Weezerpedia Discord Q&A with Karl Koch - June 2022
- Back to: Weezerpedia Discord Q&A with Karl Koch <- May 2022 | June 2022 | July 2022 ->
theangel: Rivers named one of his home demo tapes "Weezer" and it's filled with songs from 1991 and 1992. Do you have any idea if the naming of this tape came before or after the band was named Weezer? Any chance that the band name came from this tape?
Karl: as i recall: tape named just after band named, taped named to sum up the songs written that were now under the weezer umbrella.... as well as simply being the tape's own independent name (w/ same meaning as in the band)
June 15, 2022 8:53 AM (#karlification)
Jason B:
"**RWA:** Which bands do you currently listen to? **Karl:** Current bands I currently listen to: Pavement, Built to Spill, Blur(whose new album rules - out March 11), Sebadoh, Heatmiser, Cardigans. "Electronic bands" I currently listen to: Aphex Twin, Björk, Orbital, Photek, Spring Heel Jack, DJ Shadow, Tricky old stuff I'm currently into: 60's ska/rocksteady, Bill Evans (jazz pianist), John Coltrane(1958-1967 stuff)."
Karl - what are you listening to nowadays?
Source: https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/Weezer.net_interview_with_Karl_Koch_-_1997
Karl: ive been in the habit for many years of sifting through old music looking for the gems - or at least what i call the gems. I have a backlog of like 1500 LP's ive picked up over the last decade, and i listen to them and when i hear something i really like i digitize it so i can play it whenever i want. While I admire how Rivers figured out how to wrest spotify into an amazing personal playlist by interfacig with the API and all that, and he gets real results, my problem is i cant truly listen to music unless im at a stereo system or in a car.
(cont'd) - so i either have it in an ipod (160GB classic) or cd-r's because my car still plays them. There is no ideal format for me. I only want to hear what i want to hear, no 'channels' of styles or genres.
im most in my music element at home, with the stereo setup and 30,000 LPs, 10,000 45s, and a few hundred cassettes and cds of stuff that isnt on vinyl yet.
June 15, 2022 9:42 AM (#karlification)
Moony B: Do you buy into the hifi mentality of vinyl/lossless audio?
Karl: not an audiophile snob but a proper stereo pushing air around will always sound much better than headphones etc. When you can hear the room youre in it does make the muisc feel more real.
June 15, 2022 9:47 AM (#karlification)
garg.band: what's the best electronic LP you've found through the sifting
Karl: ive found a bunch of Devo wannabes from the early 80s, local bands who didnt make it but really wanted to be Devo haha! I forget the names offhand. But as far as 'techno' etc, a good example is the original "mix" (really its own unique song) of "Born Slippy" by Underworld. Because the "remix" (titled "Born Slippy .NUXX") is totally different - its was on Transpotting soundtrack and while its decent, its nowhere near as good IMO. and good luck finding it online, every version on YT i can find is actually the "NUXX"/trainspotting one.
June 15, 2022 9:54 AM (#karlification)
Karl: i realize i failed to answer the question really haha... been listening to Seam, Velvet Crush, Slowdive, Vashti Bunyan, Stone Roses (always), The Teardrop Explodes, Housemartins (eternal fave), Poster Children, The Adverts, Television Personalities, The Au Pairs, Rodan, Laurels, Feelies, Gun Club, Experimental Products (great early nu-wave/electronic), Dark Day (same but more goth). Semi recent track i will alwys ride for: "Dangerous" by Big Data. Electronic album i will need on my deserted island: "90" by 808 State.
June 15, 2022 10:09 AM (#karlification)
Moony B: What camera do you use for your Karl's Corner pics?
Karl: i have been using a Canon 5D MkIII for a pretty long while now. I am contemplating if i should try a mirrorless camera next.
June 17, 2022 3:41 PM (#karlification)
Burnst Jamp: This line from the old Karlophone.com news page (now archived on WP), ca. 2004, always caught my eye. Karlophone T-shirts? How far into production did these get? What'd they look like? Did you ever get one into your hands? Very curious
Karl: i remember a pretty simple logo design but i never sent it in to get made for some reason. Something distracted me and i never got back to it. I'd still like to do one once i have a new album ready to go.
June 17, 2022 3:43 PM (#karlification)
deckra: karl, are you able to identify the bassist in the N.F.A. music video? i've never seen anything about the special goodness ever having a female member, and it seems this was her only appearance. due to the music video very minimal online presence in the modern day, i haven't been able to find any info on this video shoot or its cast besides what you've put on karl's corner in the past
Karl: this was one of the things discussed in a roundtable zoom meeting thing i had with Pat, Atom, and the guy who is re-releasing Land Air Sea on vinyl later this year. It was either someone Atom knew or someone the director Gareth brought in, just for the video. Now i cant remember again.
June 17, 2022 3:45 PM (#karlification)
justinhoenke: @Karlophone is there anything you can tell us about the 2006 Special Goodness album that got scrapped?
Karl: it was excellent (IMO), and pretty much finished. And i dont have it, unfortunately!!!!
June 19, 2022 1:11 PM (#karlification)
Burnst Jamp: Are the CDbaby and Amorphous releases of the IMFTK... CD identical?
Karl: yes
June 19, 2022 1:11 PM (#karlification)
Moony B: In the band rehearsal version of blast off that never got released, do you sing the M1 part or was it one of the band members?
Karl: i think Rivers and Brian were the only vocals on it. it was basically "live" in he studio, i dont think any overdubs were added
June 19, 2022 1:13 PM (#karlification)
Burnst Jamp: Also: what's the deal with "promo" copies of the IMFTK.... vinyl?
Karl: I pressed 200 copies, and took 50 and made them promos, mailing them to radio stations and some friends and DJ type people i knew via the internet etc. that left me with 150 copies that i numbered to sell. (still some available...! haha)
June 19, 2022 1:15 PM (#karlification)
sm_liam: do you still have the artwork meant for Golden Nuggets before it was cancelled?
Karl: yes
June 21, 2022 7:15 AM (#karlification)
AARONIC: do you think you can describe it to us
Karl: i can post it here, then you guys add it to =wp=
June 21, 2022 9:00 AM (#karlification)
Moony B'deedle: We promise
Karl: i gotta dig it up. in the road i cant remember what HD its on etc
June 21, 2022 9:02 AM (#karlification)
Moony B'deedle: what happened to the fan club records? will there be more? will they be rereleased or have reruns? Or maybe even compiled into it's own thing of B sides?
Karl: im actually thinking of doing a cassette next actually. vinyl (in the quantities and time-frame what works for the fan club) has gotten nearly impossible sadly.
June 21, 2022 7:17 AM (#karlification)
deckra: with the upcoming LAS vinyl reissue, will it be utilizing the 2004 epitaph reissue artwork/tracklist, or the original 2003 N.O.S. issue arwork/tracklist? i would absolutely love to see the three different cover variants returning, that would be awesome
Karl: Its based on he Epitaph art. remastered specifically for vinyl (it sounds great, i have a test press)
June 21, 2022 7:18 AM (#karlification)
garg.band: karl can you find me a cool sample to use from your sprawling collection
Karl: plainjane-silence.wav
June 21, 2022 7:52 AM (#karlification)
Burnst Jamp: This is a sample from "The Old Alma Mater", right? Do you have any other Karlophone samples on-hand? I've been working on archiving all the ones I can find: https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/Draft:List_of_Karlophone_samples
Karl: i have everything on hand technically, its just a matter of finding it. That one is indeed from that song. (Go listen to Nerf Herder's "Nose Ring Girl" by the way...) I should give him/you guys something i didnt use though. ill dig something up, ive got hundreds of unused samples
June 21, 2022 9:08 AM (#karlification)
Karl: Just unearthed in the collection of OG weezer.net webmaster Anuj, who is now donating it to the Vault for safekeeping. This is the "master" of that version of the "tour CD". The fall '99 show where I found the Handsome Boy Modeling School stickers and etc was in Chicago (The Purkenje Shift opened I now recall), and Anuj was there. I had no memory of it going to him! Please amend the TSG page thanks!
June 21, 2022 12:17 PM (#karlification)
deckra: coming back to this, i never realized that there were different designs for the SFS discs. i assumed that they were unique (but uniform in some way? i'm not really sure), but this is the first time i've seen one besides the one we have on =wp=:
deckra:
who would have thought a disc with only 111 copies created would be hard to come by information for lol
(karl, if you ever don't want this copy you have now obtained, my own, personal vault would be very, very glad to take it off of your hands)
Karl: i hand drew them all. Made them on blank discs. #33 is not mine, is not going to the Vault.
June 22, 2022 1:42 PM (#karlification)
Karl: Watch the movie "Meatballs" for some sample clues in one song on "press..."
June 21, 2022 6:41 AM (#karlification)
Burnst Jamp: Found..... the tip was appreciated https://youtu.be/iJK6X60MKWg?t=140
Karl: "...there is another"
June 21, 2022 2:54 PM (#karlification)
Burnst Jamp: Only two....surely? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq_malyxMg0
Karl: there ya go! (used the intro and the outro)
June 21, 2022 3:13 PM (#karlification)
theangel:
I beg of you Karl, help us out here. Who is this???
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/785346970054426666/988939863682334760/howstupidisit.mp3
Karl: uhh just sounds like some random clowns? No one i know
June 21, 2022 4:51 PM (#karlification)
Moony B'deedle: what's your criteria for allowing someone to submit something for the vault? just that you dont have it?
Karl:
i dont have any rules per se. Ive accepted things i already had, because they were part of a collection of stuff. Usually unique things that are historical are what i'm after - things unique to a venue, city, specific show, etc. But i wouldn't refuse anything.
the idea being to eventually properly catalog things in print/online. the stuff is of no use if no one can see it. thats why the travelling museum was so fun
June 22, 2022 6:43 AM (#karlification)
deckra: if you ever do intend to start a new online archival project, you've got a ton of people at =wp= who'd be willing to help. pretty much everyone in the weezer collecting server has experience logging and archiving items (through sites like Discogs and such). it'd be awesome to see a modern day revival of the Collectors Discography
Karl:
i think the collectors discography - as part of weezerpedia - would be one good thing. (is the old one on there in some form?) Then theres all the other, non music release type items. merch... posters... band gear... etc... I think a lot of my random stuff could be added to existing show pages and what not... recording history beyond 2005, etc
im more into just making =wp= the ultimate repository instead of starting some new project (online i mean)
then theres the actual physical cataloging etc. thats unfortunately kinda my domain only, as the work would all be at a private location etc. But its also my favorite part, and would directly feed into the =wp= stuff as stuff got better organized, photographed, etc.
June 22, 2022 2:10 PM (#karlification)
deckra:
yep, we have the original collectors discography archived as it was up to 2010 when it was removed (https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/Collectors_Discography).
we've talked a good bunch about starting a form of cataloging physical releases on the site, but nothing has ever really come of them as we can't figure out an efficient way to implement it
we can definitely take another shot at it
Karl:
no big rush, i guess this server is where the plan can be figured out
i feel like there needs to be a master page(s) that would break it down by years... i think. all known releases in a given year.... albums, singles, promos, comp appearances, etc etc. but then theres re-releases and special editions.... so would they be under the year they were released or with the original version... or can it be toggled / both somehow. Anyway, every item listed could link to its own item's page which would detail the contents, art, pressing versions, etc. those pages could also be linked from the album or singles main page too..... i think Discogs could provide some guidance here.... hmm........
June 22, 2022 2:10 PM (#karlification)
whqa: Hey, Karl. Are there any plans for the band to release more official bootlegs?
Karl: nope, no talk of that currently
June 23, 2022 3:24 PM (#karlification)
Joel-G: Do you know the reason why MoFi only put out Blue on SACD? Didn’t think there was enough demand for the others or were testing the waters? Was there ever talks of doing the others?
Karl: not sure, but i suspect you are in the ballpark with these notions. They didnt seem to be too interested in CDs. Kinda surprised they did Blue.
June 23, 2022 2:07 PM (#karlification)
Burnst Jamp: What's the deal with the live show recording disc?[Note 1] Do multiple copies of it exist, or was a printed label for the disc created specifically for one or a few personal copies? Also, what's the I'm With You Sister disc look like? (presumably you can't provide a pic of it since you're away from the vault, but I'm curious if it has art at all, and if it's a CD or a CD-r)
Karl:
i believe that was made by a fan? who made a few copies and had them labeled like that
oh and Im with you siste... i forget!!!! lol ill look asap
theres a chance it has a cd-r
they never went ahead with the presing so its like a prototype cover maybe
June 24, 2022 7:04 AM (#karlification)
justinhoenke: @Karlophone you introduced me to The Clash in 98-99 and after all those years I think I can say Sandinista! is my fave album of theirs. What is yours?
Karl: that is super hard to say. The Clash to me is like weezer is to the hardcore weezer fans, Every album offers something great and different (except for "cut the crap", which is like 85% terrible and 15% passable). I have deep fond memories of playing all 5 of their (good) albums and the Black Market Clash EP repeatedly on my turntable, literately hundreds and hundreds of times. the albums that didnt have lyric sheets id try to make my own by listening intently over and over again, trying to interpret the english accents and slang i wasn't even aware of, all buried in the mix (reading them back later, having learned the real lyrics online decades later, was hysterically funny). So any one of them i could make a case for being my favorite. But theyd all be different cases. The Clash (1977) was their debut and its blistering and has possibly their best song "white man in hammersmith palais". "Give Em Enough Rope" (1978) is similar to The Clash but has more melodic songwriting and more "heart" - they were growing. "London Calling" (1979) is a masterpiece through and through. Is it my favorite??? "Black Market Clash" (1980?) is a collection of singles and such but none of which had been on albums. Its got "Armagideon Time", arguably the best reggae song not done by Jamaicans, It sounds like an album to me. "Sandinista!" (1980) is indeed amazing, i absolutely back it being a candidate for favorite. Even in its "bloated" 36 song state, it feels cohesive and like a journey, a very weird late at night in old NYC journey. "Combat Rock"(1982) was my first "chosen" album, that i picked out to buy with no outside infuence. The Clash bug had bit me (thanks to my bfs John ad Pat (Finn)), that was their brand new album and omg i had to own it. I kinda have to pick it because i know its the album ive listened to more than any other in my life. but i cant live with out the others either.
June 24, 2022 5:40 PM (#karlification)
theangel: Karl.... Cut the Crap or Summer in Paradise?
Karl: oh lord. weel, at least "cut the crap" has "this is England"on it, which is halfway decent. I refuse to own Summer In Paradise lol
June 24, 2022 5:52 PM (#karlification)
sm_liam: was there ever any discussion on reviving goat punishment after 2002?
Karl: no, mainly because the point was to use it as a way to do a low key show, but the "fake" name became famous. Also the idea of doing cover sets (the way it started) is no longer a priority, as covers have been part of weezer proper for years now. However, as Ive said many many times, rule #1 in weezer is "never say never"
June 25, 2022 6:15 PM (#karlification)
garg.band: homogenic or vespertine
Karl: this is splitting hairs to me. i mean her first 4 albums are all super cool and dont sound drastically different to me. (i never checked out Medulla + beyond so i cant comment)
June 25, 2022 6:24 PM (#karlification)
sm_liam: were there any bands from around when weezer started that you were sure would get as big as weezer has but never did?
Karl: i was never sure weezer would get big. I was fairly confident they would be a successful indie level band. But anyway - i was surprised that our friends Wax and Black Market Flowers didnt do better, but with the benefit of hindsight, i understand how things went the way they did. When weezer was starting, those 2 bands seemed huge to us, and well on their way to success. [By contrast, for example, it seemed inevitable that Beck would become a thing, and he of course did.]
June 27, 2022 8:56 AM (#karlification)
dilavni.band(.com): do you have any more info you can share about the unreleased hurley? you mentioned a whole album of songs that was completed but scrapped, are any of the tracks stuff we've heard, be it in a later album or in the rivers demos?
Karl: probably most or all are covered in the pack of demos that was related to that time period. I might have the actual tracklist as it stood before it was re-done/ changed, and if i can find it, i will share it just so it can be compared to known demos etc. these would (mostly?) be band recordings though, but likely very similar to the demos at the time. it would be shocking to me if anything that made it that far wasn't eventually gathered into a demo bundle.
June 28, 2022 9:44 AM (#karlification)
deckra: karl, i'd just like to see what you think of my collection
Karl:
its fantastic. youre lucky you started against the wall and worked outward, or youd be stuck there forever
honored to see my own releases in there
you got both magpies, thats tough. no space twins tho?
Burnst Jamp: Those 7"s are pretty pricey/rare nowadays
Karl:
yeah for sure - everything that was sitting around in bargain bins from 1990-2010 is now expensive.
i may be old, but at least i bought all the good crap when it was $7
deckra: no fair, i wasn't born when all of it was that cheap!
Karl: the choice is be old or pay more. well it wasnt a choice really
June 28, 2022 3:39 PM (#karlification)
MARK!! (bestest member): Who in the world needs that many copies of the blue album
Karl: lol thats a modest amount in my experience
drewski (cardigan disaster): This is the craziest one I’ve seen:
Karl: impressive (darth vader voice). I might have that beat - but its gonna be close lol
June 28, 2022 3:50 PM (#karlification)
dilavni.band(.com): karl what did you think of the beautiful and proud nation of ireland
Karl: Ireland is wonderful. honestly, theres very little in Europe / the UK that i can say i dont like. Ireland has some of the best light i must say. the skies often look like old master paintings.
June 28, 2022 4:14 PM (#karlification)
garg.band: what have pat's whereabouts been for this tour/why did he stay back? Will we see him playing with the boys again soon?
Karl: Pat had family business that he couldn't be away from (distance and amount of time), so we got Dave to fill in. Pat will be back in the saddle post Euro tour.
June 28, 2022 5:33 PM (#karlification)
theangel: Karl, what do you think of my collection? This is extremely far from everything but I say this is what matters most
Karl: my god youve got the Clique cassette. literally the only one ive seen besides my own
theangel: One popped up on Ebay a few months back and I pretty much begged the collector's server to let me get it. Any idea how many of those Matt made?
Karl:
absolute maximum of 100, likely way less than that. i think matt worked at a copy shop and printed the j cards himself, so only the duplicated tapes and shells were purchased as a group.
its something i could ask Matt someday but the moment really has to be right, hes not a big fan of revisiting that moment lol
June 29, 2022 8:43 PM (#karlification)
theangel: Karl, do you know anything about Scott's old band Broken? I've spent a lot of today digging around the internet to find more info on them and all I can find is some pictures and the tracklist for an EP.
Karl: not a whole lot, but Scott is willing to discuss his strange path to weezer, and I've started a sort of intermittent interview with him about this subject, dating back to his early Ohio days. But i havent asked a lot about Broken yet. My plan is to clear up all early histories by asking the questions no interviewer ever thinks to ask.
June 30, 2022 1:20 PM (#karlification)
Burnst Jamp: Karlophone question: Do you still have this unfinished Indian Summer clip? It was originally added to karlophone.com around March 2003, and is (seemingly?) the only officially circulated 'demo' to come of the Karlophone project.
Karl: i am sure i do, i believe i saved all my early mixes of all the songs from both albums, and that one surely is in there somewhere.
June 30, 2022 1:21 PM (#karlification)
justinhoenke: @Karlophone Karl have you ever heard the Weezer version of Pick U Up and if so, what do you think? I think it’s one of RC’s best tunes. https://youtu.be/kZ8jqkzho5k
Karl: havent heard a weezer version - i have a strong feeling this was never tackled by weez.... Related: "Ive had it up to here" was originally submitted to Adam but he didnt like it (apparently) (favored Pick U up, it appears!) ....good thing, too - its a highlight of ewbaite IMO.
June 30, 2022 3:56 PM (#karlification)
<- May 2022 | June 2022 | July 2022 ->
Footnotes
- ↑ Burnst Jamp is referring to an image of a CD containing a live recording of a Special Goodness performance sent prior by Koch in April of 2022.
