Karl Koch: Difference between revisions
m
tweak
m (tweak) |
m (tweak) |
||
| Line 19: | Line 19: | ||
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
Karl Koch graduated in the spring of 1991 from art school in Baltimore and soon went out to LA in a 1988 Ford Bronco at the urging of [[Pat Finn]]. "I had somewhat of a mixed bag," he said. His parents (specifically his father) were a bit skeptical about his decision to move to LA. | Karl Koch graduated in the spring of 1991 from art school in Baltimore and soon went out to LA in a 1988 Ford Bronco at the urging of [[Pat Finn]]. "I had somewhat of a mixed bag," he said. His parents (specifically his father) were a bit skeptical about his decision to move to LA. "I was introduced to [[Pat Wilson]] in Buffalo by Pat Finn, shortly before they took off to LA. A year later, I followed and Pat [Finn] introduced me to [[Matt Sharp|Matt]], [[Rivers]] and [[Jason Cropper|Jason]]. Pat and Jason were very messy roommates. [Pat Finn] said, 'You gotta come out here man! Whatever you want to do, this is the place to do it!' I was like, 'Alright.' So I kinda packed up, against my parents' wishes." | ||
Koch | At first, Koch didn't know anyone that would end up in [[Weezer]], but eventually met the members through Pat Finn. Koch recalled an early memory of (former Weezer bassist) Matt Sharp as a sad guy wearing little round glasses, black turtlenecks, and new wave hair. "It was a nice apartment, but they couldn't afford anything. So he'd sit on the lawn furniture...and watch Woody Allen films." | ||
Koch soon got a job with (former Weezer guitarist) Jason Cropper selling dog shampoo as a telemarketer. The company went out of business three paychecks later. A new company bought the facilities, and "they said, 'Okay. You're all fired, but you can have your job back at minimum wage', which was like, $3.25 an hour. And I was like, 'Screw this.' So I went and got a job as a cook at an Italian Restaurant/deli, and we still weren't playing in a band with Rivers, but he was around and there was music going on," said Koch. | |||
==Interests== | |||
[[Image:Karl's comics 1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A small collection of Koch's comic books.]] | |||
[[Image:Karl's comics 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|More of Koch's comics.]] | [[Image:Karl's comics 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|More of Koch's comics.]] | ||
Koch | |||
Koch is a huge fan of The Clash. "They always destroy me. I listened to them so many times between 13 and 18...thousands of times...too many times. They're just in my blood stream." Koch also enjoys DJ Shadow, James Brown, Jay-Z's ''American Gangster'', [[The Beatles]], Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys." | |||
In a 2008 interview with [[Weezerpedia]], Koch expressed interest in "Paper Planes" by M.I.A., The Bird and the Bee, Band of Horses, and The Shins. Still, Koch says he's always exploring the past. "90% of the new music I listen to is in the past. The best record is one that has some killer songs, but also something I can sample on it." | In a 2008 interview with [[Weezerpedia]], Koch expressed interest in "Paper Planes" by M.I.A., The Bird and the Bee, Band of Horses, and The Shins. Still, Koch says he's always exploring the past. "90% of the new music I listen to is in the past. The best record is one that has some killer songs, but also something I can sample on it." | ||
== Weezer == | == Weezer == | ||
[[Image:Karlscollection.jpg|right|300px||thumb|A small portion of Koch's Weezer vault.]] | [[Image:Karlscollection.jpg|right|300px||thumb|A small portion of Koch's Weezer vault.]] | ||
Koch | Koch recalls the band's primary interests revolving around the sub-pop grunge sound and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' funk sound. "I remember being in college...and we were like, 'Oh Mudhoney', but Nirvana was just another sub-pop band...who the hell knew what Nirvana was? Obviously, when ''Nevermind'' came out everyone took notice... It was kind of this realization that ''this is the sound''. These guys [[The Pixies]] and [[Nirvana]] have it right." | ||
He recalls that the night Weezer was signed was "chaos. I just remember this insane party. Todd, our guy, came over. It was just nuts. But that paled in comparison to the going away party." Koch was able to fly out to New York City with [[Weezer]] under the [[Geffen Records|Geffen]] contract. In New York City, Koch documented the entire process of recording in video. Much of this material is viewable on the [[Video Capture Device|VCD]]. Early on, he served as the band's driver, transporting the boys around California for early shows in his large van, [[Betsy]]. He was also a defacto roadie. | |||
Koch is considered by many to be the number one authority on all things Weezer. In addition to running Weezer's website, Koch posts daily updates in his own news feature called [[Karl's Corner]]. His production credits include the band's DVD, [[Video Capture Device]] and videos for "[[Pink Triangle]]", "[[Photograph]]", "[[Slob]]", the music video for [[The Special Goodness]]' "[[Life Goes By]]" of which Weezer's [[Patrick Wilson|Pat Wilson]] is a member, and the video for "[[Blast Off!]]" from ''[[Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo]]'' by Weezer frontman [[Rivers Cuomo]]. Koch offers a unique and less biased opinion than the members of Weezer. He often posts on the [[Albumsix]] forums under the name [[Karlophone]]. | |||
Koch has in his possession one of the only full copies of the unreleased Weezer songs that were to be collaborated on ''[[Songs from the Black Hole]]'' (an album that Weezer fans have been hoping for the release of since it became known) and hundreds of other unreleased Weezer recordings. He is very involved with the band in other aspects. | Koch has in his possession one of the only full copies of the unreleased Weezer songs that were to be collaborated on ''[[Songs from the Black Hole]]'' (an album that Weezer fans have been hoping for the release of since it became known) and hundreds of other unreleased Weezer recordings. He is very involved with the band in other aspects. | ||
| Line 58: | Line 65: | ||
== Appearances on Weezer recordings == | == Appearances on Weezer recordings == | ||
* "[[Undone - The Sweater Song]]" - spoken word intro and post-chorus, "piano madness" in outro | |||
* "[[Buddy Holly]]" - handclaps | * "[[Buddy Holly]]" - handclaps | ||
* "[[Across the Sea]]" - incidental noises | * "[[Across the Sea]]" - incidental noises | ||
* "[[The Good Life]]" - cymbal roll | * "[[The Good Life]]" - cymbal roll | ||
* "[[Butterfly]]" - percussion | * "[[Butterfly]]" - percussion | ||
* "[[Don't Let Go]]" - backing vocals | * "[[Don't Let Go]]" - backing vocals | ||
* "[[Last Chance]]" (unreleased) - backing vocals | * "[[Last Chance]]" (unreleased) - backing vocals | ||
* ""[[The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World]]" (Karlophone remix) - engineer | |||
==Karlophone & Other Projects== | ==Karlophone & Other Projects== | ||