Ritalin, tequila and fresh air: The story of how Weezer wrote ‘Hash Pipe’
Setting aside the divisive reception of their 2000s output for a moment, Weezer boasts a catalogue filled with classic tracks. While many of these gems are found on their first two albums, 1994’s Blue Album and Pinkerton two years later, the band has delivered a host of other brilliant songs throughout their career. Despite criticism about their overall direction in later years, Weezer continues to offer noteworthy contributions to the music scene.
Nonetheless, Weezer’s early years stand out as the most culturally significant. The Blue Album epitomises the apex of 1990s alternative rock. With its raw, metal-infused guitars, abundance of pop culture references, and polished production courtesy of The Cars’ Ric Ocasek, the album picked up where Nirvana’s Nevermind left off. Simultaneously, Weezer carved out their own unique niche. The album demonstrated that guitar-driven music could remain authentic and innovative while standing out amidst a sea of industry-produced imitators.
Famously, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo embarked on a significant artistic journey with the long-awaited follow-up to their debut, Pinkerton. Musically and thematically rawer than its predecessor, the band’s second studio album is often characterised as their emo effort, offering an intense contrast to the youthful quirkiness captured on their debut. Pinkerton is replete with standout tracks and is notable as the last album to feature original bassist and backing vocalist Matt Sharp, who was an underappreciated artistic influence within the group. For many fans, these elements collectively elevate Pinkerton to the status of Weezer’s finest release.
What followed was a controversial period for the Los Angeles band, featuring hits, misfires, and personal ups and downs. Although things became gradually stale for Weezer as the next decade wore on, their third album, 2001’s Green Album, still features a selection of classic songs, including the lead single, ‘Hash Pipe’.
The track might represent to some listeners the inane side of the band, but according to Cuomo, it was actually a distillation of his experimentation and a strange Ritalin and tequila-driven songwriting process. This could well have been what resulted in the bizarre lyrics, including lines such as “These players out to get me / ‘Cause they like my behind” and “The knee-stocking flavour is the favourite treat / Of men that don’t bother with the taste of a teat”.
Speaking to Fresh Air, Cumono explained how he wrote ‘Hash Pipe’, which gives it more significance than its detractors could have believed when released. He said: “For a couple of years there, well – I’ve always been an analytical person, but for a couple of years, I just got really analytical in keeping track of every detail of the process of writing a song and intentionally varying individual elements to see what the result would be.”
Continuing, he added: “But sometimes these experiments were indistinguishable from how any other rock person would write a song. For example, in mid-2000, I – somehow, my experiments evolved to a point where step one was take a pill of Ritalin. Step two was take three shots of tequila. Step three was go out in the backyard, sit down on a chair. Step four was close your eyes and imagine the song. And that’s how I wrote ‘Hash Pipe’.”
Undoubtedly among the highlights of the Green Album, ‘Hash Pipe’ is the perfect example of the insane, chaotic creativity that is often unleashed after the use of psychoactive substances.
