CDNOW.com interview with Rivers Cuomo - May 2002: Difference between revisions
CDNOW.com interview with Rivers Cuomo - May 2002 (view source)
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<small>CDNOW Editorial Staff</small> | <small>CDNOW Editorial Staff</small> | ||
To be a fan of Weezer is to ride a roller coaster with far more twists and turns than anyone could anticipate. Some of the more recent curveballs include the vaguely explained sudden departure of replacement bassist Mikey Welsh in August of last year; the band's decision to send out advance music from their latest album, ''Maladroit'', to radio DJs and music journalists without their record label's knowledge in March; and a lawsuit brought against the band by its original bassist, Matt Sharp, in April. | To be a fan of [[Weezer]] is to ride a roller coaster with far more twists and turns than anyone could anticipate. Some of the more recent curveballs include the vaguely explained sudden departure of replacement bassist [[Mikey Welsh]] in August of last year; the band's decision to send out advance music from their latest album, ''[[Maladroit]]'', to radio DJs and music journalists without their record label's knowledge in March; and a lawsuit brought against the band by its original bassist, [[Matt Sharp]], in April. | ||
What's next? Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, phoning in from the band's Japanese tour, told CDNOW what to expect from the group that always serves up the unexpected. | What's next? Weezer's [[Rivers Cuomo]], phoning in from the band's [[Japan World Cup Tour|Japanese tour]], told CDNOW what to expect from the group that always serves up the unexpected. | ||
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{{Interviewer|CDNOW|How is touring in Japan a different experience than touring in the States?}} | {{Interviewer|CDNOW|How is touring in Japan a different experience than touring in the States?}} | ||
{{Rivers|It's becoming more similar to the States…as is the rest of the world. When we first got here in '96, it was insane. These people were totally out of their minds. Wherever we went, the train stations, the hotel lobby, the venue, anywhere, there would be like 100 people waiting for us with like little gifts and all bowing to us. And then at the shows in between the songs they would go dead silent and just hang on every word or sound we made and be totally still. Each time we come back here it's less and less like that and more like just jaded American rock kids. I think it's a different generation. I think when we first got here, kids were still innocent, and they were just really starting to rebel. There was this incredible energy at that time, but that was five or six years ago, now.}} | {{Rivers|It's becoming more similar to the States…as is the rest of the world. When we first got here in [[Pinkerton Tour#Asia|'96]], it was insane. These people were totally out of their minds. Wherever we went, the train stations, the hotel lobby, the venue, anywhere, there would be like 100 people waiting for us with like little gifts and all bowing to us. And then at the shows in between the songs they would go dead silent and just hang on every word or sound we made and be totally still. Each time we come back here it's less and less like that and more like just jaded American rock kids. I think it's a different generation. I think when we first got here, kids were still innocent, and they were just really starting to rebel. There was this incredible energy at that time, but that was five or six years ago, now.}} | ||
{{Interviewer|CDNOW|Where did the inspiration for the songs on ''Maladroit'' come from?}} | {{Interviewer|CDNOW|Where did the inspiration for the songs on ''Maladroit'' come from?}} | ||
{{Rivers|They were written over the last year. I guess there wasn't really an inspiration, just music. Like just pick up a guitar and start strumming some chords, and bam, there's a song. That's about it.}} | {{Rivers|They were written over the last year. I guess there wasn't really an inspiration, just music. Like just pick up a guitar and start strumming some chords, and bam, there's a song. That's about it.}} | ||
{{Interviewer|CDNOW|What were the circumstances surrounding the composition of the first single, "Dope Nose"?}} | {{Interviewer|CDNOW|What were the circumstances surrounding the composition of the first single, "[[Dope Nose]]"?}} | ||
{{Rivers|It's not about anything. It's just a bunch of garbage lyrics. [It was] six in the morning. I had three shots of tequila, and I forget how many milligrams of Ritalin, and I just went in my backyard and sat down. In like half an hour I was just like foaming at the mouth, and I just wrote it in one manic burst of about three minutes. Sitting there in the chair, composing in my head. Not even with a guitar. Just all in my mind. Bam. There's "Dope Nose."}} | {{Rivers|It's not about anything. It's just a bunch of garbage lyrics. [It was] six in the morning. I had three shots of tequila, and I forget how many milligrams of Ritalin, and I just went in my backyard and sat down. In like half an hour I was just like foaming at the mouth, and I just wrote it in one manic burst of about three minutes. Sitting there in the chair, composing in my head. Not even with a guitar. Just all in my mind. Bam. There's "Dope Nose."}} | ||
{{Interviewer|CDNOW|You and the rest of the band personally sent out an eight-song album sampler to radio DJs and music journalists without the consent of your record label, [[Interscope]]. What made you decide to do that? Didn't you worry about bootlegs or MP3s getting out?}} | {{Interviewer|CDNOW|You and the rest of the band personally sent out an eight-song album sampler to radio DJs and music journalists without the consent of your record label, [[Interscope]]. What made you decide to do that? Didn't you worry about bootlegs or MP3s getting out?}} | ||
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{{Interviewer|CDNOW|Maladroit means "weak," "inept," or "awkward." In what sense did you mean it when you named the album?}} | {{Interviewer|CDNOW|Maladroit means "weak," "inept," or "awkward." In what sense did you mean it when you named the album?}} | ||
{{Rivers|I didn't choose it for its meaning. I just liked the way the word looked and sounded, and I liked the vibe it had. It didn't really have any meaning or significance. I think a lot of my lyrics are not worth looking into at all. But if people want to, I have no problem with that. I personally can think of better things to do [laughs].}} | {{Rivers|I didn't choose it for its meaning. I just liked the way the word looked and sounded, and I liked the vibe it had. It didn't really have any meaning or significance. I think a lot of my lyrics are not worth looking into at all. But if people want to, I have no problem with that. I personally can think of better things to do [laughs].}} | ||
{{Interviewer|CDNOW|Why did bassist Mikey Welsh leave the group in August of last year? Is Scott Shriner a permanent replacement?}} | {{Interviewer|CDNOW|Why did bassist Mikey Welsh leave the group in August of last year? Is [[Scott Shriner]] a permanent replacement?}} | ||
{{Rivers|Scott Shriner is a permanent replacement, now, yeah. I can't comment on Mikey Welsh. I have not spoken to him since the day we played Leno. I haven't heard from him.}} | {{Rivers|Scott Shriner is a permanent replacement, now, yeah. I can't comment on Mikey Welsh. I have not spoken to him since the day we played Leno. I haven't heard from him.}} | ||
{{Interviewer|CDNOW|Why did you pick Shriner?}} | {{Interviewer|CDNOW|Why did you pick Shriner?}} | ||
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Whereas, when you're younger, you kind of have this ideal style in your head. You just have to do it and force your bandmates to do it. Anything that's forced can't be sustained for a long time. The road wears you down, and anything that's forced falls away by necessity.}} | Whereas, when you're younger, you kind of have this ideal style in your head. You just have to do it and force your bandmates to do it. Anything that's forced can't be sustained for a long time. The road wears you down, and anything that's forced falls away by necessity.}} | ||
{{Interviewer|CDNOW|Are you playing any music that's in progress at your shows?}} | {{Interviewer|CDNOW|Are you playing any music that's in progress at your shows?}} | ||
{{Rivers|There's probably about two songs a night that are completely unfamiliar to anybody, including us some of the time. And we just rotate those around with a bunch of new songs. Like tonight we're going to play one of Brian's songs, and he's going to sing. For this tour, we'll rotate around two of Brian's songs and one of Pat's songs. And we've actually been playing one of Scott's songs, too.}} | {{Rivers|There's probably about two songs a night that are completely unfamiliar to anybody, including us some of the time. And we just rotate those around with a bunch of new songs. Like tonight we're going to play one of [[Brian|Brian's]] songs, and he's going to sing. For this tour, we'll rotate around two of Brian's songs and one of [[Pat|Pat's]] songs. And we've actually been playing one of Scott's songs, too.}} | ||
{{Interviewer|CDNOW|Would you consider yourselves all close friends?}} | {{Interviewer|CDNOW|Would you consider yourselves all close friends?}} | ||
{{Rivers|We're together literally 365 days of the year. We don't take any time off, and a large part of every day we're together playing mostly. I do definitely set aside several hours of every day, where I'm just by myself. I guess we all consider ourselves friends. It's just I'm not like a friend kind of guy. I'm so focused and so into working, it's like I don't just like watch football games with the guys. I was always super-focused from as far back as I can remember. Even being like 5 years old -- very focused, and I've just gotten more so as I get older. I don't have any personal relationships. I don't talk to anybody. It's true.}} | {{Rivers|We're together literally 365 days of the year. We don't take any time off, and a large part of every day we're together playing mostly. I do definitely set aside several hours of every day, where I'm just by myself. I guess we all consider ourselves friends. It's just I'm not like a friend kind of guy. I'm so focused and so into working, it's like I don't just like watch football games with the guys. I was always super-focused from as far back as I can remember. Even being like 5 years old -- very focused, and I've just gotten more so as I get older. I don't have any personal relationships. I don't talk to anybody. It's true.}} | ||