There is not a single person I've met in my over 25 years in the music industry that I despise more than that waste of space. And the band's continued output without his mediocre guitar playing is proof enough that having a good producer and excellent drummer are far more important than that prick.
I wasn't specifically saying it's hard not to wonder about Cody, more so that it's hard not to wonder about the magic the band had back then compared to now (as some of us think). Obviously Tyler and Bryan were more significant losses than him, but there's nothing wrong with speculation. I've met the guy, he definitely wasn't my cup of tea. Hopefully he's changed since then and is doing better now. No point in holding a grudge.
I think it's relatively easy: when they have a great producer that pushes them, they're great! And if you add in a great drummer, it's even more special. When they don't, you get the more mediocre material.
He harassed me, my family, and my friends to abusive levels. At the end he was sending suicide notes he demanded I post online, over, and over, again from various sock puppet accounts.
Absolutely, that is a very logical deduction, appreciate the insight. Do you know who they worked with on this album or if they did it themselves?
that is probably one of my favorite bridges ever. And yeah, Cody sucked at guitar even, when he sold the “tab book” it was all just power chords that weren’t even right. RFTS and War Paint had the same person playing leads right? I’d imagine that’s where your songwriting went too. Also we talk plenty about AJ, but Matt going from The Graduate to whatever is happening here is kind of wild to think about too.
I think multiple things can be true here. Cody had a “style” of playing that helped define the sound of those early records, the droning guitar chords that were pretty much present on every single song and just washed over you is something that was noticeably different in the first few releases than the way the current members approach the arrangements now. but he also wasn’t near the key factor in what made those albums incredible either, largely that was on AJ and the drumming (especially RFTS), but the foundation AJ laid his relatable lyrics and impassioned vocals over would have definitely been different with another rhythm guitarist. which isn’t to say that what he did was inimitable, or hard to do, in fact his playing was rather unsophisticated and I could even argue a bit creatively bankrupt, because he quite literally used almost the same exact chords in 90% of their songs and merely changed the key via drop tuning and/or using capos. he wasn’t a great guitar player by any stretch and he didn’t seem to develop his skill or show interest in truly growing as a musician in his stint with the band. and he was a giant fucking asshole and liability and the best thing they ever did was oust him and completely sever ties. Matt could undoubtedly play circles around the dude and they’ve shown they have way more creativity in terms of arrangements and such without him. unfortunately that doesn’t mean they’re making better music now, and while one could argue that Mother Nature is a major exception to that, they’ve been pretty underwhelming for me since. this song isn’t, like, horrible from a musical standpoint. it’s mostly just there. but the lyrics are kind of abysmal. and less for the one obviously crass line and more so because the perspective, in 2022, garners absolutely no sympathy from me and makes me look sideways at AJ. no one wants to hear about sketchy fan hookups on the road with no self-reflection and no one wants to hear about how he’s a shitty partner but “maybe someday I will be better!” no time for it. it’s just far past time that men show a bit more class and empathy for the women they muse in their writings over. also the words “she lets me” rub me the wrong way too, contextually, bc it seems to imply it’s not something that’s done enthusiastically. it’s just gross and makes me think less of AJ, who I had assumed had grown considerably over the years in at least some respects. idk. in a very weird spot with this band.
Two thoughts: 1. He said literally the first thing they say down to play became the final take and, well, that’s what it sounds like, lol. 2. “The metaphor for the woman in our lives…” Uh, what metaphor?
Just saw this comment on another site about the song/lyric. Every other comment was the majority of what our comments here have been except this one. And because it’s on the internet I can’t tell / don’t know if it’s a joke post or if the person was serious lol
Stretch of the century but also I would honestly find it pretty hilarious if the lyric was intended to mean something non-sexual and none of them were smart enough to clock how it sounds.
Ever get a BJ so good you have to write a song about it? Inspiration can come from anywhere! Word is the 2nd single's demo was originally called "All I Ever Wanted Was a Chance to Blow Myself" but they thought it was too on the nose.
Kind of feel the same way. First two albums are more my thing, although I really do like the song Coming Home.