"We wanted to take as much time and effort making the video as we did the song"
About this Quote
There is a quiet flex in that line: the video is being treated not as marketing exhaust but as a co-equal work. Coming from Adam Jones, it lands as both a statement of craft and a refusal of the disposable pace of pop release cycles. Most artists are trained to see the song as the “real” thing and the video as an accessory - a deadline-driven add-on designed to feed MTV yesterday or TikTok today. Jones is describing a different hierarchy: image and sound built with the same patience, the same bruising attention to detail.
The intent is practical, but the subtext is aesthetic control. Tool’s world has always depended on atmosphere, ambiguity, and an almost ritual seriousness; a slapdash visual would puncture the spell. By insisting the video deserves the same labor as the track, Jones is protecting immersion. He’s also signaling authorship. A carefully made video says: we’re not renting someone else’s vibe; we’re constructing a unified language, down to texture, pacing, and symbolism.
Context matters because the era of “content” pressures musicians to be constantly visible. This quote pushes back: take time, make fewer things, make them heavier. It’s a philosophy that treats listeners as capable of waiting and capable of paying attention. The line reads like a small production note, but it’s really a cultural stance - one that values intentionality over immediacy, and world-building over churn.
The intent is practical, but the subtext is aesthetic control. Tool’s world has always depended on atmosphere, ambiguity, and an almost ritual seriousness; a slapdash visual would puncture the spell. By insisting the video deserves the same labor as the track, Jones is protecting immersion. He’s also signaling authorship. A carefully made video says: we’re not renting someone else’s vibe; we’re constructing a unified language, down to texture, pacing, and symbolism.
Context matters because the era of “content” pressures musicians to be constantly visible. This quote pushes back: take time, make fewer things, make them heavier. It’s a philosophy that treats listeners as capable of waiting and capable of paying attention. The line reads like a small production note, but it’s really a cultural stance - one that values intentionality over immediacy, and world-building over churn.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
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