weezer faq

WWWWWWWWW WEEZER WWWWWWWWWW WWWWW FAQ WWWWW WWWWW WWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWW W WWWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWW WWWW WWWWW WWWWW WWWW WWW WWWWW WWWWW WWW WWW WWWWW WWWWW WWW WWW WWWWW WWWWWW WWWWWW WWWWW WWWW -=TABLE of CONTENTS=- Updated Oct 16. 1996 originally arranged by starkid59@aol.com updated by Alan 1. the Songs 2. Band Info 3. The Album Covers 4. Miscellaneous 5. (empty) sorry. 6. Weezer Discography 7. Bands that are mentioned with Weezer 8. Acknowledgements/Resources 1. SONGS 1.1 Where can I find the lyrics to...? The lyrics to both albums can be found at various Weezer web sites on the interenet.You also may be able to recieve some by writing to the NEW fan club address (don't write to the one on the blue album, they moved!) at: Send S.A.S.E to: Weezer 9311 SE Foster Rd. #666 Portland, OR. 97266 1.2 Where can I find the tablature to...? Undone the Sweater Song - Guitar World, December 1994 Buddy Holly - Guitar World, April 1995 Weezer Transcription Book - available throguh various magazines and stores "Weezer" Album transcription by Rahul Kamath (RKAMATH@DELPHI.COM) ftp site: ftp.nevada.edu 1.3 What does song mean? 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: "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 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." Surf Wax: "a total sarcasic 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: "also about beer." 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 1.4 What are they saying on "Undone"? 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: 1. bra' as in bro' as in brother. 2. Matt as in bass player. 3. Karl as in amazing 5th member of weezer. 4. these aren't the same words they say when performing live though, they make them up as the go along. 5. recorded in the garage (pictured inside the CD cover) which is soon to be featured in the video for "Say It Ain't So" 2. BAND INFO 2.1 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 (my favorite is the name of Paul's hamster on the Wonder Years) and to list them all would take too long. 2.2 When was Weezer formed? first rehearsal: feb 14, 1992 2.3 When are their birthdays? Matt: September 22nd, 1969 Rivers: June 13th, 1970 Patt: February 1st, 1969 Brian: December 9th, 1968 2.4 Bio Info. Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar) My name is Rivers Cuomo. I'm 23 and I sing and play guitar in Weezer. It's hard to talk about myself without sounding like a jerk, but apparently I have no choice, so I'll try to be as simple and honest as I can. I grew up in various little farm towns in upstate Connecticut completely sheltered from anything remotely "cool." At 18, I freaked out and moved to Los Angeles to become a rock star. I soon realized that I was an idiot, and gave up. At the same time, my girlfriend broke up with me. I was really sad and started to write songs. Most of them sucked, but it became a habit that stuck with me. Because I'm so terrible at expressing my feelings directly, and because no one really cares, and because anything real is almost impossible to talk about, I've come to rely on music more and more to express myself. Matt Sharp (bass, vocals) My name is Matt and I play bass in Weezer. This is the first band I've been in and the first album I've played on, both of which mean a lot to me. I also sang the falsetto vocals on the record, which is probably most recognizable on "Say It Ain't So." (These were, oddly enough, the first notes I sang in front of anyone). The falsetto stuff is pretty much on all the tunes except for "In the Garage" and "Holiday." Singing can be pretty rewarding even when you're not that good at it. For me, it filled a gap in my life that was there until the band started. I'm not exactly sure what we four have in common, but I do consider Pat, Brian and Rivers to be good people and good friends that I am glad to be associated with. Also, the opportunity to work with people as talented as Ric and Chris was an experience and an honor that will be with me forever. If I had to make a list of music I care about and have been listening to lately, the things that come to mind first are: the last three Talk Talk albums, old Gary Numan records, the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack, and all of That Dog [sic] songs I could get from Tony and Rachel. I hope when people listen to these ten songs, they will enjoy them as I have enjoyed some of the music I just mentioned. Besides that, I think my story is just not interesting and I should probably stop. Brian Bell (guitar, vocals) Raised in Tennessee, little Brian knew he wanted to be a rock star at an early age. Lucky enough to catch an Elvis (Prestly, that is) concert at the age of four, he wanted nothing else to be a hounddog. Studying "geetar" pickin' on TV from such fine eastern Tenessee programs as "The Barneyloo and Buster Show" and, of course, "Hee Haw," little Brian learned how to pick 'n' grin on a ukulele his grandma won at a bingo game. Brian's dad, a wacky absent-minded professor and ex-college DJ, turned him on to cool music he had from the 50's and 60's. So, armed with his first turntable, a Fisher Price lo-fi stereo system, little Brian managed to scratch and destroy most of Dad's valuable 45's. As Brian grew older, he began to feel isolated and out-of-place with the other reindeer. While the "normal" Tennessee boys were out hunting possum, chewing tobacco and making up fishing stories, he preferred t stay home and watch Billy Mumy movies. Ah, movies, music and show biz. Why was it all based in one glorious place -- Los Angeles? So, just like the Clampetts, Brian packed his bags and moved to Yucca St., Hollyweird (cause everyone he met at first was on crystal meth). Not at all like the movies. Patrick Wilson (drums) My name is Patrick Wilson and I play drums for Weezer. As I write this on a Friday morning, I'm listening to our CD. It's a good feeling, but very strange. Four years ago I was a guy with a bad haircut from Buffalo, New York. The music scene there is lame, consisting largely of cover bands and bad metal. It seems that musicians in small towns have a gunslinger attitude that is also faintly bitter. Some of them just have an attitude. I decided to quit my day job and move to Los Angeles with my new friend Pat Finn (Pat is responsible for us knowing each other. He currently fronts amazing band named Winkler in Buffalo).After many growing pains, Weezer was formed. Since then, I've tried to understand what it means to be in a band. All I know about music is instinctual or from a record; I haven't witnessed much live music. As far as I can tell, bein in a band can be just as important as any other occupation -- and so far, it's far more rewarding. We recorded this with Ric Ocasek and Chris Shaw at Electric Lady in N.Y. I loved the experience and feel honored to have worked with them. The record sounds the way it does because the drums aren't the loudest thing in the mix. Sle of recording has taken over, and we didn't want that. The only effects used are fuzz bass on "In The Garage" and a little compression here and there. Certainly not as much as they put on Ringo. Our live show is different from the record in terms of sheer power, so c'mon out when we rock through yer town. Thanks for listening. 2.5 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 2.6 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. July 9, 1992 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. 2.9 What's with River's 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 River's bumped it and had to go to the hospital. Some tour dates had to be cancelled... sorry if one of them was yours! 3. The Album Covers 3.1a Who is on the Blue album cover? From left to right: Patrick, Rivers, Matt, Brian 3.1b Who's on the posters in the garage? 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". 3.1c 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 Stones magazine. He refered the the band Weezer's cover as a joke when he actually meant the band Ween. 3.2 PINKERTON 3.2a 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, but I bought my cd when it was supposedly banned). The case has since been settled with Weezer, of course, winning. 3.2b What does the Itialan around the rim of the Pinkerton cd mean? It says (Italian) "Dovunque al mondo lo Yankee vagabondo si gode e traffica sprezzando i rischi. Affonda l'ancora alla ventura." ...means... "Everywhere in the world the wandering Yankee has a good time and trades headless of the danger. He drops the anchor to the fortune". 3.2c What is this talk of a Map in Pinkerton? I don't see one! 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. 3.3 On the map, some notables things are: The island of Mykel and Carli. The Sharpless mountains. Weepel. Cio Cio San. U.S.S. Pinkerton, Jonas, the Bitch Moutains 3.4 Some phrases on the map: "Isola della farfalla" means "Island of the butterfly" which is actually Japan. "Penisola di cane" means "Peninsula of the dog" 4. MISCELLANEOUS 4.1 How can I find out more about the band? Dec. 1994 Guitar World (pg.17) Jan. 1995 Details (pg.112) Mar. 1995 Guitar World ???. 1995 Rolling Stones (Cranberries on the cover) (All of which are featured on the RWA (Rebel Weezer Alliance) 4.2 Where can I get this song? So far, there are nine unreleased songs: "Jamie" can be found on a CD called "DGC Rarities Vol.1'. You should be able to find it at your local music store. If they don't have it in stock they can order it from DGC/Geffen. "Mykel & Carli", "Susanne", and "Sweet Adeline" can be found on the 'Undone' Australian import single. If you can't find this at your local music store, contact Ear-Xtact to help you get it. "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly", on the "Angus" movie soundtrack. A redone "You gave Your Love to Me Softly" and "Devotion" can be found on the so far rare "El SCorcho" single "Waiting For You" and "I just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams" on the Australian import of "The Good Life" 4.4 Are there any web pages/ftp sites? Yes, there are plenty. It seems once every couple weeks a new one pops up. There are a couple of really good ones out there, particulary WWWeezer and The Rebel Weezer Alliance which has some incredible graphics. 4.5 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 Jeneanne Garofalo 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. 4.6 Whats the relation between Weezer and Star Wars?? Simply put, Weezer likes Star Wars. Apparently, when Weezer was intervieing for a new guitarist (Jason Cropper left), Rivers asked Brian Bell what his favorite Star Wars action figure was. He said Hammerhead, and that was that. 4.7 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. 4.8 What are the stories about a cardboard Chewbacca about? Apparently, 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. 6. WEEZER DISCOGRAPHY Nov. '92 - April '94 - Various cassette demos and advanced CD's of May 10, 1994 1st album (DGC) on CD and cassette Beyond May 1994 * All foreign editions virtually identcal except minor fine print changes and "Geffen Death Star Balls" instead of DGC logo. * DGC Rarities CD and Cassette with "Jamie" # Undone promo CD (wrong edit 3:58) (sweater texture art) # Undone promo CD (correct edit 4:10) (sweater texture art) * Undone cassette single b/w Holiday (band photo: funhouse mirror) * Undone Australia CD Single (cardboard sleeve) b/w "Mykel and Carli", "Susanne", "Sweet Adeline" (My Avaline) (sweater texture art) * Undone U.K. CD/cassette/7" single b/w "Mykel and Carli", "Susanne", "Holiday" (all formats have all songs) # Buddy Holly promo CD (old photo: Rivers and Girl) * Buddy Holly Austrailian CD single b/w Holiday (old photo: Rivers and Girl) * Buddy Holly UK CD/cassette/7" single. CD b/w "Jonas" and "Surf Wax America" live and Rarities "Jamie"; Cassette and 7" b/w "Jamie" (old photo: Rivers and brother, except 7" with Buddy Holly's 45's art) # Say It Ain't So promo CD (re-mix version 4:17) * Say It Ain't So UK CD/cassette/7"(?) single b/w "No One Else (acoustic)" and "Jamie (acoustic)" (school board art) # French promo give-away 7" "Undone" b/w "Jonas" on dark blue vinyl (cover same as CD but with yellow background) edition of 1200 # Various DGC and Radio Station compilations contain album tracks, nothing exclusive, however, the recent DGC "Son of Swag" promo compilation has the live "Jonas" from the U.K. Buddy Holly CD single. * "Angus" Motion picture soundtrack with "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly" * = for sale (in print) #= DGC promo (could turn up used) Alan's note: I won't update this list becuase I don't have access to all the special versions that come out. All these discs were reported by the demi-god Karl Koch (weezer's roadie and good buddy) in 1995, and who probably has all of these somewhere since I imagine the band gets a copy of everything released. 7. How are the following bands related to Weezer? 7.a Matt Sharp's band THE RENTALS has one successful record out on Maverick (Madonna's label) called Return of the Rentals. They also have a single out for Friends of P. with a b-side called So Soon. They also have a song on a Poop Alley (L.A. studio) compilation tape called California. There is also a rare Friends of P single with a different version of The Love I'm Searching For. 7.b Brian Bell's band SPACE TWINS are currently on hiatus due to Pinkerton.They have a single out (7" vinyl that is) on World Domination Records.It contains the songs No Show, A brief history, and Take My Place. They were in the studio over Christmas break 95 and recorded a lot but we're still waiting to hear what's going to be released. 7.c SUBURBAN ADVANTAGE is a very rare and early solo project from drummer Pat Wilson. Pat has since stated that the he doesn't want anyone to hear the stuff he recorded for this, so you probably can't get it. 7.d THE SPECIAL GOODNESS is Pat's latest solo project. Geffen records is rumoured to be releasing it. Apparently they don't want it taking any glory from Pinkerton so it will be a while before it is officially released. 7.e. THAT DOG is a band also from L.A. The members are Anna Warnoker, Petra and Rachel Haden, and Tony. The Weezer -That Dog relationship started with Matt Sharp being big fans of thiers. They eventually became friends and Weezer added them onto part of thier 94-95 tour. When the violin work on the record, although she didn't tour with the band. Rachel Haden also added some vocals for one song. That Dog currently has two albums out and a few scattered singles. They are currently in the studio. 7.f SUPERSPORT 2000 is also an L.A. band like Weezer. Matt Sharp borrowed Chierlynn Westrich for vocals and Rod Cereva for guitar playing in the Rentals. They have a sound similar to That Dog and Weezer. The only known music avalable to me is a 3 song demo which I purchased from none other than the two sweet angels themselves, Mykel and Carli. 7.g SPAIN really isn't related at all except that Josh Haden, brother of Petra and Rachel Haden, is the lead singer for it. 7.h 9 IRON is Tony Maxell's, the drummer for That Dog, band. 7. i CARNIVAL ART was Brian Bell's band before he joined Weezer. I'm not totally sure what his role in the band was besides being a guitarist, and if anyone has more information about his band let me know. Also, it seems that Brian Bell has made an appeance in a video on MTV before Weezer. The Carnival Art video has recenltly poped up on the philosophical debating show Beavis and Butthead. 8.1 Acknowledgements/Resources Weezine - Winter '94, Spring '95, Summer '95 DGC - History Papers VOX/April '95 Los Angeles Times - May 21, 1995 Thanks and in memory to Mykel and Carli, Anuj Behal foolio@alpha.wcoil.com and the Rebel Weezer Alliance http://www.weezer.net