Unofficial Soundtrack: Hero by Weezer
Meeting Weezer
I didn’t get into Weezer until I saw their Buddy Holly video. It was much later than it should’ve been. I guess I wasn’t paying good enough attention. Hero was released during the COVID-19 pandemic as a thank you—a tribute to healthcare workers and other people who kept our economy moving while many of us retreated to our homes. I remember being moved when I saw the band’s expression of gratitude and this special tribute to people they didn’t know. Although I arrived at the Weezer party later than most, they’re on repeat today. It Feels Like Summer and the band’s 2017 Pacific Daydream album has an unusual ability to encapsulate the nostalgic California summer vibe, and I love their covers of Toto’s Africa and A-ha’s Take On Me.
Hero in Context
The music video for Hero is basic but represents Zoom life that so many came to know during the Pandemic. After watching it again while writing this post, I thought of my own son’s experience in his the makeshift office space that he commandeered in our home while he tried to digest his math and English lessons while dealing with the isolation from friends. So many connections were taken from us during that time and the video reminded me that even though black bars separated us on Zoom calls, we needed to hang on to the things that connected us as humans. All kinds of people engaged in dozens of activities handled the band’s thank you note before the full text finally appeared on screen.
Reluctant Hero
The main character in A Bad Hand, James Webb, reflects the same kind of reluctant hero described in Weezer’s song—someone who has dreams of greatness but wrestles with their own feelings of inadequacy.
They build you up, and then they’re gonna tear you down
They love you, then they hate you if you wear a crown
It’s not that I don’t love to solve a mystery
But life is hard enough with one identity
The front window of the restaurant doubled as a ten foot wide aquarium full of crab, sea urchin, fish and other creatures. As they waited for The Bull, Hokusai watched as one of the chefs climbed up a ladder and reached into the aquarium with a wooden rake-like catcher, selecting a fresh crab to prepare for one of the dinner guests. After the chef left the aquarium, Hokusai became transfixed on the crabs. He watched as they climbed on top of one another, attempting to reach the surface of the aquarium. As soon as one crab climbed close to the top, another animal would attempt to use the top crab as a ladder, pulling it down to wrestle with the others. Hokusai watched this cycle repeat three times from the silence of the Mercedes…
Some of my favorite reluctant heroes come from real life. Just like Weezer was inspired by the reluctant heroes in Hero, I too am inspired by the reluctant heroes I’ve seen in my own life. I especially love those who have stood with courage to do the right thing in the face of odds that were stacked against them.
Note: Neither Weezer nor Crush Music/Atlantic has endorsed, nor are they in any way affiliated with A Bad Hand or Wander Lane Media. If you are Rivers Cuomo and you’re reading this, thanks for sharing your art and music with us. It’s an honor to have you visit my site and read about my novel. I would love to send you a copy of A Bad Hand. Please leave me a message on my Contact Form.
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