The 1993 Tool song too brutal to play live: “Intolerant and unworldly”
Rock and roll is filled with artists who opted for avant-garde over mainstream appeal, often finding themselves cast aside. However, a few bands achieved the rare feat of merging both worlds. Los Angeles outfit Tool is one of the most storied examples, with their rise to rock icon status grounded in an unwavering refusal to deliver the expected.
Led by the enigmatic frontman Maynard James Keenan and boasting guitarist Adam Jones, bassist Justin Chancellor, and drummer Danny Carey, Tool’s style is complex and cerebral, with experimentation at the forefront of everything they do.
From utilising a range of strange compound time signatures to operating the Fibonacci sequences in their lyrics, the group have strived to push the boundaries of music, earning them legions of fans and detractors in equal measure. It’s the kind of career that only the purest of artists aspire to have, and it is one which the group has routinely revelled in.
Given that their style is so multifaceted, it’s no surprise that Tool has cited various acts as inspirations over the years, and each one accounts for the different elements of their sound. They draw on the guttural sound of Swans as much as they do the sweet confessions of Joni Mitchell. They languish in the unique perspective of Peter Gabriel as much as the raw magnetism of Sex Pistols and devour the brutishness of Melvins with equal gusto as the sprawling soundscapes of King Crimson. Despite these artists being distinguishable, they are all innovators in some way, setting an example for Keenan and the band.
What ties those influences together is not a shared sound, but a shared willingness to confront uncomfortable ideas. Tool have always gravitated towards artists who challenge their audience rather than appease them, using music as a means of exploration rather than escape. That mindset feeds directly into their own work, where the aim is often to provoke thought as much as it is to entertain.
It also explains the intensity of their subject matter. Rather than skirting around difficult themes, the band have consistently leaned into them, creating songs that demand engagement on a deeper level. It is not always an easy listen, but that has never been the point. For Tool, the value lies in the reaction, in forcing listeners to reckon with ideas that might otherwise be ignored.
In fact, Tool have looked across the spectrum of popular culture for inspiration, and on the 1993 single ‘Prison Sex’, things got extremely real. Here, Keenan turned his gaze towards the allegations of sexual abuse within several global religious organisations. It has been said this was fuelled by his intense hatred of his devout Baptist upbringing with his mother and stepfather. He later labelled it an “intolerant and unworldly household”.
Before performing the track in November 1996 in Montreal, Canada, he explained: “This song is about recognising, identifying, the cycle of abuse within yourself. That’s the first step of the process: realisation; identifying. The next step is to work through it. But, this song is about the first step in the process, which is recognising.”
The Adam Jones-directed video is so stark in depicting child abuse that MTV stopped airing it after only a handful of viewings. Following this, the song became such a source of controversy that the last time Tool played it live was on October 19th, 2001.
It is said that it was mainly retired because of Keenan’s mother, Judith, who was deeply offended by the track. It’s a mark of respect that Keenan and the group would recognise this anguish and make efforts to stop it. But it also suggests that the song is simply too abrasive to be continually connected to.
The band retiring the song would do little to stop the theme making global headlines not long after Tool said goodbye to the track. In early 2002, The Boston Globe‘s Spotlight team produced a series of reports about historic child abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests, and trust in religious organisations hit an all-time low.
Given its substance, the song has been a fan favourite since its release. Calls for it to return to their set have yet to lose impetus. However, considering Keenan has rarely bowed down to a group of fans he labelled “insufferable”, one might not expect its return any time soon.
