Well folks, although my intentions are really here, my writing has been lacking... Once my thesis is officially done and out of the way, I'm going to become a "super blogger" but until then you may have to wait weeks or even months between posts, but for today I'm here for the most anticipated album of the year for me (MUSE's The Resistance was also highly anticipated and will one day see the light of day on GGT).
As you all know, I'm about as big of a Weezer fan as they come. Although there have been some things over the years that have made me roll my eyes, I've anticipated every album, and more importantly found the good on each album. Upon Weezer's initial announcement of album 7, I was ecstatic, but as the release date (still next week, you've got to love early leaks) grew nearer, my anticipation turned in to fear. First the title Raditude, then song titles like "Girl Got Hot," and "I'm Your Daddy," and finally the announcement about guest Little Wayne (yeah I know it's Lil'). I reached the point where I had to ask myself, "Is this going to be the album that finally loses me?"
The one redeeming factor was the first single, "(If You're Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You To" which in my opinion was fantastic, see the previous post for my initial reaction. "I Want You Too" gave me a glimmer of hope. Below we'll discuss whether River's and Co. delivered, or whether Raditude is the straw that broke the camels back... but first...
This is totally random, but I was looking over the track listing, and I'm pretty sure the creation of Raditude started like this. So the Weez's were sitting around and Rivers says, "Hey fella's lets make a new album!" to which Pat replies, "Hey Rivers I think you should write a song called If you're wondering if I want you to, I want you to." They all have a good laugh, but the next day Rivers show's up and demos his newest track. Seeing that the band is thoroughly impressed Rivers comments, "Who's your daddy now?" Over the next few weeks the band members start making up the most random song titles they can like run over by a truck, trippin' down the freeway, girl got hot, and so on... And that was the birth of Raditude.
Okay enough with the senseless babble, lets get to what you came here for.
(If You're Wondering if I Want You Too) I Want You Too - From day one I have loved this track, it's totally different than the traditional Weezer sound, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's upbeat, fun, and the chorus is probably the catchiest thing ever written. Great album opener, great track, and to make things better, the video is awesome!
I'm Your Daddy - I first heard a live version of this track on YouTube from the Fuji festival, and to be honest, I wasn't impressed at all. Honestly I think the lyrics are sub par in comparison to what we know River's is capable of writing (Then again, they are definitely better than the "Everybody Get Dangerous" lyrics). That being said, the chorus is great! Very catch, very fun, not incredibly deep but it's growing on me.
Girl Got Got - I think I already wrote about this in a previous post, but this song has the same theme as a song called "Early Bloomer" I co-wrote with my buddy Devin "Devok" Sheppard, that fact alone makes the song a winner. Like the previous track, I initially heard a live version from Fuji and wasn't impressed, but once I heard the polished version I changed my mind. The lyrics aren't anything special, and from all points of logic I should hate the song, but you know what I don't... in fact I think it's awesome!
I Can't Stop Partying - I was pretty disappointed when I heard this track made the cut, I didn't really like the demo version on Alone II, so I didn't think I'd like this one much. When I heard that Little Wayne was rapping a verse I was convinced that this would be my least favorite track on the album... and you know what, it is. This is pretty much the farthest thing from Weezer that I can imagine. I'm honestly a little disappointed in Pat, Brian, and Scott, I would have thought one of them would have had enough sense to tell River's "Heck No" on this track, but whatever... This may be the first Weezer track ever that I pull from my standard rotation... Oh by the way, did Timberland mix this one... (Okay, that was a really bad joke, but then again so is this entire song).
moving forward...
Put Me Back Together - This is probably my favorite track on the album. When I first heard it, I honestly thought it sounded a little like an AAR song, and I didn't even know that Tyson Ritter co-wrote it with Rivers. Regardless, I love this song, to me this song has ever element of classic Weezer track (well everything minus an amazing guitar solo). I love love love it. I even stayed up late last night figuring it out on the guitar. Yeah, it's that good.
Trippin' Down the Freeway - Okay when this track was released as an iTunes special, everyone on the Weezer forum ranted and raved about what an amazing song this was. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan, it's not good, not bad, just kind of there. The chorus is decent, and the guitar solo's pretty good, but yeah I'm not in love with it.
Love is the Answer - I'm pretty sure the ghost of George Harrison co-wrote this track. This like "Can't Stop Partying" is once again about as far from my idea of what Weezer is that you can get. That being said, I kind of like this track, but I'm not real sure why. It's weird, that's for sure. The sitars are kind of cool, and I like the Indian moaning/vocals at the beginning. I think the lead female vocals in... I don't know Hindi maybe are a bit bizarre, but for some reason I actually like this track quite a bit... It may be the Beatles-esq-weirdness of it... Who knows?
Let it All Hang Out - What's up with River's trying to talk like he's a gangster? Going out with your homies, really? Anyway, this song has probably the best intro of any song on the album. It is very reminiscent of the Green/Maladroit days, which by no means a bad thing. I actually really like this song, I'm not sure why, and I question the word choice of "Homie" but I guess sometimes you just have to go with the flow.
P.S. where can I get 180 proof vitamin water?
In The Mall - On Red, the only track I like that was contributed by a Weez other than Rivers was Pat's Automatic. Once again, Pat shows us that Rivers isn't Weezers only song writer. This track, like the previous has a Maladroit-ish feeling. The lyrics are more fun than deep, but you know what, it's a pretty good song, plus it has a cool guitar solo.
I Don't Want to Let You Go - This was one of my favorite demo's on Alone II, so I was pretty excited for a polished version. I wasn't expecting a "Kokomo Part II," but you know what, it works. I like the 60's pop/surf sound. It reminds me of early classics like "Buddy Holly." I actually really like this track as the closer for the standard version of the album. It's different, but it works.
Bonus Tracks (You can stop reading now if you want the standard version... that is assuming anyone actually reads this far...)
Get Me Some - This song just cracks me up. Lyrically this one is really weak, but the fact that it sounds like a party song from the 80's hair metal era is just too awesome. This song has some of the best guitar work of any Weezer song, and is totally a great addition to the Weezer catalog. I mean who doesn't love a crazy finger tapping solo every now and then?
Run Over by a Truck - Yeah, so I can tell you why this one made bonus status and not album status... It's just not that good. For some reason lots of other people loved this one, but honestly I just get bored which is pretty bad when the song is only 3:33 long. Oh well.
The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World - This is another track that I really liked on Alone II, so I was really anticipating a finished version, and fortunately this one delivers. The tempo is a little slower than what I would have imagined, but its fine. I love the loud bass drum keeping the tempo, it reminds me of Ringo Starr. Lyrically this track has some similarities to "No One Else," which is a great thing. At about 2:30 the song breaks into random guitar parts, heavier drums, and vocal wailing... It sounds a lot like something from the Beatles timeless White Album.
The Underdogs - You know, I really love this one too. I think the lyrics are great, the emotion is there. It's different than what I'd expect from Weezer, but you know what it's really good. This track to me is trying to be the "Angel and the One" of Raditude, I'm not sure it's that good, but I do really like it. Just as a side note, I know I've made several Beatles references, but the piano chord progression at the beginning of this song is like the exact same as the progression in George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass." I'm starting to wonder what River's was listening to when he wrote all of this.
Additional Bonus Tracks
I Hear Bells - From what I understand, this is a Green period reject. It's a good track, it's fun and it totally sounds like early 2000's Weezer. I'm not sure it sticks out among other that songs from that period, but that's fine, it's still a good song.
Turn Me Round - I like the edge to the guitar and vocals at the beginning, the chorus is really good. It's a fun song.
So there you go, Raditude and a bunch of other stuff. As you've probably noticed I made a lot of comparisons throughout this review, everything from the Beatles and the Beach Boys, to Weezer classics. I think that alone should be enough to indicate that there is something special about Raditude. As much as I was fearing a let down, it wasn't delivered by any means. The album has its flaws, generic/shallow lyrics, and Little Wayne but over all I really enjoyed Raditude. In fact, I liked Raditude much more the first time through than I did Red, and I really like most of Red these days. I don't think much more can be said about Raditude other than, it's Rad! I give the album a B+.
Hey Rivers, Scott, Pat and Brian, thanks for not letting me down, I don't know why I ever doubted you guys -ggt
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
09-09-09 And The Beatles Have Arrived!
I was informed this afternoon that I am a "sound snob." As much as I wanted to become all defensive, take this as a huge insult, and be incredibly offended... I realized that this is totally true. I, GuitarGuyTim, am a sound snob! I'm not sure where my level of snobbery began, possibly all the concerts or the hours and hours of sitting in a studio. Regardless, somewhere in my 28 years of existence I've come to love high fidelity sound. In my opinion, there is nothing better than sitting back and listening to a great album on a great set of speakers!
Today, the Beatles, my favorite band of all time gave me something I didn't even know I was missing, truly hi-fi CD reproductions of their music! This afternoon while listening to The White Album, I was blown away by the clarity of Ringo's cymbal crashes and the thump of Paul's bass, among many other subtle improvements.
Musically the first thing you'll notice is that the volume level is substantially hotter (louder). The clarity is so good that the songs literally sound like they were recorded yesterday, not between 40-50 years ago. In addition to the volume increase, you can also hear the individual instrument better. The original '87 remasters were "muddy" sounding, meaning the instruments would blend in with one and other and parts of the mix were all but lost. This is no longer so, if you are familiar with the Beatles catalog you'll be amazed by the array of instruments you haven't noticed in the past.
One particular moment that stuck out to me was the 'bass line' on I Will which is actually sung by Paul. It is far more present and clearly a voice, not an instrument. You'll also notice a heavier reverb sound, amp feed back, longer ring of cymbals and much more. Other things like amp buzz in While My Guitar Gently Weeps and finger scrapes in Blackbird, give these remastered tracks the feeling of being live performances, like only the Beatles could produce.
The only criticism I can find (and it may be unfounded) is that all of the individual albums are in stereo. This maybe unfounded since I haven't listened to any of the earlier albums, but up until I believe either "Hard Days Night," or "Help" everything was recorded on two track tape. One track for the vocals, the other for the instrumentation. Not to be too critical, but I can't see how you can make an amazing stereo mix with only two tracks. Then again, I haven't heard any of the early albums yet, so I may be totally wrong.
So the question is, should you go re-buy the entire collection. The answer to this isn't so easy, obviously the new packaging is cool as are the mini-documentaries that are included with each album, but then again those are more for hard core fans and not casual listeners. If you're going to listen to the actual CD's these are a must have, if you're going to rip them to mp3's and stick them on your iPod, don't waste your time with the new versions. As for me, I'm afraid that I've found something to spend my hard earned cash on.
Today, the Beatles, my favorite band of all time gave me something I didn't even know I was missing, truly hi-fi CD reproductions of their music! This afternoon while listening to The White Album, I was blown away by the clarity of Ringo's cymbal crashes and the thump of Paul's bass, among many other subtle improvements.
Musically the first thing you'll notice is that the volume level is substantially hotter (louder). The clarity is so good that the songs literally sound like they were recorded yesterday, not between 40-50 years ago. In addition to the volume increase, you can also hear the individual instrument better. The original '87 remasters were "muddy" sounding, meaning the instruments would blend in with one and other and parts of the mix were all but lost. This is no longer so, if you are familiar with the Beatles catalog you'll be amazed by the array of instruments you haven't noticed in the past.
One particular moment that stuck out to me was the 'bass line' on I Will which is actually sung by Paul. It is far more present and clearly a voice, not an instrument. You'll also notice a heavier reverb sound, amp feed back, longer ring of cymbals and much more. Other things like amp buzz in While My Guitar Gently Weeps and finger scrapes in Blackbird, give these remastered tracks the feeling of being live performances, like only the Beatles could produce.
The only criticism I can find (and it may be unfounded) is that all of the individual albums are in stereo. This maybe unfounded since I haven't listened to any of the earlier albums, but up until I believe either "Hard Days Night," or "Help" everything was recorded on two track tape. One track for the vocals, the other for the instrumentation. Not to be too critical, but I can't see how you can make an amazing stereo mix with only two tracks. Then again, I haven't heard any of the early albums yet, so I may be totally wrong.
So the question is, should you go re-buy the entire collection. The answer to this isn't so easy, obviously the new packaging is cool as are the mini-documentaries that are included with each album, but then again those are more for hard core fans and not casual listeners. If you're going to listen to the actual CD's these are a must have, if you're going to rip them to mp3's and stick them on your iPod, don't waste your time with the new versions. As for me, I'm afraid that I've found something to spend my hard earned cash on.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Thank You Walmart for Screwing Up!
According to my incredibly reliable sources (wikipedia) We have Walmart to thank for the early release of Weezer's latest "If you're wondering if I want you to (I want you to)." Apparently the track was put up for sale on Walmart.com a week early by accident. Instead of freaking out, the folks over at Weez central decided to go with it (although official sales of the single won't be out until next week). So, if you haven't heard it yet... you're going to have to go to weezer.com, sorry they killed the youtube link... ***quick update, this track has been added to my player at the bottom!
My initial reaction was, "Wow this kind of sounds like the Violent Femmes," and although I still think that, I'm really enjoying IYTIWYT(IWYT). I would go as far as saying that I think this may be the best First Album Single since the Maladroit days. I honestly think IYTIWYT is better than both "Beverly Hills" and "Pork and Beans." Now don't get me wrong, I loved both of those tracks, especially the wahwah solo in "Beverly Hills" and the Pinkerton-est sound of "Pork and Beans," so musically this track may not be better, but lyrically I definitley think it is. It seems to fit right in line with Weezer's "glory days" (you know all that early stuff that some of you think is the only "true Weezer").
Along with this official first release, the boys over at Weez-town also gave us a taste of what other portions of the new album are going to sound like last month in Korea and Japan.
The first live track has already been heard by those of use who own Alone II, it's called "I Can't Stop Partying"
Next comes "I''m Your Daddy" and finally to finish things up, "Girl Got Hot" Unfortunately I can't embed either of these since they're not on Youtube. They are being broadcast from some site in Brazil, so if you go to googlevideo.com and search Weezer+the title of the song, you should be able to hear them no problem.
As stated above, I really liked "If You're Wondering..." The other three tracks are iffy, but then again all we have are live versions recorded with cellphones, so undoubltedly the studio versions will be much better, right? All are catchy, I'll give them that, but I'm not sure how I feel about the lyrics/subject matter...
The track "Girl Got Hot" really cracked me up (warning here comes a story from my life so you may want to close your laptop screen...). Several years ago (Pre-Green album), I was a young LDS missionary in Mozambique. I was working with another Elder Devin (Devok) Sheppard, who happened to be a fellow guitarist. While wondering the suburbs (huts) of Matola, we decided that upon returning to the U.S. we were going to start an awesome band called Optimus-Prime. Both being fans of Weezer (Blue and Pinkerton, since that is all that existed up to that point) we decided we wanted to be the band that when people described us, they'd say to their friends, "Optimus-Prime, you know, the guys who sound like Weezer, but aren't Weezer." (keep in mind, we both though Weezer was... well... dead) While in Moz. we wrote (well came up with lyrics at least) for several songs, one being entitled "Early Bloomer" which was about a guy who was really mean to this girl in elementary school/Jr. High because she liked him. Now many years later, he's doing everything he can to get her attention, but she won't give him the time of the day. It is strikningly similar to the subject of "Girl Got Hot."
The realization of the similarity between these two songs has brought me to two different conclusions, the first being all the similarities of my music which I wanted to sound like Weezer was purely coincidental. The second on the other hand, the one I like to believe is this, clearly I know where the band is headed, more so than they know themselves... Since we know that bassists are the most dispensible part of Weezer, it looks like Mr. Schriner (as much as we love you) has to go to make way for bassist #4. Yup, I'll be rockin' out stadiums with my trusty Thunderbird, booyah!
Just incase you're wondering what ever happened to these Optimus-Prime tracks. Most of them never saw the light of day, probably to the betterment of the music community. A few did make appearances in my band at BYUI, Smells Like A Girl (yes that was our name). They were re-worked by myself and Cory Brown. A handful of lucky... or un-lucky depending on your opinion, people heard variations of "Amnesia" "Early Bloomer" "Childhood Dream" "Another Stupid Girl" "Psycho-Ex" and possibly a few others. At various preformances (Sunrise 43 Living Room, Ward Tallent Show, Jamba Juice... yeah we were playing the big-time venues in Rexburg :)
-T
My initial reaction was, "Wow this kind of sounds like the Violent Femmes," and although I still think that, I'm really enjoying IYTIWYT(IWYT). I would go as far as saying that I think this may be the best First Album Single since the Maladroit days. I honestly think IYTIWYT is better than both "Beverly Hills" and "Pork and Beans." Now don't get me wrong, I loved both of those tracks, especially the wahwah solo in "Beverly Hills" and the Pinkerton-est sound of "Pork and Beans," so musically this track may not be better, but lyrically I definitley think it is. It seems to fit right in line with Weezer's "glory days" (you know all that early stuff that some of you think is the only "true Weezer").
Along with this official first release, the boys over at Weez-town also gave us a taste of what other portions of the new album are going to sound like last month in Korea and Japan.
The first live track has already been heard by those of use who own Alone II, it's called "I Can't Stop Partying"
Next comes "I''m Your Daddy" and finally to finish things up, "Girl Got Hot" Unfortunately I can't embed either of these since they're not on Youtube. They are being broadcast from some site in Brazil, so if you go to googlevideo.com and search Weezer+the title of the song, you should be able to hear them no problem.
As stated above, I really liked "If You're Wondering..." The other three tracks are iffy, but then again all we have are live versions recorded with cellphones, so undoubltedly the studio versions will be much better, right? All are catchy, I'll give them that, but I'm not sure how I feel about the lyrics/subject matter...
The track "Girl Got Hot" really cracked me up (warning here comes a story from my life so you may want to close your laptop screen...). Several years ago (Pre-Green album), I was a young LDS missionary in Mozambique. I was working with another Elder Devin (Devok) Sheppard, who happened to be a fellow guitarist. While wondering the suburbs (huts) of Matola, we decided that upon returning to the U.S. we were going to start an awesome band called Optimus-Prime. Both being fans of Weezer (Blue and Pinkerton, since that is all that existed up to that point) we decided we wanted to be the band that when people described us, they'd say to their friends, "Optimus-Prime, you know, the guys who sound like Weezer, but aren't Weezer." (keep in mind, we both though Weezer was... well... dead) While in Moz. we wrote (well came up with lyrics at least) for several songs, one being entitled "Early Bloomer" which was about a guy who was really mean to this girl in elementary school/Jr. High because she liked him. Now many years later, he's doing everything he can to get her attention, but she won't give him the time of the day. It is strikningly similar to the subject of "Girl Got Hot."
The realization of the similarity between these two songs has brought me to two different conclusions, the first being all the similarities of my music which I wanted to sound like Weezer was purely coincidental. The second on the other hand, the one I like to believe is this, clearly I know where the band is headed, more so than they know themselves... Since we know that bassists are the most dispensible part of Weezer, it looks like Mr. Schriner (as much as we love you) has to go to make way for bassist #4. Yup, I'll be rockin' out stadiums with my trusty Thunderbird, booyah!
Just incase you're wondering what ever happened to these Optimus-Prime tracks. Most of them never saw the light of day, probably to the betterment of the music community. A few did make appearances in my band at BYUI, Smells Like A Girl (yes that was our name). They were re-worked by myself and Cory Brown. A handful of lucky... or un-lucky depending on your opinion, people heard variations of "Amnesia" "Early Bloomer" "Childhood Dream" "Another Stupid Girl" "Psycho-Ex" and possibly a few others. At various preformances (Sunrise 43 Living Room, Ward Tallent Show, Jamba Juice... yeah we were playing the big-time venues in Rexburg :)
-T
Monday, August 17, 2009
Thanks Jack Black for Teaching Us the Importance of Music.
A few days ago while flipping through the channels, I came across a movie I absolutely love, but for some reason haven't watched in a while. The movie being, School of Rock. I would personally consider School of Rock to be one of Jack Black's best films, although in my opinion, aside from Nacho Libre there really isn't much competition...
I stared watching right as Mr. Schneee... aka. Mr. S., aka Dewey Finn, realizes that the class members not only play instruments, but play them well. As part of his scheming he organizes his students into a band and the accompanying personnel. The scene following the bands first practice is one of the most powerful scenes in the movie. Larry, the nerdy keyboard player, approaches Mr. S. and tells him that he can't be in the band because only cool people are in bands, and he isn't cool. Later on in the film another similar conversation takes place between Mr. S. and Tomika (a young girl who is embarrassed to sing in front of a crowd because of her weight). Mr. S. explains to her that Aretha Franklin is also over weight, but after she sings, everyone wants to party with Aretha.
These scene really cracks me up when I think about the different friends I played with and bands I played in throughout Jr. High and High School. Although there is some kind of perception that people in bands are cool, nothing could be further from the truth. My first band consisted of a choir member, brass band member, and a drama kid. Not the coolest kids in the school by any means. But you know what, none of that mattered to us. The fact that we weren't on sports teams, weren't in student-body leadership, didn't have girlfirends, and in my case wore Coke bottle glasses, didn't matter. What did matter is that we could pull off half-decent covers of "The Sweater Song" and "Say it ain't so" by Weezer, "She" and "When I Come Around" by Green Day, "Mary Janes Last Dance" and "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty, and ten or fifteen other tunes. When we were playing it didn't matter that we were 'nerds' all that mattered is that we rocked!
I remember my sophomore year in high school me and a couple of friends were invited to play at one of the "cool" girls birthday parties. It was a little awkward when we showed up, the party goers consisted of all of the members of student government (student-body pres, VP, class presidents, VP's, counsel members, etc.), cheerleaders, football players, you know all the popular kids. Then there we were, we didn't wear cool clothes, didn't really participate in school activities, and we definitely didn't hang out in "Stud Hall." Needless to say, we were out of our element.
We set up our gear, played a few popular songs from the time, probably consisting of Weezer, Green Day, Live, Collective Soul, maybe some DMB or U2, and finally ending with a rendition of "Birthday" by the Beatles.
Post the performance we suddenly fit in, people who wouldn't give us the time of day at school were suddenly talking to us. You'd be amazed by how many high school football players are fascinated by the electric guitar. After that performance things started to change for me. By this point in life I had shed the glasses for contacts and had a decent hair cut (I'm sure those things helped), but now instead of being looked at as just another guy who wore Beatles or Zepplin shirts because it was cool, I was known for wearing them because I was a musician.
Battle of the Bands was always a highlight for me and my friends. It was the one time of year that we got to take over the assemblie, and instead of watching the popular kids put on lame skits, we got to rock everyone's face off! For the week or two after the Battle of the Bands, people we didn't even know would come up and tell us how much our band rocked. It was the ultimate high for the non-athletic, non-popular guitar nerds.
When I look back at my high school days, and early college days, most of my best memories involve me holding a guitar or bass.
It seems as though all of my posts lately have mentioned Weezer and in particular Rivers Cuomo. I fully acknowledge this is due to my excitement about the upcoming Weezer album, but even with that, I think what I have to say is applicable regardless of whether a new album is on it's way or not. It seems like musicians/rock stars have always tried to portray themselves as being cool. This was particularly apparent in the 80's when their hair and guitar solos were as big as their egos. This all changed in the 90's with Weezer. They showed the world that nerds can be cool too. The funny thing is when you think about the percentage of people who are cool or popular verses those who aren't, you'll realize that maybe 10% of the population fits into the cool crowd. I think that's why Weezer has been successful for so long, they sang songs for the rest of us... the un-cool 90% of the world. Weezer's second album Pinkerton has been recognized by many as the first true Emo album. There exists an entire genre of non-cool kids making music now, and all of this can go back to Weezer showing the world that its okay to be yourself, cool or not.
In the end, not everyone is going to be a football or basketball star, not everyone is cut out to be a homecoming or prom king/queen, but everyone can excel and be 'cool' in his or her own respective area. For me, it was music, for others this could be anything; art, drama, math, science... whatever you are good at.
I have heard and read over and over again about school districts pulling the arts from their curriculum to save money. This is essentially depriving a huge faction of their students the chance to excel. From my perspective, the guys playing guitar in the hall of the high school and the guys making pots in the ceramics class are just as important as the guys on the football field. Together they create a society, and once one piece is removed the balance is gone and everyone suffers.
It's kind of funny to think that such important lessons can be taught to us through silly movies staring people like Jack Black, but truth is truth regardless of where it comes from. Things like music help kids who lack confidence gain the confidence they need to succeed, I know playing the guitar did just this for me.
-T
I stared watching right as Mr. Schneee... aka. Mr. S., aka Dewey Finn, realizes that the class members not only play instruments, but play them well. As part of his scheming he organizes his students into a band and the accompanying personnel. The scene following the bands first practice is one of the most powerful scenes in the movie. Larry, the nerdy keyboard player, approaches Mr. S. and tells him that he can't be in the band because only cool people are in bands, and he isn't cool. Later on in the film another similar conversation takes place between Mr. S. and Tomika (a young girl who is embarrassed to sing in front of a crowd because of her weight). Mr. S. explains to her that Aretha Franklin is also over weight, but after she sings, everyone wants to party with Aretha.
These scene really cracks me up when I think about the different friends I played with and bands I played in throughout Jr. High and High School. Although there is some kind of perception that people in bands are cool, nothing could be further from the truth. My first band consisted of a choir member, brass band member, and a drama kid. Not the coolest kids in the school by any means. But you know what, none of that mattered to us. The fact that we weren't on sports teams, weren't in student-body leadership, didn't have girlfirends, and in my case wore Coke bottle glasses, didn't matter. What did matter is that we could pull off half-decent covers of "The Sweater Song" and "Say it ain't so" by Weezer, "She" and "When I Come Around" by Green Day, "Mary Janes Last Dance" and "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty, and ten or fifteen other tunes. When we were playing it didn't matter that we were 'nerds' all that mattered is that we rocked!
I remember my sophomore year in high school me and a couple of friends were invited to play at one of the "cool" girls birthday parties. It was a little awkward when we showed up, the party goers consisted of all of the members of student government (student-body pres, VP, class presidents, VP's, counsel members, etc.), cheerleaders, football players, you know all the popular kids. Then there we were, we didn't wear cool clothes, didn't really participate in school activities, and we definitely didn't hang out in "Stud Hall." Needless to say, we were out of our element.
We set up our gear, played a few popular songs from the time, probably consisting of Weezer, Green Day, Live, Collective Soul, maybe some DMB or U2, and finally ending with a rendition of "Birthday" by the Beatles.
Post the performance we suddenly fit in, people who wouldn't give us the time of day at school were suddenly talking to us. You'd be amazed by how many high school football players are fascinated by the electric guitar. After that performance things started to change for me. By this point in life I had shed the glasses for contacts and had a decent hair cut (I'm sure those things helped), but now instead of being looked at as just another guy who wore Beatles or Zepplin shirts because it was cool, I was known for wearing them because I was a musician.
Battle of the Bands was always a highlight for me and my friends. It was the one time of year that we got to take over the assemblie, and instead of watching the popular kids put on lame skits, we got to rock everyone's face off! For the week or two after the Battle of the Bands, people we didn't even know would come up and tell us how much our band rocked. It was the ultimate high for the non-athletic, non-popular guitar nerds.
When I look back at my high school days, and early college days, most of my best memories involve me holding a guitar or bass.
It seems as though all of my posts lately have mentioned Weezer and in particular Rivers Cuomo. I fully acknowledge this is due to my excitement about the upcoming Weezer album, but even with that, I think what I have to say is applicable regardless of whether a new album is on it's way or not. It seems like musicians/rock stars have always tried to portray themselves as being cool. This was particularly apparent in the 80's when their hair and guitar solos were as big as their egos. This all changed in the 90's with Weezer. They showed the world that nerds can be cool too. The funny thing is when you think about the percentage of people who are cool or popular verses those who aren't, you'll realize that maybe 10% of the population fits into the cool crowd. I think that's why Weezer has been successful for so long, they sang songs for the rest of us... the un-cool 90% of the world. Weezer's second album Pinkerton has been recognized by many as the first true Emo album. There exists an entire genre of non-cool kids making music now, and all of this can go back to Weezer showing the world that its okay to be yourself, cool or not.
In the end, not everyone is going to be a football or basketball star, not everyone is cut out to be a homecoming or prom king/queen, but everyone can excel and be 'cool' in his or her own respective area. For me, it was music, for others this could be anything; art, drama, math, science... whatever you are good at.
I have heard and read over and over again about school districts pulling the arts from their curriculum to save money. This is essentially depriving a huge faction of their students the chance to excel. From my perspective, the guys playing guitar in the hall of the high school and the guys making pots in the ceramics class are just as important as the guys on the football field. Together they create a society, and once one piece is removed the balance is gone and everyone suffers.
It's kind of funny to think that such important lessons can be taught to us through silly movies staring people like Jack Black, but truth is truth regardless of where it comes from. Things like music help kids who lack confidence gain the confidence they need to succeed, I know playing the guitar did just this for me.
-T
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Rivers Cuomo, My Friend and Yours....
Well friends, it has been nearly 9 months since my last post. Life's just been so busy between grad school, work, and having a crazy toddler... but I'm back, and I'm going to start writing again. Besides, there are so many great albums, or at least albums by great bands that are on the horizon. There is no reason why I shouldn't be listening and writing... Enough blabber though, let's discuss the topic at hand.
A few months ago, a good friend of mine made a comment that disturbed me... The situation stemmed from a discussion about the great (in my opinion) and not-so-great (his opinion) band Weezer. My friend informed me that I am not a true Weezer fan because I enjoy their four (soon to be five, hence finally writing about this incident) albums post Pinkerton.
I've thought about this statement of me "not being a true Weezer fan," quite a bit since there seems to be an attitude among many that anything post Pinkerton is worthless teeny-bop-pop-crapola...
I think the best way to address this comment is by creating our own analogy of a friendship... Imagine being in 8th grade back in 1994 (since that's where I was), and you and I make a new friend by the name of Rivers Cuomo... He's kind of a shy, obscure guy, wears Buddy Holly glasses, plays Dungeons and Dragons, loves KISS, has relationship issues, and invites you to destroy his sweater. Somehow this awkwardness/nerdyness becomes cool and suddenly everyone loves Rivers. He rides this trip for a few years, but deep down inside he's really Blue.
Not knowing how to deal with this coolness, in 1997 Rivers tries to open up to all of his friends and show us what's really going on inside. Now instead of dwelling on all the awkward things of '94, he talks about pointless/failed relationships, popularity, half Japanese girls, pink triangles, more Japanese girls and butterflies. After seeing and hearing all of the things that are really going on inside of Rivers, most of you rejected him. Suddenly he wasn't cool anymore. Because of this, our pal Rivers goes into seclusion, sells all his belongings, paints his walls black, and then goes off to Harvard to study.
After a few years, our pal Rivers comes back. Now it's 2001 and we all greet him with open arms. All of his old friends are so happy that he's back in our lives. This time around Rivers is all about hash pipes, tropical islands, photographs, girl friends, etc. Ulike the dark depressed Rivers of '97 that so many friends rejected, the new '01 Rivers is light hearted, and having fun. So what did you do? You sat around and complained that this new happy Rivers isn't as good as the open, depressed Rivers. Yeah, that's right four years ago you didn't like Rivers being open and dark and now you're complaining that he isn't like that anymore... Our good friend Rivers just can't seem to please some of you. The fact is, and you are all going to hate me for this, but the Green album is very similar to the Blue album, a little bit more poppy, but very similar.
Although you, and many like you are still complaining about Rivers, he gains a bunch of new friends with his new-found happy attitude. Just for the fun of it, less then a year later in 2002 he decides to do whatever he wants. He says things like, "Sit down and quiet everybody,
you got a long way to go," yeah Rivers is taking control now, he continues, "If you want me, you can't have me," and so on. Essentially Rivers has figured you out, you're never going to be happy, all you're going to do is complain about him and hope he goes back to being depressed, even though you didn't like him when he was that way... Some friend you are. As a side note, I have more than once heard Maladroit referred to as 80's hair-rock... and all I have to say is, are you kidding me? Do you know what 80's rock is? Go listen to some Poison, White Lion, Cinderella, or Bon Jovi... then you tell me if this is the same. Sure Maladroit is Weezer's most guitar heavy album to date, but it is by no means 80's hair-rock. It does happen to be a brilliant album though.
Anyway back to our friend Rivers. In 2005, with or without you, Rivers has become more popular than ever, but now he's enjoying life. He starts singing about things ranging from Beverly Hills, to spiders, drugs, and he even apologizes for not being so nice in his earlier days. What do you do, instead of giving him a chance now, you don't even listen what he has to say, instead you hear one radio hit (sorry I'm straying from the analogy) and you decide it just isn't as good as the good ol' days.
In '08 Rivers is back again, having more fun than ever. He's now into making trouble, dreaming, being the greatest, and of course pork and beans, and like '05 without even giving him a chance you dis the fact that he's now happily married, has a kid and is enjoying life and ask for the guy who lived in an all black apt. 10 or so years ago.
Here's the point, how can you call yourself a "true" Weezer fan, when all you care about is depressed Rivers... Come on, instead of dwelling on '97 why don't you actually give the new four/five albums a chance. You might surprise yourself.
Below I have listed several tracks that are as good as, if not better than a good deal of material on both Blue and Pinkerton.
Green:
Hash Pipe - Sure it was on the radio too much, but it is a great track!
Island in the Sun - Not my favorite track, but is honestly like Holiday part II.
Glorious Day - Love it, love it, love it.
Maladroit:
American Gigolo - I love this track because it really addresses exactly what I'm ranting about today.
Take Control - Great guitar work, particularly the solo, and all around an awesome track!
Fall Together - Can you tell that I really like the heavy tracks?
Make Believe:
Perfect Situation - This one is totally in the top 10 best Weezer tracks ever.
Hold Me - You're looking for the vulnerability of '97, just found it.
Damage to Your Heart - Another honest and emotional song... I read somewhere that Weezer gets less mature with each album, but I'm just not seeing it.
Red:
Pork and Beans - I just have to bring this one up, because musically you know this would have fit perfectly on Pinkerton.
Dreaming - Now we're jumping back to the '94 sound. Very retro Blue-ish track.
The Angel and the One - Forget top 10 ever, this song deserves top 5 of all Weezer songs.
There you go, it's time to get over the hate, get over your wanting to dwell in the depressing past of '97. It's time to grow up like Rivers and embrace him with open arms... At the end of the day, aside from all your complaints, you know that Weezer is still putting out some of the best alt-rock songs on the radio.
***please don't take this too seriously, if you're a Weezer fan I consider you a friend regardless of which albums you preference. And just for the record I love both Blue and Pinkerton, and am anxiously awaiting Pinkerton's Deluxe release.
A few months ago, a good friend of mine made a comment that disturbed me... The situation stemmed from a discussion about the great (in my opinion) and not-so-great (his opinion) band Weezer. My friend informed me that I am not a true Weezer fan because I enjoy their four (soon to be five, hence finally writing about this incident) albums post Pinkerton.
I've thought about this statement of me "not being a true Weezer fan," quite a bit since there seems to be an attitude among many that anything post Pinkerton is worthless teeny-bop-pop-crapola...
I think the best way to address this comment is by creating our own analogy of a friendship... Imagine being in 8th grade back in 1994 (since that's where I was), and you and I make a new friend by the name of Rivers Cuomo... He's kind of a shy, obscure guy, wears Buddy Holly glasses, plays Dungeons and Dragons, loves KISS, has relationship issues, and invites you to destroy his sweater. Somehow this awkwardness/nerdyness becomes cool and suddenly everyone loves Rivers. He rides this trip for a few years, but deep down inside he's really Blue.
Not knowing how to deal with this coolness, in 1997 Rivers tries to open up to all of his friends and show us what's really going on inside. Now instead of dwelling on all the awkward things of '94, he talks about pointless/failed relationships, popularity, half Japanese girls, pink triangles, more Japanese girls and butterflies. After seeing and hearing all of the things that are really going on inside of Rivers, most of you rejected him. Suddenly he wasn't cool anymore. Because of this, our pal Rivers goes into seclusion, sells all his belongings, paints his walls black, and then goes off to Harvard to study.
After a few years, our pal Rivers comes back. Now it's 2001 and we all greet him with open arms. All of his old friends are so happy that he's back in our lives. This time around Rivers is all about hash pipes, tropical islands, photographs, girl friends, etc. Ulike the dark depressed Rivers of '97 that so many friends rejected, the new '01 Rivers is light hearted, and having fun. So what did you do? You sat around and complained that this new happy Rivers isn't as good as the open, depressed Rivers. Yeah, that's right four years ago you didn't like Rivers being open and dark and now you're complaining that he isn't like that anymore... Our good friend Rivers just can't seem to please some of you. The fact is, and you are all going to hate me for this, but the Green album is very similar to the Blue album, a little bit more poppy, but very similar.
Although you, and many like you are still complaining about Rivers, he gains a bunch of new friends with his new-found happy attitude. Just for the fun of it, less then a year later in 2002 he decides to do whatever he wants. He says things like, "Sit down and quiet everybody,
you got a long way to go," yeah Rivers is taking control now, he continues, "If you want me, you can't have me," and so on. Essentially Rivers has figured you out, you're never going to be happy, all you're going to do is complain about him and hope he goes back to being depressed, even though you didn't like him when he was that way... Some friend you are. As a side note, I have more than once heard Maladroit referred to as 80's hair-rock... and all I have to say is, are you kidding me? Do you know what 80's rock is? Go listen to some Poison, White Lion, Cinderella, or Bon Jovi... then you tell me if this is the same. Sure Maladroit is Weezer's most guitar heavy album to date, but it is by no means 80's hair-rock. It does happen to be a brilliant album though.
Anyway back to our friend Rivers. In 2005, with or without you, Rivers has become more popular than ever, but now he's enjoying life. He starts singing about things ranging from Beverly Hills, to spiders, drugs, and he even apologizes for not being so nice in his earlier days. What do you do, instead of giving him a chance now, you don't even listen what he has to say, instead you hear one radio hit (sorry I'm straying from the analogy) and you decide it just isn't as good as the good ol' days.
In '08 Rivers is back again, having more fun than ever. He's now into making trouble, dreaming, being the greatest, and of course pork and beans, and like '05 without even giving him a chance you dis the fact that he's now happily married, has a kid and is enjoying life and ask for the guy who lived in an all black apt. 10 or so years ago.
Here's the point, how can you call yourself a "true" Weezer fan, when all you care about is depressed Rivers... Come on, instead of dwelling on '97 why don't you actually give the new four/five albums a chance. You might surprise yourself.
Below I have listed several tracks that are as good as, if not better than a good deal of material on both Blue and Pinkerton.
Green:
Hash Pipe - Sure it was on the radio too much, but it is a great track!
Island in the Sun - Not my favorite track, but is honestly like Holiday part II.
Glorious Day - Love it, love it, love it.
Maladroit:
American Gigolo - I love this track because it really addresses exactly what I'm ranting about today.
Take Control - Great guitar work, particularly the solo, and all around an awesome track!
Fall Together - Can you tell that I really like the heavy tracks?
Make Believe:
Perfect Situation - This one is totally in the top 10 best Weezer tracks ever.
Hold Me - You're looking for the vulnerability of '97, just found it.
Damage to Your Heart - Another honest and emotional song... I read somewhere that Weezer gets less mature with each album, but I'm just not seeing it.
Red:
Pork and Beans - I just have to bring this one up, because musically you know this would have fit perfectly on Pinkerton.
Dreaming - Now we're jumping back to the '94 sound. Very retro Blue-ish track.
The Angel and the One - Forget top 10 ever, this song deserves top 5 of all Weezer songs.
There you go, it's time to get over the hate, get over your wanting to dwell in the depressing past of '97. It's time to grow up like Rivers and embrace him with open arms... At the end of the day, aside from all your complaints, you know that Weezer is still putting out some of the best alt-rock songs on the radio.
***please don't take this too seriously, if you're a Weezer fan I consider you a friend regardless of which albums you preference. And just for the record I love both Blue and Pinkerton, and am anxiously awaiting Pinkerton's Deluxe release.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)