J Mascis has nothing better to do

That is not to say that the Dinosaur Jr. frontman is entirely devoid of humor or charm. As a recent interview was winding down and the reporter began thanking him for his time, Mascis unexpectedly began to loosen up. He drifted into a nostalgic memory of his youth, recalling a time when he fancied himself a mini-golf enthusiast. “I had a 3-foot putt for the win,” he recounted, describing a critical moment at a local mini-golf tournament. “That’s when I realized that I was a choker… When I was 11, I choked.” It was a formative, albeit lighthearted, crisis of confidence that led him to a life-altering conclusion: “I should maybe not do sports.” Instead of pursuing a career on the professional miniature golf circuit, Mascis chose to pick up the guitar and eventually form one of the most vital, enduring bands in alternative rock history.

While the vast majority of his 1980s contemporaries have long since called it quits, faded into obscurity, or returned merely to go through the motions on stage for a quick paycheck, the original lineup of Dinosaur Jr.—featuring Mascis alongside bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Patrick Murphy—remains remarkably active. The trio continues to tour extensively and regularly release new long-playing records packed with reliable, high-energy rock tracks. Yet, when asked about the secret behind the band’s astonishing longevity, Mascis offers no grand philosophical blueprint. Four decades deep into their career, his explanation remains characteristically unpretentious: “I guess we have nothing better to do.”

What often comes across to an interviewer as frustrating indifference might actually serve as the underlying key to Mascis’s staying power, for better or worse. Whether viewed through a creative or professional lens, his primary modus operandi appears to be rolling effortlessly with the punches and refusing to overthink his craft.

That relaxed, low-pressure philosophy heavily guided the creation of the band’s latest record, There Near. According to Mascis, the group simply “didn’t push it.” There were no grueling, eight-hour marathon sessions locked away in high-end studios. The members did not spend weeks meticulously fine-tuning individual basslines or trading complex Logic Pro sessions back and forth remotely over the internet. Instead, Mascis would arrive at the studio with fully prepared demos, and the band would immediately dive into recording. They would lay tracks down on the spot, even while Barlow and Murph were still actively learning their parts, working entirely “on the off chance that it comes together quickly.”

This same unbothered, practical approach also dictates Mascis’s choices regarding musical equipment and gear. While he openly identifies as a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to his sound, he refuses to let dogmatism get in the way of efficiency. “I am kind of a tube purist guy, but it’s just also kind of inconvenient sometimes,” he noted, explaining that he ultimately uses whatever works best in the moment. Consequently, while he still handles his final mixing and mastering processes on traditional analog tape, he handles his initial tracking in Pro Tools.

His collaboration with Fender on signature instruments follows a similarly laid-back trajectory. Rather than bogging down the design process with overly complex specifications, he prefers simplicity. “I try to, you know, do the important things that I want, but not make it too complicated… I think it’s better to keep it kind of cheap… just so people can do what they want with it.” For Mascis, the guitar neck remains the single most important element. “I’m a sucker for jumbo frets and, you know, if the neck is good and the frets and stuff, that’s the main thing. Most of the other stuff, you know, you can swap out if you want.”

However, that exact brand of lackadaisical detachment has occasionally landed the musician in controversial territory. Two years ago, Mascis released an official music video for his solo track “Old Friends” that was produced entirely using generative artificial intelligence. Speaking candidly with The Verge, he finally addressed the backlash publicly. “Yeah, just some kid did it,” he explained. “I thought it looked cool, so… Yeah, that’s dipping my toes into the… I don’t do much with videos.” After trailing off repeatedly while trying to formulate his thoughts, he ultimately conceded, “But yeah, I guess that’s a slippery slope.”

Expanding on his thoughts regarding technology, Mascis admitted that while he personally sees no legitimate artistic place for artificial intelligence in the actual creation of music, society has reached a point where the technology is undeniably present whether people like it or not. “I guess we’re learning how to deal with it,” he said, adding with dry, characteristic humor, “And hopefully it won’t kill us all.”

In fact, about the only subject capable of drawing genuinely strong, impassioned feelings from Mascis is the legendary volume and visceral nature of Dinosaur Jr.’s infamous live shows. The band’s recent, ear-splitting performance at the intimate club Baby’s All Right serves as a prime example of why audiences continue to pack venues to witness them play. “I noticed the audience too seems more desperate for something kind of reality-based,” Mascis observed, allowing a rare flash of his purist heart to show through his usual apathy. “We don’t have in-ear monitors or click tracks. We have amps and you know, just, I think some people are responding to the reality of it. Like they really need something that’s not, you know, computer-generated or something.”

He openly lamented the modern industry trend toward getting rid of stage amplifiers and relying instead on high-tech, direct-input front-of-house setups. “It’s very weird. Now, soundmen create the sound instead of capture the sound,” he argued. Of course, his profound recognition of the visceral, raw power of live music and the importance of connecting directly with an audience makes his casual indifference toward artificial intelligence seem all the more baffling to observers.

Nevertheless, Mascis remains entirely focused on what he does best. Dinosaur Jr. is currently out on the road, touring across the United States in support of their latest album, There Near, which is available now.