| “ | Just keeping it weezy | ” |
―Weezer | ||
Weezer is an American[1] alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1992. They have released fifteen full-length albums, a rarities album, six EPs, and a video release.[2] Weezer has sold more than ten million records to date in the US.[3][4]
Their YouTube channel was created on November 4, 2005,[5] and features music videos,[6] live performances[7][8] and behind the scenes content.[9][10] The most viewed video on the channel is the music video for "Say It Ain't So", with over 164+ million views.[11]
Members[12][]
Current Members[]
- Rivers Cuomo - lead vocals, guitar (1992-present)
- Patrick Wilson - drums, percussion (1992-present)
- Brian Bell - backing vocals, guitar (1993-present)
- Scott Shriner - bass guitar (2001-present)
Former Members[]
- Matt Sharp - bass guitar, backing vocals (1992-1998)
- Jason Cropper - guitar (1992-1993)
- Mikey Welsh - bass guitar (1998-2001; died 2011)
History[]
The band was first formed in 1992 by Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar), Jason Cropper (guitar), Matt Sharp (bass guitar), and Patrick Wilson (drums). Cuomo and Wilson are the only remaining original members.[13]
During the recording of the Blue Album, Cropper learned that his girlfriend was pregnant. This news affected Cropper's personality, and he became disruptive to his band-mates. When Cropper's girlfriend showed up in New York City unannounced with no place to stay, Rivers Cuomo finally had enough and fired Cropper. Cropper was replaced by Brian Bell.[14]
Matt Sharp left the band in 1998 due to creative differences, and was replaced by Mikey Welsh.[15] Welsh left the band in 2001 due to his declining mental health; he was replaced by Scott Shriner. Mikey Welsh died from a drug overdose on October 8, 2011.[16]
Pork and Beans Music Video[]
The music video for "Pork and Beans" was directed by Mathew Cullen of the video production company Motion Theory and was first released on YouTube by the band on May 23, 2008.[17] The video features many internet phenomenons.
Many YouTube celebrities joined with the band to film in the video, including Mark Allen Hicks (the "Afro Ninja"), Gary Brolsma, Tay Zonday, Chris Crocker, Caitlin Upton, Liam Kyle "Kelly" Sullivan, Kicesie, Ryan Wieber, Michael "Dorkman" Scott, Judson Laipply, and Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz performing Diet Coke and Mentos eruptions.[18] In addition, the video references other YouTube personalities such as Kevin Federline and Lim Jeong-hyun.[17][19] Other internet memes mimicked in the video include the Dramatic Chipmunk and Mini Moni, parodies of G.I. Joe public service announcements, catching Raybans with one's face, "All Your Base Are Belong to Us", the Dancing Banana, "Will It Blend?", the Soulja Boy dance, "Daft Hands" and "Daft Bodies", the Sneezing Panda, Charlie the Unicorn, the Dancing Baby, DoctorLegua's dancing CGI Donald Duck and gorillas, and the hoax UFO sighting in Haiti.[20][21]
Discography[2][]
- Weezer (Blue Album) (1994)
- Pinkerton (1996)
- Weezer (Green Album) (2001)
- Maladroit (2002)
- Make Believe (2005)
- Weezer (Red Album) (2008)
- Raditude (2009)
- Hurley (2010)
- Everything Will Be Alright in the End (2014)
- Weezer (White Album) (2016)
- Pacific Daydream (2017)
- Weezer (Teal Album) (2019)
- Weezer (Black Album) (2019)
- OK Human (2021)
- Van Weezer (2021)
- SZNZ : Spring (2022)
- SZNZ : Summer (2022)
- SZNZ : Fall (2022)
- SZNZ : Winter (2022)
Trivia[]
- Ric Ocasek, best known as the frontman of The Cars, produced Weezer's Blue Album,[22] and Green Album as well as their 2014 album Everything Will Be Alright in the End.[23]
- The Teal Album is composed of cover songs, mostly from the 1980s. It was conceived in response to an Internet request for the band to cover Toto's song Africa.[24][25]
- Rivers briefly went by the name "Peter Kitts" (as a reference to the KISS member Peter Criss) when he was in high school.[26]
References[]
- ↑ https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/myf-warhurst/weezer-with-myf-warhurst/9383038
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/weezer
- ↑ https://www.wonderroadfest.com/weezer/
- ↑ https://www.epitaph.com/artists/weezer/bio
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/@weezer/about
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL73FD3C035FCC9081
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87axhQ0d7VQ
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZiTM48lUhY
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGQCAqS43Tw
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5atu-lc21MA
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENXvZ9YRjbo
- ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/weezer-mn0000243008
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/weezer-blue-album-25th-anniversary-877089/
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/weezer-blue-album-25th-anniversary-877089/
- ↑ https://www.furious.com/perfect/mattsharp.html
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/oct/10/weezer-mikey-welsh-found-dead
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 https://www.nme.com/news/music/weezer-113-1321922
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGQCAqS43Tw
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/may/30/popandrock.netmusic
- ↑ https://www.news.com.au/technology/spot-the-memes-in-weezers-pork-and-beans/news-story/331a14b724b9eef4826c5ff32784174a
- ↑ https://www.krunk4ever.com/blog/2008/05/25/weezer-pork-and-beans-music-video/
- ↑ https://www.musicradar.com/news/i-never-would-have-seen-that-and-im-really-grateful-to-him-for-that-rivers-cuomo-reveals-how-the-cars-ric-ocasek-dramatically-changed-his-guitar-tone-for-weezers-blue-album
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/weezer-ric-ocasek-tribute-884922/
- ↑ https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/weezer-teal-album-review.html
- ↑ https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-whole-weezer-africa-thing-was-my-fault-and-im-so-sorry/
- ↑ https://www.angelfire.com/mt/amoviepage/MUSIC-Weezer.html