[laughs] And I, I, I, I was wondering, we wanna know, are you any, is there any connection with Magic: The Gathering? Like, are you Magic fans at Weezer?

Uh, well, I, I think Magic: The Gathering has something to do with summoning sorcerers from all corners of the world to come into this...

Yeah, and I think our, this tour is something like that.

We're summoning all the different kinds of Weezer fans from a, from around the world to come rock out with us.

No. [laughs] Is there any, uh, pro to it?

Well, yeah, I think what you hear on the record is something that, that could only be created by humans coming together and being vulnerable and creating something together.

It is, it just can't be, uh, created by AI or, or, uh, somebody on their own working on a computer or something.

It's-

And then when you met Patrick in L.A. and you started Weezer eventually, what was the musical common ground you guys found with each other?

Well, our first jam was a disaster because, like I said, I was coming from this progressive metal world and he was more...

I mean, he grew up on Van Halen and Rush.

I guess that's progressive, but not... not guitar-based music, police.

And I didn't understand how I could play with that sort of drummer.

He only had one bass drum instead of two.

And he kept talking about things like feel and groove.

How is your, I'm curious about how, I guess how the dynamic has changed in the band over the years, but also just kind of how your friendship has changed over the years in this band.

And Rivers, how did you feel about that aspect of the process? Did you have any qualms about it?

Well, I felt like I had this super strong instinct that I wanted Pat to take a turn at the wheel, basically.

As far as just like the overall aesthetic of the album.

And so, yeah, I guess I come from a more... grid-like background.

I guess I grew up on Metallica records where everything is super precise and more machine-like but I just had this feeling like, man, I think if we really get...

if we make a record that Patrick is super excited about and really identifies with and like that's the kind of record he would actually listen to, that could be a real sweet spot for Weezer and I just kept checking in with him every move we made, like how does this feel? Are we moving in the right direction here? And it was his idea to have us all rehearse together quite a bit and play the songs and not spend so much time with having like me and Klaus demoing and orchestrating and arranging, but let's just get in a room together and play and see what happens and less talk, more rock and just let the flow happen.

Tell me about the evolution of that and bringing Carly on and whose idea that was and et cetera.

The very first day I went to Kenny's studio, he was playing me Wednesday and saying, you guys should listen to this and be influenced by this.

[laughs]

[laughs] As far as just, like, the overall aesthetic of the album.

And so yeah, I guess I come from a more grid-like background.

I guess I grew up on Metallica records, where everything is super precise and more machine-like.

But I just had this feeling like, "Man, I think if we, if we really get, get...

If we make a record that Patrick is super excited about and really identifies with, and, like, that's the kinda record he would actually listen to, that could be a real sweet spot for Weezer." And I, I just kept checking in with him every move we made.

Like, uh, "How does this feel? Is, are we moving in the right direction here?" And it's, it was his idea to have us all rehearse together quite a bit and play the songs, and not spend so much time with having, like, me and Klaus demoing and orchestrating and arranging.

Tell me about the evolution of that and bringing Carly on, and whose idea that was, and et cetera.