Editing Jason Cropper (section)

===Weezer===
Cropper was the original rhythm guitarist for Weezer, and as such was present at the band's first official band practice on February 14, 1992. He recorded on the band's first three official demo tapes prior to their signing to [[Geffen Records]].

During the recording of their debut album, ''[[The Blue Album (Weezer)|Weezer]]'' (aka ''The Blue Album'') in 1993, Cropper learned that Amy Wellner, his girlfriend in Los Angeles, was pregnant. The ramifications of this news started affecting Cropper's personality and disrupting the band's working environment. When Wellner showed up unannounced in New York with no place to stay, [[Rivers Cuomo]] considered it the final straw and informed Cropper that he had to leave the band.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phawker.com/2014/10/02/excerpt-the-complete-oral-history-of-weezer/|title=EXCERPT: The Complete Oral History of Weezer|last=Valania|first=Jonathan|date=2014-10-02|work=Magnet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701140036/http://www.phawker.com/2014/10/02/excerpt-the-complete-oral-history-of-weezer/|archive-date=2018-07-01|url-status=dead|access-date=2017-10-27}}</ref>  Weezer collaborator Karl Koch said: "He wasn't handling it well ... he always said he was fine, and then 20 minutes later he'd be up on the roof of [[Electric Lady Studios|Electric Lady]] screaming or something."<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.phawker.com/2014/10/02/excerpt-the-complete-oral-history-of-weezer/|title=EXCERPT: The Complete Oral History of Weezer|last=Valania|first=Jonathan|date=2 October 2014|work=Magnet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701140036/http://www.phawker.com/2014/10/02/excerpt-the-complete-oral-history-of-weezer/|archive-date=1 July 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=22 May 2019}}</ref> According to Cropper, lead singer Rivers Cuomo told him he could not allow him to jeopardize the band's work and asked him to leave.<ref name=":0" /> He was replaced by guitarist [[Brian Bell]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/weezer-blue-album-25th-anniversary-877089/|title=The Strange Birth and Near Death of Weezer|last=Hiatt|first=Brian|date=2019-08-28|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-29}}</ref>

In 2014, Cropper said Cuomo had made the right decision,<ref name=":0" /> later remarking that he felt "weird to be this generation's [[Syd Barrett]] or [[Pete Best]]. But it's pretty cool too."<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Parker |first=Lyndsey |date=2019-05-09 |title=Only in dreams: Meet the founding member who became the 'Pete Best' of Weezer |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/only-in-dreams-meet-the-founding-member-who-became-the-pete-best-of-weezer-164724591.html |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=[[Yahoo Music]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2019, he said he believed Cuomo fired him mainly because of his relationship with his girlfriend, who visited the band while they recorded in New York, defying Cuomo's "no-girlfriends-while-we’re-recording" rule.<ref name=":1" /> Bassist [[Matt Sharp]] said the decision was not triggered by a single event, but instead a series of "tiny infractions" that threatened the band's chemistry. Cuomo felt that if they were going to change the band, they had to do it before they released their first album and shot the album cover.<ref name=":1" /> Cropper received a credit on "[[My Name Is Jonas]]" for writing the intro.<ref name=":1" />

The song "Jamie", featured on the 1994 ''[[DGC Rarities, Vol.&nbsp;1]]'' compilation, was recorded in 1993 and features Cropper on guitar and backing vocals. Prior to the expanded deluxe edition of ''The Blue Album'' in 2004, this was the only Weezer track released to feature Cropper on guitar and backing vocals.

Despite being fired from the band, Cropper has remained friends with the other members of Weezer and attended Rivers Cuomo's wedding in 2006.<ref name=":2" />