riff of "jimmy", it becomes something much more serious. This is a common theme in a lot of good movies, for example if any one has seen the movie "Vulgar", in which a clown (funny, light, childs image) is abducted and raped by a gang of men (an extremly dark and tabboo image in our society(of male rape)). Clearly we use the contrast to make our point felt a little deeper on some level.

[Genocidal]

Originally posted by Pho
They sometimes play intermission live, whats that all about?
Anyone have any idea? or seen it live?

They've never played Intermission live. Their Lateralus tour shows have always had a ten minute intermission in the middle of the show, but it's not the song - it's either the Schism or Parabola videos or bass loops and such.

If you're talking about bootlegs, the intermissions are sometimes recorded and included - they're the same as above.

The only Ænima segues played live to my knowledge have been (-) ions and Die Eier von Satan.

(Didn't mean to sound pompous, just trying to help.)

[DCarey46and2]

i agree that it sounds like it represents a change in mood and semblance in the album. i also agree that it seems carefree and happy, childish almost. the connection i see between the two is that Tool is telling the listener that "what you have heard so far is the most joyful material you're gonna hear" meaning the next half is dark and deep. it's carefree and happy and childlike so the listener can simply enjoy its simplicity and happiness right before the shift in mood. "calm beneath the storm"

[zumzim13]

I think it may just be there for what it is...an intermission. we all know that they are monte python fans, and in the holy grail they have the little organ intermission with the bright flashing colors and all that. as for the the music itself i think it just segues better if they make the melody the same as the jimmy riff. i think it just makes it fit into the album better.

[spiralion]

Does anybody but me hear that "Came out to watch you play, why are you running away?" riff in there.

[Misanthrope]

I also have to agree with some of the people who have already posted here. Intermission, to me, is obviously related directly to Jimmy. I think that Intermission represents the happy, bright side of Maynards childhood, whereas Jimmy addresses the dark side of it. And also when Imtermission is compared with Jimmy it becomes more obvious that Jimmy is a sad, dark, angry, moody song, it was almost like Intermission lulls you into a false sense of security ( possibly just like Maynards childhood up to the point had ).

[Shinji]

It could be the wrong joy of everyday life, who is a mask for dark memories...

[conor moore]

Jojo, that seems the most plausable explanation.
I've long wondered how a deep emotional song as jimmy would have a prelude like Intermission.
Who knows, perhaps they just put it there to confuse us.
And confusion can be quite entertaining.

cunfusion is very entertaining

[thomasknight]

I like the idea of Intermission being the nice side of childhood and then Jimmy the dark side. As intermission goes on it gets into a nice relaxed feel, then suddenly Jimmy hits in and it roughs it up, its more intense and serious. This is a bit like what the lyrics of Jimmy describe:

What was it like to see
The face of your own stability
Suddenly look away

I think the key word is "suddenly" to describe the change of tracks, and also talking about the stability of the sound of intermission. You could almost say that the sound of Jimmy's intro is "dead and hopeless".

[Eulogy33]

whatever the reason for putting this on the album is....its kickass.