Weezerpedia Discord Q&A with Karl Koch - April 2023

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justinhoenke: Have you seen this before? It’s from an RC solo show. Gosh, this is one of my fave RC eras. Do you dig it?

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Karl: love it! TT And The Bears.... He gave me that guitar back in like 2003. short scale Sears Silvertone

April 2, 2023 2:12 PM (#karlification)

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justinhoenke: Karl, here’s a recent theory of mine. We’re in the 3rd golden age of Weezer (Blue/Pink, EWBAITE/White, the whole one album per year thing now but mostly OKH/SZNZ). What do you think? I’m not discrediting the other eras, but these three really stand out.

Karl: golden, meaning most if not all of the material is excellent and no cringe... yeah ill back that

April 2, 2023 2:14 PM (#karlification)

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dylan (HMC): Karl, in the Rivers demo "Sports Team", Rivers mentions his crew "Bree van Bri" and "the Devastator" (obviously Brian and Scott) but also mentions "Sweet Tip Willy". Is this something Pat has ever been called and, if so, what is the origin of that name?

Karl: lmao that is not a Pat nickname - though its likely it was briefly used (not by Pat, but rather by Bob Hnilo who would come up with names for everyone - please see "Tales Of Weezer"/Weezine #17 - i cant stress how much this will clear up of the earliest days) during the summer of '92 when we would pay basketball in the nearby schoolyard in Hollywood that was a few blocks from the Fuller Martel Plaza where many of the extended weezer and wax families lived

April 2, 2023 2:19 PM (#karlification)

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deckra: @Burnst Jamp just informed me (from the deluxe weezine omnibus) that supersport 2000 were named Starhustler at one point, and even had tapes labeled as such. do you have any evidence of this tape existing or literally anything relating to that era of the band?

Karl: i in fact have some of those cassettes! my personal knowledge of that scene will be rather spotty, as i was just meeting Rod, Cheri, etc as they were dissolving (i think), but ill dig up what i can. You guys know about the pre SS2K band Magpie, i assume?

Karl: one factoid is that Magpie was fronted by a gal named Debbie Diamond who was , as i recall, not an easy hang. but was a key scenester in the indie LA scene late 80s early 90s. no idea what happened to her.

April 8, 2023 9:01 AM (#karlification)

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eted: What's the origin of Lion and the Witch's title? Was Rivers reading a lot of C.S. Lewis at this point?

Karl: he wasnt, but it was part of the inspiration, as i recall. only RC knows the deets, if they in fact exist

April 8, 2023 9:02 AM (#karlification)

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Jason B: Hello Sir Karlington III. do you know who sings the main refrain in "Automatic" that is all vocoded and robot-y? "auto... da na na na na ... matic..." @nukem came up with this question!

Karl: pretty sure thats Pat WIlson with major effects on his voice

April 8, 2023 9:02 AM (#karlification)

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FlameSaucer118: 1) Do you happen to still have a copy of Rivers' home demo for Getting Up and Leaving? Considering we didn't get it in the demo bundles
2) What COR numbers are the songs Outta Here and Average Person?

Karl: demo: i dont know if i do , or ever did.... excavations are needed! i wont forget to check it out. COR#s: if those arent in the various COR data thats been online, i dont know the answer

April 8, 2023 9:04 AM (#karlification)

Karl: wait what is known about a GUAL rc home demo? has it ever been confirmed to exist, or did once exist? or is this conjecture? This probably sounds nuts coming from me, but i need a reminder of the "known" starting point as i have a blank spot in my memory right now

Burnst Jamp: Not certain if this is what is being referred to, but I found this on the Recording History:

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Karl: aha! ok its just me spacing the hell out. I likely do have that, i made that iteration of the recording history from my personal tapes etc.
but its possible "master missing" means the tape didnt have that on it - just the j-card listed it. many of RCs 8 tracks had contents that didnt fully match the listed stuff, because he went back and taped over/changed things. I did a whopper project back when i still had possession of the masters, that forensically details the "original" vs "actual" contents of the tapes. I plan on adding this info to weezerpedia (with your guys help of course)
i may indeed have a mixdown of the demo on a cassette though. just cant crystalize the memory offhand

April 8, 2023 7:41 PM (#karlification)

dilavni.band(.com): speaking of GUAL, could you by any chance share the revised lyrics of the 1997 version?

Karl: not a problem - once i dig into the aforementioned project and pull out the audio (archive cds etc). i dont remember the lyrics offhand or id type them out right now. As RC once acknowledged, they weren't as good, and he couldnt recall why he had thought he needed to change them in 96/97

April 9, 2023 7:23 AM (#karlification)

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dylan (HMC): Hey, Karl. Rivers uploaded this demo of the song "The Answer Man" back in the early aughts. Do you happen to know when this version would have been recorded? It's more fleshed out than Rivers' solo demo (which he sells in one of his demo bundles) and it's not from the 60WS rehearsal video on VCD. Is this from the Fuzz demo? Is it a Weezer-era demo? Is it neither of those things? Any idea?
RC-1991-The_Answer_Man.mp3

Karl: pretty sure that is from the Fuzz demo (i.e. the actual band demo) - pat on drums, Scottie(?) on bass (unless Rivers just played the bass - i forget when they did this demo in relation to the revolving door of bass players mess)
jeez doesnt it rock? good lord

April 16, 2023 6:28 PM (#karlification)

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Donny: Hey Karl, sorry if this has been asked before. In 2005, just before Rock am Ring, Rivers played a solo show at his step-brother’s Bar in Wiesbaden, Germany. He announced it on the day on MySpace. Is there anything known about this show? Was it acoustic, are there photos, what songs did he play? This always intrigued me because a solo show in 2005 was very unusual for Rivers. I assume you weren’t there, but maybe you heard something.

Karl: wow you just reminded me that happened! Nope i wasnt there - he was deliberately super low key about the whole thing. Just sorted it out via his step-brother. Almost defintely was acoustic, no crew guys were involved at all.

April 16, 2023 6:31 PM (#karlification)

Donny: Interesting. Do you think this influenced his decision to do that solo acoustic bit he started doing on the later legs of the Make Believe tour? Like a test run.

Karl: totally stands to reason

April 18, 2023 5:50 PM (#karlification)

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Burnst Jamp: This is, I think, the most important question that ever has or will be asked in this channel: Were you Gootch or Kluskinsutch?

Karl: "were"? its for life!

April 18, 2023 5:48 PM (#karlification)

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dylan (HMC): Karl, Rivers has mentioned 6145 Rodgerton Dr. in LA as the house he lived in around the time of the Green Album. Am I correct in assuming this is the same place which housed Rivers' home studio that Weezer rehearsed in ca. 2000? Just wanna make sure I have the timeline straight.

Karl: yes, thats the house that we converted the garage to the rehearsal (and demo recording) studio, for all the green album demos and most SS2K recordings (that werent live or done at rehearsal studios). I lived there from about june 2000 till March 2001. Its also where the santa suit photos were shot, and the yahoo tour promo videos (including "outlog"). Theres a shot with mikey that was in a magazine where theyre chilling in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. Many shots i took of them were there too.

Karl: When RC left boston it was early 98. He got a place with Mikey in west LA in an apt building like 10 feet from the intersection of the 10 and the 405. thats where the black room was. Later they moved to the Park La Brea apartments closer to Hollywood. There are a few photos Pat took that show Rivers sitting on a couch etc. thats that place. but by... early 99 things were a mess, and Mikey went to go work with Juliana Hatfield for a while. by fall 99 the first special goodnes tour happened. Then RC bought the house on Rodgerton Dr in Dec 99 or Jan 00. on the second SG tour feb/mar 00, we stayed there after the show at the viper room, (also space twins played) which was the first time since mid 1998 that all 4 members of weez were in the same room together. (the goat punishment shows in late 98 and early 99 did not feature pat) *edit: PLB 1st w/ PW, then Sepulveda, no PW

April 19, 2023 6:24 PM (#karlification)

notkarlophone: rivers edge says that by august 1998, brian, mikey, pat and rivs were living in a Culver City condo near Sepvuleda underneath the santa monica and san diego freeway interchanges

Karl: Except no Brian and Pat there. Pat joined in at the followup apt (Park La Brea) ** my bad - PLB first, with Pat, then pat bailed and RC Mikey to Sepulveda/black room/dark times

notkarlohpnoe: thanks for the clairification! i was just paraphrasing from the book so i didn't know.

Karl: yeah that is one horrifically sourced book, but here and there some of his copied and pasted info clicks with reality

April 19, 2023 6:32 PM (#karlification)

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King Tom: @Karlophone - was the move from Park La Brea to Sepulveda around the same time rehearsals moved from Cole to TK?

Karl: thats a fair assumption, but cant confirm exactly. Basically, the band was rehearsing (at Cole, and i believe some other places too) for a while in spring/summer 98. But didnt have a bass player initially - Matt had bailed around February, like right around the "American Girls" session. Pat Finn was invited down and hung out for a few weeks but only rehearsed once i think. I believe RC, while loving Pat, didnt feel the vibe was right, and wanted to try out strangers to see what happened. Then Mikey called up and said wait ill play bass, we had fun back in Boston right? RC said "you can come out but you have to try out like the rest of them" (lol) and of course then Mikey got the gig. But by fall, Pat Wilson went back to Portland, not feeling anything was happening. Cue Mikeys friend/Boston band guy Todd Phillips who came in and rehearsed a little to indulge RCs increasingly random times he wanted to try new songs out, but mostly just played drums for the Goat Punishment shows. Now somewhere around when Pat WIlson left (fall 98) is when the change happened (TK/Sepulveda). Its fair to say Pats leaving inspired the change, so they were likely around the same time (exit "were weezer, were gonna make out new album!" Hollywood, enter "not sure what im doing now" Westside). After the second GP show (Santa Barbara, early 99), Mikey gave up too, went on Juliana Hatfield leave, and RC hunkered down, emerging in early 2000 with a new house, a bunch of new songs, and an offer from Japan to play Summersonic in August 00. cue SS2k times.

April 20, 2023 3:46 PM (#karlification)

Karl: may i just say, piecing the above together at that time, when communication was at an all time low (and i wasnt in LA) was nearly impossible. it took me years to get the story straight and exact dates may never be clear for much of it

April 20, 2023 4:02 PM (#karlification)

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Burnst Jamp: Merch question: Was this Weezer vinyl killer sold to the masses, or made as a mockup/gift/display piece? I need one. I need one so badly

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Karl: that was given to us, but they said it was a proper merch item (in Japan only) at the time. Ive never seen another one besides the one in my archive though.

April 21, 2023 8:30 PM (#karlification)

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dylan (HMC): Karl, I'm adding info about songs from the 2003 era and want to know, do you happen to recall roughly where Weezer's rented office space and Rod Cervera's studio were? I don't need super specific addresses or anything; just the city would be adequate (i.e. "somewhere in Los Angeles").

Karl: the rented office space was an upstairs unit at 8295 Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood. 8295 has 2 buildings, this was the one that isn't right on the corner of Sweetzer, but a little farther East, after a courtyard/parking area. Rod's Studio was on Cahuenga, right across the 101 from Universal City. possibly 3494?? or thereabouts, as i recall. I always forget what that area is called. North Hollywood? Studio City?

Karl: its worth noting that both locations were walking distance from clutch food options, which is key for studio /rehearsal work - who wants to fight traffic and waste time when youre making music. Poquito Mas in both locations, and Carney's on Sunset

April 22, 2023 2:01 PM (#karlification)

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Moony B'deedle: What were the circumstances in which rod was chosen to produce maladroit?
To be more specific I'm asking if rod producing the Ozma single in the 90s directly led to him producing maladroit

Karl: nah we go way back with Rod, originally meeting him in 1992/3 when he was in Magpie. His dad owned/ran a small but cool studio in Hollywood where they did voice over work for Spanish speaking TV shows, amongst other things, and Rod learned the production trade there. Matt did Rentals demos with him there as early as 1993-4, and of course recruited Rod into the Rentals for a while. Weezer reconnected with him post SS2k times and after dropping management after Green, it was very DIY, Rod fit right in as engineer. Post maladroit, it made sense to demo at his (new) studio (near Universal). But with Ric Rubin in the mix now, and Rod getting busy with other things, he shifted back to "buddy" status.

April 22, 2023 2:24 PM (#karlification)

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Burnst Jamp: Been thinking about this old Weezer logo. Was this something adopted as official by the whole band? Were you the one that designed it?

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Karl: i drew that logo and it was "the" logo in 92-93, up till the blue album art was sorted out. (that logo was me too) . the early logo had a star as part of it, right after the "r"

April 22, 2023 8:55 PM (#karlification)

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Moony B'deedle: Why were choices made with the weezer font made on the blue album? Clipped e's etc.

Karl: i didnt want the logo to just be Futura Medium with nothing unique about it, and i thought it looked better the way i modified it

April 23, 2023 5:41 AM (#karlification)

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justinhoenke: Do you know what Rod is up to now?

Karl: ive only heard personal life stuff, got married, plays golf, etc. Not sure what hes doing work wise

April 23, 2023 5:43 AM (#karlification)

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Charlesophone IV: Is it legal for Crush to send copyright claims these videos? The songs in the videos are released by Geffen, iirc. (Please respond if you can't answer my question. I just want to learn if you can anything about this or not.)

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Karl: Crush oversees/protects/etc all weezer material regardless of the label its on. Geffen could also do takedowns if they chose to but they arent really keeping their eyes on the wheel the way Crush is

April 23, 2023 5:51 PM (#karlification)

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Jason B: Hello Senator Koch - two questions, 1 silly, 1 real.

do you know anything about who is on the Space Twins Tv Music and Candy single? I was trying to update the "personnel" section of the b-side https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/Headache
second question is do you watch On Cinema at the Cinema

Karl: 1st question is great one, ill actually have to hit up BB because i cant recall when he split with his original Twin, Susan 2nd question: i am unfamiliar

April 29, 2023 12:34 PM (#karlification)

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