Eins Live FsF review (with RealAudio interview)

[Bucky Ramone]

Short German review of ‘Free so Free’. If you click on the ‘Radiobeitrag vom 29. Oktober 2002’ (to the right of the picture of the FsF sleeve) you hear a short piece about the album, with some pieces of an interview with J.

[FlyingCloud]

hey, nice find dB
it’s a real interview – but those who understand the German questions & comments have more of it…
I’ll maybe try a transcription & translation, but the comments of the radio presenter are very ironic & sometimes almost unfriendly

[FlyingCloud]

I tried a transcription/translation of this radio interview

I’m not at all sure if I got J’s words right because the German presenter always babbles over them
So: if you have corrections, just add them, please!

But first, there is the written text about it on the website:

* * * * * *
Without a doubt, Dinosaur Jr. belong to most influential alternative bands of the late 80’s. The feedback thunderstorms and the monotonous singing of frontman J. Masics were the pattern for many Grunge bands of the 90’s. Since some years, Mascis is going his own ways. Under the name J. Mascis and the Frog [sic! ; FC] the American published some days ago his new album "Free so free", with many songs about – well, about what? – freedom of course. It’s questionable, however, whether the message of the lyrics reach the listeners – the vocals are partly difficult to understand. However, "the lyrics are only just an evil necessity" says the loner Mascis. "The music is much more important." Point.

* * * * * *
transcription/translation of the radio interview:

J: "I don’t know why it’s not that noisy this time, I just wanted to write more songs with tunes. I didn’t think about if it’s noisy or not"

An interview with J Mascis is like chewing gum. His replies vary between "I don’t know", "I just…", I mean…" and "I’m not sure".
His apathetic facial expression is like that of a mummy [:!:; FC]
The 36 year old singer is the tranquility in person, even desasters in his nearby surrounding don’t impress him much. He has been in New York at the time of the terror attack on 11th September. But whilst anyone in the city was in panic, J didn’t realize the situation.

J: "I was asleep. You know, it’s always noisy in New York, and I’ve been 2 miles away of it"

Anyway, on his new album J Mascis has something like a message. Many of the songs are about freedom. "Free so Free", "Set us free", "Freedom". Is there a concept or is it just coincidence? Could it be that the political situation after 11th September affected him?

J: "I was feeling claustrophobic, I guess, from the state of the world. It seemed like the end of the world comes soon. And it still does…"

for Mascis, the lyrics are only a burdonsome necessity. "You just have to sing about something" he claims. The music is much more important for the loner.
On his 3rd solo album he played all instruments himself: guitar, bass, keyboard, drums.

J: "I hope that my music is something positive for the listeners"

Well, J Mascis doesn’t look very happy himself. With long, grey hair, horn-rimmed glasses which only a comedian would wear deliberately and worn, flabby jeans, he’s sitting motionless on the chair, sipping his tea. In his other hand he’s holding a filthy shopping bag.

J Mascis doesn’t like to talk about himself and he doesn’t even like to talk with others at all. He’s living inside his own world, and also on tour he prefers to be on his own.

J: "Oh yeah, I mean, on tour others just get on my nerves. It’s enough for me to get along with my own problems, so I don’t need other people’s problems, too"

[simmons]

thanks for the great translation.

[Bucky Ramone]

Hey FC, fine translation, thanks again!

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