Jun 26, 2019

Ep. 72. John discusses "Queen of Earth," a scrapped Album 5 demo that was a departure for the band in terms of its lyrics and sound. John examines why he didn't like it back in 2002, why it's grown on him, and how the band's experiment with a fifth member impacted the initial demo fans heard.

LISTEN:

1. "Queen of Earth"...

Sep 12, 2018

Ep. 35. "Private Message" saw a lot of iterations in its lifespan as an Album 5 Demo. It's been a Weezer demo written by Rivers Cuomo, a demo re-worked with piano, a demo re-worked as acoustic, a song given to Brian Bell and The Relationship, and then a song stripped down and re-born as a Brian Bell original. John walks...

Aug 22, 2018

Ep. 32. The common joke about "Misstep" is that it was, well, a misstep for the band. But, more than anything, this demo illustrates the ways that Weezer's experimental recording process in 2001 and 2002 constrained their ability to play around by publicizing almost all of their studio work. 

LISTEN:

1. "Misstep" (April...

Jul 4, 2018

Ep. 25. John is once again joined by Alex Rice, co-host of the Bruce Springsteen Song of the Week podcast, to discuss "The Organ Player," a demo from Weezer's scrapped fifth album sessions. John and Alex talk about why the song marks a pivotal turning point in Rivers Cuomo's evolution as a songwriter.

LISTEN:

1. "The...

May 16, 2018

Ep. 17. We're making a bit of history on the show today, covering the first of only a few Weezer songs not written or co-written by Rivers Cuomo. "Yellow Camaro" is a Brian Bell demo that never made a Weezer album -- well, at least not in the United States. Learn all about its eight-year history in...