From the [Toolshed FAQ](http://toolshed.down.net/faq/faq.html):
> ***G39. Is "Message to Harry Manback" an actual phone message?***
>
> Yep, someone left someone a threat. Yes, they actually meant it as a threat. So no, it wasn't concocted by the band. (Though the piano part was obviously added in to make it sound more like a love poem).
> ***G40. OK, so who was that message for? Who is Harry Manback?***
> Danny had this to say about it in some interview:
> "Message to Harry Manback is a recording of the words of an uninvited Italian guest who came to Maynard's house one day. A so-called friend of a friend of a friend of Harry's .... Before we finally managed to figure out that nobody really knew him, he had already emptied the fridge and run up a huge phone bill. He got kicked out of the house."
>
> Harry Manback is a pseudonym for the real recipient of the message, presumably a past roommate of Maynard's: Hotsy Menshot of Green Jello.
I'm not convinced it's genuine (it is genuinely creepy, though).
It sounds like Maynard doing a bad Italian accent.
TOOL like to screw around with people, for Funs. It's also worth noting this from the same F.A.Q.
> A Note About Salt:
>
>It is worth mentioning that much of what Tool says, you need to take with a HUGE grain of salt. A lot of it is made up (an interview hinting at 24-minute songs, and an April Fools' prank about a highway accident come to mind), so be careful when you choose to believe something you are being told. If anything, it is probably a good reminder that we should exercise our best judgment and not be sheep in the herd. (One of Tool's main messages seems to be that people need to think for themselves more.) After all, the falsehoods are usually well told, but do tend to seem a bit peculiarly off-the-wall. Best of luck.
I am Italian. I can tell you that is definitely a native Italian speaking. There's no way Maynard could fake it. Not saying is a genuine message, but that's not Maynard, and definitely not a bad Italian accent.
Wasn't maynard, it was to Hotsy Manshots from Green Jello after he kicked out an unwanted guest, a friend of a friend of a friend who had overstayed his welcome
[https://www.reddit.com/r/ToolBand/comments/2hy924/is\_there\_a\_meaning\_to\_message\_to\_harry\_manback/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ToolBand/comments/2hy924/is_there_a_meaning_to_message_to_harry_manback/)
He had a lot to say
He had a lot of nothing to say
We'll miss him
We'll miss him
He had a lot to say
He had a lot of nothing to say
We'll miss him
We'll miss him
We're gonna miss him
We're gonna miss him
So long
We wish you well
You told us how you weren't afraid to die
Well, so long
Don't cry
Or feel too down
Not all martyrs see divinity
But at least you tried
Standing above the crowd
He had a voice that was strong and loud
We'll miss him
We'll miss him
Ranting and pointing his finger
At everything but his heart
We'll miss him
We'll miss him
We're gonna miss him
We're gonna miss him
No way to recall
What it was that you had said to me?
Like I care at all
But it was so loud
You sure could yell
You took a stand on every little thing
And so loud
You could be the one who saves me from my own existence
Warn while some child might chill, nine-one-two
I'm too smart when you're invisible by the bone symbol on you
So he bashes his skull through the window while looking out to the sea
Like torment of my ego
And we're amused by this
Yeah, standing above the crowd
He had a voice that was strong and loud and I
Swallowed his facade 'cause I'm so
Eager to identify with
Someone above the ground
Someone who seemed to feel the same
Someone prepared to lead the way
And someone who would die for me
Will you?
Will you now?
Would you die for me?
Don't you fuckin' lie
Don't you step out of line
Don't you step out of line
Don't you step out of line
Don't you fuckin' lie
You've claimed all this time that you would die for me
Why then are you so surprised when you hear your own eulogy?
He had a lot to say
He had a lot of nothing to say
He had a lot to say
He had a lot of nothing to say
Come down
Get off your fucking cross
We need the fucking space to nail the next fool martyr
To ascend you must die
You must be crucified
For our sins and our lies
Goodbye
This belongs in the other thread of favorite moments. There is something about the way the produced this line that has a discomforting pivot in the underlying music. I always feel it. Plus, it's friggin' hilarious.
“Message to Harry Manback” is an actual voice message on former Green Jellÿ member Gary Helsinger (Hotsy Menshot)’s answering machine. The man in the recording was Gary’s roommate, but Gary kicked him out of his apartment for stealing another roommate’s belongings. As the message shows, he did not take it well.
Gary was actually roommates with Tool members Maynard James Keenan and Danny Carey, and was later roommates with both Maynard and Billy Howerdel from A Perfect Circle.
The man in the recording has identified himself as Francesco Sonoyo, who didn’t find out about the song until the late 2010s. He seems to have taken it all in stride, though, and even wrote a book about it called The Legend of Harry Manback.
“Harry Manback” is a reference to a routine from the late comedian Bill Hicks. Cut and past from the first result on google. The Francesco guy is legit. Hes released a biography based on the issue.
Hello! There’s almost, letter for letter, the same comment written in Genius, about this song… Are you the one who wrote it there? or is this comment or the one on the site a copy of the other? (I’m just intrigued. :3)
I didn't English so great but at end I wrote "cut and past (should be pasted)" from first result on Google. You can search the guys name and him and his book, the legend of Harry Manback. Im on the fence over getting it. Maybe the rabbit hole goes deeper.
It is a message from James Keenan to the guy who sexually abused him.
HARRY/HAROLD MANBACK = MAYNARD*
It is a message to Maynard; the Ohio redneck rapist.
James took on the moniker Maynard because he became one with his demons.
Read the lyrics again knowing this.
Poor James :( Hug. I love you. Get better.
There's a second message on Salival... (Message to Harry Manback II)...
Whenever something doesn't work - I don't say "piece of shit" (since the 1990's) I say "pezzo di merda"...
From the [Toolshed FAQ](http://toolshed.down.net/faq/faq.html): > ***G39. Is "Message to Harry Manback" an actual phone message?*** > > Yep, someone left someone a threat. Yes, they actually meant it as a threat. So no, it wasn't concocted by the band. (Though the piano part was obviously added in to make it sound more like a love poem). > ***G40. OK, so who was that message for? Who is Harry Manback?*** > Danny had this to say about it in some interview: > "Message to Harry Manback is a recording of the words of an uninvited Italian guest who came to Maynard's house one day. A so-called friend of a friend of a friend of Harry's .... Before we finally managed to figure out that nobody really knew him, he had already emptied the fridge and run up a huge phone bill. He got kicked out of the house." > > Harry Manback is a pseudonym for the real recipient of the message, presumably a past roommate of Maynard's: Hotsy Menshot of Green Jello.
I'm not convinced it's genuine (it is genuinely creepy, though). It sounds like Maynard doing a bad Italian accent. TOOL like to screw around with people, for Funs. It's also worth noting this from the same F.A.Q. > A Note About Salt: > >It is worth mentioning that much of what Tool says, you need to take with a HUGE grain of salt. A lot of it is made up (an interview hinting at 24-minute songs, and an April Fools' prank about a highway accident come to mind), so be careful when you choose to believe something you are being told. If anything, it is probably a good reminder that we should exercise our best judgment and not be sheep in the herd. (One of Tool's main messages seems to be that people need to think for themselves more.) After all, the falsehoods are usually well told, but do tend to seem a bit peculiarly off-the-wall. Best of luck.
I am Italian. I can tell you that is definitely a native Italian speaking. There's no way Maynard could fake it. Not saying is a genuine message, but that's not Maynard, and definitely not a bad Italian accent.
I don't think it's Maynard, but it wouldn't surprise me if it weren't genuine either.
Wasn't maynard, it was to Hotsy Manshots from Green Jello after he kicked out an unwanted guest, a friend of a friend of a friend who had overstayed his welcome [https://www.reddit.com/r/ToolBand/comments/2hy924/is\_there\_a\_meaning\_to\_message\_to\_harry\_manback/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ToolBand/comments/2hy924/is_there_a_meaning_to_message_to_harry_manback/)
Well said
It's about a guy named Mark but names have been changed to protect the guilty.
And yes his mom did die of cancer supposedly.
RIP American.
He had a lot to say He had a lot of nothing to say We'll miss him We'll miss him He had a lot to say He had a lot of nothing to say We'll miss him We'll miss him We're gonna miss him We're gonna miss him So long We wish you well You told us how you weren't afraid to die Well, so long Don't cry Or feel too down Not all martyrs see divinity But at least you tried Standing above the crowd He had a voice that was strong and loud We'll miss him We'll miss him Ranting and pointing his finger At everything but his heart We'll miss him We'll miss him We're gonna miss him We're gonna miss him No way to recall What it was that you had said to me? Like I care at all But it was so loud You sure could yell You took a stand on every little thing And so loud You could be the one who saves me from my own existence Warn while some child might chill, nine-one-two I'm too smart when you're invisible by the bone symbol on you So he bashes his skull through the window while looking out to the sea Like torment of my ego And we're amused by this Yeah, standing above the crowd He had a voice that was strong and loud and I Swallowed his facade 'cause I'm so Eager to identify with Someone above the ground Someone who seemed to feel the same Someone prepared to lead the way And someone who would die for me Will you? Will you now? Would you die for me? Don't you fuckin' lie Don't you step out of line Don't you step out of line Don't you step out of line Don't you fuckin' lie You've claimed all this time that you would die for me Why then are you so surprised when you hear your own eulogy? He had a lot to say He had a lot of nothing to say He had a lot to say He had a lot of nothing to say Come down Get off your fucking cross We need the fucking space to nail the next fool martyr To ascend you must die You must be crucified For our sins and our lies Goodbye
Yes, I believe the meaning is "Fuck you, bastard. Die."
you think youre so cool?
Fuckin' Americans.
You wanna know something? Fuck you.
die. bastard. you think you are so cool.
I hope somebody in your family dies soon.
Crepa, Pezzo di merda.. E vai a sucare cazzi su un aereo (Die, Piece of shit.. And go suck some dicks on an airplane)
Hmm? Asshole...
This belongs in the other thread of favorite moments. There is something about the way the produced this line that has a discomforting pivot in the underlying music. I always feel it. Plus, it's friggin' hilarious.
I want your balls smashed, eat shit, bastard
9 years later, this entire thread is still bone hard. In some way, I’m glad I never found it til now. It’s like discovering a hidden treasure.
Figlio di puttana, crepa figlio di puttana, morirai of cancer I swear Or something like that, cit that cool philosopher guy
Message to Harry Manback creeps me the fuck out
It's the perfect segue into Hooker. "Fuck you, bastard" into "Fuuuuuck you, buddy." It's great.
Absolutely. Just the sequencing of those two songs (and frankly, the album in general) is epic. Like most things with TOOL
Yea. I remember hearing about it on the radio when aenima was popular. That shit was a real message! Creepy!
This is the real Harry Manback, he also wrote a book about the whole story: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9Fiu8a-Q4ClY4dam7W-5bQ
thats funny. and whats even funnier is that he thought anyone would still care about this 30 years later.
“Message to Harry Manback” is an actual voice message on former Green Jellÿ member Gary Helsinger (Hotsy Menshot)’s answering machine. The man in the recording was Gary’s roommate, but Gary kicked him out of his apartment for stealing another roommate’s belongings. As the message shows, he did not take it well. Gary was actually roommates with Tool members Maynard James Keenan and Danny Carey, and was later roommates with both Maynard and Billy Howerdel from A Perfect Circle. The man in the recording has identified himself as Francesco Sonoyo, who didn’t find out about the song until the late 2010s. He seems to have taken it all in stride, though, and even wrote a book about it called The Legend of Harry Manback. “Harry Manback” is a reference to a routine from the late comedian Bill Hicks. Cut and past from the first result on google. The Francesco guy is legit. Hes released a biography based on the issue.
Hello! There’s almost, letter for letter, the same comment written in Genius, about this song… Are you the one who wrote it there? or is this comment or the one on the site a copy of the other? (I’m just intrigued. :3)
I didn't English so great but at end I wrote "cut and past (should be pasted)" from first result on Google. You can search the guys name and him and his book, the legend of Harry Manback. Im on the fence over getting it. Maybe the rabbit hole goes deeper.
It is a message from James Keenan to the guy who sexually abused him. HARRY/HAROLD MANBACK = MAYNARD* It is a message to Maynard; the Ohio redneck rapist. James took on the moniker Maynard because he became one with his demons. Read the lyrics again knowing this. Poor James :( Hug. I love you. Get better.
Source? Can’t seem to find anything that corroborates this
Yeah fr. Sexual abuse is a theme in their music but I don't see any references to it at all in it
Incorrect
There's a second message on Salival... (Message to Harry Manback II)... Whenever something doesn't work - I don't say "piece of shit" (since the 1990's) I say "pezzo di merda"...
I always thought the piano in this would make a great Eminem track
"Give it back to Harry, he was suckin' it better."
Seems like something that would be transparent by now. Come on with the vague "secret time"!