James Burns is not a fan of Weezer, that much is clear. The rock band broke onto the scene way back in 1994, put out two stellar albums, and the rest of their output has been… well, it depends on how big of a fan you are. If you’re a devoted fan, as I am, you can generally find something good about Weezer’s post-Pinkerton output, even if it’s just their great music videos. Other people loudly proclaim that the band should just go away, but only James Burns is doing something about it, thanks to his campaign to raise $10 million dollars to pay Weezer to break up.
Yes, it’s a real campaign, and Burns is very serious about it. But he’s not doing it for himself; he’s doing it for his friends. According to his pitch on The Point (where you can donate to the cause): “But this isn’t about me. This is about the Weezer fans. They are our brothers and sisters, our friends, our lovers. Every year, Rivers Cuomo swears that he’s changed, and that their new album is the best thing that he’s done since Pinkerton, and what happens? Another pile of crap like ‘Beverly Hills’ or ‘I’m Your Daddy.’ This is an abusive relationship, and it needs to stop now.”
I saw the band live earlier this year, and they’re great. Granted, they only played one Pinkerton song this time (versus the three they played when I saw them in 2001), but live? Their new songs aren’t terrible. The Blue Album is one of the best albums of all time, so I’ll give them a pass. I might not buy their new stuff and I haven’t listened to Hurley, but they can keep making cute videos about Internet memes as far as I’m concerned.
Tags: Weezer, James Burns, man to raise million to pay Weezer to break up, paying a band to break up, unusual fundraisers, music, Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, paying Weezer to break up, paying Weezer to go away, bands