10 Things You Didn’t Know About Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo
Not many rock stars are more beloved than Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. He is the everyman's rock star, a geeky god known for his dedication to fans -- who, in turn, make up one of the most supportive fan bases in the world of modern rock. How many of these facts did you indeed not know? Read through them all, and let us know in the comments section below.
- 10
He spent the better part of 2007 and 2008 sporting a mustache.
Cuomo, who most memorably had the lip fuzz on the cover of the band's 2008 self-titled release (aka 'The Red Album'), has said that he grew it in honor of the birth of his daughter, Mia, as his own father had a mustache when he was born.
- 9
An X-ray image of his left leg adorns the cover of Weezer's 'The Good Life' single.
He was born with a left leg a that was noticeable 1 and 3/4 of an inch shorter than his right one, and following the success of 'The Blue Album' he underwent surgery to correct the issue. 'The Good Life' single was the second from the band's sophomore album, 'Pinkerton.'
- 8
He used to post on Weezer message boards under the name 'Ace.'
He used the opportunity to discuss his music with fans. He also once had a website called the Catalog of Riffs, on which he shared demos of old songs and scans of letters, records and other personal items.
- 7
He routed Weezer's 2002 World Cup Tour around the schedule of World Cup matches.
Cuomo, who is known as a huge soccer fan, also penned a tune titled 'Represent' before the 2010 World Cup, which he considered to be the "unofficial" anthem for the U.S. team. 'Represent' was released as a Weezer single the day before Team USA took the field for their World Cup opener against England.
- 6
He is a devoted practitioner of Vipassana meditation.
A student of the esteemed practitioner S.N. Goenka, he also teaches meditation to children.
- 5
Six out of seven former and current members of Weezer attended his wedding.
The nuptials to longtime girlfriend to Kyoko Ito took place in June 2006 in Malibu, Calif. Former bassist Mikey Welsh was the one band member to not attend.
- 3
He graduated from college more than a decade after Weezer's debut album was released.
You probably know he attended Harvard, but did you know he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English?
- 2
He once suffered cracked ribs and internal bleeding due to a tour bus crash.
The accident took place in December 2009 while Weezer were traveling from Boston to Toronto. As a result, the rest of the tour was cancelled.
- 1
He used to perform under the name Peter Kitts.
He took on the name of Kitts in one of his first bands, a prog-metal group called Avant Garde. They rocked a handful of shows in Connecticut before he moved to Los Angeles and formed Weezer.
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