Breaking the Stigma with “Schism”
I recently remembered a powerful assignment I had written for my Intro to Cultural Anthropology class this past winter. We were instructed to listen to a song once and record our first impressions – what the song was about, how it made us feel, etc. Then, we had to listen to the song several times over and record if our impressions changed. We also had to write how other cultures might perceive the song.
Listening to “Schism” by (my favorite band) Tool allowed me to share some very deep beliefs that were stirring inside me for quite some time…
(Lyrics from band homepage)…
I know the pieces fit ‘cuz I watched them fall away Mildewed and smoldering, fundamental differing, Pure intention juxtaposed will set two lovers souls in motion Disintegrating as it goes testing our communication The light that fueled our fire then has burned a hole between us so We cannot see to reach an end crippling our communication. I know the pieces fit ‘cuz I watched them tumble down No fault, none to blame it doesn’t mean I don’t desire to Point the finger, blame the other, watch the temple topple over. To bring the pieces back together, rediscover communication. The poetry that comes from the squaring off between, And the circling is worth it. Finding beauty in the dissonance. There was a time that the pieces fit, but I watched them fall away. Mildewed and smoldering, strangled by our coveting I’ve done the math enough to know the dangers of a second-guessing Doomed to crumble unless we grow, and strengthen our communication. Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion Between supposed lovers Between supposed brothers. And I know the pieces fit.These were my thoughts upon listening to it several more times…
This song is about the lack of communication that can tear up any American and the society around him. Many of life’s problems can be traced back to our nation’s inability to open its mouth, free its mind, and help one another. Millions live with the pain and sorrow that surround mental illness, addiction, and the like, only to keep it hidden from those around them. This problem is intensified for adult males, who must fight the image placed upon them.
Americans are raised to be independent in their problem solving. By adolescence, many are weaned from their parents’ control. Within these years, they go from being children dependent on their parents, to being adults dependent on no one. At the beginning of their adult lives, many are thrust into their own world, often away from those who have helped to shape them.
Adult males are especially vulnerable. For thousands of years, they have been forced into the role of strong, fearless, emotionless fighting and working machines. They are the ones to protect the family from peril. Be it a burglary or a shipwreck, the man is expected to step in front of loved ones and take the brunt of the blow. Modern American men may not face these dangers often, but they maintain the same role. The kids primarily rely on Dad’s financial support to get them through college and into independent adult life. Even Mom is listed as a dependent on the annual tax form. And if crisis strikes the family, it is the man’s name that is soiled.
The media dictates much of the way an American male is “supposed” to act. Buff, heroic movie stars save the country from aliens, terrorists, and, hell, even transfiguring cars. Dimwitted hunks vie for the love of trashy airheads on many television shows – and the disturbing part is, most of it isn’t even scripted. This is the way many American males believe they should act. And if one does not fit this archetype, then, well, he’s often labeled as “weird” or even “gay.”
The silencing stigma experienced by Americans, including Tool singer/lyricist Maynard James Keenan, is not uncommon. The fact that he sings about it is. He lived through his parents’ divorce and, when he was eleven, his mother’s aneurysm and stroke. (She was paralyzed for about 27 years until she died in 2003.) In “Schism,” it is likely he writes about the lack of communication between he and his mother, Judith. She was a devout Christian, something Keenan did not understand nor want to replicate in his life. (In “Judith,” a 2000 song with his side project, A Perfect Circle, Keenan questions why she was stricken when she did no wrong, and also why she still believed in Him.) His criticisms against religion in several other songs represent those of thousands of Americans. “To bring the pieces back together,” he even desires to “point the finger, blame the other, [and] watch the temple topple over.” He is looking to release decades of anguish, and “Schism” does just that. But he doesn’t do so without facing stigma. In a 2008 interview with Revolver, he expresses regret for publicizing so much of himself in “Wings,” a 2006 two-song tribute to his mother. Self-expression rears its ugly head.
An individual from another culture would view this song as angry. Most other cultures prefer pop or classical to rock, much less hard rock. For almost sixty years, rock music has been a method of dissent, and Tool is no different. Negative thoughts are glossed-over in other cultures – maybe they’re even virtually non-existent? Europeans, for example, are supposedly more laid back than Americans. When Europeans are taking siestas and months of vacation, Americans are working overtime to put their children through college.
After listening to the song multiple times, I was able to identify with a sense of optimism I hadn’t originally noticed. Keenan does not just say the pieces are “mildewed and smoldering;” he also desires to reconnect them and communication as a whole. All is not lost, and he is able to speak once again.
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This is the most influential song of my life. I plan to use it as the backbone of an allegorical film that expresses these thoughts and more. It will take many years for it to see fruition, but, as MJK said, “the circling is worth it.”
