Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo has played under several interesting band names in his career. There was a metal act in high school called Avant Garde. They later became Zoom, after experimenting with Prong and Power Chicken. When that band broke up, Cuomo joined a group called Sixty Wrong Sausages, which expanded into a four-piece in 1992. They remained nameless while they wrote and rehearsed, but name suggestions included Meathead, Outhouse, Hummingbird, The Big Jones, and This Niblet.
The name Weezer was a fluke. Actor Keanu Reeves and his alt band Dogstar decided to play an impromptu gig in Hollywood one evening and needed an opening act. Cuomo’s unnamed group got lucky and landed the slot, but now needed a name to perform under. Rivers suggested Weezer, the nickname he was teased with as a kid because of his inhaler. And, after a long meeting, Weezer ended up being the name.
Thank you, Keanu Reeves, for forcing the situation.
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