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Bios
name: rivers cuomo
birthday: june 13th, 1970
sign: gemini
hometown: yogaville, CN/boston, MA/los angeles, CA
status: single
spare time: what spare time?
band duties: lead vocals, guitar
in 1994 he said: "my name is rivers cuomo. i'm 23 and i sing and play guitar in weezer..." "i grew up in various little farm towns in upstate connecticut, completely sheltered from anything remotely "cool." at 18, i freaked out and moved to los angeles to become a rock star. i soon realized that i was an idiot and gave up. at the same time, my girlfriend broke up with me. i was really sad and started to write songs. most of them sucked, but it became a habit that stuck with me. because I'm so terrible at expressing my feelings directly, and because no one really cares, and because anything real is impossible to talk about, i've come to rely on music more and more to express myself."
currently, 2001: after many big ups and downs, rivers has locked into a massively productive and busy schedule, both in music and band business. constantly pushing himself to write new material, and record it at the best quality available at the time, he rarely has much time to spare. has taken over management of weezer and is doing a fine job, which has loosened and limbered him up in the music department.
right now he's: on the phone, taking care of biz, but thinking about soccer.
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name: brian bell
birthday: december 9th, 1968
sign: sagittarius
hometown: knoxville, TN/ los angeles, CA
status: single
spare time: plays in his own band the space twins
"raised in tennessee, little brian knew he wanted to be a rock star at an early age. lucky enough to catch and elvis (presley, that is) concert at the age of four, he wanted nothing else but to be a hounddog. studying "geetar" pickin' on tv from such fine eastern tennessee programs as "the barneyloo and buster show" and, of course, "hee haw," little brian learned how to pick 'n' grin on a ukelele his grandma won at a bingo game. brian's dad, a wacky absent-minded professor and ex-college dj, turned him onto cool music he had from the 50's and 60's. so, armed with his first turntable, a fisher price lo-fi stereo system, little brian managed to scratch and destroy most of dad's valuable 45's. as brian grew older, he began to feel isolated and out-of-place with the other reindeer. while the "normal" tennessee boys were out hunting possum, chewing tobacco and making up fish stories, he preferred to stay home and watch billy mumy movies. ah, movies, music and show biz. Why was it all based in one glorious place -- los angeles? so, just like the clampetts, brian packed up my bags and moved to yucca St., hollywired (cause everyone he met at first was on crystal meth.) not at all like the movies."
currently, 2001: brian continues putting his good natured slightly southern style into his life and music. often found deep in a guitar playing trance, pulling his quirky musical inventions out of the ether. loves a good shopping trip, has an uncanny eye for unique fashion.
right now he's: listening to an old tyrannosaurus rex album.
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name: scott shriner
birthday: 7/11/71
sign: cancer
hometown: toledo, OH/los angeles, CA
status: single
spare time: video games, movies, naps
band duties: bass, backing vocals
currently, 2001: scott came to los angeles several years ago in the early '90s ("like everyone else in the band"), and played in a ton of different bands. scott joined the band on a provisional basis when it was unclear whether Mikey was temporarily or permanently out of weezer.
scott says: "rivers got my number thru a mutual contact, but I didn't know about it. so when he called me I thought it was a practical joke! 'yeah right, you're rivers cuomo, uh huh'. but it sort of dawned on me: this guy's being too serious to be making a joke!" everyone hit it off really well, and the 3 'veteran' weezer men felt a rapidly growing kinship with the very experienced and professional scott. when mikey's absence became a permanent thing, scott was asked to stay with weezer and he accepted the offer with a big smile. he brings a bit of the hard rock to the band, having played in some pretty heavy bands in the past. When asked who his favorite bands are, he immediately says "led zeppelin", and ponders a bit before adding "humble pie- but only the peter frampton years!" however, lurking inside this rock machine is an extremely talented and multifaceted bass player, whose wide experience has made him a very quick study to the weezer style! scott is a guy who has a firm grasp on reality and takes his music very seriously, but who is also extremely friendly and very funny. welcome to weezer, Scott! "I feel that my sole mission in life is to bring the rock to the people. and i really mean that. people need to have rock brought to them. The rock saved my life as a kid, and ill do anything for rock, bro!"
right now he's: eating a steak.
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name: patrick wilson
birthday: february 1, 1969
sign: aquarius
hometown: buffalo, new york / portland OR /los angeles, CA
status: married
spare time: works on his own band the special goodness
band duties: drums
currently, 2001: abit older and wiser, pat still looks at the world with very inquisitive eyes and lots of clever humor. Constantly examining his musical technique and trying to squeeze every drop out of the musical experience, Pat always has something to say, and an explosive, sometimes hilarious, level of pure energy.
in 1994 he wrote: "my name is patrick wilson and i play drums for weezer. as i write this on a friday morning, i'm listening to our cd. it's a good feeling, but very strange. four years ago i was a guy with a bad haircut from buffalo, new york. the music scene there is lame, consisting largely of cover bands and bad metal. it seems that musicians in small towns have a gunslinger attitude that is also faintly bitter. some of them just have attitude. i decided to quit my day job and move to los angeles with my new friend pat finn (pat is responsible for us knowing each other.) after many growing pains, weezer was formed. since then, i've tried to understand what it means to be in a band. all i know about music is instinctual or from a record; i haven't witnessed much live music. as far as i can tell, being in a band can be just as important as any other occupation -- and so far, it's far more rewarding. we recorded this with ric ocasek and chris shaw at electric lady in n.y. i loved the experience and feel honored to have worked with them. the record sounds the way it does because the drums aren't the loudest thing in the mix. some how, phil collins' style of recording has taken over, and we didn't want that. the only effects used are fuzz bass on "in the garage" and a little compression here and there. Certainly not as much as they put on ringo. our live show is different from the record in terms of sheer power, so c'mon out when we roll through yer town. thanks for listening."
right now he's: scanning the internet for new headers and gaskets for his chevy big block engine.
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