Karl's Corner - 11/18/2001

11/18/01 random notes on a day off in San Jose, where we knew the way to.

...reaction to "Super Saturday" was pretty wild, with fans gobbling up a suddenly appearing pile of new weezer mp3s here on weezer.com (in the A-V section), Summersongs2K.com, and weezer2k.com. Everyone here is glad you dig 'em! And speaking of new mp3s, you might want to take another peek in the A-V section...

...having finally heard the version of "Purification of Water" thats now circulating ever faster, It was now possible to determine which version it is. While the recording history lists there being 'several' versions of the song, I've recently confirmed from Rivers that there were in fact just 2 demos made of the song. The first was done in Summer 1992, right when it was written. This unsurfaced version is considered by Rivers to be the superior version. However, that is not the version currently being swapped. The mp3 currently available is of the second version, recorded spring 1993, which Rivers has revealed is considered to be the 'inferior' version. I'm not sure what is different about them, not having heard the original in years myself.

...todays extracurricular activity was Wandering Around San Jose on a Sunday with Pat. Aside from a fortunate run-in with a skateshop and the nearby mall (where the most exciting action was at the cell phone kiosk), it was pretty sleepy in San Jose today. All the more reason to get back to the hotel and get some work done.

...Question(s) of the week, from Marcel [thanks!], answered by Rivers:

M: When writing melodies, do you map out every note in the song or is it mostly improvised, or is it a mix of the two?

R: I improvise to come up with the melody and then, over the course of playing the song a hundred times, I eventually settle on a permanent line.

M: Do you ever use theory or get at all technical when harmonizing the guitars/vocals or is it all your ear?

R: Sometimes I accidentally use theory to come up with a harmony, but this produces the worst results for me. I always try to just use my ear.

M: Do you set aside time and force yourself to come up with new ideas, or do they just come to you?

R: 95 percent of my ideas come during the morning hours when weezer takes time off from touring. I originally set this time aside kind-of-arbitrarily but now its habitual.

M: Did you ever get a chance to meet Kurt Cobain?

R: No.

M: If you were to write to your idol before stardom who would it be?

R: Probably KC. [Cobain]

M: Can you always hear original music in your head?

R: I can always hear music in my head but I place a low premium on originality. I have faith that if I achieve naturalness that will in due course lead to originality. But I could be totally wrong.