Fool on The Hill

It’s been a bit of a tradition around here to play April Fools Day pranks every year on this site. But there’s such a lack of news about the band and its members that… the last time I posted WAS LAST APRIL FOOLS DAY! That’s no fun. In fact, three of my last nine blog posts have been April Fools Day posts.

So, despite having so much fun coming up with just barely unbelievable pranks every year, when I sat down tonight to think of what to do next, I realized that this year is just not suited for a joke. Instead, we will celebrate the day.

We celebrate the fact that it’s been 10 years since the 2008 Atlantic Records release of Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum.

We celebrate that tomorrow will mark 12 years since this website “” and the community it has represented “” has been alive. And (aside from one short period a few years ago) it’s never wavered from the objective of being the web’s #1 ½ resource for Tally Hall fans to share news and information about the band.

One of the touchstones I modeled this website after (right down to the annual April Fools Day pranks) was a Tool fan site. Some would say the only Tool fan site: toolshed.down.net.

It wasn’t too long ago that the guy who ran that site, Kabir, decided to walk away from it. He’d been maintaining toolshed for over 20 years. But Tool, the band he dedicated so many countless hours for, had not put out an album in 10 years. His plan is to leave the site open, so the 20 years of information can continue to be accessed, but he wouldn’t be making any more updates.

Now that the new Tool album is actually being recorded, I am curious to see how he handles that. At this point, Kabir’s an Emmy ® award-winning director and editor. He certainly doesn’t need to be running a fan site for a band on the side anymore. But I’m sure he will be tempted…

It makes me wonder if, by the 10th anniversary of Good & Evil, I should do the same. I would leave the site open, too, because god knows if I shut it down, people will just use the wayback machine and duplicate it under a different name.

On that note, I will leave you with this; the Tally Hall journal entry from April Fools Day, 2005.

4-1-05: it is spring! ann arbor is warming up, and so is our little operation. that’s right, things are getting more and more exciting each dat. here’s where we stand right now:
(1) we have a big announcement to make, but that can’t happen for a few more days… stay tuned.*
(2) we are planning a little tour. it’s goin’ down sometime next month. details are still sketchy, but check the schedule if you’re interested.
(3) our blind pig show (last thursday) was a huge success. thanks a ton to MAY OR MAY NOT and DOWN THE LINE for trucking in from chicago. they both rock in more ways than you could possibly know. unless you were there, in which case you know. regardless. it was a great show. sold-out. hot (literally). we had a ton of fun.
(4) new t-shirts are here! and they are available through our…
(4.1) brand new e-commerce page! it should be up VERY SOON. it’s awesome. designed by our compadre mike anuzis and the one they call zubin, it is much more versatile and professional than the last, so ENJOY! (the new shirts can be seen there. just click on “merch.”)
(5) we have happy feet.
(6) that’s about all the news for now.
(7) except for this: sorry if the site’s slow. it means lots of people are trying to enjoy our conky stylings. this is, of course, both good and bad; good, because we’re getting many hits, but bad, because it means the website is slow for you. please: be patient with her. she’s trying her best. you are kind hearted and wonderful. attractive and demure. you have a professional acumen that astounds even the most obsequious of foes, and that’s why you will live forever you are invincible, my friend. undefeatable and trustworthy. also: loyal, kind, and reverent. thanks for being you.

*Coz’s note: The announcement made a few days later was that they were in the MTVu’s “Best Music on Campus” content. The MMMM album was not announced until May 21st 2005.

By the way… this is Ross speaking. It’s always been Ross. There is no Coz.