> ME

I'm Paul. I'm 16, I live in Illinois, and I play bass in a garage band called Crosstown Static with my friends Nicholas (drums) and James (guitar, vocals, owns the garage). We are not very good yet but we are loud.

I found Weezer when I was twelve. My family got a new computer with Windows 95 on it, and on the CD there was a folder of extra stuff, and in it was the video for "Buddy Holly." The one where they're playing at Arnold's from Happy Days. I must have played it a hundred times in that tiny little window. Then I saved up and bought the Blue Album, and then I begged for a bass for Christmas because of Matt Sharp, and here I am.

This page is called WAITING ROOM because that's what being a Weezer fan is right now. Pinkerton came out three years ago this past Friday. There hasn't been a new album since. We're all just sitting here reading old magazines, waiting for our names to be called.

> THE STORY SO FAR

1992. Weezer starts in Los Angeles. Rivers Cuomo sings, plays guitar, and writes the songs. Matt Sharp plays bass and sings the high backup parts. Patrick Wilson plays drums. Brian Bell joins on guitar while they're making the first album.

1994. The first album comes out in May. It's called Weezer but everybody calls it the Blue Album because the cover is just the four of them standing in front of a plain blue background. Ric Ocasek from the Cars produced it. Spike Jonze makes the videos for "Undone" and "Buddy Holly," and suddenly they're everywhere.

1995. Rivers goes to Harvard, which is not what you expect a rock star to do. He also has surgery on his leg and has to wear a brace for a long time. He writes a lot of the next album while he's there.

1996. Pinkerton comes out in September. It's darker and louder and way more personal. It does not sell anything like the first one, and some of the reviews are mean. I think it's the better album. I wrote a whole page about it: the case for Pinkerton.

1997. After the tour, Rivers goes back to Harvard.

1998. Matt Sharp leaves the band to do the Rentals full time. (The Rentals were his side band with the Moog synthesizers. Their song "Friends of P." was on the radio back in 1995.) As a bass player I took this personally.

1999. Nothing official. Nothing at all. Just rumors (see below).

> MY TOP TEN WEEZER SONGS

Written from the bass player's point of view, because that's the only point of view I've got.

Just missed: Undone, Surf Wax America, Why Bother?, Holiday, Butterfly.

> RUMOR BOARD

Here's every rumor about album three I've heard in the last year, from the Weezer newsgroup, from guys at the record store, from my cousin's friend who swears he met Pat at a show. I've rated each one. I don't know anything you don't know. I just think about it more.

Heard something new? E-mail me and I'll rate it.

> RULES OF THIS PAGE

No lyrics and no tabs. Learn the songs by ear like I did. It's better for you, and anyway the songs belong to them.