Vicarious

“Nature has gone to great lengths to hide our subconscious from ourselves. Why?”

-Robert Wright

“Vicarious” was the lead single from Tool’s 2006 album, 10,000 Days. It is one of their most recognised songs, and probably the one that truly cemented the band in the good graces of the mainstream. It’s often recommended as a starting point, something that doesn’t demand too much of the listener. I’m not going to look at the song’s structure and time signature, because I honestly don’t think it’s worth it. It’s great, but this isn’t a music theory blog. I just want to look at the substance of what’s being said in a song, the flow and the feel. Let’s start with the word itself, “vicarious.” One definition according to Merriam-Webster is something “experienced or realised through imaginative or sympathetic participation in the experience of another.”

Lyrically, the song is a scathing critique of voyeurism, or the idea that people increasingly consume — and become obsessed with — other people’s suffering through the media. The opening line:

“Eye on the TV, ’cause tragedy thrills me,

Whatever flavour it happens to be like…”

It points to how news headlines hook viewers and readers. And then the chorus:

“‘Cause I need to watch things die from a distance, vicariously,

I live while the whole world dies, you all need it too, don’t lie…”

The effect of clickbait news and sensationalism makes up a good chunk of what I’ve been reading and railing against over the years. It’s a system I’d like to see completely dismantled. Although, people generally would never admit to enjoying the dystopian nightmare that is the news cycle. It’s what drew me to books like Trust Me, I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by John Ronson, and so many others.

In The Present Age, Soren Kierkegaard drove himself mad mulling over the state of journalism. He compared the tabloid papers to a vicious dog. That dog could be set on some superior, and the public could gawk and gander, and never feel bad. Of course, if someone was hurt and the police were called, that same public could just say, “What? No, it wasn’t me who attacked you, I am merely an observer.”

Another book that lines up with “Vicarious” is The Moral Animal, by Robert Wright. The text explores the notion that emotions like sympathy, outrage, loyalty, and even love evolved because they helped our ancestors survive, not necessarily because they made us morally good. Compassion builds alliances and reciprocal relationships; moral outrage punishes outsiders and strengthens the group; altruism is tied to kin selection. The uncomfortable implication of Wright’s text is that morality may be part strategy, part instinct, not just ethical reasoning. The first chapter is possibly one of the most depressing things I’ve ever read, because it highlights just how ruthless our so-called “good” feelings are. But after a while, you figure that truth is better than ignorance and you keep reading. Wright’s text fits with Tool’s single because it exposes the instinctual relief one feels when misfortune happens to someone else.

“Much better you than I,” as one of Keenan’s lines goes.

Evolutionary psychology is not widely recognised as a legitimate science, but do we completely throw it out the window? I think of it as more truthful than factual, something that at least warrants a discussion. Like Freudian psychoanalysis, Marxist dialectical materialism, or Adler’s individual psychology, you might find extracts in the English or Philosophy curriculum here and there.

A lot of Keenan’s lyrics have to confronting uncomfortable truths about human nature, questioning comforting narratives and assumptions we’ve taken for granted, or exposing hypocrisy and self-deception. “Vicarious” is one of many that circles around these ideas, framing them through media voyeurism. “Ænema,” “Schism,” and “Right in Two” explore them in different ways.

Now, it feels like “Vicarious” is more relevant than ever. Social media algorithms, online mobs, viral disaster footage, and the endless scrolling of news feeds just reinforce Keenan’s point. Platforms like TikTok and Twitter amplify exactly the kind of behaviour the song highlights. What’s more, we’ve even upgraded to a live-service model of war where it’s a part of everyone’s media diet, complete with updates. It’s what happens when your economy is de-industrialised and needs to be propped up by rampant military expenditure and Zionism.

Happy listening… or something.