•
Rating:
THE REVIEW
Fred Stuhr (U.S.A.), 1967-1997 (R.I.P.): Videoclip of "Sober", Tool (U.S.A.) from "Undertow" (1993)
You are small. Your room is dirty and empty. The squalor around you, and the demons inside you, are your only companions.
The times of "I can quit whenever I want" are long gone: you can't even realize that the only reason you're still alive is to kill what little clarity you have left. Dependency is your cage and only the substance gives you, an apparent, freedom.
Cramped corridors lead us to you: you wake up and being sober makes you suffer. Mechanically, you seek the remedy to this dreadful state, you find it and are immediately absorbed on multiple levels: while you lose yourself in your house, while you feel like you are floating in the air, while the people inside you are projected outside and demand their space, while everything seems to change and come to life.
Now the place you are in is gigantic, and alive, and the only thing you can do is succumb to its influence.
You ask yourself too: "why can't I not be sober?".
But you find no answer and in bed, you continue to tremble.
Video directed by Fred Stuhr using the Stop Motion technique. The models were created by the band's guitarist (Adam Jones) and small cameos of the band members were interspersed throughout the animated sequences. Neither Stuhr nor Tool ever hid the fact that this video, as well as "Prison Sex", was inspired by the works of the Quay Brothers.
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
The review praises Fred Stuhr’s evocative stop-motion video for Tool’s song 'Sober,' highlighting its portrayal of addiction and inner demons. It describes the claustrophobic setting and surreal transformations reflecting the protagonist’s mental state. The video’s artistic style, crafted with the band’s input and inspired by the Quay Brothers, is celebrated as a powerful visual expression. The review captures the emotional and psychological intensity conveyed through the animation and direction.Tracklist Lyrics
01 Sober (05:07)
There's a shadow just behind me
Shrouding every step I take
Making every promise empty
Pointing every finger at me
Waiting like a stalking butler
Who upon the finger rests
Murder now, the path called "must we"
Just because the son has come
Jesus, won't you fucking whistle
Something but the past and done?
Jesus, won't you fucking whistle
Something but the past and done?
Why can't we not be sober?
I just want to start this over
And why can't we drink forever?
I just want to start this over
I am just a worthless liar
I am just an imbecile
I will only complicate you
Trust in me and fall as well
I will find a center in you
I will chew it up and leave
I will work to elevate you
Just enough to bring you down
Mother Mary, won't you whisper?
Something but what's past and done
Mother Mary, won't you whisper?
Something but the past and done
Why can't we not be sober?
I just want to start this over
And why can't we sleep forever?
I just want to start this over
Why?
I am just a worthless liar
I am just an imbecile
I will only complicate you
Trust in me and fall as well
I will find a center in you
I will chew it up and leave
Trust me
Trust me
Trust me
Trust me
Trust me
Why can't we not be sober?
I just want to start things over
And why can't we sleep forever?
I just want to start this over
Why?
I want what I want
I want what I want
I want what I want
I want what I want
Tool
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles known for long, complex compositions, dense production and striking visuals; their albums (Ænima, Lateralus, Undertow among others) are central to modern progressive/alternative metal.53 Reviews
