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Cool interview with Time Off, it looks like J heard the prayers of some fans & may bring a band with him on his next tour thru Oz
J MASCIS
Still Going Strong
When ex-Dinosaur Jr frontman J Mascis opens for Sonic Youth this month it will be the continuation of a long affiliation between the indie-rock stalwarts who between them dominated alternative music for a long period in the 80s and 90s.
“It should be cool. I’ve played with them before quite a bit,� the laconic Mascis drawls. “They took Dinosaur on our first tour in ’85 or ’86 or something when they were doing the Evol tour. We’ve played with them here and there over the years and it’s always been pretty cool.�
The last time that the two outfits played together was in April when Mascis, Sonic Youth and Sebadoh played a benefit show in Massachusetts to raise money for a charity called Community Resources For People With Austism. This seemingly innocuous gesture takes on new significance in light of the fact that Sebadoh singer Lou Barlow played bass in the early incarnation of Dinosaur Jr and was acrimoniously dumped from the band by Mascis. The event led to a bitter public feud that has been played out in press and on various records over the years. So, has there been reconciliation?
“It was the first time I’ve played with Sebadoh,� Mascis recalls. “But last winter over in England Lou got up and sang a song when I was playing with [original Stooges members] Ron Asheton and Scott Asheton. I think he did ‘1969’. We got on all right.�
Despite this apparent thawing out of the relationship it still took a good cause to unite the two for their first proper performances together since the split back in 1988.
“It was pretty good; we raised a lot of money,� Mascis says of the benefit show. “Lou’s mum runs that Community Resource thingy and she kind of put the show together. My niece has autism so my sister-in-law had been talking to Lou’s mum and she didn’t know anything about [the history between Lou and I], or that I even knew her or anything. She was just helping. So that was cool that we could raise some money.�
Mascis’s current outfit The Fog have had an overhaul recently, with new members Dave Schools (Widespread Panic) and Kyle Spence (The Tom Collins) recently joining the fold.
“I’m just trying out different people to see what happens,� Mascis explains of the personnel change. “I’ve played one gig with them so far and it seemed pretty cool. I’m going to be doing a Fog tour down the west coast of the States before the Australian tour, so I’ll be jumping from electric to acoustic. That’s fine, I like them both. I’d prefer to bring the band, but everything else about it is easier, logistically speaking, without the band.
“I had a pretty good time on the solo tour last year, but next time I come down I hope to have the band with me because obviously I think it adds something to the experience. But these shows will be fun.�
J Mascis supports Sonic Youth at Arena Saturday Jun 19.
STEVE BELL
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