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yea, we’ve got another tune for ya’
Dinosaur Jr. interview
by donald dusinberre    imartsyfartsy@gmail.com

      If you’re a true Dinosaur Jr. fan, you’re probably already aware of their upcoming stop at the Freebird on December 1st. You’re probably also tired (or afraid) of talking about how surprising it was that J and Lou and Murph could maintain an amicable relationship for this long.
      I got a chance to speak to Murph the other day, and I found myself feeling a little uncomfortable. It’s hard not to ask the big questions – the same elephants that virtually every other interviewer is also afraid to ask. I know I’d hate to be subjected to the same tired questions every day, and I avoided a few of them, but some could not be resisted.
      Many of us want to know what the band is really like and whether it’s a true working relationship.
      “It now feels more like a band than a reunion. At first it felt like a reunion and we weren’t really sure how long it was going to last, but that was before we made the new record,” says Murph.
      Personally, I was delighted to hear those words. It makes the show more memorable, knowing that the band actually wants to be playing and making music for us. There’s something sickening about seeing a group who isn’t interested in investing their passion in being together. That’s why I’d never go see The Police. Plus, Sting is an overbearing asshole. I’ve never heard anything like that about J Mascis.
      I’ll never be able to resist seeing Dinosaur live, but this December will be the third time since they got back together, and I’d like to hear some tunes that I haven’t already heard twice before.
      “We can actually get bored with some of the material, playing it night after night,” says Murph.
      We’re certain to be treated to the new album, Beyond, in its entirety, but the biggest question on everybody’s mind is “Will they play any songs from Green Mind or Where You Been?” We just can’t avoid picking at the scabs, can we? As we all know, Lou wasn’t there for those records, and Murph wasn’t real involved, either. I wondered if time really had healed those wounds, and luckily, I gathered up enough nerve to ask.
      “We’ve started thinking about playing a few songs. J doesn’t want to dig too deep, he wants to stay within the first five albums. At first, Lou was sensitive about playing the later stuff, but after awhile, he was like, ‘Sure, whatever you want to play, let’s just play it.’”
      They’re going to give ‘Out There’ a try, and maybe a few songs off Green Mind, but probably none of the recordings that had backup singers, flutes, or anything outside of guitars and drums. I’m hoping for ‘How’d You Pin That One on Me.’
      I also wanted to know if the guys hang out when they’re not on stage. Murph explained that Lou lives in LA, so they don’t really hang when they’re not on tour, but he and J both live in Amherst, Massachusetts. J recently had a child, so Murph visits occasionally. He’ll be visiting Lou in LA just before the tour starts, sans J, in order to get that musical backbone aligned.
      Let’s hope that by December 1st, J, Lou and Murph are still in love with each other and eager to tickle our bleeding eardrums.

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