By Olly Constantine,
Staff Writer,
Media Editor.
Most teachers have interesting and unexpected stories to tell if you take the time to ask them about it. For example, before she was an English teacher at Santa Rosa High School, Christine Ando was invited to join the band that would some day become Weezer.
During her senior year at Santa Rosa High School, Ando befriended a student named Jason Cropper: “He joined us in the class of ‘88-’89; he was new that year and came from Oakland,” said Ando. Post graduation, Cropper moved to Los Angeles, California to join the band called 60 Wrong Sausages which would eventually evolve into Weezer.
In the summer of 1991, Ando and a group of friends went on a road trip to Mexico to see the total solar eclipse. On their drive back home, they stayed with Cropper and his roommates for a night in Santa Monica, California. At the apartment, she met Cropper’s bandmates: Patrick Wilson and a man who introduced himself as Winky. “I’m not entirely sure, but I think that [Winky] was Rivers Cuomo,” said Ando.
The next day, Wilson showed her an upright bass that his grandfather had built, similar to a cello. “I was like, ‘Oh, I’m a violinist,’ so I started playing around on it,” Ando explained. While she was playing the bass, Wilson got a phone call from Winky, who, after hearing Ando play, offered her a place in the band. She was a bit taken aback at first, especially because Winky seemed serious about her joining the band.
In the end, she didn’t take Winky’s offer. She was attending the SRJC and wasn’t sure that the rock and roll lifestyle was something she wanted to pursue. Teaching was also something that she felt very passionate about. “I have aptitude, but not passion for music. I can do it and I had a lot of fun with my friends, but what I do now is the thing I can be interested in everyday,” said Ando.
Though Ando doesn’t keep in contact with him much anymore, Cropper remained in the band during the early stages of Weezer and even received writing credit and royalties on their first album. Eventually, he dropped out of the band shortly before their first album became a hit.
Sometimes teachers have the most interesting stories; all you have to do is ask, and you may find out that they almost joined a famous rock band.
