I found it very strange that they used funny photos of themselvs having a good time at that little bb-q in hollywood to promote the new record they were calling their "blues album". I had this big vision of a whole new TOOL and sound. After getting familliar with the music, i re-evaluated the promo Photo's and im kinda confused. Any thoughts?

I forgot to add that the photo's in the booklet make much more sense. much artsier and thought out.

i thought about the promo shots too. bbq ones--don't know where they came from. blair talked a lot about bbqs in some newsletters but it's probably (maybe?) a coincidence. the old time-y ones in revolver (?) were odd too. never paid attention to such things in the past so can't compare.

it depends on if tool came up with the idea for the shoots or the photographers. we'll probably never know.

Revolver mag photo's are great. Verry classy. Still very (i guess i would say) "not tool".

I think they are/were trying to confuse us. or just having fun themselvs.

The promo shots seemed strange at first, but after hearing Vicarious and reading a few of the interviews, I realized that they are the band doing a parody or caricature (I think there's a better word, but I can't think of it right now) of America. You have the barbecue, the swimming pool, the flame thrower, Maynard with the floaties on. They are just summing up America as they see it and pretty accurately I might add. Danny looks like he's having so much fun with that flame thrower too, which fits in with Vicarious thematically. I haven't looked at them in awhile, but wasn't Justin just laying on a pool lounge chair seemingly wasted? And Maynard had that ridiculous apron on (I mean that in a good way). Combined with the Roman columns in the background, I thought this might be alluding to America as the new Roman Empire, imperialistic, and Bacchants and all. The whole album is less metaphorical and mysterious than others. Maynard, to a great extent, just says everything in plain language on this album, and expecially on Vicarious. It goes along with the lack of mystery and in your face, none-to-original, statement made by these "bbq" promo shots. (I like the photos, it just isn't an original statement being made with them).

they've said for years they take their music seriously, but not themselves.
i love their photos. they are a nice break from the traditional magazine photos of bands with a grimace on their face trying to look like tough guys.

someone in this forum mentioned that the photos were actually taken back in 2005 sometime - so perhaps they were taken before or during the album's creation

and we all know we can't have that.

I like that idea. Especially the Roman columns.

I saw some pics of Maynard's apron in some APC shots on that Tim Caliente's photography website. So I'm not sure if something's trying to be said using that as a prop or if he just thinks it's a dope ass apron. Which it is pretty damn funny. Either way I want one.

i was also curious if the bbq photo's had been altered at all, or if the location of the photo shoot was indeed taken with the famous HOLLYWOOD sign in the background. i dony know much about photograghy but i would think the sign would be out of focus.

even still, why would they use them to promote a "blues album". it would make a lot more sense to save those photos for some of the big arena tours. same with the revolver photo's. i know people change, and i am willing to accept that, but its like some kind of false advertisement! DAMN YOU TOOL FOR FOOLING MEEEE!

I don't see it as anything unusual from them. I remember seeing a poster years ago where Maynard was dressed up as some kind of computer nerd with big glasses and a short black wig. He was pulling a stupid face - as were some of the others - and it was very funny. I think the reason it is suprising you is because they don't do that many photo shoots in the first place. It's obvious for this one that they just wanted to have some fun. It may be a parody, it may not, but they clearly didn't feel concerned with being pretentious that day. Fooling around is quite normal for these guys, it's just that they normally don't spend much time revealing their personalities to the public and this side of them has taken you by suprise.

yes blusey rock album. Texas deep sounding I dont give a hoot. Livin in the desert cookin some good meals. Listen to the songs, they sound very "desert Rock Native American" music.

My thoughts exactly.

i think that those promo pics where just for people to be thrown off
as they haven't done anything quite simliar but it is more of peek as to who they really are

perfect ironic location too

anyone seen bikini bandits? save christmas?

same location
friend of a friend of a friends place me thinks

well, it was probably taken with a really small aperture, i mean it could be along the lines of f/22 but it was probably more like f/11. furthermore, it probably had a short focal length (between 28 and 55 is my guess), resulting in a huge depth of field. i didnt find anything strange with the entire shot being in focus. if i had the picture right here in front of me i could study it a bit more though...

Yeah, Bikini Bandits was so funny.
But I think that maybe the promo photos were just made to catch us off guard...

Anyone notice that in the pics on the revolver cover, everyone but Adam has chips on their shoulder? Actual wood chips. Fucking hilarious.

Also, the guitar world with Adam was just plain weird... him discovering a dead body on a beach, waving to signal, and standing on some rocks with his guitar. In all he as the exact same expression he always has.

the GW guitarist photographer needs to give me his job....please

Hehe, I haven't seen that but sounds great...Wait a minute!!
Wooooooooooooooh, I've reached 100 posts!
Wonder if i'll get a letter of celebration from the queen:P

Make it 3,168 :)

you are very right, didnt see it in that way at all. i have been trying to find a phrase to describe the new record and that sums it up in a lot of ways. And if you are THE Dredg, please come back around to NY before you guys call it quits. i missed the 4/21 show in NYC.

the pictures are totally fitting. This is their most commecial, depth-free work to date.

Adam the only one without a chip? Adam all alone on a beach...?

Anyone else get the feeling that Adam might be leaving the band?

*audioble gasp*

they are leaves, old dried up leaves that are scattered along the floor in just about each picture for the revolver magazine.

commercial free my ass, this entire 10,000 days forum is one big fukin commercial. so if you havnt bought the album yet, well your missing a whole lot!

nothing about this album makes any sense. they should have taken pictures of tool giving the camera the finger. that would have fit.

rome burning makes a lot of sense though.

Since when did tool make sense? Remember the photo from Aenima with the band sitting on a couch watching a naked contortionist? And Maynard stripping too. It's a joke! These guys do not take themselves seriously, they have said it many times.

no I said it was commercial

and i also said there was very little depth


learn to read.


edit:nm you're a dumbass who thinks chugging cough syrup is hardcore. I should have assumed you can't read.

The photoshoot and maynard dressing as a cowboy on stage is just his little way of pretending to become the idiots hes singing about.

Who remembers Maynard dressing up on stage as one of those TV ministers that shout bs about god at the top of their lungs on the Undertow/early Aenema tour?

Has anyone noticed that in the clock in the Revolver Magazine shot, it reads 4:21?

Throughout my life, those consecutive numbers always stuck out in my head. I know what you are thinking "its because of 420". Well, that would be like 667 popping out to someone more than 666. Whenever I let my guard down, I'll look over and see a car drive by with a license plate 421... Virtually, wherever you see numbers in our society, 421 has a tendency to jump out at me. I constantly wake up in the middle of the night and look at the clock and it reads 421.

I've tried to figure out a numerical significance... but so far I have almost nothing. I've tried to look at it like... four 'two-ones'... as in, four elevens. Four sets of eleven. (maybe one being the WTC?) The only thing I can even think of that would even be somewhat significant would be the popular paranoid suspicion of an apocolypse... but I'll leave that up to the fundamentalist extremists to seal, and just accept and recognize that I just may never know.

I looked into it, and it also has a binary conversion relevence... but still. I think there may be more to it than that. Maybe it has some sort of historical or spiritual significance. I wonder if they are just fucking with us, or if they are really trying to say something.

I remember watching a Tool interview where Maynard said "We take our work very seriously, we just dont take ourselves seriously" That might explain a few things.

Thats just what the music industry needs. More mindless cocksuckers giving the finger like its going to go out of style.

Doubt they meant anything by it. Maybe they were bored with the usual doom and gloom looks on their faces. Generally in "team pictures", they just look bored as hell, like waiting to see the dentist, so I actually kind of liked these pictures.

he said it's their most commercial, (there's a comma here) DEPTH FREE albumn -.-
as it's commercial and has no depth or mysterioso to it..... idiot -.-
but it's still an impressive piece of sound.

i didn't mean it in the "look how hardcore i am giving the camera the finger" way.

Tool aren't as serious as everyone thinks

Maynard has said they take the music seriously, but don't take themselves seriously

i take your mom seriously!!!