 Geek-rock Talk
With Weezer's Brian Bell
Yes, the guys in Weezer are actually geeks — it's not a gimmick.
On what good authority, you ask, do we have this information about the dickey-sporting rock band? Well, as soon as guitarist Brian Bell told us about his pre-concert ritual, we got an inkling. And from there on it only got worse ... or better, depending on whether you're hip to the un-hip rock star image most completely embodied by Weezer singer Rivers Cuomo.
Weezer is appearing Tuesday in Bridgeport, with Foo Fighters and Hot Hot Heat. The concert will surely be a cornucopia of distortion, emotion and indie-pop harmonies, but we won't bore you with predictions. Instead, we'll give you some tidbits of The Day's phone conversation with Bell, who called from Denver, last week.
The Day: So what do you do to get psyched up before playing a show?
Bell: To most people this might sound weird, but we take our vocals and our harmonies very seriously, and every show we warm up for about 45 minutes beforehand. Then we do silent meditation for about 20 minutes to clear our minds before we play. Otherwise, there's too many things in your head, like wondering what you ordered for the after-show food. “Should I have ordered the salmon or the tilapia?”
The Day: Is there anything you bring along with you when Weezer is on tour? Like a Linus blanket or something?
Bell: Well, I do bring my own pillow because, um, I have a certain wish to feel like I'm sleeping in the same bed every night — and your pillow is a big part of the hotel-bed experience. Hotel pillows can be too high, or too spongy, and for me my pillow has to be just right, So I carry my own. I don't use a white pillowcase, it's this brown striped thing — a very masculine pillowcase I got at Bed Bath and Beyond in the linen section while shopping by myself.
The Day: How about pranks? Do you guys ever play jokes on each other while on tour?
Bell: Not really. We definitely get snippy with each other, but we're pretty quick to talk about things and make up. I think we have respect for everyone around us and who works with us in the band. That just comes with age. But it's OK if it's in good fun. I am working on a theme song for our security guard Lonnie and Rivers. Rivers and Lonnie — it even has a good ring to it. It sounds like a television theme song from the “Gilligan's Island”/“Brady Bunch” era. I'm hoping to pitch it to ABC after this tour.
The Day: What was it like to film the video for your new single “Beverly Hills” at the Playboy Mansion?
Bell: Probably not as exciting as it sounds, you know? It was a workday and I didn't like the idea for the video at all. It seemed like a T-and-A video, and I didn't feel like it fit with the song or the Weezer music in general, really. My girlfriend was with me, and she wasn't too happy about me hanging around a bunch of Playmates. It turned out the video stylist was a friend of mine, so I told her to make them look more like '80s style playmates, with more clothes on.
The Day: What's your favorite Weezer video?
Bell: Absolutely “Buddy Holly.” I just saw it recently while we were in Mexico City, and it just really stands the test of time, especially when you grew up watching “Happy Days.” It was amazing to see what Spike (Jonze) was able to do in the video. |
