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Dinosaur Jr
He's completely changed, it's like night and day," explains drummer Murph about the previously difficult-to-get-along-with guitar virtuous J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr fame. The glorious reformation of the original members of Dinosaur Jr following their bitter break up may all be the result of the inspiration of an Indian guru. Murph goes on to explain about J Mascis, "He loves that gear, he's been to India now like four times; it seems that each time he goes to India it mellows him out even more. He's really a fun guy to hang out with these days, so we can really have fun on the road together now."
When asked about what it was like 20 years ago Murph explains, "We grew up in a bizarre college town [Amherst, Massachusetts]; we had a lot of teenage angst and all the associated issues you have as a kid growing up. I think music, especially for J, was like therapy. And all three of us made this band our outlet; it was almost our coping system to just be in a band. That's why it's really enjoyable now because a lot of the issues when we were growing up as kids are gone. It clears up the haze, so we can just focus on playing and enjoying the songs. So it's better; we are a more well rounded band now."
A little known fact about J Mascis is before he was a guitar hero, he was actually an accomplished drummer. Murph explains what it was like stepping in as the drummer in such a setting. "At first it was really tough; there was a lot of competition. I would get myself a bit jealous because J started playing drums many years before I did. So he was really good at the time that I was just starting out. Nowadays, it is more fun, because we can just share ideas and I can listen to J and get inspired. But back in the early days it was kind of like being at school, because I'd have to go along to class and learn things I didn't know, I had to try really hard. Now it's so much easier and it's helped me become a better drummer in the long term. Having to work with J and Lou [Barlow, bassist] has enabled me to get really good at adapting so when I play with other people in other projects or when I just jam with a friend I'm able to really read that person really well and pick what sort of sound would be good with them and I think that's directly related to the work I've done in Dinosaur Jr."
Dinosaur Jr's new album 'Beyond' is a reassuringly loud and intense return to form. "Yeah, when we first got together it was a cool feeling, the energy was still there and alive and well," Murph says.
Initially the plan was just to play a few shows. Things went well so a tour was lined up, and then eventually they ended up recording in J's home studio. "It was a little nerve-racking at first, because I didn't really have a full picture or vision of how the songs would actually sound. We hadn't tried the songs live before we recorded them. So I had to play with a partial framework; I knew it would be good, but I just hadn't pinpointed it. J had set a basic framework of what he wanted to sound like, it was almost like paint by numbers, so when we started to first get the album together I really didn't have a clue how it was going to sound until I heard the songs in their completion. So I was pleasantly surprised at how it sounded when it was all said and done."
"The strange thing now is that the last time we played these songs was months ago when we were doing the album. So we have to relearn them now for the tour, where usually in the past you pay money to be in the studio for a month and so you have to grill it and get it down fast, so you end up sick of the album because you've heard it so many times. By the time you get on the road you are in that zone where you know the songs so well. But it adds to the freshness that we haven't really played the songs that many times together, so there is still a lot of life left in these songs. Adding these new songs into the set definitely makes playing the old songs fresher. It definitely breathes in new life for me when we play the older songs."
As well as a new album and a world tour, Dinosaur Jr are also releasing their very first Live DVD, strangely titled 'Live In The Middle East'. "I actually really like the DVD; it's mostly from Boston, there are a couple of things from England and Europe, but it's basically just one concert the whole way through," Murph explains. "It's good, it was a good performance and then there are some really great interviews at the end with Kim [Gordon] and Thurston [Moore, both of Sonic Youth] and Mike Watt [Minutemen]. I can't speak for J and Lou, but I was really pleased with how it all turned out. It's not super exciting, but for someone to get a taste of what we do and who we are, it's like going to a concert, it walks you through the set of songs. I think that's kinda cool."
So would Dinosaur Jr's next DVD release be a band documentary? "I hope not. When I saw the Metallica video I wanted to just pack up and never play music again," he laughs.
Scott Berry
Dinosaur Jr play The Gov on Fri 13 July with Leader Cheetah. 'Beyond' is out now on Liberator.
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