The Knoxville News-Sentinel from Knoxville, Tennessee • 120

Showtime 4 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Sunday July 23 1995 Cover Story A decision in the desert a message on a machine equaled good fortune for Brian Bell By Wayne Bledsoe News-Sentinel entertainment writer Weezer Teenage Fanclub That Dog and The Tuffskins will perform at 7 pm Wednesday July 26 at the Tennessee Amphitheatre in the Fair Park Tickets are $1750 in advance $20 day of show and are available at Tickets Unlimited outlets eezer guitarist Brian Bell has just missed his flight from Spain to the United States OK I might miss a rehearsal but I hardly need to rehearse says Bell in a phone call from Barcelona where he been vacationing Bell who was raised in Knoxville is a quick study When he was invited to join Weezer two years ago he had one weekend to learn the songs the group was about to record Two years later Weezer is a solid success The songs (The Sweater and and accompanying videos became hits and their debut album has been certified platinum what Bell 26 has wanted all along but he admits he is surprised to actually be in a band that made it Bell says he first latched onto music at age 4 when his parents UT geography professor Tom Bell and Pond Gap Elementary School principal Linda Bell took him to an Elvis Presley concert at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium kind of changed my life says Bell In 1989 after graduating from Bearden High School Bell moved to Los Angeles where he eventually landed a spot as bassist in the band Carnival Art The group signed with Beggars Banquet Records and recorded two albums gained a lot of knowledge and experience recording and touring and all that but the sad fact is if on a major label and you sell enough records get says Bell Carnival Art changed its name to Jerkwater and worked out a new sound in hopes of landing another record deal During that time Bell became acquainted with the members of Weezer started playing on the scene and I instantly saw something unique in says Bell Grunge was the buzzword in music but Bell says was playing more songs with heavy guitars vocal harmonies and very catchy hooks Bell would go home after Weezer shows and find himself singing their songs even necessarily want to be in their says Bell for some reason were in with the wrong crowd and playing at the wrong venues I wanted to help them out any way I could and I wanted to play a show with Bell though was tired of being with Jerkwater this point I was pretty much fed up with being the small guy and like constantly he says was sick of One night in the late summer of while driving home from a disastrous show in the desert Bell decided to quit the group Waiting for him on the answering machine at his apartment was a message from Weezer bassist Matt Sharp had no idea why he was calling says Bell hardly hung out together at all in Los Angeles We just exchanged numbers to play a show together and I knew that they got a record deal and were recording in New York The next day Sharp called again was just beating around the bush and Rivers (Cuomo) took the phone from him and said you wanna join our And I thought about it for a couple of nanoseconds and said And like can you And I kinda lied and said I can The next day Bell received a demo tape with four of the songs the band was recording He made an audition tape adding his vocals and guitar to the songs and shipped it back overnight A Weezer member called back the next day told Bell he was in and sent him plane tickets to New York By the next week he was in the studio recording with producer Ric Ocasek Bell replaced guitarist Jason Cropper who left on acrimonious terms And while Bell was enthusiastic the rest of the Weezer from left: Brian Bell Patrick Wilson Matt Sharp Rivers Cuomo make your video one and I was thinking do our record company chose The Sweater for the first single and Weezer chose Jonze to direct the video Both were hits But it was the next video and single that really cemented Weezer in music minds was the song that nearly get on the says Bell Jonze convinced the group the group seemed dispirited was so pessimistic about the whole ordeal it was just about to fall apart and never happen Rivers (singer songwriter with the band) played me a rough mix of some of the songs I heard yet like the and in and I was like my God this is really I definitely saw the potential when I heard those songs for the first time So I think I brought a sense of optimism to the The disc was finished in September 1993 but was not released until nearly a year later Meanwhile Bell continued working day jobs While delivering food to Propaganda Films he ran into an old friend Spike Jonze whom he had known when Jonze was a photographer for the skateboard magazine Thrasher was going around the corner and Spike was sitting says Bell like are you I said delivering food What are you And he was making all these calls and he was in charge of Propaganda Films in this area bke you really work And I say in this new band bke And both thinking or I THINK he was thinking maybe Please see WEEZER page 7.