Rivers Cuomo explains why Weezer has lasted so long
For better or for worse, few bands have been able to stay as relevant in the world of rock music as Weezer has. With the release of 1994’s Weezer, more commonly known as The Blue Album, Weezer became instant alt-rock gods and forefathers to the burgeoning emo movement in America. Then, it all came crashing down with 1996’s Pinkerton.
A critical and commercial failure, Pinkerton was reviled at the time of its release and only gained status as one of the most acclaimed albums of all time in the years following its release. Rivers Cuomo was so scarred by the extreme negativity surrounding Pinkerton that he effectively ended Weezer for half a decade.
Cuomo wrote most of the Pinkerton material while studying at Harvard University. When he sat down with fellow Havard alum Conan O’Brien for the latter’s podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Cuomo opened up about how Weezer was able to not only come back from the brink but also sustain themselves for two decades after.
“There’s not a lot of the same bands that we started with that are still going,” Cuomo acknowledged. He credits the solid band dynamic as a major factor in sticking around as long as they have. “First of all, we really need each other. We’re way more successful together than any of us would be separately, so we’re kind of stuck. We’re stuck together.”
“Just getting older, getting married to other people – women, not us. Not each other,” Cuomo laughs. “You learn how to communicate. In your marriage, you have to. Likely, your partner can teach you so much about communicating and then, in my case, I’ve been in couples therapy for many years learning how to communicate, and then I bring that back to the band.”
“Now, things that caused so much problem when we were in our early 20s and in some cases caused rupture, all that stuff, have been avoidable with better communication that we’ve had now,” Cuomo explained. So be sure to make a note, all you bands out there who might be thinking about breaking up – if you go to therapy, you just may be able to become the next Weezer.
Check out Cuomo’s conversation with O’Brien down below.
