Karl's Corner - 06/03/2002

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06/03/02 country rock polka

UPDATE - via =rwa= news drones
the fine folks over at spin magazine gave us a quickie preview of the forthcoming issue, which will be out june 11th, 2002.


Karlscorner-20020603.jpg

from the article:


"DON'T FEAR THE WEEZER" -Rivers Cuomo and his band Weezer returned in 2001 with a giant radio hit, "Hash Pipe" and a giant Van Halen-esque "W" flashing. Somehow, a new generation of kids embraced Weezer as if they'd never left. Now, after firing their staff (Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo personally placed calls to Spin in the weeks leading up to, and after, his interview), and refusing to shave, Weezer unleash an album of "Sheer rock power." While the compulsive desire to eliminate the middleman is nothing new to rock. What about a decade-old, multiplatinum, major-label band that wants to operate like an in-the-van Dischord Records punk act? These days, Cuomo is Weezer's unrivaled dungeon master. Though he may develop an ulcer one day, for now Cuomo handles each Weezer trauma with the steady voice and inner calm of Leonard Cohen after a stay at the monastery. And so far his plan is an unqualified success. Weezer's self produced latest-Maladroit-may be their biggest hit. In April, Weezer went on tour before the record was even released, and fans already knew the songs, some already owned them. Realizing the net community is the ultimate focus group, Weezer posted songs from the album via MP3s on their website, asking for fan feedback. But the band's label, Interscope, was aghast and had the songs removed. Confound your label, fire your reps, change your sound, give that sound away for free. The words "career suicide" would come to mind if it wasn't for several factors: First, the record industry these gentleman are politely raging against is at its most clueless in modern history (see stripping Weezer's MP3's). Secondly, Cuomo is writing actual rock anthems, and the joy he gets from riff-tastic, AC/DC-style nastiness is infectious. While almost every other member of alt-rock's class of '94-Beck, Bush, Hole, Veruca Salt-has severely lost relevance, Weezer are more powerful in every way.

"We're gradually cutting people out of our lives who are annoying. It's really tough to maintain any kind of creative output if you're constantly forcing yourself into some kind of act that doesn't come naturally. Right now, we pretty much do whatever we feel like. And we're ten times more creative than ever."
--Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo on firing the band's staff