Matt Sharp
The melodic bassist who shaped Weezer's geek-rock heart before launching his own synth-pop spacecraft, The Rentals.
Born 1969 (age 57)·American musician·Birthday: September 22·Generation X
Biography
Matt Sharp's contribution to alternative rock is a study in influential duality. As the original bassist and co-founder of Weezer, his melodic, propulsive lines on songs like 'Say It Ain't So' and 'The Good Life' provided the emotional backbone for the band's iconic 'Blue Album' and 'Pinkerton'. His stage presence, often clad in thick-rimmed glasses, cemented the band's bookish aesthetic. Yet, driven by a love for Moog synthesizers and new wave, he simultaneously built The Rentals into a distinct entity. The project's 1995 debut, 'Return of the Rentals', with its infectious single 'Friends of P.', was a left-field hit built on fuzzy keyboards and harmonies, proving Sharp's songwriting vision extended far beyond bass grooves. His departure from Weezer in 1998 marked the end of an era, but he has continued to explore wistful, synth-driven landscapes with The Rentals, maintaining a dedicated cult following.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Matt was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Matt Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Matt's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded Weezer and played bass on their multi-platinum debut 'Weezer' (The Blue Album) and the influential 'Pinkerton'.
- Founded and fronts the synth-pop project The Rentals, whose debut album 'Return of the Rentals' was a critical and commercial success.
- The Rentals' song 'Friends of P.' became a defining alt-rock track of the mid-1990s and reached number 9 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Did You Know?
He named his band The Rentals because he felt like a 'rental' himself, moving between Los Angeles and New York.
Before joining Weezer, he worked in a comic book store.
The distinctive backing vocals on early Rentals records were provided by singers Petra Haden and Rachel Haden of that dog.
“The bass line is the heart of the song, not the decoration.”
