Tool’s Adam Jones : “Tom Morello’s Mom Was My Homeroom Teacher”

While Tool was putting together his album Fear Inoculum, one of the first companions to hear what they were working on was Tom Morello. But the band’s friendship with Morello is actually prior to either of their professional successes.

“Tom and I grew up together. Tom’s mom was my homeroom teacher. Mary Morello, she’s the coolest lady you’d ever meet,” revealed guitarist Tool’s Adam Jones on the Talk Is Jericho podcast.

In fact, there was quite the talent pool at their high school, according to Jones.

“Maureen Herman, she’s in Babes in Toyland, she was a year younger than me and we were all friends at school, but Tom used to say, you know, ‘Grunge from Seattle, well, yeah, the next big sound is from Libertyville, Illinois,'” laughed Jones.

The guitarist reveals that they used to attend concerts together as they grew up, they found a link in the 80’s metal, and when Jones moved to Los Angeles to take a class, he actually lived with Morello for a period.

“Tom was just very inspiring growing up. He was very animated and I always thought he would be an actor. He was very well spoken. He was in a lot of plays,” Jones recalls of the guitarist.

He adds,

“I remember he was in this band and they were terrible. They were called the Electric Sheep. There were no concerns of being signed or how important it is. It was a high school band, and at some point they needed a bass player, and I was playing violin, but in high school I started playing bass, cause they didn’t have a bass player. I can read treble and bass clef, but I always played guitar on the side. I’m self taught.” The guitarist continues humorously, “It’s just amazing to me now how much Tom sucked at that moment when I met him and now no one can touch him.”