COBRA STARSHIP NEWS

“At times, Gabe Saporta overdoes the festivities, but he rarely regrets it.”

regrets are worthless…. ;) 

who write this stuff!? some of it is spot on, i have to admit.. 

although i wonder if by reading it it becomes self-fulfilling…

i don’t know if i believe in the notion that who your life is somehow preordained based on the seemingly irrelevant date of your birth… but maybe i do.

does any of this seem right to you guys? 

Gabe Saporta responds very strongly to the emotional tone and atmosphere around him, and can be dominated by his fluctuating and unpredictable moods. Saporta often appears irrational to others because he cannot always explain the reason or source of his feelings. Anyone who lives with Gabe Saporta must accept his ups and downs and appreciate Gabe’s need for times of withdrawal.

Gabe Saporta is also very sympathetic and understands the unspoken feelings and needs of others. Gabe Saporta takes slights and rebuffs very personally and though he may forgive a transgression by a friend or loved one, he never forgets it.

Gabe Saporta has a sympathetic nature and instinctively reaches out to people in need of help. Saporta also has a deeply ingrained tendency to want to improve or “fix” other people’s lives, which can be annoying to the person who has no desire to be changed or “helped” in this way. For Gabe, affection and caring must be expressed in tangible acts of some kind.

Gabe Saporta feels that little, daily acts of caring and thoughtfulness are essential to the happiness and success of relationships and he knows how to make others feel accepted, loved and cherished. He enjoys good relationships with women.

Generally sunny and optimistic, Gabe Saporta has a cheering effect on those around him. Gabe likes and needs people, and others genuinely like him too. He enjoys a wide circle of friends who are like family to him. Entertaining, partying, social activities, and fellowship are essential to his emotional well-being.

In love relationships, Gabe Saporta desires a deep, intense and passionate union with his beloved and forms very strong emotional bonds and attachments. Gabe “marries” the person he loves at a very deep emotional level, and is often extremely possessive and jealous of anyone who may pose a threat to that union. Saporta can be very demanding of his love partner. Gabe Saporta tends to be somewhat suspicious of his partner’s relationships, even if they are merely platonic. If he is ever betrayed, Gabe Saporta is capable of hating with as much force and intensity as he once loved. He is attracted to people who have an aura of mystery about them.

Saporta is a very sociable, congenial person and he wilts very quickly without relationships with good friends and people to share good times with. Gabe Saporta thoroughly enjoys working with others on group projects or community activities. He is quite happy when he is a part of a club, support group or team of some sort.

Gabe Saporta loves to laugh, celebrate and enjoy himself with his companions. Emotionally open and easygoing, Gabe considers just about anyone a friend or potential friend. His good humor and friendliness make him quite popular and well liked. At times, Gabe Saporta overdoes the festivities, but he rarely regrets it.

Butternut Squash and Fennel Soup

INGREDIENTS
2 Med - Large Butternut squashes peeled and seeded and cut into large pieces, about half the size of your palm
2 Large Bulbs of fennel - cut into Julienne
1 Large Spanish or white onion cut into Julienne
2 Table spoons of Olive oil
Half Gallon of whole milk
Salt - to taste

SPECIAL NOTE - you will need a blender or a hand blender for this!!

INSTRUCTIONS
1.In a large tall pot, on medium heat, sweat the onions until they become translucent . *** you don't want to brown at all***

2.Add the Fennel and Butternut squash, give a quick stir and then add enough milk to ALMOST cover all of it. There should be little pieces of squash poking out of the top.

3. Bring to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer (not a lot of bubbling going on) and cook for 30-45 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.

4. Add the chunky soup to a blender or use a hand blender in the same pot and puree until smooth.

5. Season to taste with salt, i prefer kosher or sea salt and remember, you will need a good amount of salt because up until here, this has absolutely no seasoning.

- - if you have it laying around, i always add a dash of Pernod (anise flavored liqueur) to really bring that out the fennel- - -

We are using Rivers from Weezer's speech about us as part of the intro that we walk out to for our live show. When we first saw this video last week, our minds were totally blown (I honestly thought it was some kind of app, or a flash program that could make Rivers Cuomo speak whatever you type). And I kept watching it. And it kept blowing my fucking mind!

It’s not the fact that’s he’s saying nice things about us (there are plenty of people who have said nice things about us—and I of course have always been deeply and sincerely appreciative of all the love we’ve been lucky to receive and have done all I can to pay it forward). But it’s the fact that one of my idols (one of the people who has written some of my all-time favorite songs, someone I grew up listening to, looking up to, and whose work has influenced not only my own work, but also my outlook on life) –not only does he know who the hell we are (which is a win in itself), but more than that: he actually likes what we do!!?

But it gets better, because not only does he likes us, but he hits the nail RIGHT ON THE HEAD! It goes without saying that our band is a bit out there; we don’t really fit neatly into any one genre. And that has always been an obstacle for us. But it has also been something we have worked towards: to separate ourselves from the rest of pop music, yet somehow finding a way to penetrate it and help shape it. And what he said in this video shows to me that he gets it. He just really GETS us!

He accurately articulates philosophies about our band that we consciously set-down as principle building blocks when we started Cobras three years ago. And I know I’m babbling, but at the end of the day, words can never truly express what it feels like to have one of the first people that you truly admired—someone that has been a constant source of inspiration; I can never fully explain what an amazing feeling it is to hear someone you revere so highly, flip the tables and praise YOUR work.

Sorry to sound like a fucking cheeseball. But this is a 1st for me. And here’s the thing:

I am one jaded-ass, cynical motherfucker. I am not impressed by celebrities. I don’t care how much money you got in the bank, and I don’t care who your daddy is. And sadly, even if a “new” Rivers Cuomo were to come out today, I feel like I may be just a bit too “over-it” to even pay attention. And please do not interpret this as me thinking that I’m better than anyone; this is just something that I see happening to a lot of us as we grow up—we begin to develop our own answers and our own world views, and we are not as reliant on our “idols” for these answers.

I mean, I still love music, but the sort of idol worship that lead me to elevate a person like Rivers or Civ or Ian MacKaye and place them atop such influential pedestals could only have really occurred in my formative years. That’s because music was the most important thing in my life when I was 14/15/16 (actually, it was pretty much the only thing in my life). When the world I thought I knew started to disintegrate, when I was slapped in the face for the first time with some of the harsher realities of the world, and when I was forced to face some of the uglier truths of my existence.

And it was at this point in my life—when my parents just didn’t get it, when my teachers couldn’t give a shit, and worst of all, when I started to realize that even my friends were not who I thought they were—it’s at this point that music became my only salvation. It’s at this point that music exuded this uncanny power to truly affect who I was and who I could become. And it was at this point that it did. Because it’s at this point that someone you don’t even know can say something that will change the course of your life, or at the very least just give you a new perspective on your struggles.

And Rivers Cuomo was that person for me. Weezer was that band for me.

And last week’s experience—to hear one of my childhood idols who helped me through some of my roughest years say that he believes in me—made me feel like a kid again. It made me feel excited in a way I haven’t felt in years!

And yes of course, it’s a bit childish. But it’s real. And it’s rare. And it’s an amazing emotion to be able to feel.

So a couple of days ago, we sound-checked our new intro (with Rivers’ audio in it) and we saw a couple of people roll their eyes. So we talked about it later on the bus:

“hey, do you think that putting that as part of our intro is too egotistical; too self-aggrandizing? Should we not do it?”

We contemplated this seriously, because despite how sassy we act, and despite how much shit we talk, or how many times I grab my crotch, we honestly all do strive for certain virtues: to be humble, modest and grateful, and to always remain normal, approachable people. And it is not an unfair criticism to say that by using Rivers’ speech as our intro we are just turning into a bunch of self-involved, self-masturbatory douchebags. After all, it’s not some great piece of musical work we wrote, or some hilarious joke; it’s just some guy talking about why he thinks we’re cool. Is that really something the entire crowd needs to hear before we go on stage?

I contemplated it thoroughly. And I could see clearly how easily the intro could be construed as us showing off. But then I thought about the guiding principles of our band:

- to not take ourselves too seriously

- to make music we love

- to crack ourselves up on stage and have an amazing time playing shows

- to shred

- to shows kids these sides of us, with no inhibition and no bullshit,

- and to spread that positivity, that carefree spirit, and to make kids have the time of their lives

And when we hear Rivers sing our praises before we go on stage every night, the rest of the world just disappears. All our problems vanish. And the only thing left before us is this amazing opportunity to play a show for kids who support us, and to show them our deepest and most sincere level of appreciation for their love. Because doing what we love, what we have been doing for 3 years straight with the help of all our fans, has somehow, bizarrely, brought us to the attention of someone who inspired us to start playing music in the first place. And that. Is. Fucking. Insane.

To hear Rivers every night before we play fills us with so many emotions: excitement, gratitude, humility, bewilderment, pride, and joy. But most of all, we hope that seeing us huddle-up together, geek-out and fanboy over our metaphorical trophy will inspire some kid in the crowd to go follow his dream. To do what he truly wants; to do it with heart, and to know that if it can happen to a bunch of schmucks like us, it can definitely happen to you.