“KIRK HAMMETT HELPED MY PLAYING”

Tool guitarist Adam Jones reveals how he keeps in creative shape

With so many years since Tool’s last release, how would you say you’ve evolved as a guitarist since 2006?

Adam Jones: “That’s a good question! I’ve definitely been practising more than ever. Since the last record came out, when I meet a guitarist I like, I’ll ask them what they do to warm up or what do they do to stay good. Most of them show me a technique or a stretch – or maybe a practice idea. The last time I saw Kirk hammett, I asked and he sent me a video of this forwards/backwards run going up and down the neck of the guitar, and it really helped my playing a lot. Instead of doing something like just trying to learn the lead in Master Of Puppets.”

You’ve always taken influence from places outside of the guitar world — art, film, science. Was there anything like that that had an impact on your writing on this record?

“It’s honestly all such a blur. I try to be like a sponge and vulnerable, and I try to ask a lot of questions and learn. I also try to look at the world – the keyword being ‘try’ – in a more forgiving way. When I watch a movie, I pretend I’m 12, because when I was 12 I liked everything. So many people are so jaded about everything and I try to avoid that. I just try to do that with the arts and music in general, and when I hear something, I ask myself what influences came in when someone was creating it and I acknowledge that a player might not be eddie Van halen, but they’re good and they’re good in their own unique way. I try to pick up on that and try to think from my chest instead of from my head.”

It’s quite funny to hear that a forgiving gaze is the key for you, considering how legendary Tool’s perfectionism is

“I don’t know if I was the first person to say it, but I always thought it as a kid and I still think: It’s not good when it’s done, it’s done when it’s good. That’s how we go about what we do.”