Because we love ‘em all. Here’s your 90’s Video of the Day
Tool - Sober
The video for "Sober" is so iconic, such an enduring visual and stylistic marker for the band, it’s a big one to try and take a bite out of, but here we go!
Adam Jones did the character design for the video for “Sober” and they had been inspired by British stop-animation videos. Enter Fred Stuhr, who ended up directing not only this video, but also Green Jelly’s "Three Little Pigs," which also featured additional vocals from?? Maynard James Keenan.
You won’t find a particular storyline in the video, just mostly the haunting images of an odd not-quite human character searching through the confines of this empty mansion. And likely, you’ll experience the images in perpetuity for maybe the rest of your life, mostly at night. It took the band months to get the video done, starting with a month just for the planning. If you know anything about Tool, you already know they like to take their time and get it right.
This video is consistent with the band’s relationship with the spotlight in a way. In most 90’s videos, even conceptual ones, the band appears in the video somewhere. The same way that Maynard James Keenan likes to live out the duality of his introverted-extrovert personality, often hiding on stage during Tool shows, the band decided to only appear in fleeting glimpses for this video.
What’s “Sober,” about? It’s supposedly sung from the perspective of someone who was a friend of the band who only felt he was creative when he was drunk.
Hit me up with 90’s Video’s you wanna see featured at abby@wxdx.com