BR: Who’s playing the flute on “Make It Right”?
JM: That’s Suzanne Thorpe … she used to be in … Mercury Rev?
BR: And you’ve worked with her before, right?
JM: Yeah.
BR: Is that you on slide in the background?
JM: No. That’s Pall from Black Heart Procession.
[I look it up later: Pall Jenkins.]
BR: And the little bits of piano sprinkled through the song?
JM: That’s Pall, too.
BR: So the guitar solo on “Where Are You” must’ve been done the same way as “Is It Done”, I’m guessing?
JM: Yeah.
BR: On “Too Deep”, at first I thought you were fingerpicking, but then there’s a neat percussive thing you have going on that sounds more like you’re playing with a pick. What were you doing there?
JM: (long pause) You know … now that you mention it … I’m not sure. (chuckles) I don’t know.
BR: Well, it’s pretty cool, whatever you did.
JM: Mmmm … I don’t know.
BR: Jeez – are you playing it tonight?
JM: I might be. (chuckles) Live, I’ll play everything with a pick. I can’t really fingerpick.
BR: Wow – you do some lovely fingerpicking on the album.
JM: Yeah … well … you gotta practice.
BR: On “Can I”, there are some nice layers of guitars – who else is on there besides you?
JM: Matt Valentine.
BR: Is that your solo?
JM: Yeah.
BR: And then there’s “What Happened”. What did happen?
JM: (chuckles)
BR: I wasn’t sure …
JM: I don’t know … there was a lot of stuff going on.
BR: It’s a great way to close the album; that rhythm you get going reminds me of that old Moody Blues song “Questions”. Is there a 12-string in there somewhere?
JM: (long pause) There might be …
[“A chance for a gear question!” I think.]
BR: Do you have a favorite 12-string?
JM: Yeah. (pause) I have a new Guild. And a Martin.
BR: I’ve never owned a Martin 12-string, but I had a Guild for years. It was cheap one that just plain fell apart, but what a great-sounding guitar.
JM: Yeah.
[Now I’ve run out of album tracks and it’s time to get out of Dodge. I figure I’ll give J an opportunity to tease any future projects.]
BR: So, looking ahead at the shows you have scheduled – will they be just solo J gigs, or will you have some folks playing with you?
JM: Uhh … we’ll see. This is the first show tonight. I’ll see how it goes. I’ll have people come up … maybe.
BR: And then you’re headed down to Texas for the SXSW craziness?
JM: Yeah. (chuckles) I have, like, 20 shows in 4 days. (chuckles)
BR: And all solo shows?
JM: Yeah.
BR: Well, good luck. And how about any of the band projects – Sweet Apple or Dinosaur Jr.? Is there anything you want to get out there about projects coming up with either of them?
JM: (long pause) I don’t know … nothing in particular.
BR: Well, look – be safe in your travels, man. I’ve been enjoying listening to the new album … have some fun with it out on the road.
JM: (long pause) All right.
BR: Take care out there, man.
JM: All right.
There was a croaked noise that I interpreted as “‘Bye” and then J was gone. That was it.
I sat there for a while thinking, “I just did the worst interview of my life,” and feeling like a total loser.
But since then, listening to the playback of the conversation and occasional bursts of J music, both old and new, I’ve come to a conclusion – I wouldn’t have it any other way.
J Mascis: just as J as he could possibly be.
I’ll probably wait a couple days before trying to contact him about that Buzz the Three-Toed Sloth thing.
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