Lou interview

[built_to_spill]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu … 38789.html

Dinosaur Jr. reunion tour feels good, bassist says
by Regis Behe, Tribune-Review
Tuesday, November 20, 2007

There’s a misconception that Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis and Lou Barlow are bitter rivals.

Nothing could be further from the truth. While Barlow and Mascis don’t have much to say to each other, it’s not because of any personal enmity

"It’s not even about not being able to stand each other, and not getting along," says Barlow in advance of Dinosaur Jr.’s show today at Mr. Small’s Funhouse Theatre in Millvale. "It’s just about personal chemistry. Do conversations start when you’re talking to a person, or do they not? And that doesn’t necessarily mean you dislike a person, or you’re both at odds, or don’t have the same goals. It’s just that the personal chemistry is not there."

More importantly, bassist Barlow, guitarist and vocalist Mascis and drummer Emmett "Murph" Murphy have a unique musical alchemy. From the group’s first releases in the 1980s through a new album, "Beyond," Dinosaur Jr. has projected a musical loopiness that is simultaneously endearing and affecting. Perhaps it’s Mascis’ slacker vocals or the way his riffs defy gravity, time and space. Perhaps it’s the way Barlow and Murph soldier along, providing the bedrock for Mascis’ otherworldly excursions.

Barlow says he and Murph are able to shape the sound of Dinosaur Jr. "as much as we ever have. I did two songs on the record ("Back to Your Heart," "Lightning Bulb" ) and with those songs I tried to add some of my ideas of how I wanted to write songs within the band’s sound. With J., he’s pretty strict about what he wants. He wants what he wants. I never really deviated from that in the beginning, and I wouldn’t do it now."

The only deviation was more of a separation. In 1989, Mascis told Barlow the band was finished, then almost immediately restarted the group without him. Barlow formed the influential indie group Sebadoh, which turned out to be an almost 180-degree turn: Low-fi and spare compared to Dinosaur Jr.’s guitar-driven bluster. Another Barlow project, Folk Implosion, emerged bluesier and funkier and yielded a hit single, "Natural One," that was featured in Larry Clark’s 1995 film "Kids."

"Beyond" came about after Mascis invited Barlow back for a reunion tour in 2006. Recording a new album seemed to be the next logical next step.

"If we were to continue and continue to have fun, we’d need new stuff to chew on," Barlow says. "When I heard J. wanted to work on demos, I said, ‘Of course.’"

Returning to Dinosaur Jr. required Barlow to return to bass after playing guitar in Folk Implosion, Sebadoh and his ongoing solo projects. But there’s little, if any adjustment required.

"It makes my brain work much better if I challenge myself to do things like that," Barlow says. "If I don’t complain about it, it’s even better. When we started this reunion, I went from an acoustic solo tour into a Dinosaur tour. And you know, it was pretty cool. To me, it feels good. I feel like I’m stretching myself. To be able to be a musician, you’re pretty … lucky anyway, so you might as well challenge yourself as much as possible. For me, the easiest way is to just answer the call. If I get a call from Dinosaur, OK, I’ll do that. Jason (Loewenstein) and I are still talking about doing stuff with Sebadoh. So yeah, it’s just about following things through."

"musical loopiness"?

[Jeremy]

Dear God,

How are you? I’d really appreciate it if there is an awesome new Sebadoh record somewhere down the line. We got a new Dinosaur Jr record, how about Sebadoh too?

Your friend,
~Jeremy~

[weezerfreak942]

its cool that J n Lou aren’t at each others throats.

[Author]

Posts