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Haravikk
06-13-2003, 12:04 PM
Due to lack of a better term I'm calling the monster with strange wire 'tentacles' coming from his head as tentacle head.

Just a thought, but the tentacle headed guy appears to be hammering away at the various 'segments' below the main character's floorboards, each of these segments appears to contain something else, it seems logical that one of these are the source of the box which the character takes to his table. But this would imply that the tentacle headed guy is the creator of the box, or at least controls when the character can get it.

So, is the tentacle headed guy a 'power' of some kind like a government? The guy is fighting against the 'box' which he is being given by tentacle head. But he sees all these strange things, things that perhaps the power doesn't want the character to see.

There is a similar (if slightly more perverse) version of this concept in Prison Sex with the 'boxes', the guy in black is in control and the 'child' is confined to its drawer (or box in the case of Sober).

My only thought from this is that the tentacle head must represent a government or similar authority figure, but I can't think of one which fits

Windir
06-13-2003, 01:00 PM
Originally posted by Haravikk
Due to lack of a better term I'm calling the monster with strange wire 'tentacles' coming from his head as tentacle head.


Good point.

Originally posted by Haravikk

Just a thought, but the tentacle headed guy appears to be hammering away at the various 'segments' below the main character's floorboards, each of these segments appears to contain something else, it seems logical that one of these are the source of the box which the character takes to his table. But this would imply that the tentacle headed guy is the creator of the box, or at least controls when the character can get it.


I don't think that Tentacle Headed Guy has anything to do with that other guy to take the box, cause later in the video, when we had openen the Box, you see him set himself free, and rise into the air with chair and all...
This is a part of freedom.
No one will ever know what is in the box... it could be his unconsciousness, something he is... Feeding...

Originally posted by Haravikk

So, is the tentacle headed guy a 'power' of some kind like a government? The guy is fighting against the 'box' which he is being given by tentacle head. But he sees all these strange things, things that perhaps the power doesn't want the character to see.


There is (in my opinion) no connection between the Tentacle Headed Guy and the box.
That other guy just seeing things in the box, maybe his future, seeing what he's going to do.
You see him explore the world around him, carefuly taking each step.
He's not fighting against the box, he's fightin againts himself.

Originally posted by Haravikk

There is a similar (if slightly more perverse) version of this concept in Prison Sex with the 'boxes', the guy in black is in control and the 'child' is confined to its drawer (or box in the case of Sober).


"Prison Sex" is a totally different song and has a different meaning, wich has nothing to do with the "Sober" video.
But I understand what you are saying, the higher powers are controlling it's servants... that's the only good thought for "Prison Sex".
Now, for "Sober" there must be something else, cause id the caracter is fighting against the box, why does he open it 2, 3 times?
And he closes it well, and even hides it underneath his bed!

Originally posted by Haravikk

My only thought from this is that the tentacle head must represent a government or similar authority figure, but I can't think of one which fits


Hmmz, It could be that the Tentacle Headed Guy has 'Something' to do with it, But I really don't think it is that big of a problem, cause it hasn't got anything to do with the video or the lyrics!


*This is just my opinion...*

Haravikk
06-14-2003, 11:11 AM
Well, I see where you're coming from with that, it isn't very clear in the video where the box does come from. But it is clear that the character is looking for something beneath the floor boards, and that tentacle head is in control of it all (since he's working on the various things beneath the floor).

So perhaps the character is looking for something (that much seems to be shared by many throughout the opinions section), but tentacle head has it, or is in some way in control of it. But that leads to the question again of what the character is looking for which is a question unlikely to be answered unless someone can force it from the band...

...aside from torturing our favourite band what could the guy be looking for? The fact that he is looking for something beneath his floorboards implies it is physical, but if indeed he is in his own head then it must be something very real to him.
His soul? It would connect somewhat to the references to Jesus and Mother Mary, perhaps he is frustrated at them because they embody things he can never be?

Damnit Tool have broken my head :(

Windir
06-14-2003, 11:26 AM
I see where you are going... and I really know what you are talking about, I can appreciate your opinion.

It has a bit of a truth in it, if you put our stories together.
I think that he is searching for that something underneath the surface, absolutly, and it has something to do with something that is sepcial to the caracter.

The Tentecle Headed Guy, is truly someone who work underneath the surface, it look like he desgined all the "holes" is the floor.
But that leaves a question, our caracter who is searching for something underneath the floor, has only 1 hole where he can search in to what he is searching.
Why does he only have 1 way to get there, and why can he grab the box in first place, and for the 2nd of 3th time, he cant reach to it, then it seems it is vanished...
The box is gone, but who got it? The Tentacle Headed Guy?!

Then we got another question, what are those other caracters?, That guy in the wall for example, what is he doing there? Is he the fear of our guy?
We got another caracter, the "smart" one, the one with the telescope... or whatever it is...
It looks like he is searching through the halls to find something?!

It's all so complicated, I think there are to many ways to experience this song, and many ways to explain it!

So let's keep it with these questions, cause i don't think we're ever gonna know.





Unless we torture MJK untill he tells us =)

Haravikk
06-15-2003, 04:10 AM
Originally posted by Windir
Then we got another question, what are those other caracters?, That guy in the wall for example, what is he doing there? Is he the fear of our guy?
We got another caracter, the "smart" one, the one with the telescope... or whatever it is...

Well, could the other character's be people in the same/a similar situation? The one in the wall is obviously mutilated, so he must have tried to do something and failed, or with the addiction idea has gone so far under that he had hurt himself?
The one with the telescope/weapon appears to be using another for whatever his plan is?

My ultimate theory is that Tool just got a load of action figures, took a knife and some spare parts to them and threw them into a setting with their song behind it :)
Though there are so many theories from this one video that one of the theories must come close

Windir
06-15-2003, 04:34 AM
Originally posted by Haravikk

Though there are so many theories from this one video that one of the theories must come close

Yeah, but figure out wich one is true!
I think we came close with our story's, but it's clear that we both have our own story, a different way of seeing this video along with the song!

Oh well, at least we tried! =)

Haravikk
06-16-2003, 07:22 AM
I just watched the video again, the character definately gets the box from the hole in the floor (with the sections which tentacle head is working on) so Tentacle Head is definately in charge of what goes on with the box. Our character is able to get the box at the start, and he gets it again at the finish, but he does not get it when he sticks his hand beneath the floor boards towards the middle, and this is where the terrible images appear so this lends weight to the idea that the box is an addiction and he is having withdrawal symptoms when without it.

So he is 'on' something (or is a certain person or whatever, this is the most important part that we can't be sure of) and without it he sees things. So the box 'protects' (for want of a better word) our character from these terrible things. Is the terrible images the truth and he wants to hide from it by taking the box (and believing something else)?

It kinda fits for me but there are still uncertainties (Sober is one big uncertainty!) such as the 'meat pipe', though they could just be things he has seen that he doesn't like (doesn't want to accept)

Windir
06-16-2003, 07:32 AM
You're totally right there, I couldn't agree more...

The Tentacle Head, certainly is doing something underneath his "Room".
He propably made the holes underground too, apperaintly he is some kind of mind-control freak who lives underground.
For our caracter, he is close to finding something he wants, maybe thats what he sees in the box.
Seeing what he wants and can't get.

Thats how the Tentacle Head, can keep controlling him.
Maybe the guy in the wall was to close of finding out the truth and so he gets abused by our Tentacle Headed Guy!

Also, the guy with the telescope, i'm still not certain what his part is in this video, maybe he just is something to fill the time (but I dont think that it is)

Then, you said the "meat pipe", That will be a difficult one, I don't think it has an impotant meaning.
Our guy touched it... but nothing happened after that!

This won't be solved, I think... This is just a video no one can understand for the fully 100%, wich is pretty amazing...
I think "Tool" did a great job by making video's without a real meaning...

Of course they have meaning, and "Tool" themself have put some serious thoughts in it.
But it has to be something the "Fans" can talk about for a long time, and figuring out what the video really means.

No one will ever know what the true meaning is, only the "Tool" members...

Oh well...

stupid_toaster
06-29-2003, 06:48 AM
From the FAQ;

In a 1994 interview in BAM magazine, Maynard had this to say. It sums the whole thing up pretty well:
BAM: What's wrong with that little man?
MJK: What's wrong with him?
BAM: Yeah. What's he looking for?
MJK: That...place, I guess.
BAM: Will he ever find that place?
[Silence]
BAM: Maybe yes? Maybe no? Crapshoot?
MJK: Crapshoot.

stupid_toaster

Talonwulf
01-22-2004, 05:24 PM
that "place" could be a psychological place.

I think that the guy with the tentacles is the creator of whats inside the box [I believe it is to do with drugs]. The Builder makes it for him, makes the house [the house being a metaphor of his mental state or concequences of the box perhaps] but the little guy cant get the box anymore, maybe with the lack of money, or because he has "hid it" himself. Hope you see what i mean