Source: Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone recently spoke to Adam Jones of the band Tool about his love for pro wrestling. Jones was at recent WWE NXT TV tapings in Orlando and performed the Star-Spangled Banner at SummerSlam 2011. You can read the full interview at this link. Check out some of the interview below:
I saw you recently attended an NXT taping in Orlando – do you prefer that product to WWE’s Raw or SmackDown?
I really love NXT. There’s a great vibe, and they put on a great show. In a way, it reminds me of PWG [Pro Wrestling Guerrilla], where the wrestling is great and the audience participation is next level. I’ve never been to any music event or sporting event that has the same vibe as a PWG show. And NXT compares to that. I’ve always admired Vince McMahon, because he’s doing what he loves to do, and now Paul [Levesque, aka Triple H] has taken over some of the business in the company, including NXT, and he’s gone back to the roots of wrestling. We were playing in Florida, and he invited me out to a taping and it was great. My whole point of view in life is to pretend I’m 12 years old, so whether it’s listening to music or looking at art or going to the movies or sporting events, I really do enjoy the experience.
So you don’t nitpick the storylines, or complain about your favorite wrestlers being buried by WWE? I always thought that was part of being a wrestling fan…
Honestly, no. It’s like when I go see a movie. My friends won’t even ask me what I think about it, because I always just say, “It was good!” People will criticize everything about it, but I’m always like, “Hey, it’s better than your movie.” Everyone is so jaded, but when I was 12, I wasn’t analyzing everything. It’s like, “Hey, just be entertained for a while. Not everything needs to be Star Wars.” I love it when they find some weird guy from Mexico, or, you know, bring back some really famous guy – like when Shane McMahon came back, that was a great moment! I’m friends with Lita, and when Shane-O Mac showed up on Raw, she was like “Did you see Shane? That was so great!” I just really enjoy the things I like, including wresting, because they all inspire me to be creative.
I read that you had to email a demo to Vince McMahon before he’d let you perform [the Star-Spangled Banner at SummerSlam 2011]. Does that mean you still have his email address? And does he use AOL?
Oh, I have his phone number we talk all the time! [laughs] No, Paul and a few other people helped set that up; they were like, “Vince wants to hear it,” so I did a demo and sent it to Vince, and it was, like, so impressive to even have that distant communication with him. A couple years later I was backstage, and I ran into Vince and took a picture and thanked him for all the free entertainment over the years, and he was really intimidating! I was kind of scared of him! He’s a good guy, for sure, but you can tell he doesn’t take shit from anybody.
Adam also discussed when he became a wrestling fan, getting engaged at the Royal Rumble .