If you wear glasses, you owe Weezer money. Well, odds are you’ve already paid them. Their ubiquitous blue debut is certified triple platinum in the U.S. and it’s #297 on Rolling Stone’s list of 500 Greatest Albums. If you don’t own it, you’re probably dead. Or at least REALLY old. With the release of The Blue Album, Weezer singlehandedly ushered grunge into a new era of clean pop sensibility. They also arguably kickstarted the retro craze that’s still got us wearing iron-on t-shirts and carrying lunchboxes. In short, Weezer’s a really really big deal.
Lead by the Harvard-educated Rivers Cuomo, the band followed up their massive debut with a string of quirky, color-coded cult classics. First came Pinkerton, dark, moody and intellectual. Then, after a long hiatus, they popped out The Green Album, Maladroit and Make Believe, a trio of tongue-in-cheek pop-punk spazz-outs that cemented Weezer’s status as music legends.
So where do you go when you’ve already established yourselves as one of the greatest bands ever? Well, in this case, the answer is… OUT. Out of their homes, out of their comfort zones and maybe just a little bit out of their minds. According to a recent Pitchfork interview with Cuomo, the upcoming Red Album is comprised of “Longer songs, non-traditional song forms, different people writing and singing, instrument switching, TR-808s, synths, Southern rap, and baroque counterpoint– for starters.” Starters?!? Insane!
Produced by the legendary Rick Rubin, The Red Album is due to be released June 3, and will feature already infamous single, “Pork and Beans.” To prepare the world for the seismic shock of yet another Weezer album, the band hunkered down at MTV headquarters and banged out a series of exclusive live performances. Once that was done, they hooked up with Johnny Knoxville to film a brief history of the band, visiting old apartments, school playgrounds and other scenes of nerdy heartbreak. Of course they’ll all be popping up on MTV throughout the week, but you can watch them right here, whenever you want! So, dig into this fiesta platter of delicious exclusives from one of the greatest bands on Earth!