Tool’s Adam Jones Once Pulled Off Epic Cop Prank on Melvins

Melvins drummer Dale Crover, as a guest on "The Chuck Schute Podcast," recollected one truly harrowing moment on the road when the band got pulled over in Texas. The police officers at the scene planted drugs and other paraphernalia on the Seattle band, but it all turned out to be one elaborate prank orchestrated by Tool guitarist Adam Jones.

Although Crover never mentioned the year this all took place, it is estimated to be around 2012 as he explained the officer made note of a recent similar high-profile incident concerning the arrest of rapper Snoop Dogg when marijuana was discovered on his tour bus at a Border Patrol checkpoint in West Texas.

"We got pulled over in Texas, right outside of Houston," said the drummer, "and the cop found some weed on the ground right outside of our van… it wasn’t ours… I knew none of us had any weed — none of us are stupid enough to have any weed driving through Texas, at least I thought. Especially the guy who got blamed for that part, because I knew he didn't smoke weed, which was our road manager at the time."

The officer, who Crover described as a "big, huge Buford Pusser-style Southern cop," began searching through the band's bags while Crover lobbied that the marijuana in question did not belong to the band.

"I see my bag on the hood of his car," he continued. "'What the fuck's sticking out of my bag?'" Crover wondered, noting he was handcuffed during the moment.

"He starts pulling stuff out of my bag. He’s like, ‘Look, what we got here.’ He pulls out a gun — pulls out out a 9mm [pistol]. 'You got firearms. That’s a federal offense in Texas here.' Then he pulls out scales [for weighing drugs]," the drummer, who release his Rat-A-Tat-Tat! solo album in January, went on.

Among the items drawn from the bag was what Crover described as "the biggest bag of cocaine I've ever seen in my life."

The officer informed the Melvins drummer he would be going to prison, at which point he had stopped commenting on what was happening and requested to speak only through a lawyer instead.

Understandably, the situation was confusing and intense for all involved, especially when confronting the prospect of going to prison on firearms and drug charges as well as what it would mean for the rest of tour.

Finally, the officer gave the band some more fortunate news and told them, "'Well, you know, just want to tell you guys, Adam Jones from Tool said, 'You guys are pranked.'"

So, did the Melvins get Jones back?

"Not yet," remarked Crover, leaving the door cracked open for playful revenge on Tool's guitarist.

While Jones worked with the Texas police to pull off an all-time prank, it's the Melvins who are Working With God, or at least that's what the title of their forthcoming album indicates.

Dalve Crover on "The Chuck Schute Podcast"