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Rivers Cuomo: Difference between revisions
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| Instrument = Vocals, guitar, drums, bass, piano, harmonica, clarinet | | Instrument = Vocals, guitar, drums, bass, piano, harmonica, clarinet | ||
| Active = 1989–[[{{CURRENTYEAR}}|present]] | | Active = 1989–[[{{CURRENTYEAR}}|present]] | ||
| Associated acts = [[Weezer]]<br>[[Avant Garde]]<br>[[Zoom]]<br>[[Fury]]<br>[[Homie]]<br>[[Goat Punishment]]<br>[[60 Wrong Sausages]]<br>[[AM Radio]]<br>[[Scott & Rivers]] | | Associated acts = [[Weezer]]<br>[[Avant Garde]]<br>[[Zoom]]<br>[[Fury]]<br>[[Warlock]]<br>[[Homie]]<br>[[Goat Punishment]]<br>[[60 Wrong Sausages]]<br>[[AM Radio]]<br>[[Scott & Rivers]] | ||
| URL = [http://www.weezer.com/ http://www.weezer.com/]<br>[http://riverscuomo.com/ http://riverscuomo.com/] | | URL = [http://www.weezer.com/ http://www.weezer.com/]<br>[http://riverscuomo.com/ http://riverscuomo.com/] | ||
| Notable instruments = Warmoth Custom Fat Strat<br>Gibson SG Standard<br>[[Rivers Cuomo's equipment|Rivers Cuomo's equipment history]] | | Notable instruments = Warmoth Custom Fat Strat<br>Gibson SG Standard<br>[[Rivers Cuomo's equipment|Rivers Cuomo's equipment history]] | ||
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==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
[[Image:Rivers Cuomo - 1978 School Picture.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Cuomo's 1978 school photo]] | [[Image:Rivers Cuomo - 1978 School Picture.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Cuomo's 1978 school photo]] | ||
Rivers Cuomo was born on [[June 13]], 1970 in Manhattan to [[Frank Cuomo]], of Italian descent,<ref>Collinge, Miranda. "Rivers Cuomo" ''The Guardian''. 28 June 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/jun/29/popandrock</ref> and [[Beverly Shoenberger]], of German-English descent. According to Rivers, his mother claims that he was so-named because she first heard the sound of a river outside her hospital window after his birth, while his father claims that Rivers was named after three soccer players from the [[Wikipedia:1970_FIFA_World_Cup|1970 FIFA World Cup]]: Brazilian player [[Wikipedia:Rivellino|Roberto Rivellino]], and Italian players [[Wikipedia:Gigi Riva|Gigi Riva]] and [[Wikipedia:Gianni Rivera|Gianni Rivera]] | Rivers Cuomo was born on [[June 13]], 1970 in Manhattan to [[Frank Cuomo]], of Italian descent,<ref>Collinge, Miranda. "Rivers Cuomo" ''The Guardian''. 28 June 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/jun/29/popandrock</ref> and [[Beverly Shoenberger]], of German-English descent. According to Rivers, his mother claims that he was so-named because she first heard the sound of a river outside her hospital window after his birth, while his father claims that Rivers was named after three soccer players from the [[Wikipedia:1970_FIFA_World_Cup|1970 FIFA World Cup]]: Brazilian player [[Wikipedia:Rivellino|Roberto Rivellino]], and Italian players [[Wikipedia:Gigi Riva|Gigi Riva]] and [[Wikipedia:Gianni Rivera|Gianni Rivera]].<ref name="acename">"his middle name..." Cuomo posting as "ace" on ''The Cuomo Board'', ca. 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20110105082734/http://members.shaw.ca/ridd2/threads/riverscuomo/02-12-RCBOARD1.html</ref><ref>''The Kelly Clarkson Show'' "Brooke Shields/Weezer" (S5.E139) Air date: 15 May 2024.</ref> Shoenberger gave Rivers no middle name in order to permit him to choose his own (which he never did).<ref name="acename" /> Rivers was, according to his younger brother, [[Leaves Cuomo|Leaves]], almost named "Apple" (most likely because he was born in New York City).<ref name="riversedge">Luerssen, John D. ''Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story''. 2004. ECW Press</ref><ref name="riversedge" /> | ||
Rivers lived the first few years of his life at the [[Wikipedia:Rochester Zen Center|Rochester Zen Center]] in upstate New York, where his parents first met.<ref name="yogamag">"Music and Spirituality: A Real Connection" ''Integral Yoga Magazine''. https://integralyogamagazine.org/music-and-spirituality-a-real-connection/</ref> Frank Cuomo left the family when Rivers was four years old, and was largely absent from Rivers' youth. Shoenberger moved with Rivers and Leaves to [[Yogaville]] East in Pomfret, Connecticut, where they lived until 1981.<ref name="yogamag" /> Shoenberger married [[Steven Kitts]] in 1976. At Yogaville, Rivers was given the name Rama by the Indian guru [[Swami Satchidananda]].<ref>Archived journal posts by rivers-words: https://rivers-words.livejournal.com/</ref> When Yogaville relocated to Virginia, the Kitts family remained in Connecticut, moving to Storrs/Mansfield area, where Cuomo lived for the remainder of his adolescence.<ref>"Mansfield" ''[[Riverpedia]]''. https://books-r-fun.herokuapp.com/wiki/Mansfield</ref> | Rivers lived the first few years of his life at the [[Wikipedia:Rochester Zen Center|Rochester Zen Center]] in upstate New York, where his parents first met.<ref name="yogamag">"Music and Spirituality: A Real Connection" ''Integral Yoga Magazine''. https://integralyogamagazine.org/music-and-spirituality-a-real-connection/</ref> Frank Cuomo was a musician who notably played percussion on the 1971 album ''[[Wikipedia:Odyssey of Iska|Odyssey of Iska]]'' by jazz saxophonist [[Wikipedia:Wayne Shorter|Wayne Shorter]]. Frank left the family when Rivers was four years old, and was largely absent from Rivers' youth. Shoenberger moved with Rivers and Leaves to [[Yogaville]] East in Pomfret, Connecticut, where they lived until 1981.<ref name="yogamag" /> Shoenberger married [[Steven Kitts]] in 1976. At Yogaville, Rivers was given the name Rama by the Indian guru [[Swami Satchidananda]].<ref>Archived journal posts by rivers-words: https://rivers-words.livejournal.com/</ref> When Yogaville relocated to Virginia, the Kitts family remained in Connecticut, moving to Storrs/Mansfield area, where Cuomo lived for the remainder of his adolescence.<ref>"Mansfield" ''[[Riverpedia]]''. https://books-r-fun.herokuapp.com/wiki/Mansfield</ref> | ||
Cuomo has described himself as a "very somber child." Said Cuomo, "My teacher asked my mother what was wrong with me because I never looked happy. So, my mother advised her to say, 'Let me see that smile,' and then I would smile. So she did that -- in front of the whole class. She got the whole class to turn around, look at me and say, 'Let me see that smile.'"<ref group="lower-alpha">Cuomo would later reference this in the [[Weezer]] song "[[Feels Like Summer]]."</ref><ref>Daley, David. "Happy [cancelled] Days" ''Alternative Press''. January 1997. [[Alternative Press interview with Weezer - January 1997|Weezerpedia transcript]]</ref> While attending Mansfield Middle School and E.O. Smith High School, Rivers and Leaves Cuomo went by the more "ordinary" names Peter and James Kitts, respectively. | Cuomo has described himself as a "very somber child." Said Cuomo, "My teacher asked my mother what was wrong with me because I never looked happy. So, my mother advised her to say, 'Let me see that smile,' and then I would smile. So she did that -- in front of the whole class. She got the whole class to turn around, look at me and say, 'Let me see that smile.'"<ref group="lower-alpha">Cuomo would later reference this in the [[Weezer]] song "[[Feels Like Summer]]."</ref><ref>Daley, David. "Happy [cancelled] Days" ''Alternative Press''. January 1997. [[Alternative Press interview with Weezer - January 1997|Weezerpedia transcript]]</ref> While attending Mansfield Middle School and E.O. Smith High School, Rivers and Leaves Cuomo went by the more "ordinary" names Peter and James Kitts, respectively. | ||
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Cuomo was greatly interested in soccer from a young age, initially wanting to be a professional soccer player when he grew up.<ref>U.S. Soccer "Studio 90: Rivers Cuomo Interview" ''YouTube''. 24 June 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK8vvrcbTmM</ref> "...because I rarely saw my dad as I was growing up, I romanticized everything about him. One of the things I romanticized was his passion for soccer; I tried to cultivate it in myself. I took my first step trying to kick a soccer ball." Cuomo also played on a boy's soccer team.<ref>Rivers Cuomo "Rivers Cuomo - Lover in the Snow" ''YouTube''. 16 June 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMiLwwjK-0w&t=120s</ref> However, in 1981, Cuomo learned that he had been born with a congenital femoral deficiency in his right leg. Though his legs were of equal length at birth,<ref name="ilizarov">"Ilizarov Procedure" ''[[Riverpedia]]'' https://books-r-fun.herokuapp.com/wiki/Ilizarov%20Procedure</ref> by the time of his diagnosis in 1981, Cuomo's right femur had grown 1¼ inches shorter than his left,<ref>[[Beverly's letter|Letter by Beverly Shoenberger]], May 1981</ref> reaching a 2-inch differential at his full height.<ref name="ilizarov" /> Cuomo's interests later pivoted to music. | Cuomo was greatly interested in soccer from a young age, initially wanting to be a professional soccer player when he grew up.<ref>U.S. Soccer "Studio 90: Rivers Cuomo Interview" ''YouTube''. 24 June 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK8vvrcbTmM</ref> "...because I rarely saw my dad as I was growing up, I romanticized everything about him. One of the things I romanticized was his passion for soccer; I tried to cultivate it in myself. I took my first step trying to kick a soccer ball." Cuomo also played on a boy's soccer team.<ref>Rivers Cuomo "Rivers Cuomo - Lover in the Snow" ''YouTube''. 16 June 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMiLwwjK-0w&t=120s</ref> However, in 1981, Cuomo learned that he had been born with a congenital femoral deficiency in his right leg. Though his legs were of equal length at birth,<ref name="ilizarov">"Ilizarov Procedure" ''[[Riverpedia]]'' https://books-r-fun.herokuapp.com/wiki/Ilizarov%20Procedure</ref> by the time of his diagnosis in 1981, Cuomo's right femur had grown 1¼ inches shorter than his left,<ref>[[Beverly's letter|Letter by Beverly Shoenberger]], May 1981</ref> reaching a 2-inch differential at his full height.<ref name="ilizarov" /> Cuomo's interests later pivoted to music. | ||
[[Image:Rivers Cuomo - Guild Flying Star.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Cuomo as a teenager]]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. | [[Image:Rivers Cuomo - Guild Flying Star.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Cuomo as a teenager]]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 name="cor">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== | ==Music career== | ||
===Early career=== | ===Early career=== | ||
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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 name="rollingstone25">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 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 name="rollingstone25">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. | ||
===Weezer=== | ===Formation of Weezer=== | ||
[[Image:Very early weezer.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Weezer's earliest incarnation. From L—R: [[Jason Cropper]], [[Patrick Wilson]], Rivers Cuomo, [[Matt Sharp]]]]Following the dissolution of 60 Wrong Sausages, Cuomo and Wilson expressed a shared interest in moving toward the type of songs that bands like [[Nirvana]] and the [[Pixies]] were recording. "There was so much anxiety about authenticity at the time," said Cuomo, "and we’d all just made this radical transformation from being metalheads to being alternative. You didn’t want anyone to find out what you looked like 12 months ago."<ref name="30thoral" /> The two resolved to [[The 50 Song Project|attempt to write fifty songs]] between the two of them before pursuing a new band project.<ref name="rechist2">[[Recording History - Page 2|Weezer Recording History - Page 2]]</ref> "We wanted to write a bunch of tunes before we even played together," said Cuomo,<ref name="manofsteel" /> "so that we could have an idea of where we were heading before we started wasting our time and money paying for a rehearsal studio. I didn't want to get back into a band until I felt like I had a bunch of songs that were good and that had cohesive style. So I just wrote songs and didn't play at all for a long time." Though the two did not make it to fifty songs, future Weezer tracks such as "[[Undone - The Sweater Song]]," "[[My Name Is Jonas]]," and "[[The World Has Turned and Left Me Here]]" were written during this period.<ref name="rechist2" /> In January of 1992, Wilson shared a tape of the duo's material with [[Matt Sharp]] while the latter was living in Berkeley.<ref name="riversedge" /> Sharp was so impressed that he insisted on being Cuomo's bass player, resolving to move back to Los Angeles. "Rivers was able to articulate something that up to that point had been elusive for me," said Sharp, "I thought, ‘I’m doing this, no matter what has to be done to make it happen.'"<ref name="rollingstone25" /> Cuomo was greatly validated by Sharp's confidence. "It confirmed all my greatest hopes for myself." said Cuomo, "Knowing he felt so strongly about the songs was all the confidence I needed."<ref name="rollingstone25" /> | [[Image:Very early weezer.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Weezer's earliest incarnation. From L—R: [[Jason Cropper]], [[Patrick Wilson]], Rivers Cuomo, [[Matt Sharp]]]]Following the dissolution of 60 Wrong Sausages, Cuomo and Wilson expressed a shared interest in moving toward the type of songs that bands like [[Nirvana]] and the [[Pixies]] were recording. "There was so much anxiety about authenticity at the time," said Cuomo, "and we’d all just made this radical transformation from being metalheads to being alternative. You didn’t want anyone to find out what you looked like 12 months ago."<ref name="30thoral" /> The two resolved to [[The 50 Song Project|attempt to write fifty songs]] between the two of them before pursuing a new band project.<ref name="rechist2">[[Recording History - Page 2|Weezer Recording History - Page 2]]</ref> "We wanted to write a bunch of tunes before we even played together," said Cuomo,<ref name="manofsteel" /> "so that we could have an idea of where we were heading before we started wasting our time and money paying for a rehearsal studio. I didn't want to get back into a band until I felt like I had a bunch of songs that were good and that had cohesive style. So I just wrote songs and didn't play at all for a long time." Though the two did not make it to fifty songs, future Weezer tracks such as "[[Undone - The Sweater Song]]," "[[My Name Is Jonas]]," and "[[The World Has Turned and Left Me Here]]" were written during this period.<ref name="rechist2" /> In January of 1992, Wilson shared a tape of the duo's material with [[Matt Sharp]] while the latter was living in Berkeley.<ref name="riversedge" /> Sharp was so impressed that he insisted on being Cuomo's bass player, resolving to move back to Los Angeles. "Rivers was able to articulate something that up to that point had been elusive for me," said Sharp, "I thought, ‘I’m doing this, no matter what has to be done to make it happen.'"<ref name="rollingstone25" /> Cuomo was greatly validated by Sharp's confidence. "It confirmed all my greatest hopes for myself." said Cuomo, "Knowing he felt so strongly about the songs was all the confidence I needed."<ref name="rollingstone25" /> | ||
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On [[April 14]], [[1995]], Cuomo underwent an operation to correct his congenital femoral deficiency. The surgery involved breaking his femur and fitting it with a metal brace (called an [[Wikipedia:Ilizarov apparatus|Ilizarov apparatus]]). Said Cuomo, "Each day I would turn some screws on the rods so that they would extend and increase the space in the break in my bone. After 6 months, the bone was supposed to be totally filled in and they would take off the metal frame. Two months in I was back out on the road with Weezer, stumbling around with a cane."<ref name="ilizarov" /> Cuomo required an additional surgery in January of [[1996]].<ref name="ilizarov" /> | On [[April 14]], [[1995]], Cuomo underwent an operation to correct his congenital femoral deficiency. The surgery involved breaking his femur and fitting it with a metal brace (called an [[Wikipedia:Ilizarov apparatus|Ilizarov apparatus]]). Said Cuomo, "Each day I would turn some screws on the rods so that they would extend and increase the space in the break in my bone. After 6 months, the bone was supposed to be totally filled in and they would take off the metal frame. Two months in I was back out on the road with Weezer, stumbling around with a cane."<ref name="ilizarov" /> Cuomo required an additional surgery in January of [[1996]].<ref name="ilizarov" /> | ||
===Harvard=== | |||
{{Small quote box|There appears to be some sort of brewing here—with regards to men's self-image. Our natural tendencies were repressed by the peace and love crap of my parents' generation; these tendencies were perverted and relieved in maladjusted ways. In the past 10 years, several voices—Howard Stern, [[Joe Matt]]—have had the courage to uncover these tendencies—and found large audiences of sympathizing men. These individuals are struggling to uncover and assimilate their urges in a way that does them justice. There is a large element of shame and self-deprecation in uncovering these urges. But always an unflinching desire to know the self. Who am I? Who is man? What is man? What am I?|Rivers Cuomo; journal entry; [[March 12]], [[1996]]<ref name="thepinkertondiaries" />}} | |||
In September of [[1995]], Cuomo moved into [[19 Corporal Burns Rd.|a house]] in Cambridge, Massachusetts to attend [[Harvard|Harvard University]]. Cuomo was largely anonymous to his peers while in school. "Most of our fans at that time were, like, ten years old," said Cuomo,<ref>''Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend'' "Rivers Cuomo" 10 October 2022 https://teamcoco.com/podcasts/conan-obrien-needs-a-friend/episodes/rivers-cuomo</ref> "It wasn't really a college audience...I grew a very long beard and long hair and I was undergoing this procedure on my leg, so I was walking with a cane. I just looked like some really weird, super-old, weird guy." | |||
Cuomo wrote very few songs (composition homework notwithstanding) during his time at Harvard,<ref name="cor" /><ref name="thepinkertondiaries" /> though several of the few songs he ''did'' write would later comprise the latter half of Weezer's subsequent album, ''[[Pinkerton]]''. These songs about personal experiences at Harvard lead Cuomo to, ultimately, abandon the previous "rock opera" conceit of ''Songs from the Black Hole''. ''Pinkerton'' released in September of 1996 and the band toured throughout 1997. The album, however, failed to achieve the same success as the band's debut album, polarizing critics and failing to meet sales expectations. Cuomo began distancing himself from the album for several years thereafter, calling it a "hideous record" in an interview with ''Entertainment Weekly'' in [[2001]],<ref>Brunner, Rob. "The truth behind Weezer's crack up" ''Entertainment Weekly''. 22 May 2001. https://ew.com/article/2001/05/22/truth-behind-weezers-crack/</ref> adding, "It was such a hugely painful mistake that happened in front of hundreds of thousands of people and continues to happen on a grander and grander scale and just won’t go away. It’s like getting really drunk at a party and spilling your guts in front of everyone and feeling incredibly great and cathartic about it, and then waking up the next morning and realizing what a complete fool you made of yourself." Following the conclusion of the tour, Weezer entered a period of informal hiatus. | |||
Cuomo intended to return to Harvard for the fall semester of 1997, but instead backed out.<ref>Riesman, Abe J. "Rivers' End: The Director's Cut" ''The Harvard Crimson''. 26 April 2006. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/4/26/rivers-end-the-directors-cut-the/</ref> | |||
Rivers writers block let up when he received a letter from a Japanese fan girl. The letter would inspire the song "[[Across the Sea]]", and help to kill the ''Black Hole'' project. The song's lyrics reveal that the letter meant so much, and he was in such need of attention, that he would lick the envelope where she licked it, and have sexual fantasies about the girl. Around this time, Rivers was also reading lots of [[Joe Matt]] comics, studying classical composition, had a strong interest in ''[[Madame Butterfly]]'', and was inspired by the guitar stylings of Yngwie Malsteem. All of these things played a strong roll in the songs he wrote. "Across the Sea" featured references to Japanese culture, had chord changes, dynamics and complexity like that of a classical composition, and the guitar was fast and relentless much like Malsteem's. Furthermore, the idea of holding nothing back and exposing everything is similar to the comics Joe Matt makes such as ''Spent''. Cuomo would also fall in love with girls at Harvard, most of whom he was terrified of approaching, one of which turned out to be a lesbian. This prompted the songs "[[Pink Triangle]]" and "[[El Scorcho]]". "[[The Good Life]]" chronicled the lifestyle of Rivers at Harvard. Rivers walked with an "old man cane", was "bitter and alone", was looking more bizarre than he ever had ("who's that funky dude?"), etc. "[[Falling for You]]", another song Rivers wrote at Harvard, made reference to the girl he sang about in "El Scorcho". | Rivers writers block let up when he received a letter from a Japanese fan girl. The letter would inspire the song "[[Across the Sea]]", and help to kill the ''Black Hole'' project. The song's lyrics reveal that the letter meant so much, and he was in such need of attention, that he would lick the envelope where she licked it, and have sexual fantasies about the girl. Around this time, Rivers was also reading lots of [[Joe Matt]] comics, studying classical composition, had a strong interest in ''[[Madame Butterfly]]'', and was inspired by the guitar stylings of Yngwie Malsteem. All of these things played a strong roll in the songs he wrote. "Across the Sea" featured references to Japanese culture, had chord changes, dynamics and complexity like that of a classical composition, and the guitar was fast and relentless much like Malsteem's. Furthermore, the idea of holding nothing back and exposing everything is similar to the comics Joe Matt makes such as ''Spent''. Cuomo would also fall in love with girls at Harvard, most of whom he was terrified of approaching, one of which turned out to be a lesbian. This prompted the songs "[[Pink Triangle]]" and "[[El Scorcho]]". "[[The Good Life]]" chronicled the lifestyle of Rivers at Harvard. Rivers walked with an "old man cane", was "bitter and alone", was looking more bizarre than he ever had ("who's that funky dude?"), etc. "[[Falling for You]]", another song Rivers wrote at Harvard, made reference to the girl he sang about in "El Scorcho". | ||