German Article/ Interview

[FlyingCloud]

while searching some more German show reviews, I fell over this article/ interview
from 23rd Oct :http://www.intro.de

Although it contains some of the usual clichés like "J Mascis doesn’t talk in interviews", it’s quite friendly & fair

for the Non-Germans: here’s my translation:

* * * * *

J Mascis and The Fog
Freedom will Come [ 23.10.02 ]
guitar

J Mascis is an old rabbit in the pop biz. Further, I surely don’t have to mention the Indie heroes Dinosaur Jr. As a solo artist, this year he submits his third album. But as much as his musical reputation is high, as much he is known for being a miserable interlocutor. Actually, no-one, really no-one has got any hope for a pleasant conversation with him. J Mascis is known for being difficult, without ever being unpleasantly or even maliciously. The best specialists tried it, but none of them succeeded to break through his reserve. That can be reread everywhere.

Thus the conditions are everything other but the best, when I approach the hotel in Cologne, where Mascis stays on his strenuous interview tour. And also the first impression doesn’t give any hint that he was an eloquent, witty interlocutor. Leisurely Mascis comes over to to me, pushes an ashtray down while passing it [otherwise this kind of things only seem to happen to me ; FC], he doesn’t know exactly, where he should sit down. There is a vibe of unrest, lack of interest and fear about him. Still. Despite so many years on the road.

While our discussion, it shows up quite fast that Mascis isn’t really able to answer all those questions, which touch his music. Often there comes only a "Donnow" over the glass table. He plays nervously with the provided water bottle. But there are enough reasons for him to talk about the development of the lyrics towards the "Freedom" topic, to analyze the clearer sounds of the new album "Free so Free" and to accept the compliments for songs like "If That’s How It’s Gotta Be" or "Tell The Truth". To say it clearly: Mascis doesn’t seem to be capable of that kind of analytic abstraction of his musical work, at least, however, he’s not interested it it, he’s an artist, not an intellectual, his music is speaking out of him, it answers the questions of the pain in the neck in front of him. Characteristic for this is his reply to the question about the "Freedom" aspect, which derives according to the label promotion from his new passion for skydiving: "That’s right. But that’s what came out of me, and I simply let it come and didn’t try not to rule myself. But if I would write it again, I wouldn’t say again ‘Freedom’. But it happened. A kind of unconscious writing. Simply in the tendency of… It must be in my brain… The beginnings of freedom… I don’t know." He laughs and seems surprised and amused about the amassment of this topic in his lyrics. Unbelievably, if one considers that this man is said to claim the absolute artistic control over his projects, so much that he always recorded the drums in Dinosaur times on the albums and the band member Murph who was responsible for drumming, could play the drums only live.

Mascis really knows them all, the big ones of the sophisticated guitar club such as Neil Hagerty of Royal Truxx, whose new album he explicitely appreciates, and the Queens Of The Stone Age, old acquaintances from Kyuss and Dinosaur days. Also the ex-Stooges-members Ron and Scott Asheton, who played some Stooges Tribute shows in Europe with him and Mike Watt this summer, besides others at the Pukkelpop festival, where also Guns N’ Roses played their comeback gig, which Mascis surprisingly impressed much. Or Sonic Youth, who encouraged him in their function as curators of the US-American edition of the All Tomorrows Parties Festivals 2002 to play a show in this constellation.

His studio Bob’s Place, named after his dog, is a highly frequented meeting place, where lately some members of bands with whom he’s friends with recorded some music, among them the Beachwood Sparks, for whom he recorded some guitar parts, or Jimmy Shields, the brother of the ex-My-Bloody-Valentine-Mastermind Kevin Shields [ , didn’t know that; FC], another of Mascis’ acquaintances. Also some artists out of other categories operate in his spheres, e.g. the director Allison Anders, in whose movies he is also to be seen now and then. He played a drummer in "Things Behind The Sun", in addition he recorded songs for the score of the movie, some of which are also to be found on his new record. His artistic requirement however rather shows some slackerdom with the play acting: "well, I believe that everyone would play in a movie, if they were asked. It’s simply fun. To see yourself later in the movie and to see the way it all works. It is very cool. I don’t believe that I have any talent as an actor… I only appear in Allison Anders movie"

Mascis becomes really talkative only when the conversation concerns his interests besides of music. He talks about that he saw the Skateboard documentary film "Dog Town", that he found it fantastic and that he now considers to build a halfpipe in front of his house. It comes to the point, when he’s looking at the horizon and muses about skateboarding and the pros and cons of having an own halfpipe [:!: ; FC]. On the next topic, golf (Mascis is an inspired golfer since many years), he explains very circumstantially and and thoughtful the sense and nonsense of the handicap regulation: "the handicap isn’t actually very important. It doesn’t really mean anything for other golfers, if I speak about my handicap at my course. The handicap is there to standardize all courses and all players but it does not work. If I had a handicap for my course, it would be very low, because the course is simple. If I would play against someone, who has the same handicap on another course, I would lose – just because my course is very simple. Therefore the handicap rules don’t really work."

In the end of the interview we get still another unexpected exclusive oddity: We talk about German bands, and Mascis tells us about his preference for Kraftwerk and EA80, and as we came to talk about the new album of Tocotronic, Mascis casually drops another nice anecdote from his long, hard life as a rock star: "I saw the bassist once on the beach of Jamaica. He ran down the beach, I recognized him because of his hair. He was very far away, but I’ve seen his hair running down the beach." Mistake? Bullshit? Enormous coincidence? Who wants to know that so exactly.

Mascis lives inside his own world, and here this trite cliche really fits. Because he talks about all topics with large interest, which at least touch his life circumstances – things he knows about – then he’s is always ready to give information. But surprisingly his music doesn’t belong to these topics. Nevertheless, he makes so beautiful records. In November he will come again, after a long break, to a small club tour to Germany. Mascis alone, with his acoustic guitar. A band is "too expensive" at the moment. Will be good, anyway.
Interview: Christian Steinbrink/Christian Werthschulte
author: Christian Steinbrink

[Cloud9]

Thanks A Lot Cloudy 4 Translating this

Its a great interview

[FlyingCloud]

thanks

… to get an idea of the Tocotronic hairstyle: :aliensmile:

[img]http://www.tocotronic.de/img/Wallpapers/Jan_mini.jpg[/img]

[Cloud9]

Thats A Cute Pic

[Author]

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