Rivers Cuomo has been a rock star for decades, but that doesn't mean he doesn't need affirmation. During a recent interview with The New York Times Magazine, the Weezer frontman confessed that audience excitement is like an "addiction" to him.
"We’ve played well over a thousand shows, and it’s all about feeling the audience’s excitement, and it’s just so addictive," he divulged when asked if it ever gets tiresome to play the old hits. "Standing up there and playing a lick or singing a hook is just like putting a question out into the universe: 'Am I worth something? Am I good? Am I cool?' And you just want to hear this roar of affirmation: 'Yes, Rivers, you rock.' It’s such an intense craving for me that I’ll do whatever it takes to get it, even if it means playing 'Buddy Holly' for the 2,000th time."
When asked if he thinks he'll feel that way forever, the 48-year-old gave a good analogy. "Yeah, until I kick the addiction," he said simply. "It’s like any drug. You can’t just say, 'Well, you’ve been shooting heroin for 25 years by now, you think you’d just feel good all the time,' right?"
Elsewhere in the conversation, the frontman explained his limits on social media and admitted he still hasn't seen the Saturday Night Live skit dedicated to Weezer. You better get on it, Rivers, because we're all expecting you to show up for SNL's season finale.
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