Now that every member of Dinosaur Jr is over 60, our relatively relaxed tour schedule makes cool sense. I’m not listening to the ‘need to do more shows!’ voice any more. Mike Watt said “if you ain’t playin you’re payin” but I can’t think about that. Exhaustion kicks hard over 60. It manifests, for me, as depression, the feeling that I am not just tired, I’m tired of -everything-. It’s scary.
On this tour, a 23 day, 16 show jaunt , the days off are hitting just right.
In the early morning of a day off I’m lucky to find a hotel room key waiting for me on the bus front ‘lounge’ table. We will return to the mothership just after midnight for the drive to the next city, so I waste no time getting supplies from the bus fridge and stuffing my backpack full of protein and cheese. I’m giddy thinking of my day locked away. My heart beats a little faster as I enter the hotel lobby and head to the elevators. Even after all these years, I don’t take it for granted. This may be my last single hotel room, ever. Who’s to say? The key may not work, the tour may be cancelled the second I enter the room (it’s happened!). Once inside, I ‘set up shop” and disappear. I disappeared so completely for the initial hours of a recent hotel stay that poor Adelle thought I had died. I would not be the first bass-player to die in a hotel room. I reassure her that I am not fond of illegal stimulants, powerful sedatives or dangerous hobbies.
(Tomas is our tour manager)
Once I achieve a level of wholesome relaxation unknown to me after days of fractured sleep in the bus coffin/bunk and the endless shared spaces, I reanimate and consider what really needs to be done.
I’m currently learning to use this AKAI MPC Sample. The MPC changed the face of music decades ago and I’m finally coming around to it. It’s easier to use now because it has evolved from a bulky thing to a cute little toy with pre-sets. I like easy to use, small instruments. I’m most comfortable playing baritone ukuleles and Mustang (short-scale) basses. The music I make is small-scale. I titled my first cassette Weed Forestin’ (1987) in direct comparison to the mighty forest mazes that J was growing back then.
Adelle and I recorded a podcast the day I took this picture. I play the MPC a bit, the first samples I managed to capture and edit. Check it out.
Above, two drafts (of dozens) of a tee shirt design for my 60th Birthday Variety Show. I’ve been quiet on the ‘stack and not posting much on social bleedia but that doesn’t mean nothing’s going on. Quite the contrary! Do you know about this event? On August 7th Adelle and I are hosting a crazy show with family, friends and some of my favorite artists playing short sets. Jeffrey Lewis and Adam Green are coming up from NYC!
I have definitely bit off more than I can chew trying to do Deep Wound and Eric Gaffney tributes during the show (never mind a smattering of my own tunes and covers) but, whatever. I hope the whole thing is teetering on the edge of chaos the whole time. It’s already sold out -BUT- for some of you generous paid subscribers to our humble and often inactive Substack, arrangements can be made. Meet me below the paywall!
The 30th anniversary HARMACY reissue is happening!
(notebook sketches and tape spelunking for reissue ideas)
After months of sifting through audio and pics, amending and adding artwork, sorting out details of when we did what and how, the HARMACY double vinyl/CD reissue is officially ready for production.
I was of the mind that the world didn’t need any more Harmacy. I assumed it was still crowding used LP bins and low stakes Ebay auctions. Sub Pop and y’all convinced me otherwise. I didn’t think revising every detail of the record was necessary either, but it was. We touched up the masters, I hand re-wrote most all the titles and credits (it looks exactly the same as the original!). I made a HARMACY timeline comic. Jake and I approved a most all entirely unreleased disc of radio sessions, a home demo, and tasty excerpts from a suprisingly rockin’ live show. It’ll be available just in time for Christmas. I’m shocked at the level attention I gave to this project considering how stubbornly ambivalent I’ve been about it. Reconsidering HARMACY took me to some interesting places. More on that later (stay tuned for a series of HARMACY themed RAW Impressions episodes).
(WTF?)
6 months ago (when I started work on the HARMACY reissue) if you were to ask me if One Part Lullaby by The Folk Implosion would ever be re-released I would have said, without hesitation, “Nope never, no one cares, boo hoo etc. etc.” but then I got this e-mail:
Within a week the vinyl re-issue was in swing! With an extra track even..
Order the LP now, it ships from corporate HQ on August 5
If you wanna wait a little longer, Adelle and I are getting a pile of ‘em to sell from the Barlow Family General Store. This is one of a very few regret-free records I’ve done. Meaning: I don’t hear anything I want to change when I listen to it. I’m happy it didn’t disappear. We should do a RAW episode about it soon. There’s a lot to say.
One last bit of info: Dinosaur Jr’s new LP There Near is coming out in late August. The second single is my song Blowin’ Up and it’s streaming NOW. Like Garden from Sweep It Into Space, Blowin’ Up features J on bass and a drum beat he and Murph devised. This is the second record where I asked them to work together on drums for my songs. It works well because Murph looks to J for drum ideas and J has really good drum ideas. When J validates Murph’s drum choices Murph plays with confidence and strength. It’s -maybe- more work for them and not something I wanted to bother them with in the past butI’m glad I pushed past that. I’m glad we’re still open to new things.
Blowin’ Up starts with a phrase I’ve been repeating to myself since I first heard it. In 1986 I was working at the Westfield Manor nursing home as an orderly. There was a cantankerous patient named Gert who didn’t like me much. Whenever I’d enter her room, she’d slap her hands sharply and exclaim “I don’t want you here! You’re about as dumb as they come!”. I share her exasperation these days. But I’m weary of societal cruelty and stupidity not a 20 year old changing my bed pan. We are living in an unfolding tragedy and I’m always wondering when shit’s gonna get really, really, really bad.
here’s the way I printed out the lyrics on the day I went to J’s to do the vocals:
When are we blowing up
U’ve waited so long
U wanna to see blood and guts
C’mon
yr bout as dumb as they cum
Telling stupid stories everyday
Someone who loves u should speak up
And tell u to mind yr own teacup before breaking mine
When are we blowing up
you’ve waited too long
U want to see blood and guts
c’mon
nothing quite as bad as a bored edge lord
The dreaming and the scheming get so dark
Maybe u need a vacation where doctors are saving yr patience
How bored are u
When are we blowing up
we’ve waited too long
wanna see blood and guts
c’mon
When did the faith break the faithful
The father the son and the death cult
Oh god bless you
When are we blowing up
U waited so long
U want to see blood and guts
c’mon
are you a paid subscriber and want to go to the Variety Show on August 7th?
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