Weezer: A history of awesome videos
We might not be delighted by the new album, but one thing you can count on with Weezer is brilliant, inventive video clips. Here are five representative examples of their work, according to Andrew P Street.
‘Buddy Holly' from Weezer (aka The Blue Album), 1994
It's the clip that propelled the band to stardom, as well as making director Sike Jonze a household name. By artfully editing original footage from Happy Days, plus a few digital tricks, he put the band performing at Arnold's Diner (with Alfred Molinaro reprising his role as Big Al for a scene with the band at the end). It's still a regular fixture in Best Video Of All Time lists - and deservedly so.
‘Island In The Sun' from Weezer (aka The Green Album), 2001
There are actually two versions of this video - the first had the band playing at a Mexican wedding, but Geffen thought it less than stellar and commissioned Spike Jonze to do a new clip - which involved the band frolicking with animals in a paddock. Eagle-eyed viewers will note that only three members are represented, since bassist Mikey Welsh had suffered a nervous breakdown and left the band by the time shooting came around.
‘Keep Fishin'' from Maladroit, 2002
Unlike Buddy Holly, this video with Weezer as guests on The Muppet Show involved no digital trickery: it was shot on the genuine set, with honest-to-god Muppets; and surviving original Muppeteers, including Dave Goelz as Gonzo and Frank Oz as Fozzy Bear, Animal and Miss Piggy. Purists pointed out that Pepe The Prawn was never actually on The Muppet Show, having been invented for the ill-fated 90s project Muppets Tonight -
‘Beverly Hills' from Make Believe, 2005
Weezer come to bury this hotbed of the famous and plastic, and do so at the Playboy Mansion - complete with Hugh Hefner cameo! It's a straight performance video, but we're willing to bet that the band have never been that close to so many attractive women.
‘Pork And Beans' from Weezer (aka The Red Album), 2008
It's such a simple, smart idea: take every YouTube clip that's ever been forwarded around the world and combine them into the most YouTubular video clip in history, spawning a billion forwards and an equal number of spot-the-meme competitions between nerds. A genius comeback.