I play my enemies like a game of chess.

All things considered, I could never have survived my youth without Wagnerian music. For I seemed condemned to the society of Germans. If a man wishes to rid himself of a feeling of unbearable oppression, he may have to take to hashish. Well, I had to take to Wagner.

In my songs, I try to look through someone else's eyes, and I want to give the audience a feeling more than a message.

World Record" has a looseness and a spontaneity that's rare in new recordings. It reminds me a little of listening to old 78-r.p.m. records-most early recording artists had just one three-minute shot in front of the microphone, and sometimes things got a little wild, a little free. How do you purposefully cultivate that feeling in the studio?

The process that we go through in recording with Tool is very organic, but at the same time it is very thought out. There is a very left-brain process of dissecting what we're doing and drawing from source material; it's very research oriented and esoteric.

Music is so therapeutic for me that if I can't get it out, I start feeling bad about myself - a lot of self-loathing.