OK hooker with a penis isnt that hard to figure out. Its not about anyones mom or a member of the band. I think its very literal. The song has to deal with how Maynard thought that they were selling out. Did they? Doesnt matter. Anyway, whether or not the conversation with the OGT fan actually happened or not doesnt matter. Its all about how Maynard and the band view themselves You may notice that HWAP is the heaviest song on AEnima and I think they did that on purpose to show that they could always go back to their heavier (Opiate) sound.
Later in the song Maynard tells about how he sold his soul to make a record. This , toi me, shows that he knows he worked hard to get where he is now and he doesnt care what he did to get there. Also when he says "Buy my record!", he is openly showing how he sold out by advertising. By selling himself. Hence, Hooker with a penis.
I agree with all of that, except the part about "going back to an Opiate" sound. I think they made that the heaviest song over-all, to make a point. They are obviously perturbed about the whole "selling out" business, and make it clear by swearing through-out the song. Also, with his tone of voice (you can also tell they're pissed off in Aenema for the same reasons). Plus (I'm not sure if this is what you meant or not), Hooker With a Penis sounds nothing like any of the songs off of Opiate, musically or lyrically.
OK hooker with a penis isnt that hard to figure out. Its not about anyones mom or a member of the band. I think its very literal. The song has to deal with how Maynard thought that they were selling out. Did they? Doesnt matter. Anyway, whether or not the conversation with the OGT fan actually happened or not doesnt matter. Its all about how Maynard and the band view themselves You may notice that HWAP is the heaviest song on AEnima and I think they did that on purpose to show that they could always go back to their heavier (Opiate) sound.
Later in the song Maynard tells about how he sold his soul to make a record. This , toi me, shows that he knows he worked hard to get where he is now and he doesnt care what he did to get there. Also when he says "Buy my record!", he is openly showing how he sold out by advertising. By selling himself. Hence, Hooker with a penis.
i agree with mark regarding the hooker, but he dosn't refer only to himself, he speaks about the whole society and he whole world we live in
"All you read and
Wear or see and
Hear on TV
Is a product
Begging for your
Fatass dirty
Dollar "
in fact we all are selling out, even if we dont know it
"Before you point the finger
You should know that
I'm the man,
And if I'm the man,
Then you're the man, and
He's the man as well so you can"
The line: "In between sips of Coke he told me that he thought we were selling out" gives it away for me. I think the whole song is geared towards having a stab at the mentality of the mid 90's youth culture. Remember how it was back then? If anything was overtly popular or if you were percieved as trying hard to be too cool or sucessful then you were really uncool. But the ironic thing was that you were cool if you were really good at pretending to not be cool. So everyone was acting like they didn't care about being cool in order to be cool and at the same time bagged out anything that didn't subscribe to this image. So our boy who is wearing all these 'anti cool' brands of clothes and who has all the rebelious tatoos (that everyone else now has) and piercings confidently has a go at Maynard for selling out while he's drinking a can of coke. Coke! Can't get more corporate than that and yet he's having a go at the band because they are becoming popular and hence uncool. They 'sold out'. See the irony?
I agree with many points that mark raised but i dont think maynard is singing about himself, he's singing about the whole entertainment and media industry really. the end lines of 'FUCK YOU BUDDY' suggest to me hes saying that to the person who said 'buy my new record'.
i dont think TOOL have sold out they still make music for themselves they dont change it to please people alot of so called 'tool fans' didnt like the way they went with 10,000 days, they wanted more of a lateralus feel but tool still made it the way they wanted it.
in fact we all are selling out, even if we dont know it
"Before you point the finger
You should know that
I'm the man,
And if I'm the man,
Then you're the man, and
He's the man as well so you can"
the whole world runs on this
Exactly what I was thinking!
__________________ "Nowadays most people die of a creeping sort of common sense, and discover too late that the only things they never regret are their mistakes." -Oscar Wilde
The song is about about a "hip" kid criticising the band and the band criticising him in return. It's seems like it's Maynard's view on the term "selling out" and how it's something everyone does, including this OGT.
And the last lines "send more money" and "fuck you buddy" are like suckering in and belittling the fan at the same time.
__________________ "STA likes emotional people because he's a bitch." -- Tyson
. the end lines of 'FUCK YOU BUDDY' suggest to me hes saying that to the person who said 'buy my new record'.
chris
x
Maynard often waved his middle finger from right to left at the audience when playing this song back then; you are supposed to take this message very personal indeed.
The guy that made some remarks before me about how it used to be in those days (be cool by being uncool be, wearing all these supposedly anti-corporate brands vans dickies etc) thats the average type of person that would have listened to Tool in those days (not you of course not, theres extremes on both sides of the bell curve). And they would always complain about how sell-out their fav band would be now that they're playing a show in japan as well. Thats probably the type of guy that stepped up to MJK one day and told him listen you guys are sell-outs. Maynard's now holding up the mirror and telling him 'but you spend your money and in alittle while I'm gonna buy my own chateau in the Nappa valley (or whereever it may be that his vineyard is). Take this song personal thats the message.
Maynard often waved his middle finger from right to left at the audience when playing this song back then; you are supposed to take this message very personal indeed.
The guy that made some remarks before me about how it used to be in those days (be cool by being uncool be, wearing all these supposedly anti-corporate brands vans dickies etc) thats the average type of person that would have listened to Tool in those days (not you of course not, theres extremes on both sides of the bell curve). And they would always complain about how sell-out their fav band would be now that they're playing a show in japan as well. Thats probably the type of guy that stepped up to MJK one day and told him listen you guys are sell-outs. Maynard's now holding up the mirror and telling him 'but you spend your money and in alittle while I'm gonna buy my own chateau in the Nappa valley (or whereever it may be that his vineyard is). Take this song personal thats the message.
definately aimed at all the casual 'tool fans' the ones who only have schism parabola and stinkfist lol.
When i listen, I imagine that Maynard is painting a picture of the usual suspects who easily toss the term around, I dont believe he met a boy and all that took place, because that boy would have some nerve. The "buy new record" part I imagine him to be saying... "it might be comforting to talk like your not apart of this process, but your not breaking precedence, just shut up and do what you will inevitably do time and time again"
__________________ And so what you're saying when you say 'I understand it intellectually, but I don't get it intuitively,' or 'I don't feel it in my bones,' is that you understand it in the sense of being able to repeat a form of words.
What fabarick said. MJK is trying to say that there actually isn´t anti-mainstream or something...every fucking music/film/underwear has been made like a product for specific target. Every anti-trend becomes another trend pretty fucking fast.
Point!
Exactly. Hot Topic is owned by the same people as Abercrombie and Hollister.
__________________ "Nowadays most people die of a creeping sort of common sense, and discover too late that the only things they never regret are their mistakes." -Oscar Wilde
definately aimed at all the casual 'tool fans' the ones who only have schism parabola and stinkfist lol.
chris
x
These Casual 'tool fans' as you call them they are fucking everywhere nowadays enjoying their Macky D's and swilling it down with the lastest fizzy pop thats out while going on about how Tool are 'sooooooooo' cool ETC
Here's what's interesting: People criticize other people for only having the songs "stinkfist" and "the pot" and calling them casual Tool fans. Why criticize these people? Why care what other people do? Here's why: by calling them casual Tool fans and criticizing them, you place yourself in a smaller category...more elite if you will. Just like what's being discussed in this thread. You're trying to make yourself seem cool by being uncool. Ironic, isn't it?
Also, I'm not trying to criticize any one of you. The reason I realized this is because I do it also. Sometimes you need to look inward with criticism first before you express it outwardly.
Well to be honest, I love Tool, yet I have only just started listening to their music, and two of my favourite songs are Stinkfist and The Pot. Why does a song being released as a single make it any worse? If I said my favourite songs were Stinkfist and The Pot, even though I had the albums, would that make me more of a casual Tool fan? No, because they are simply good songs.
__________________ See, I know you entertain some kind of eternal life fantasy because you've chosen not to smoke; let me be the first to pop that fucking bubble and send you hurtling back to reality – because you're dead too. And you know what doctors say: "Shit, if only you'd smoked, we'd have the technology to help you. It's you people dying from nothing who are screwed."
- Bill Hicks
i agree with the starter of this thread and bunch of the poster's as well , i'll move on to say that the title and the song also refers to capitalism , in general and the market we were functioning in (regardless of what specific industry , in this case its music).
The "hooker" is an entity that will sell itself and sell out willingly for a price or reason , whereas the "penis" in the title is a slight to how capitalism( or maynard the self proclaimed capitalist in this song) will also "screw" you (or any economy) in the end.
He even goes on to describe the tactics used via the TV and target audiences .
Its not geared towards any "supposed tool fans" , its geared towards the "sell or be sold" society as a whole .
I could go on , but i cant find my soapbox at the moment.
__________________ Support Alex Grey & COSM
BUY SOME POSTERS!
Get them at: http://alexgrey.com/shop.html "squeegeeing my third glass eye"
Also, I'm not trying to criticize any one of you. The reason I realized this is because I do it also. Sometimes you need to look inward with criticism first before you express it outwardly.
not at all for me. i just dont like people who dont really listen to the music as it should be, maybe i should have explained that clearer. what i meant by the casual tool fans i mean the people who bought ONLy because someone else did or because 10K days was in the charts.