Taipei 101 climber listened to playlist of ‘mostly Tool’ during live special

If Alex Honnold had any fear about climbing the Taipei 101 tower, it was inoculated by the music of Tool.

Honnold, who completed a free solo climb of the Taiwan skyscraper during a Netflix live special that aired Saturday, tells Variety that he was listening to a playlist featuring “mostly Tool” during the endeavor.

“It’s a random playlist that I made, that I shared with production,” Honnold says. “I made it months ago while I was driving. I’ve been training to it a bunch. Basically, rock music that I’ve liked my whole life.”

Honnold notes, though, that the music “kept cutting out” during the climb.

“I couldn’t really hear and I was kind of like, ‘Whatever. I’m just doing my thing,'” Honnold says.

Perhaps Honnold’s use of Tool music will in turn inspire Maynard James Keenan and company to complete another album. The group put out a record, Fear Inoculum, in 2019 after a 13-year wait.

Keenan, meanwhile, is releasing a new album with Puscifer, Normal Isn’t, on Feb. 6.