Now Toto May Cover Weezer

Alessandro Bosio/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Now Toto May Cover Weezer

Alessandro Bosio/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

One of the great successful grassroots campaigns in recent music history involved a teenage girl from Ohio lobbying to get Weezer to cover Toto’s 1983 mega-hit “Africa,” a song that’s been experiencing a renaissance among younger generations in recent years. Not only did Rivers Cuomo and company oblige that request — earning themselves their biggest hit in years in the process — they also teased the world by first covering a different Toto single, “Rosanna.” The whole ordeal also involved a limited edition vinyl release of Weezer’s cover via Urban Outfitters and a performance of “Africa” on Kimmel with Toto’s own Steve Porcaro.

Now it appears the hijinks will continue. Ultimate Classic Rock points out that Stryker and Klein, a pair of DJs at Los Angeles radio station KROQ, are trying to convince Toto to cover a Weezer song in response — perhaps the most momentous exchange of covers since Smash Mouth and Car Seat Headrest took a run at each other’s material. Toto guitarist Steve Lukather was apparently listening to KROQ on Wednesday when Stryker and Klein made their appeal, and he responded like so via Twitter: “Hey @KROQ and @TedStryker, we heard you talking about us on the radio. Let’s talk… soon. (DM us).”

Apparently Toto already had a Weezer cover underway before KROQ started asking for it. Last month Lukather told Variety, “Now, wait until they hear our Weezer cover we just started recording, and will be out in the next couple of months. I dig them. I was never really aware of them outside their hits, but my kids hipped me to them. They are really good, inventive and quirky, hooks for days. Thanks to Weezer for doing this. We’re thankful for the gift.”

So… “Buddy Holly”? “Tired Of Sex”? “Beverly Hills”? What’s it going to be?

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