Rivers Cuomo names his favourite Weezer song
Weezer frontman and guitarist Rivers Cuomo has an extensive list of classic tracks to his name. Whether it be singles from the Los Angeles band’s widely influential 1994 debut album such as ‘Buddy Holly’ and ‘Undone’ the likes of ‘El Scorcho’ from darker sophomore album Pinkerton, or later cuts such as ‘Pork and Beans’ via his songs, the bespectacled rocker has made a significant imprint on popular culture.
Whilst the legendary Weezer offerings are undeniable, since their heyday in the 1990s, the quartet have divided fans by releasing a large quantity of music that many argue does not live up to the heights of their first two bodies of work. Whilst this is a contentious claim, with some highlights emerging from their efforts in the new millennium, it’s likely to be a conversation that rages on forever as these points have been sporadic.
One album that diehard fans of the group note as being one of the best from their extra-1990s period is 2014’s Everything Will Be Alright in the End, a record hailed as a return to form thanks to moments such as ‘Back to the Shack’ and ‘Cleopatra’. The third and final offering by the band to be produced by the late Cars frontman Ric Ocasek, it saw them depart from the electronic pop production of their previous two albums, Raditude and Hurley, revisiting a sound more closely aligned with their earlier efforts.
Given the scope of his efforts, the question of what is Rivers Cuomo’s favourite Weezer song was a source of puzzlement for fans for a long time before he finally answered it in 2014. Somewhat surprisingly, he named his favourite piece as one from Everything Will Be Alright in the End.
“Speaking for myself, it has to be ‘The Futurescope Trilogy’ from Everything Will Be Alright in the End if I could sneak that all in as one song,” Cuomo revealed in a video posted on the band’s Facebook. “Seven-and-a-half-minutes of guitar-gasm.”
He explained that Weezer were playing the new album from start to finish on their most recent tour, and whilst the lyrics in the piece are sparse, the Weezer frontman admitted that he has an out-of-body experience when playing it, maintaining he’s never felt so high.
“I’ve never felt as high as I do when we play ‘The Futurescope Trilogy’,” Cuomo explained. “I know there’s not a lot of singing, but there is so much emotion coming out of me through the guitar. I feel like I’ve completely left my body, that I’m out of my mind. The feeling that I aspire to in music, and maybe I feel like all artists aspire to.”
Listen to ‘The Futurescope Trilogy’ below.
