Post-Pinkerton

Before the Green Album, there was Christmas CD, a special Weezer release to celebrate the holiday season, but which also in turn celebrated the band's return after their post-Pinkerton hiatus. On today's show, John talks about track two, "Christmas Celebration," and how it was a preview of things to come for the band.

In light of Ric Ocasek's sudden and unexpected death over the weekend, John talks about the time Weezer covered a Cars song for a Cars movie soundtrack. He also discusses the band's long-ranging relationship with the Cars lead singer.

"Get Me Some" is one of Weezer's heaviest rock songs, but John explains why the song feels out of place in both the album era it was created (Raditude) and the larger Post-Pinkerton era in which it was born.

John is back with a brand new episode about one of his favorite Post-Pinkerton songs EVER! "Eulogy for a Rock Band" is exactly what its title says it is, and yet, there's a lot of mystery to explore as well, including figuring out which band this song is about.

"Freak Me Out" is one of the rare Weezer songs for which we have no alternate versions. There's no demos, no live performances, nothing but the album track. John explains why, and examines what makes this one of the most unique songs in Weezer's entire catalog.

If any school offered a Masters Degree in covers of the A-Ha song "Take On Me," today's guest Jess Lampe would not only hold one, but also be a tenured professor in the department. Jess joins John to talk about the A-Ha original, the Weezer cover, and so much more in-between.

When Weezer couldn't release as many tracks as they wanted on their 2002 live EP The Lion and the Witch, they decided to hide one. "Polynesia" is the opening track to the EP, but you won't see it on the tracklist. John explains why in today's brand new episode.

Raditude may be the worst album in Weezer's discography, but "Let It All Hang Out" is a surprising gem that you may not have heard. John explores this collaboration between Rivers Cuomo, Jermaine Dupri, and Jacknife Lee, and explains how a video game managed to make this song even better.

You'd think this rough, 46-second demo would inspire an equally short podcast episode, but instead, it allows John to discuss many topics, ranging from Rivers Cuomo's longtime friendship with the musician Kevin Ridel to Cuomo's business instincts in the early 2000s.

John discusses the Maladroit demo "High Up Above," as well as the recent loss of beloved Weezer fan Running Monk. Please note the content warning at the top episode regarding discussion of death and suicide.

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.

John talks with comics artist Alec Longstreth about the song "It's Been So Long," a single released to the Weezer Fan Club this year. John asks Alec about his work illustrating the single's packaging, his history working with the band, and his book about his history as a fan.

"Brave New World" is the ninth track off of the band's 2010 album Hurley. John talks about why he likes it, but also why it reveals some of the tension amidst the band at this time. In addition, you'll learn everything you ever need to know about Hurleygate.

Rachel from the We Are Weezer podcast joins John to discuss "Unbreak My Heart," a Make Believe-era cover of the Toni Braxton mega-hit that didn't see official release until it closed out the unreleased track compilation Death to False Metal. They discuss why the band covered the song in the first place, as well as touching on the wide world of Weezer podcasting.

"On the Edge" is one of the Summer Songs of 2000, a collection of songs from Weezer's time on the Vans Warped Tour, which marked the end of their self-imposed Post-Pinkerton hiatus. John talks about why he likes so many individual parts of this song -- and why they don't quite add up -- on today's show.