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Weezer's Cuomo talks 'Lost'
Author: Larry Rodgers (The Arizona Republic)
Published: September 12, 2010
It helps to have a sense of humor in appreciating the unpredictable geek-rock of Weezer.
The Grammy-winning group has released two albums with the same title "Weezer," in 2001 and 2008 - and its new CD, "Hurley," has only a smiling photo of the "Lost" TV character of the same name on its cover, with no mention of the album title or band.
Led by Harvard graduate Rivers Cuomo, Weezer invited fans on-stage to jam nightly on their 2008 "Hootenanny" tour, and the group sold Weezer Snuggies through a TV infomercial in 2009.
It only makes sense that the members of Weezer have been pals for years with the crazed crew that created the "Jackass" television and movie series.
We called Cuomo to talk about "Hurley," collaborating with with new pop queen Katy Perry and the tour that brings Weezer to Tempe's Arizona Fall Frenzy on Saturday.
Larry Rodgers:
The new album cover has been getting lots of buzz as Tuesday's release date nears.
Rivers:
It got a very strong reaction, whether positive or negative, which was a surprise to us because we thought it was a pretty straightforward picture of a guy
smiling.
Larry Rodgers:
How did your new label, Epitaph, react to it?
Rivers:
I think they wanted us to put "Weezer" on the cover, but it just didn't seem right. Our manager told them that, "The name 'Weezer' is not going to be on the cover, forget about it."
Larry Rodgers:
Have you been a fan of "Lost" over the years?
Rivers:
I was watching "Lost" on tour. I got through the first two seasons so far, and I really loved it. I don't know that that was really a a factor in really choosing that image (Jorge Garcia played Hurley) for the cover. There is so much love and warmth coming off his face, and we also just thought it would be pretty striking on the cover of an alternative-rock album.
Larry Rodgers:
Your band goes pretty far back with the guys from "Jackass." Was it a no-brainer to sign them up for the video for the CD's debut single, "Memories" (which will be used in "Jackass 3-D," in theaters Oct. 15)?
Rivers:
They've been asking us for music since the last "Jackass" movie, and it didn't work out then, but we're happy to get involved this time. We brought them, like, 100 songs, and the first one we played for them was "Memories." They said, "That's it, we're we're done." It seemed to have the right spirit for "Jackass."
Larry Rodgers:
How would you describe the sound and feel that you were after on this new CD?
Rivers:
Trying to make something that our core fans would be excited about more raw, emotional, unpolished rock.
Larry Rodgers:
You've collaborated with a number of artists, from (rapper) Lil Wayne to (alt-country singer) Ryan Adams. What were you after when you wrote songs with Katy Perry?
Rivers:
My impression was that she is real talented as a singer and artist, and she has a very strong sense of what she likes and what she doesn't like. It's always inspiring to be around other artists like that.
Larry Rodgers:
You've said you broke out of a shell on-stage around 2008 and now are "off the wall" in concert. What freed you up onstage?
Rivers:
I'd give a lot of the credit to meditation. It has reduced my self-consciousness so I don't think about how stupid I look. I just go crazy and I see how the audience reacts they love it-so that just spurs me on to be crazier.
Larry Rodgers:
You seem to truly interact with your fans on Twitter, rather than just using it as a one-way promotional tool.
Rivers:
It's like feeling like I'm onstage but I don't have to leave the comfort of my hotel room. I can just sit here and goof around and get people to laugh and think.... I also recently recently have been getting into Ustream for a few hours before the show when we're in the dressing room.... We go on Ustream and hundreds of fans will come (online) and watch us. It makes it more fun for us.
Larry Rodgers:
You're playing several festivals this year, including Arizona Fall Frenzy. Is it more fun to hang out with several bands at a festival, as op-posed to headlining your own show?
Rivers:
I love playing festivals because I get to see other cool bands. It's fun to be able to meet other bands and see what they're up to and how they they work. I also like doing Weezer head-line shows, where we have a bit more control over the production and a bit more invested in it, and it's all Weezer fans.... So I love them both.
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