A short play and some music ranting
SCENE 1
[Knock on door. CBK gets up from chair, opens door]
CBK: Hello.
32: Hi, CBK, how are you?
CBK: Great, actually. Things are going very well.
32: That's great! Glad to hear it.
CBK: Can I help you?
32: I was wondering if I could come in. Do you mind?
CBK: Things are a bit busy here right now....
32: Oh, don't worry I won't get in the way. I'll just sit to the side, watch some TV, play with your older son, you know. You'll barely notice I'm here.
CBK: Okay, I guess it's alright. Just take your shoes off first, please. Would you like something to drink?
[curtain falls]
I am a pretty big Weezer fan. An ex of mine got me into them at the end of college, and by the time Pinkerton came out I was very smitten. I thought The Green Album was a little bit of a let-down, but was very catchy. When I lived in Denver I really got into downloading every one of their unreleased songs. I got a little obsessed. When Maladroit came out I had heard demos of most of the songs already, but liked it a lot. Just as many other fans did, I mourned Rivers' abandonment of Pinkerton and wished that he would reconcile with those songs and write some more like them. When I started reading the good press about Make Believe, I got excited. I heard a bit of the "Beverly Hills" song, and though I didn't think much of it, I was eager to hear the new album, which was hailed as a return to the exuberance of The Blue Album and "Pink". Unfortunately my theory that music critics are self-aggrandizing, over-intellectualizing wankers who don't know much about the "music" part of music now has some more supporting evidence, because Make Believe borders on unlistenable. Frankly, I think it's awful. "Beverly Hills" is the best song on it so far (there are still 3 songs I haven't heard, but I don't think they're going to redeem the album). I read that Rivers had written about 100 songs or more that were being considered for the album. If what was left off was worse than what made the cut, I can't imagine how bad they were. In fact, I can't believe that any of those songs were worse than "This is Such a Pity", which is literally the worst song I've heard in quite a while. Weezer has never been what you'd call "strong" lyrically, but you could tell there was whimsy or attitude to the simplicity of the lyrics. On this album, though, they're just BAD! It comes off as kind of a therapy album, but more like Rivers Cuomo's 12-Step Program: The Musical. One song actually has some interesting bits musically, but totally uncharacteristic of what Weezer music usually is. I'm not condemning the band for trying something new. In fact, that song will probably end up being my "favorite" on the album (but it's telling that I can't remember it's name right now, even looking at the track listing!) I'll keep the CD because I'm loyal like that. A band's really got to piss me off to keep me from collecting all of their albums (Bryan Adams, I'm looking in your direction!), and maybe it will grow on me. But I'm quite astonished at how poor an effort the album is. Wow!
iPod: "I Wish I Was a Girl" by Counting Crows, "My Weakness" by Weezer, "Capricorn" by Braid, "Lightning Hopkins" by R.E.M., "Bathtub Gin" by Phish, "Together We'll Ring in the New Year" by Motion City Soundtrack, and "Satellite" by Elliott Smith.
[Knock on door. CBK gets up from chair, opens door]
CBK: Hello.
32: Hi, CBK, how are you?
CBK: Great, actually. Things are going very well.
32: That's great! Glad to hear it.
CBK: Can I help you?
32: I was wondering if I could come in. Do you mind?
CBK: Things are a bit busy here right now....
32: Oh, don't worry I won't get in the way. I'll just sit to the side, watch some TV, play with your older son, you know. You'll barely notice I'm here.
CBK: Okay, I guess it's alright. Just take your shoes off first, please. Would you like something to drink?
[curtain falls]
I am a pretty big Weezer fan. An ex of mine got me into them at the end of college, and by the time Pinkerton came out I was very smitten. I thought The Green Album was a little bit of a let-down, but was very catchy. When I lived in Denver I really got into downloading every one of their unreleased songs. I got a little obsessed. When Maladroit came out I had heard demos of most of the songs already, but liked it a lot. Just as many other fans did, I mourned Rivers' abandonment of Pinkerton and wished that he would reconcile with those songs and write some more like them. When I started reading the good press about Make Believe, I got excited. I heard a bit of the "Beverly Hills" song, and though I didn't think much of it, I was eager to hear the new album, which was hailed as a return to the exuberance of The Blue Album and "Pink". Unfortunately my theory that music critics are self-aggrandizing, over-intellectualizing wankers who don't know much about the "music" part of music now has some more supporting evidence, because Make Believe borders on unlistenable. Frankly, I think it's awful. "Beverly Hills" is the best song on it so far (there are still 3 songs I haven't heard, but I don't think they're going to redeem the album). I read that Rivers had written about 100 songs or more that were being considered for the album. If what was left off was worse than what made the cut, I can't imagine how bad they were. In fact, I can't believe that any of those songs were worse than "This is Such a Pity", which is literally the worst song I've heard in quite a while. Weezer has never been what you'd call "strong" lyrically, but you could tell there was whimsy or attitude to the simplicity of the lyrics. On this album, though, they're just BAD! It comes off as kind of a therapy album, but more like Rivers Cuomo's 12-Step Program: The Musical. One song actually has some interesting bits musically, but totally uncharacteristic of what Weezer music usually is. I'm not condemning the band for trying something new. In fact, that song will probably end up being my "favorite" on the album (but it's telling that I can't remember it's name right now, even looking at the track listing!) I'll keep the CD because I'm loyal like that. A band's really got to piss me off to keep me from collecting all of their albums (Bryan Adams, I'm looking in your direction!), and maybe it will grow on me. But I'm quite astonished at how poor an effort the album is. Wow!
iPod: "I Wish I Was a Girl" by Counting Crows, "My Weakness" by Weezer, "Capricorn" by Braid, "Lightning Hopkins" by R.E.M., "Bathtub Gin" by Phish, "Together We'll Ring in the New Year" by Motion City Soundtrack, and "Satellite" by Elliott Smith.
posted by CBK at
9:08 AM
