// THE VERGE — INTELLIGENZA ARTIFICIALE
J Mascis has nothing better to do
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Dinosaur Jr.’s frontman finally addresses the AI video for ‘Old Friends.’
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Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis is known as something of a slacker guitar god. He stands stoically onstage, barely moving, as he seemingly effortlessly works through deft guitar solos and lopsided riffs. Unfortunately, Mascis has developed a similar reputation as an interview subject, quietly sitting and offering deft nonanswers.
That’s not to say that Mascis can’t be funny or charming. As our interview was winding down and I was thanking him for his time, he started to loosen up a bit. He told me about his youth as a mini golf “enthusiast.” “I had a 3-foot putt for the win” at a mini-golf tournament, he said, but “that’s when I realized that I was a choker … When I was 11, I choked.” And that’s when he decided, “I should maybe not do sports.” So, instead of becoming a professional mini golfer, Mascis went on to form one of the most important bands in alternative rock.
While most of his contemporaries have called it quits or are just going through the motions onstage for a paycheck, the original lineup of Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow, and drummer Patrick Murphy are still regularly putting out new LPs of reliable rockers. But Mascis says there isn’t any grand secret to the band’s longevity. Over 40 years deep, he says, “I guess we have nothing better to do.”
What, for an interviewer, can come off as frustrating indifference might actually be the key to Mascis’ staying power — for better or worse. Creatively and professionally, his modus operandi seems to be rolling with the punches and not overthinking things.