Sober (Tool Song) - Music Video

Music Video

A video for "Sober" was made in 1993. It debuted in May of that same year and was directed by Fred Stuhr. It was filmed using stop-motion animation, with the characters' models designed by Adam Jones. The video bears a strong resemblance to the work of the Brothers Quay, however they were not involved with its creation. It was the first of Tool's videos to be made in stop motion, the earlier promo video for "Hush" being live action and featuring all four band members. However, brief flashes of the musicians can be seen near the beginning, as well as a live-action figure twitching and vibrating violently.

The video's protagonist is a small, humanoid being, who lives and sleeps in a rusty room sparsely decorated with a bed, table and chair inside an abandoned mansion. He happens upon a wooden box, which he opens near the beginning. Its contents are kept hidden for the majority of the video's duration, but it seems whatever it is has had adverse effects - there are repeated shots of the humanoid levitating in his chair, and his head and arm vibrating wildly. While experiencing these effects, he ventures through his living quarters and its many corridors.

The climax provides a barrage of imagery and revelations: a figure attached to a wall behind a translucent screen, a sentry of sorts wielding a mobile, robotic cannon and an organic substance flowing through a pipe found in the house. At the end, the box is empty, leaving the viewer to determine its meaning.

Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain called the "Sober" video a rip-off of the Brothers Quay" and stated Tool should be sued for this.