We are using Rivers from Weezer's speech about us as part of the intro that we walk out to for our live show.
When we first saw this video last week, our minds were totally blown (I honestly thought it was some kind of app, or a flash program that could make Rivers Cuomo speak whatever you type). And I kept watching it. And it kept blowing my fucking mind!
It’s not the fact that’s he’s saying nice things about us (there are plenty of people who have said nice things about us—and I of course have always been deeply and sincerely appreciative of all the love we’ve been lucky to receive and have done all I can to pay it forward). But it’s the fact that one of my idols (one of the people who has written some of my all-time favorite songs, someone I grew up listening to, looking up to, and whose work has influenced not only my own work, but also my outlook on life) –not only does he know who the hell we are (which is a win in itself), but more than that: he actually likes what we do!!?
But it get’s better, because not only does he likes us, but he hits the nail RIGHT ON THE HEAD! It goes without saying that our band is a bit out there; we don’t really fit neatly into anyone genre. And that has always been an obstacle for us. But it has also been something we have worked towards: to separate ourselves from the rest of pop music, yet somehow finding a way to penetrate it and help shape it. And what he said in this video shows to me that he gets it. He just really GETS us!
He accurately articulates philosophies about our band that we consciously set-down as principle building blocks when we started Cobras three years ago. And I know I’m babbling, but at the end of the day, words can never truly express what it feels like to have one of the first people that you truly admired—someone that has been a constant source of inspiration; I can never fully explain what an amazing feeling it is to hear someone you revere so highly, flip the tables and praise YOUR work.
Sorry to sound like a fucking cheeseball. But this is a 1st for me. And here’s the thing:
I am one jaded-ass, cynical motherfucker. I am not impressed by celebrities. I don’t care how much money you got in the bank, and I don’t care who your daddy is. And sadly, even if a “new” Rivers Cuomo were to come out today, I feel like I may be just a bit too “over-it” to even pay attention. And please do not interpret this as me thinking that I’m better than anyone; this is just something that I see happening to a lot of us as we grow up—we begin to develop our own answers and our own world views, and we are not as reliant on our “idols” for these answers.
I mean, I still love music, but the sort of idol worship that lead me to elevate a person like Rivers or Civ or Ian MacKaye and place them atop such influential pedestals could only have really occurred in my formative years. That’s because music was the most important thing in my life when I was 14/15/16 (actually, it was pretty much the only thing in my life). When the world I thought I knew started to disintegrate, when I was slapped in the face for the first time with some of the harsher realities of the world, and when I was forced to face some of the uglier truths of my existence.
And it was at this point in my life—when my parents just didn’t get it, when my teachers couldn’t give a shit, and worst of all, when I started to realize that even my friends were not who I thought they were—it’s at this point that music became my only salvation. It’s at this point that music exuded this uncanny power to truly affect who I was and who I could become. And it was at this point that it did. Because it’s at this point that someone you don’t even know can say something that will change the course of your life, or at the very least just give you a new perspective on your struggles.
And Rivers Cuomo was that person for me. Weezer was that band for me.
And last week’s experience—to hear one of my childhood idols who helped me through some of my roughest years say that he believes in me—made me feel like a kid again. It made me feel excited in a way I haven’t felt in years!
And yes of course, it’s a bit childish. But it’s real. And it’s rare. And it’s an amazing emotion to be able to feel.
So a couple of days ago, we sound-checked our new intro (with Rivers’ audio in it) and we saw a couple of people roll their eyes. So we talked about it later on the bus:
“hey, do you think that putting that as part of our intro is too egotistical; too self-aggrandizing? Should we not do it?”
We contemplated this seriously, because despite how sassy we act, and despite how much shit we talk, or how many times I grab my crotch, we honestly all do strive for certain virtues: to be humble, modest and grateful, and to always remain normal, approachable people. And it is not an unfair criticism to say that by using Rivers’ speech as our intro we are just turning into a bunch of self-involved, self-masturbatory douchebags. After all, it’s not some great piece of musical work we wrote, or some hilarious joke; it’s just some guy talking about why he thinks we’re cool. Is that really something the entire crowd needs to hear before we go on stage?
I contemplated it thoroughly. And I could see clearly how easily the intro could be construed as us showing off. But then I thought about the guiding principles of our band:
- to not take ourselves too seriously
- to make music we love
- to crack ourselves up on stage and have an amazing time playing shows
- to shred
- to shows kids these sides of us, with no inhibition and no bullshit,
- and to spread that positivity, that carefree spirit, and to make kids have the time of their lives
And when we hear Rivers sing our praises before we go on stage every night, the rest of the world just disappears. All our problems vanish. And the only thing left before us is this amazing opportunity to play a show for kids who support us, and to show them our deepest and most sincere level of appreciation for their love. Because doing what we love, what we have been doing for 3 years straight with the help of all our fans, has somehow, bizarrely, brought us to the attention of someone who inspired us to start playing music in the first place. And that. Is. Fucking. Insane.
To hear Rivers every night before we play fills us with so many emotions: excitement, gratitude, humility, bewilderment, pride, and joy. But most of all, we hope that seeing us huddle-up together, geek-out and fanboy over our metaphorical trophy will inspire some kid in the crowd to go follow his dream. To do what he truly wants; to do it with heart, and to know that if it can happen to a bunch of schmucks like us, it can definitely happen to you.
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