Rivers Cuomo (idea)

Weezer's debut self-titled album, released in 1994 was a huge hit, and now is more popularily known as The Blue Album. Newcomers to Weezer are usually told to listen to this album first, and they usually love it and want more. Now the introducer will take this fresh Weezer fan and lead him to Pinkerton. "What the fuck is this shit?" pukes the noobie. Ahh my young friend, you'll see what the shit really is when you get used to it, and you listen to the Green Album and Maladroit. Soon this noobie becomes a herald for other people just waiting to be ushered into Weezer.

But that is now, and the reason Rivers is not a mastermind anymore is because he made a stupid mistake, or rather he never learned his lesson. After Pinkerton flopped and Weezer lost critical praise, he went into seclusion and came out with Green. What a disappointment it was to the following Weezer had after Pinkerton, but it made Rivers happy because it was a pop hit. A disappointment because the lyrics were uninventive, and dry at the most. A disappointment because the music just wasn't powerful... at all. All the songs sound the same, with the exception of the two radio singles which have been drilled into our heads for months at a time. Real Weezer fans abhored Green because it embodied all that was wrong with music because it was mainstream. Many new Weezer fans that have grown to like Weezer because of Maladroit (which isn't bad per say, but not up to par with Blue and Pinkerton) proclaim Green to be Weezer's best album.

So Rivers is quite happy because he has the Real fans and the mainstream fans. He gets money out of both of them. It seems as if Rivers is only out for money (or maybe was only in it for the money from the beginning). Read any interview with Rivers; he fully admits to selling out. That wouldn't be so bad if what he produced was good, but it isn't. The larger population of his fans are the Real fans, the ones who love Pinkerton because it represents true music. If Rivers would write another album that expressed true emotion, it would not be a mainstream success - it would flop just like Pinkerton - but the true fans would love it. An even bigger fan base could be created and Weezer could become a great in the emo world. But that's not what Rivers wants. Rivers would rather stay famous and keep raking in the cash.

Maybe Rivers is a mastermind, but he won't show it. He can barely sing the Blue songs anymore, let alone write great songs such as the ones on that album. If a person wants to become a Weezer fan, they should buy Blue and Pinkerton, then scour the Internet for B-sides... until Rivers grows some balls and releases a good album again.