Football365.com interview with Karl Koch - September 21, 2009

The following interview was conducted with Weezer historian and webmaster Karl Koch on September 21, 2009. All errors are left to preserve authenticity.

Interview

football365: So, the new album cover... how do you feel about it?

Karl: i originally preferred a band photo, so i wasn't into it at first. and now, I do like the dog, but i don't like the ugly room he is in. heh....

football365: Would it be fair to expect a combination of "I'm Your Daddy" type songs and other songs that would be more pleasing to a more hardcore audience?

Karl: yes thats fair. get the deluxe version for a greater proportion of the latter.

football365: What do you think of the altered lyrics and new bridge in "Can't Stop Partying," and is this the only version of the song the band has recorded?

Karl: it doesn't affect me much one way or another. so far as i know that is the only version the band did.

football365: Does "The Prettiest Girl" vary greatly from the demo on Alone II?

Karl: not a ton - structurally it is completed now and sounds great. incredible tones.

football365: How do you think the upcoming album will compare to The Red Album?

Karl: overall similar, more radio friendly songs, same about of "deeper" songs, less "confusing" songs. boldly going forth into the breach.

football365: It seems that Rivers is oblivious to criticism from Weezer's fanbase, but what of the other members? Do they take criticism for such things as the choice of tracklisting on The Red Album to heart?

Karl: a little bit but id say they are much more focused on their own opinions which vary between each other and that of Rivers too. they pay more attention, or act like they do, to the fans, but ultimately if they are or aren't pleased with how things turned out, its for their own personal reasons and tastes. Rarely if ever have i heard one of them be influenced by online fan chatter - but they may share an opinion with it sometimes.

football365: Which is your favorite album and why: Blue or Pinkerton?

Karl: I've never thought about this, never had a reason to. they mean different things to me and evoke different memories. More happy memories with Blue i guess. but Pink has my fave weez album song, falling for you.

football365: Does it bother the band that many draw a line between The Blue Album & Pinkerton era and all the post-Pinkerton material?

Karl: i don't think so. they do it too in a way - they are different eras, personnel-wise, historically, emotionally to them all.

football365: What has prompted the upcoming release of the deluxe edition of Pinkerton?

Karl: because its time! kind of a no-brainer really. until we did research we didn't know if there was enough to release to make a deluxe. but happily there is.

football365: What can we expect to see on it by way of extras?

Karl: b-sides and some live stuff, and a bunch of cool unreleased studio stuff. its not been finalized yet though.

football365: A lot of fans outside the U.S. are eager to see the band live on the Raditude tour in places such as Ireland, the U.K. and Australia. What are the chances of an extensive tour like this? Will the scale of the tour simply be dictated by how well the album does?

Karl: partly that, and partly the usual weird confluence of what they get offered, what they are prepared to do in terms of time and effort vs reward, and what else is going on in their lives, etc. 2010 could be the year for some int'l stuff finally. i think they all know they need to tour some more than they recently have.

football365: Many consider 'The Angel and the One' to be one of the best songs on The Red Album and one of the best post-Pinkerton songs overall. Was there any specific reason the band didn't play this live on the Troublemaker tour?

Karl: well, some songs don't lend themselves easily to the live setting. i think they didn't even try to rehearse this one for tour. but who knows, they've surprised me many times before. i never rule anything out going forward with this band.

football365: How are setlists decided upon these days? Is Rivers the main authority, is it more of a democratic process, or do the label even ever get involved?

Karl: not the label. its a pow-wow between rivers, the rest of the band and the manager. trying to find a balance, and creating a show that rocks and flows. in rehearsals many times songs they thought would be good to do turn out not to work so well. by the time the show happens they've worked out a lot of the kinks.

football365: Of all the bands Weezer has toured with over the years, who have been your favorite and why?

Karl: Tenacious D. i mean, come on. but also, that dog, foo fighters, Lush, Ash, Placebo, Pixies of course... hell id say GnR too, even though it was only 3 shows.

football365: It has been said that the other band members sometimes push for songs to play that Rivers otherwise wouldn't have considered. Do they ever push for some of the older songs that would be atypical for a contemporary Weezer show?

Karl: yeah sometimes.

football365: On a similar note, how do the album tracklistings get decided on? Despite much more input from the other members in recent times, it still seems like Rivers is very much the boss.

Karl: well, Rivers is a major player because as primary songwriter, if he has a new song he loves, of course he wants it tried for the album. but if they already have 10-15 songs down, then something has to give. since he keeps writing all the time, new songs get in the mix, and often an album starts changing near the end to reflect that. it does give him de facto power to change a track list, but its not because he doesn't like the material already in place, he just likes his newest stuff the most usually.

football365: Does Rivers have much communication with Matt Sharp these days? Was the reason not to pursue their collaboration a few years ago simply a case of Rivers becoming disinterested?

Karl: not sure, apparently Rivers either lost interest or got busy and never got back to it.

football365: My personal favorite Weezer song is "Waiting on You." What is your overall favorite and would you ever try to convince the band to bust out some of the much-loved older bsides/rarities on tour?

Karl: thats a great song. um..... Falling For You. Prettiest Girl. Slob. Jamie. Say It Ain't So. Sweeny. i always push for some older or more obscure stuff when i can. i mean if i think its a great track, not because its old or obscure. SOME tracks are best left forgotten haha.

football365: What is your feeling on Maladroit and how do the band feel about the album these days?

Karl: Pat has said many times it was good till it got mixed wrong. to some extent i agree. December was great to me, till they recorded it. Slob was astonishing, but the recorded version is just ok. Pat says love explosion is the worst weezer song. i think im with him on that.

football365: Do you believe in the idea that pain produces great art, and do you think this may be a reason why Pinkerton is so loved and respected by Weezer fans? Similarly, do you think Rivers seemingly total lack of pain these days is a possible reason for the mixed reception Weezer's material receives from the hardcore audience?

Karl: its a viable theory. surely a lot of great art and artists were not in their hapy place when making some great stuff. gotta break some eggs to make omlettes. But on the other hand, great joy can make great art. "Holiday" and "Buddy Holly" were written when Weezer had just got signed and Rivers was ecstatic. pretty much a extreme emotion good or bad is often involved with good artworks. Id say the jury is out, but the trends are apparent in the fans reactions. -karl