Weezer - "El Scorcho"

One of the reasons I rated my entire non-album hard drive was so that I could start fresh again. Here goes.

I never truly latched onto Pavement. My favorite album of theirs is "Terror Twilight," mockingly called the first solo Stephen Malkmus album by their hardcore fans. It was just a bit too unorganized, too prone to lyrics that seemed stream of consciousness. It's remarkable, really. I can love, "I am an American aquarium drinker. I assassin down the avenue," but I can't find a place in my heart for some of Malkmus' "best" compositions.

I was never that much of a Weezer fan. I liked their singles for their pop goodness, but I never really respected the songs. They were candy, fluff, what have you. I knew some of the words and would sing along, but I didn't want to run out and buy the Blue Album. I tried to like the Green Album, but it didn't take. The more I tried, the more it resisted. My own solace was that the album was so short and it could be played in a situation where I just wasn't sure if the person who was sitting/riding next to me was cool enough for the real good stuff.

"Pinkerton" happened, but it definitely didn't register on my radar. I heard all the general stuff. It wasn't as accessible as the first album, people claimed, and most of the critics I generally heard somewhere in the ether of entertainment talk, didn't really connect with it. I left it alone.

Living out of a suitcase in the summer of 2002, I didn't have much opportunity to pack a lot of unnecessary things. Despite having access to my car, I was hoplessly out of reach of my CD collection. And my housemates, John and Sara, were in a different stratosphere. I must have heard the Avril Lavigne debut album 25 times that summer from Sara - it seemed to be the only album she owned - while John was trying to educate me on the greatness of Tool (I ended up liking some songs, but I couldn't tell you their names or what album they're on).

Our compromise was John's copy of "Pinkerton." It had all these quirky songs that were in some respects very Weezer - or at least the Weezer I remembered - but others that just worked on me. Honestly, I think I heard "El Scorcho" on the radio way back in 1997, but I'll never forget sitting outside the theatre where I'd eventually spend good money to see "My Best Friend's Wedding" and listening to songs like "Pink Triangle" and "El Scorcho."

I remember John screaming "God damn you half-Japanese girls" like he understood what Rivers Cuomo was all about. The God's honest truth is that I don't think any of know what the hell Rivers Cuomo is all about. What we do know is that he has a predispostion for Asian girls, which I think sums up the first verse nicely.

Goddamn you half-Japanese girls
do it to me every time
oh, the redhead said you shred the cello
And I'm jello, baby

The other thing I remember about this song is that Rivers namechecks a contemporary, which always seemed kind of jarring. Green Day were predecessors, but not by much, in terms of the instant fame that came and left.

And perhaps my favorite lines:

How stupid is it? I can't talk about it
I gotta sing about it and make a record of my heart
(How stupid is it? Won't you give me a minute
Just come up to me and say hello to my heart) How stupid is it?
For all I know you want me too and maybe you just don't know what to do or maybe you're scared to say: "I'm falling for you"
I wish I could get my head out of the sand 'cuz I think we'd make a good team
and you would keep my fingernails clean
but that's just a stupid dream that I won't realize
'cuz I can't even look in your eyes without shakin', and I ain't fakin'
I'll bring home the turkey if you bring home the bacon.

In this verse, he pretty much exposes himself. How stupid am I? he's asking. I'm so stupid I can't go up to a girl I like but I can write this pretty, perfect song about it. I always felt like I'd be the same way, but I dunno. Maybe I felt more like that in 2002 than I do today.

The other thing I like about the song is its construction, something inherently Pavement about it. But it's much more polished, like you know where the turns are going to be. You know when the tempo will change and it's safe. And Pavement's not safe. And they're a better band than Weezer. But I like this song...a lot.

4/5