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interesting news…
http://www.winnipegsun.com/Entertainmen … 6-sun.html
Quote:Dinosaur Jr. aren’t just back from extinction — they’ve evolved.That’s the word from bassist Lou Barlow, anyway. And he should know. He’s seen it from both sides.
Barlow was there when singer-guitarist J Mascis and drummer Murph formed the group in high school in Amherst, Mass. He had a hand in creating their noisy, feedback-laden sound, which helped define ’80s post-punk and sowed the seeds of ’90s alt-rock. And today — nearly 20 years after being booted from the band as the result of a falling-out with the controlling Mascis — he’s back in the fold.
Barlow, who went on to solo success with Sebadoh and Folk Implosion but nursed a grudge against Mascis for years, buried the hatchet in 2005 and reunited with his ex-bandmates for a few live shows. That led to the acclaimed new CD Beyond, which picks up where the influential group left off a generation ago.
Now, minus some old emotional baggage, they’re back in the van and on the endless road — which is where we caught up with Barlow last week.
You must have gone into this with trepidation. After all, you and J are like a divorced couple getting remarried after 20 years. How did it go? Did you have some big, tearful, Metallica-style therapy session?
Oh God, no. I apologized to J once a long time before the reunion happened. A few years earlier, he came to a Sebadoh show and I ended up screaming at him. So I apologized for that. But other than that, there were no therapy sessions. I guess we just dropped all that stuff. So it’s like it used to be, but with all the drama taken out.
Is it just that you’re all older and wiser and calmer?
Yeah, I think so. In my case, after I was kicked out of the band, I eventually did really well for myself. So being kicked out just became part of the story and not THE story, you know? As the years went by and I found things I was happy with, grinding my axe with Dinosaur Jr. just became less important and more pointless.
Were you nervous about whether the band would sound as good?
I never really doubted it. Almost immediately, when we started playing again, I was like, ‘OK, actually we’re better than we used to be.’ I was pretty confident about that from the beginning.
Did you have to relearn the old songs or were they still up there?
It’s all still up there, it’s just that you have to trigger it. Once I listened to the records, I was like fine. And we’re doing a couple of the later Dinosaur songs, so those I had to learn. But that’s cool actually. The longer the reunion goes, the more I’m into having these songs to play rather than just the old ones. It makes it more interesting for me, and more satisfying for the fans. For people who like the band, the first three records are not the beginning and the end.
Who are the fans these days? Is it an older crowd?
No, there tons of young kids. It’s a little puzzling, I guess. But it means that the band has some longevity, so it’s cool.
Are you surprised that you had that much impact?
I always hoped that would happen. I always thought that we were good. It’s nice to know that’s true.
Is there a longer-term plan or are you taking it day-by-day?
A year from now, we’ll probably still be on the road. But J’s wife is pregnant, so he’s gonna be taking a break during the summer. So I’m probably gonna do a another Sebadoh tour.
I see that you’re opening a lot of the shows. What’s the deal?
I just wanted to do it — in particular, in places I’d never been, like Canada. It’s just me and an acoustic guitar.
You get to be in Dinosaur, you get to play solo, and you can tour with Sebadoh during breaks. It must be the best of all worlds.
It is nice, but it’s a little more travelling than I would like. Because I have a kid now, the idea that I might not want to travel as much is starting to occur to me.
You’re in the wrong business.
Oops. (Laughs).
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