'My Name is Jonas'
'explains how "the plan" is reaming is all. especially my brother. it's a good introduction to the album.'
'No One Else'
'the jealous-obsessive asshole in me freaking out on my girlfriend.'
'The World Has Turned And Left Me Here'
'the same asshole wondering why she's gone.'
'Buddy Holly'
'it's about a particular girl i knew... it's about my commitment to her... our relationship... and, er, my
willingness to defend her. it's very platonic. not a romantic thing at all.'
'Undone- The Sweater Song'
'the feeling you get when the train stops and the little guy comes knockin' on your door. it was supposed to
be a sad song, but everyone thinks it's hilarious.'
'Surfwax America'
'a total sarcastic call to hedonism, so sing along, drink and be merry. i hate drinking and only do so when i
aboslutely have to (which in these days, seems to be quite often.)'
'Say It Ain't So'
Here's a direct quote from Rivers about SIAS:
"it's such a complicated story, way too complex to write a song about. i should never have done it. i was really afraid of alcohol at the time. i didn't drink till I was 21, not even a sip. i was petrified of alcohol. "say it ain't so" was about when i was 16. i opened up the refrigerator and i saw a can of beer. all of a sudden i made the connection that my step-father was leaving...because my father started drinking when he left my mother."
'In the Garage / Holiday'
'written in a sudden burst of confidence and optimism right after we got a record deal. those positive
emotions have since dissipated - along with out cash advances - but i still like the songs.'
'none of these songs are perfect, but i think you can hear that we're trying hard to be honest and real. pat
really kicked ass on the drums and brian, matt and i sang with a lot of feeling. the record sounds kind of
weird, but if you turn it up extremely loud and lie down, it can be rewarding.' -rivers cuomo (talking about the blue album)
Who is that talking on "Undone" and WHAT are they saying?
Matt: hey bra', how we doin' man?
Karl: awright.
Matt: it's been a while man, life's so rad! this band's my favorite man, don't ya love 'em?
Karl: yeah.
Matt: aw man, you wan't a beer?
Karl: awright.
Matt: aw man, this is the best. i'm so glad we're all back together and stuff. this is great man.
Karl: yeah.
Matt: hey, d'you know about the party after the show?
Karl: yeah.
Matt: aw man, it's gonna be the best, i'm so stoked! take it easy bra'.
Mykel: hey, what's up?
Karl: not much.
Mykel: did you hear about the party?
Karl: yeah.
Mykel: i think i'm gonna go but, um, my friends don't really wanna go. could I get a ride?
Notes:
01. bra' as in bro' as in brother. i think you get the point.
02. matt as in matt sharp, the bass player for weezer.
03. karl as in karl koch (cook), the amazing 5th member of weezer.
04. mykel as in mykel allan. she ran the weezer fanclub w/her sister carli, until passing away in 07/97
05. these words seem to change during the live shows. sounds like they basically make them up as the go
along. you can hear some sound samples of the different versions here.
06. it was recorded in the garage [pictured inside the s|t CD cover] which is featured in the video
for 'say it ain't so'
What should i tell my parents when they ask, 'what's a weezer?'
There have been various ideas to this, the most respected was that it was rivers old nickname, but even that hasn't been confirmed. the band just usually says, "we had a bunch of names and we all just agreed on that one." there have been many different obscure weezer references spotted from books, t.v., etc in the past
When was weezer formed?
First Rehearsal: 02/14/92
When are their birthdays?
Matt Sharp: 09/22/69
Rivers Cuomo: 06/13/70
Pat Wilson: 02/01/69
Brian Bell: 12.09.68
Scott Shriner 7/11/65
Mikey Welsh april 20, 1971
Jason Cropper ??1970??
Who is Jason Cropper?
'Jason Cropper was an original member of weezer. in the earliest incarnation he played acoustic guitar and lent backup vocals. one of the best things about jason is his smile that seems a permanent part of his face. when weezer used to have to actually 'flyer' for a show, long before the days of sold-out pre-ticketed shows, jason would be somewhere at every show in town with a smile and a flyer. jason was replaced by brian bell while weezer was in new york recording their album. jason returned to los angeles and released a daughter, kiefer rain, instead of an album. one of our most glamorous moments was at jason's wedding on the beach at malibu. we felt like we were on the set of a melrose place wedding, it was beautiful.' - mykel & carli
Who are Mykel & Carli?
'we moved to hollywood together in 1989 as parents planned another family move. carli converted mykel to seeing live music and since then we have spent most of our nights standing too close to thumping speakers and becoming the "jaded-scenesters" that we are. while in hollywood we saw literally thousands of bands, some good and some not so good. It didn't take long to make a list of favorites and meet the people involved. 07.09.92 we were at club dump [johnny depp bought the place, called it the viper Room, river phoenix died there] to see a good band crux [no longer a band]. at someone's suggesion we stuck around to see the next band, weezer. we were impressed and put them on the mental-list of bands to go see again. the following night we were at a birthday party for our friend bryan ray. bryan is the bass player in a band called black market flowers, the first band to write a song called "mykel & carli". at the party we recognized the guy with long hair sitting alone by the refrigerator. it was rivers, from weezer, and he had his eyes for the birthday cake we had brought. we told him we has enjoyed his band the night before, he seemed amazed that we had liked it so much. the three of us sat on the couch and talked about music, food and growing up - we had wierd names and hippie parents in common. rivers told us when the next weezer show was and we remained anti-socially on that couch wondering how long it had taken some of the people there to get dressed. we made sure he got a piece of the cake and visited until his ride was ready to go. we continued going to weezer shows [60 at last count] whenever we could. We met the rest of the band and provided a spectator's viewpoint and sideline reviews, whether they wanted to hear it or not. we made cookies and road trips. the band got better and the audience grew. weezer signed with geffen and was actually going to release an
album! they asked us if we would send lyrics for them so they could include the picture of the garage inside the cover. not knowing what we were in for we agreed, "of course, anything for you guys." after all, rivers had written a sweet song for us called "mykel & carli". just sending lyrics wasn't enough. stuffing envelopes isn't much fun and we wanted to share what we knew about them with other people who care about them. so the "fanclub" began. At the end of february we moved out of hollywood. we left some good friends to come to portland, oregon but it's nice to have a garage to spread the weezer stuff out in and some time to keep up with all the mail. somethimes we miss seeing weezer and it's members all the time. however, it's fun to have some people to jump up and down to see the band happy.' - mykel and carli allen.
What was up with Rivers' leg?
Rivers had an operation, it was to stretch out his right leg that has always been shorter that the other. they broke his leg and then attatched a brace that streched his leg a little bit at a time. during the process he said, "it hurts but it will be worth it." a few weeks ago [more than a few weeks ago now] rivers bumped it and had to go to the hospital. some tour dates had to be cancelled... sorry if one of them was yours!
Who is on the cover of the first album?
from left to right:
Patrick Wilson (drums)
Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar)
Matt Sharp (bass, vocals)
Brian Bell (vocals, guitar)
Who's on those posters in the garage? (inside cover of blue album)
poster on left: the cover of the judas priest album called british steel. the album came out in 1980 but the band has been together since 1969. poster on right: carlos cavazo and kevin dubrow from the l.a. band "quiet riot". There is a picture of the ''garage'' below.
What is the joke about the album cover?
There is no real joke about the album cover. apparently, chris robinson of the black crowes was misquoted in rolling stone magazine. he refered the the band weezer's cover as a joke, when he actually meant the band ween.
What is a Pinkerton?
Pinkerton is a character in a play called madame butterfly, which is rivers favorite opera. There was a litle bit of controversy when the album was released. there is an old corporation called pinkerton [as in pinkerton detective agency] who felt weezer was unlawfully using thier name so they sued them. they managed to halt sales for day. the case has since been settled with weezer, of course, winning.
What does the italian writing around the rim of the pinkerton cd mean?
It says (in italian)
"dovunque al mondo lo yankee vagabondo si gode e traffica sprezzando i rischi. Affonda l'ancora alla ventura."
It says (in english)
"everywhere in the world the wandering yankee has a good time and trades headless of the danger. he drops the anchor to the fortune."
Whats up with this map in Pinkerton?
there is a 'secret' map behind the black casing side of the cd case. you can easily open it and take a look, although the print is kinda small.
Some phrases on the map are:
"iIsola della farfalla"
it means
"island of the butterfly"
which is actually japan.
"penisola di cane"
it means "peninsula of the dog"
Some notable things on the map are:
Jonas
Wepeel
Mykel and Carli
Don Giovanni (from Madame Butterfly)
Sharpless Mountains (also a Madame Butterfly character, NOT a reference to Matt Sharp)
the USS Pinkerton
Cio Cio San Island
Pud Withers (don’t quote me on this but from what I know of Pud Withers, he's a character in a comic book called Free
Cerebus or Cerebus, who was shy and had a deep infatuation with a girl named Jaka)
“Isolla della farfalla”- “Island of the Butterfly” (Japan)
“Penisola di cane” – “Peninsula of the Dog”
Yngwie -- a reference to hard rock guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen
Corporal Burns – the address where he stayed at while in Harvard
Barlow – a reference to Lou Barlow, erstwhile Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh songwriter (now of Folk Implosion)
J. Matt – Joe Matt is the creator of an autobiographical humor comic strip called Peepshow. Rivers later did a dual interview
in Peepshow with Joe Matt himself in which they talk of the most salacious things, not unlike Joe Matt’s comics.
Paglia – Camille Paglia, known feminist author
Ace – Rivers’s childhood guitar hero Ace Frehley of KISS
The Sharpless Mountains
How many releases does weezer have?
you can find a complete discography here: http://weezerfanclub.com/releases.htm
What is up with Jeneane Garfolo and weezer?
Apparently, jeneanne wore a weezer hat on an episode of Saturday night live. in answer, matt sharp made a shirt that said I love Jeanine grovel and wore it for a picture that appeared in entertainment magazine. i guess they met sometime, but so far as i know, there are no plans for marriage yet.
What's the relation between weezer and star wars?
actually, weezer just likes star wars. apparently, when weezer was intervieing for a new guitarist [because jason cropper left], rivers asked brian bell what his favorite star wars action figure was. he said hammerhead, and that was that.
What does the lush song 'ladykillers' have to do with weezer?
The lead singer of lush admitted that a few lines of the song where about matt sharp. the lines that deal with him are the ones that start with "blondie was with us for a month" which refers to when matt had bleached his hair, and was touring with lush. I guess he was hitting on her, and she didn't like it.
Is it true chewbacca went on tour with weezer?
Well, sort of. sometime during the 94-95 tour, a fan in canada gave the band a life-size cardboard cut out of chewbacca from star wars. at several shows the band brought it on stage and let it stand at the corner of the stage. by the end of the tour it was really beat up.
What happened to mykel and carli?
mykel, carli and their younger sister, trysta, died in a car accident driving home from a weezer show in
denver, co on 07.08.97. mykel and carli were the founders of the official weezer fanclub, as well as long time riends of weezer and all the weezer fans around the world. for more information on these girls, go here.
Whats with Rivers playing shows with out weezer in boston?
Rivers has played some shows in the boston area w/members of chevy heston, the shods, the gigolo aunts, pat wilson and tracy bonham's back.up band. almost all of the songs played at these shows are new. they might even show up on future weezer albums
I heard rivers got married to lisa loeb. this true?
No, im afraid its not. all you lisa loeb lovers out there can sleep better at night knowing she's still available.
What’s with all the “Hash Pipe”? Are they stoners or what?
“Hash Pipe” is not really about drugs itself. It’s written from a point of view of a transvestite prostitute.
Is that Italian at the bottom of the inside cover of the Green album from Madame Butterfly again?
No, this time that’s from Puccini’s predecessor Giuseppe Verdi. It means, As we go to the past we progress. It is written in the cd cover as Torniamo all anticoe sara un progresso.
Where’s that “Say It Ain’t So” video shot, and can’t that guy wait till they finish before doing his laundry?
It’s the “Amherst House” that Rivers, Matt, Pat, and Karl used to live in. Speaking of Karl, that’s the guy doing laundry. See that garage in the inside cover of the Blue Album? That’s the garage to the Amherst House, where that voice intro to “Undone” was recorded.
Who is Karl and what does he have to do witht he band?
Karl is often known as Weezer’s fifth member. He’s your conduit, your sensei, your Obi-Wan, your Master Splinter. He is your link to the band. Karl does many things for the band. Once just referred to as a roadie, he’s more than that. He’s the band’s visual artist, historian, and provides you with an online diary of the band (Karl’s Corner). He’s also the photographer and helps run the official Weezer site and now a video director (“Photograph”). He fills in most of the gaps and is a world-class boot-knocka.
Who’s Leaves?
Rivers’s brother
Who’s that girl sitting next to Rivers in “Buddy Holly” promo single cover?
It’s an old acquaintance from childhood. It’s technically an “illegal” picture. Rivers hadn’t kept in touch with the girl so they had trouble trying to get her permission. While they were still in the process of doing that, those blasted Aussies decided to release he Australian version with that picture anyway. Yeah, no worries, mate. To this day no one still has gotten a hold of the girl in the photo. Anyway, for the other (UK) version Rivers decided to use a picture with him and Leaves.
How is Rivers's last name pronounced?
KWO-mo. It’s Italian. its spelled Cuomo
Is it true he had a nervous breakdown and spent all day bouncing a ball off a wall and not bathing?
I'm not actually sure about that one, there is a video with rivers freakin out and hidin because he burned his master tape or something, so he spent some time bouncing a ball off the wall but i'm no sure.
How about the one about him painting the walls black in his apartment close under a freeway?
It’s some odd rum-- wait… Oddly enough, that one is actually true.
Who’s Jonas?
Nobody knows for sure, but the assumption is that it’s an anagram of Jason… i.e. Cropper, who co-wrote “Jonas.” Somebody emailed this alternative theory: Jonas was supposedly the real name of the skipper in Gilligan’s Island. And the line “I’m carrying the wheel” sort of goes along with that theory (i.e. a boat’s navigating wheel). I think “wheel” refers to a wheelbarrow, but that’s just me.
What happened to Mikey and what’s Scott’s status with the band?
Mikey went to the cuckoo’s nest, or so the story goes. No one knows for sure, perhaps not even the band. Mikey admitted to having drug problems later on. When the dust settled he was seen jamming with a member of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones Nate Albert, ostensibly to form a new band called The Brakes (became the Kickovers). Scott is now the permanent bassist.
I heard about a group of songs called Summer Songs 2k. Which ones are those?
These are songs Weezer played right at the beginning of their comeback in 2000. One song made it into TGA – “Hash Pipe” while
“Slob” and “Dope Nose” made it into Maladroit.
“Too Late to Try” “Superstar”
“Mad Kow” (don’t confuse with a Pavement song that’s labeled “Mad Cow Disease”)
“The Sister Song” (Your Sister) “Dope Nose”
“My Brain (is working overtime)” “Preacher’s Son”
“Ev’ry Night” “On the Edge”
“Modern Dukes” “O Girl”
“Peace and Quiet” “Slob”
“Hash Pipe”
How do I do the Weezer hand gesture?
Thumb, index, and middle fingers out on both hands with the index and middle fingers side by side. Touch the tips of the thumbs together (palm side face forward). Voila! Raise it real high, junior.
What label are they under?
They were signed by Geffen (a.k.a. DGC, Nirvana’s label). After some shuffling and rearranging goin’ on around ’97, Geffen is now under the Universal/Interscope umbrella (Limp Bizkit’s label). Nirvana to Limp Bizkit-- the horror!
