Rivers Cuomo: Difference between revisions

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 Cuomo was first exposed to American rock band [[Kiss]] at age 7.<ref name="manofsteel">Beaujour, Tom. "Man of Steel" ''Guitar World''. March 1995. [[Guitar World interview with Rivers Cuomo - March 1995|Weezerpedia transcript]]</ref> "This little girl came through the ashram for a visit, and she brought a Kiss record, ''Rock and Roll Over''. She came over to our house, and while we played the Kiss record, we recorded ourselves running around in circles as the tape played. It was like, 'this kicks ass.'"<ref>"Rivers Cuomo" ''This Little Light'' (podcast). 2023 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rivers-cuomo/id1678378239?i=1000612593978</ref><ref>Coffman, Tim. "How KISS changed Rivers Cuomo’s life forever" 12 June 2023. ''Far Out Magazine''. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-kiss-changed-rivers-cuomos-life-forever/</ref> Cuomo later joined the Columbia Record Club and bought every Kiss album he could,<ref>Edwards, Gavin. "Rivers' Edge" ''Details''. February 1997. [[Details interview with Rivers Cuomo - February 1997|Weezerpedia transcript]]</ref> eventually bonding over his love of Kiss in the sixth grade with friend [[Justin Fisher]], the son of a friend of his mother's.<ref name="riversedge" /> Cuomo was first inspired to learn guitar after witnessing classmates perform "[[Wikipedia:Metal Health (song)|Metal Health]]" by [[Wikipedia:Quiet Riot|Quiet Riot]] at a school assembly.<ref>Leatham, Thomas. "Rivers Cuomo explains the true story behind how Weezer got their name" ''Far Out''. 6 February 2023. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/rivers-cuomo-how-weezer-got-their-name/</ref><ref group="lower-alpha">The influence of "Metal Health" by Quiet Riot is referenced in the Weezer tracks "[[Heart Songs]]" ("Quiet Riot got me started with the banging of my head") and "[[I Need Some of That]]" (which cribs the drum intro from "Metal Health")</ref> "I just couldn’t believe that kids my age were playing these real instruments and playing this song I loved... it just blew my mind! And so I got my own guitar shortly after that, and I started learning all the metal songs of the day."<ref>Gardner, Josh. "Weezer's Rivers Cuomo talks The White Album, channelling James Hetfield and his enduring love of guitar" ''MusicRadar''. 18 August 2016. https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/weezers-rivers-cuomo-talks-the-white-album-channelling-james-hetfield-and-his-enduring-love-of-guitar-641477</ref> Cuomo received his first guitar on his fourteenth birthday, in 1984.<ref>http://weezerpedia.com/catalogofriffs.html</ref> Cuomo's first band was a Kiss cover band, called [[Fury]], consisting of himself and [[James Kitts|his brother]] on guitar, Justin Fisher on bass, and [[Eric Robertson]] on drums.
 ==Music career==
-Cuomo and Fisher performed in several bands throughout the 80s, covering songs by bands such as Metallica, [[Yngwie Malmsteen]]<ref>Kandell, Steve. "Rivers Cuomo." ''Blender''. January/February 2006. ([[Blender interview with Rivers Cuomo - Jan/Feb 2006|Transcript/scans]])</ref>, and [[Fates Warning]]<ref name="riversedge" />, with Cuomo even taking guitar lessons from Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos.<ref name="manofsteel" /> In 1985, the pair formed the [[Wikipedia:Glam metal|glam metal]] band [[Avant Garde]], recruiting classmate [[Bryn Mutch]] on drums and brothers [[Kevin Ridel|Kevin]] and [[Eric Ridel]] on lead vocals and guitar, respectively. The band recorded three demo tapes between 1987 and 1989. In 1987, Cuomo attended a five-week music program at the [[Wikipedia:Berklee College of Music|Berklee College of Music]] in Boston, where he met Texas native [[Michael Stanton]], who later moved to Connecticut to replace Eric Ridel.<ref name="riversedge" /> In 1989, the band relocated to Los Angeles and changed their name to "Zoom," recording another demo tape in [[1990]] before dissolving shortly thereafter.
+===Early career===
+Cuomo and Fisher performed in several bands throughout the 80s, covering songs by bands such as Metallica, [[Yngwie Malmsteen]]<ref>Kandell, Steve. "Rivers Cuomo." ''Blender''. January/February 2006. ([[Blender interview with Rivers Cuomo - Jan/Feb 2006|Transcript/scans]])</ref>, and [[Fates Warning]]<ref name="riversedge" />, with Cuomo even taking guitar lessons from Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos.<ref name="manofsteel" /> In 1985, the pair formed the [[Wikipedia:Glam metal|glam metal]] band [[Avant Garde]], recruiting classmate [[Bryn Mutch]] on drums and brothers [[Kevin Ridel|Kevin]] and [[Eric Ridel]] on lead vocals and guitar, respectively. The band recorded three demo tapes between 1987 and 1989. In 1987, Cuomo attended a five-week music program at the [[Wikipedia:Berklee College of Music|Berklee College of Music]] in Boston, where he met Texas native [[Michael Stanton]], who later moved to Connecticut to replace Eric Ridel.<ref name="riversedge" /> In 1989, the band relocated to Los Angeles and changed their name to "Zoom," recording another demo tape in early [[1990]]. Zoom played their final show in March of that year before their ultimate dissolution.
+After the members of Zoom were evicted from their appartment, Cuomo moved in with a girlfriend and got a job working for Tower Records in Anaheim, California in [[1990]] before transferring to the company's Sunset Strip that summer.<ref>"Tower Records" ''[[Riverpedia]]'' 4 September 2020. https://books-r-fun.herokuapp.com/wiki/Tower%20Records</ref> While working for Tower Records, Cuomo first met [[Pat Finn|Patrick Finn]], who encouraged Cuomo to write and sing his own songs and exposed him to bands that would later greatly influence his songwriting, like [[Nirvana]], [[the Beach Boys]], and the [[Pixies]].<ref name="30thoral>Wood, Mikael. "Weezer’s Blue Album at 30: The inside story of the debut that launched L.A.’s nerdiest band" ''Los Angeles Times''. 25 March 2024. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-03-25/weezer-blue-album-oral-history-30th-anniversary-rivers-cuomo</ref> Finn introduced Cuomo to future [[Weezer]] bandmates [[Patrick Wilson]], [[Jason Cropper]], and [[Matt Sharp]], in addition to [[Karl Koch]].
-===Moving to Los Angeles===
+In early [[1991]], Cuomo and Wilson formed the band [[Fuzz]] with bassist [[Scottie Chapman]]. Fuzz featured a more Grunge-influenced sound, reflective of the music Cuomo was interested in at the time.<ref>Hiatt, Brian. "The Strange Birth and Near Death of Weezer" ''Rolling Stone''. 28 August 2019. https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/weezer-blue-album-25th-anniversary-877089/</ref><ref name="rechist1">[[Recording History - Page 1|Weezer Recording History - Page 1]]</ref> The project was short-lived; after a single 8-track demo and two shows, the band fizzled out as Cuomo and Wilson shifted focus toward a new project, [[60 Wrong Sausages]], formed alongside Finn and Cropper. Throughout the fall of 1991, the band recorded a demo, held several rehearsals, and performed one show before dissolving.
-In 1989, Rivers and Avant Garde moved to Los Angeles.  While there, the band played a few big shows and eventually changed their name to Zoom in an attempt to make themselves more marketable and focused.  At the time, Rivers was attending the Guitar Institute, but not attending classes.  He received notice that he would not graduate.  At the time, he was also working at Tower Records in LA.  At Tower, Rivers came in contact with [[Pat Finn]].  Cuomo's time at Tower opened his eyes to a whole new sound of music.  "[[The Pixies]] are one of the bands that really blew my mind when I first moved to LA and started to discover cool music," Rivers said.  Rivers also was turned onto [[Nirvana]].  The first song he heard by them was "Sliver", and Cuomo says that when he first heard it he started to dance.
+===Weezer===
-Cuomo also enrolled at LA City College part time.  His interest in music shifted from guitar technique to songwriting.  "Metal seemed kind of dumb, so I consciously repressed it," Rivers said.  "[The genre] didn't seem very relevant anymore so I locked myself away with an acoustic guitar and started writing my own songs."  Also around this time, Rivers' then girlfriend, Lisa, broke up with him.  Rivers friendship with Pat Finn grew.  "Pat was the first really punk guy I ever met.  I totally admired and respected him, how completely nuts he was.  He was always trying to grab my balls or trying to get fired so he could collect unemployment.  He was trying to get the boss to hit him.  He played me a lot of great music, and taught me a lot about cynicism.  How to talk, how to act.  'Cause I was still fresh out of Connecticut, a complete idiot.  And he also introduced me to Matt and Pat."  During the winter of 1990/1991, Rivers, now twenty years old, wrote songs like "You Overpower Me", "Anything for You" and "Xmas in L.A.", which was a musical letter home about being away from home for Christmas.
-To work with his new songs, Rivers formed a band called [[Fuzz]] with [[Patrick Wilson]] and [[Scottie Chapman]].  The band eventually dissolved/fused into [[60 Wrong Sausages]].  With his life finally looking up again, Rivers was also a 4.0 straight-A student at Los Angeles Communtiy College.  Rivers continued to record his own songs and then took them to whatever project he was pursuing at the time.
-Rivers very much enjoyed collaborating with Pat Wilson.  The two would pen songs together such as "The Pop Screen" and "What's Goin' On?" while Rivers wrote his own more somber pieces such as "Sing to Me Slow" and "I Got So Many Problems."  These early songs were the basis of [[60 Wrong Sausages]].  With 60WS, Cuomo recorded the ''Cholesterol'' EP.  He was also helping Kevin Ridel record for his Christian rock band, The Truth.  Cuomo was mostly an engineer and aided backup vocals and guitars where needed on songs such as "My Salvation", "Eyes of the Children" and "I Belong to God".
-Rivers rehearsed with 60WS until they played their one and only show on Thanksgiving weekend.  Rivers was slowly losing interest in the band and was more excited in his own material.  Feeling inspired by Pixies and Nirvana, Rivers and Pat set out to collaborate on a [[The 50 Song Project|50 song collaborative project]].
-==Forming Weezer==
 According to [[Jason Cropper]], Rivers sensed alternative music was about to explode.  It was this belief that guided his new songs like "Why Do We Hurt Each Other?", "[[I Need Some Touch]]", "2-2 Tango" and "[[My Name is Jonas]]".  Jason also recalled the first time he and Cuomo heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at the Italian restaurant where they worked.  After the song finished, Rivers was upset that it was Kurt who had written the song and not himself.  Jason said, "My fondest, pre-Weezer memory is I'm cooking, Rivers is cleaning, and we're both standing in the same kitchen, and that song comes on the radio, in like the first week of its release, and Rivers says, 'I should have written that.'  And I'm like, 'Yeah.  That's totally true.'  Because the music he was writing was improving in quality every day.  Every day he wrote a better song."