The Vancouver Sun article - January 25, 1995

Print interview with Brian Bell
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Publication	The Vancouver Sun (Link)
Interviewee	Brian Bell
Interviewer	Neil Davidson
Date	January 25, 1995
Title	Gee Weezer, it's a hot band
Format	Print
External link	Via Newspapers.com
References	See where this interview is referenced on Weezerpedia

Gee Weezer, it's a hot band Author: Neil Davidson (The Vancouver Sun) Published: January 25, 1995 Happy Days are definitely here again for Weezer. The California based band has reached the million mark in sales with its self-titled debut. It has gone gold in Canada, selling 14,000 copies last week alone. The album has cracked the top 20 of the U.S. Billboard chart, where it has spent more than 20 weeks. Rolling Stone readers put it No. 8 on their Top 20 list for 1994. And much of the credit goes to a video for the song, Buddy Holly, that can only be described as seductively goofy. The four members of Weezer — grinning like idiots in cardigans and ties — perform the song in Arnold's Diner, straight out of the TV show, Happy Days. And thanks to the miracle of video, the whole cast seems to be enjoying the show as the camera cuts away from the band. The Fonz is there. So are Richie, Potsie, Ralph and Joanie. Even Mr. and Mrs. C. The band even convinced Al to play himself in the video, wringing his hands over the special of the day. "I'm proud to be a part of the Buddy Holly video," guitarist Brian Bell said over the phone from Los Angeles. "As funny and as ridiculous as it may seem, I think it makes the song better." "I still don't mind seeing it. If I see it on MTV, it's like 'God, that's hilarious. I'm glad I'm in this, because I think it's groundbreaking'" Bell, 26, is hard to miss in the video despite the fact he's wearing a wig. He's the one mouthing "I love you" at one point. Hole guitarist Courtney Love, an old friend of Bell's, was so impressed by his performance that she chased the Weezer bus after seeing it. "She stopped our bus just to tell me she loved the video and to do the 'I love you' to her, so I did it," Bell said. There's more to Weezer than kitsch, however. Led by singer-guitarist Rivers Cuomo, the band taps into a youthful world where hedonism, rocky relationships, lousy jobs, garage rock and beer are — for good or bad — key players. The world according to Weezer is a little confusing at times. But then life's like that. Especially after you've been dumped. "I just made love with your sweet memory, 1,000 in my head," Cuomo sings in The World Has Turned And Left Me Here. And Cuomo seems to understand alienation, although one is never sure whether he is simply recording it or poking fun at it. "In the garage, I feel safe. No one cares about my ways," he sings on In the Garage. "In the garage where I belong, no one hears me sing this song." Throw in some chunky guitar, catchy hooks and distinctive vocals and Weezer is one popular band among the college and alternative ranks. Formed in 1992, Weezer came by the name because the band members apparently couldn't think of anything else. "They wrote down all these names and all the names were worse than Weezer," explained Bell, who joined just prior to recording the album. "They always said they were going to change it at some point but they got known as Weezer and had to keep it." "Supposedly it was a nickname of Rivers as a child." Weezer's next step is Europe, where the band will spend five weeks touring. Canadian dates are expected in the spring.