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by Fullofkittens 04/26/2005, 7:53pm PDT |
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Fussbett wrote:
Looking for more adjectives to describe why recent Weezer fails and old Weezer succeeds, I started to listen to some Pinkerton tracks. But then half an hour went by in no time and I had listened to the whole thing. Man they used to be great.
Weezer is going to remembered as the best guitar pop band of the 90s. I'm going to just come out and say it: the first two Weezer albums are better than the best two Nirvana albums. They stand up better. In ten years "Holiday" is still going to be rocking kids out when "Heart-Shaped Box" is going to be provoking barely-interested nods.
My theory about Weezer and their precipitous fall from glory is thus: Gerry Goffin says that he can't really write as well as he used to because he's rich now. Good songwriting proceeds as a response to hardship. The hardship doesn't need to just be financial, since by Pinkerton Rivers Cuomo was already rich. But he had a terrible year: he went to music school at Harvard and found himself freshly rejected and alienated by a whole new set of hot half japanese girls.
So Theory #1 is the Goffin theory: Cuomo is just too comfy to make good pop music. He's a guy whose muse needs to be rescuing him from despair, and despair over creative lethargy apparently isn't enough. Also, he's like Goffin in another way: he's a lot older now, and musical motherfuckers' asses do not generally age like wine.
Theory #2: Somewhere in there Rivers decided not to give of himself in his songs anymore. What really gives some weight to the first two records is that the songs masquerade as geek pop fun but there's disturbing confessional undercurrents. "Say It Ain't So" busts away from talk about surfing to briefly accuse the protagonist's stepfather of making him an alcoholic. And then there's awesome unison bends which are supposed to rock us out and make us laugh. Pinkerton is basically a huge vaguely uncomfortable frank and open deep conversation (it brings him down slow), including the yikes moment where Mr. Cuomo admits in a very non-Hagar-y way that he wishes he could fuck his underage fans.
By contrast, the post-hiatus records are basically nonsequitors (sp?) following each other. They're impenetrable, lyrically. You can listen to the lyrics if you want but there's nothing rewarding about actually hearing them.
That doesn't explain why the music isn't as good, except maybe in the way that, as he is not committed enough lyricallu, he's also not musically.
Theory #3 is the most obvious one, and probably the most correct: Matt Sharp left the band after Pinkerton, and without Kim Deal the Pixies become Frank Black and The Catholics. |
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Weezer's Make Believe SUCKS by Fussbett 04/26/2005, 6:20pm PDT 
Theories! by Fullofkittens 04/26/2005, 7:53pm PDT
Re: Theories! by Mysterio 04/26/2005, 9:33pm PDT
What about them? NT by Fullofkittens 04/26/2005, 9:43pm PDT
Only slightly better than Oasis by Drummer from Whitesnake 04/26/2005, 11:51pm PDT
Re: Only slightly better than Oasis by Choson 04/27/2005, 6:51am PDT
Re: Theories! by laudablepuss 04/27/2005, 12:09am PDT
Re: Theories! by Choson 04/27/2005, 6:53am PDT
Re: Theories! by Entropy Stew 04/26/2005, 11:58pm PDT
Re: Theories! by Bill Dungsroman 04/27/2005, 8:06am PDT
Re: Theories! by Fullofkittens 04/27/2005, 7:17pm PDT
Nirvana by Fussbett 04/28/2005, 12:07am PDT
How the hell can you make a direct comparison between the two? by Entropy Stew 04/28/2005, 12:52am PDT
I'm directly comparing the public's opinion about each band. NT by Fussbett 04/28/2005, 1:04am PDT
Re: Theories! by Kthor 04/27/2005, 8:58am PDT
kthor didn't read very carefully. NT by binkbot 04/27/2005, 5:57pm PDT
Binkbot is right NT by Kthor, chastened 04/27/2005, 5:58pm PDT
Theory Judgement by Fussbett 04/28/2005, 12:38am PDT
Re: Theory Judgement by Choson 04/28/2005, 7:42am PDT
Re: Theory Judgement by Just a guy 04/28/2005, 9:34am PDT
Re: Theory Judgement by Choson 04/28/2005, 10:05am PDT
Re: Theory Judgement by Just a guy 04/28/2005, 10:44am PDT
I think you guys are discarding the Sharp theory too easily. by Fullofkittens 04/28/2005, 1:05pm PDT
Re: I think you guys are discarding the Sharp theory too easily. by Choson 04/28/2005, 1:56pm PDT
Re: I think you guys are discarding the Sharp theory too easily. by motherfuckerfoodeater 04/28/2005, 2:43pm PDT
oh, one more by motherfuckerfoodeater 04/28/2005, 2:52pm PDT
Re: I think you guys are discarding the Sharp theory too easily. by Zsenicorpse 08/08/2006, 12:30am PDT
Re: I think you guys are discarding the Sharp theory too easily. by Fullofkittens 04/28/2005, 6:52pm PDT
Re: I think you guys are discarding the Sharp theory too easily. by Fussbett 04/28/2005, 10:31pm PDT
Re: I think you guys are discarding the Sharp theory too easily. by I need clarification 04/29/2005, 10:04am PDT
Re: I think you guys are discarding the Sharp theory too easily. by Choson 05/01/2005, 4:51pm PDT
Re: I think you guys are discarding the Sharp theory too easily. by Fullofkittens 05/01/2005, 5:14pm PDT
Re: Theories! by mannloon 05/13/2005, 7:18am PDT
Re: Theories! by mannloon 05/13/2005, 7:19am PDT
Weezer (and Matt Sharp sidebar) article from Alternative Press by Fussbett 05/13/2005, 7:58am PDT
Thx Fuss by Bill Dungsroman 05/13/2005, 10:58am PDT
I think Mykel and Carli are probably a piece of the puzzle, too. by Fullofkittens 05/13/2005, 7:33am PDT
GOLDEN ERA WEEZER LINE-UP BACK TOGETHER by Fussbett 08/05/2006, 3:59am PDT
Matt Sharp is the only one not looking like a scumbag. by Fullofkittens 08/05/2006, 7:23am PDT
Weezer sucks by Something Awful 08/05/2006, 10:54am PDT
Reviewer dislikes "Tired Of Sex," quotes Calvin & Hobbes. NT by Liz Enkittengasm 08/05/2006, 11:06am PDT
Every post in this thread is more important than that article. by Fussbett 08/05/2006, 2:40pm PDT
Shit, I remember this thread! by motherfuckerfoodeater 08/05/2006, 11:38pm PDT
I wasn't counting "Incesticide" because it's a comp and not a studio album. NT by Fullofkittens 08/08/2006, 6:34am PDT
Star Salzman slaps the dick out of Rivers Cuomo's mouth by Zsenicorpse 08/16/2006, 1:42am PDT
Wow those are people I've really heard of! They rock! NT by music fag 08/16/2006, 2:32am PDT
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