In a new interview with The Verge, Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis offered a characteristically low-key explanation for the band's four-decade run: "I guess we have nothing better to do." He described a recording process for the new album There Near that avoids marathon sessions and meticulous fine-tuning, with the band starting to record as soon as demos were ready, "on the off chance that it comes together quickly."
Mascis applies the same cost-conscious thinking to his gear. He designs signature Fender guitars with an eye toward keeping them simple and affordable, saying, "I think it's better to keep it kind of cheap." His main concern is the neck and frets; everything else, he notes, "you can swap out if you want." He mixes and masters to tape but tracks in Pro Tools, using whatever works.
The relaxed attitude extends to a controversial decision from two years ago: the AI-generated video for his solo track "Old Friends." Mascis said "some kid did it" and he thought it looked cool, but admitted, "that's a slippery slope." He doesn't believe AI belongs in music making, yet acknowledges it's here and "we're learning how to deal with it."
Notably, Mascis is far more passionate about the band's loud, analog live shows, saying audiences seem "more desperate for something kind of reality-based" and bemoaning modern soundmen who "create the sound instead of capture the sound." For business readers, the takeaway is that a low-pressure, low-cost approach can sustain a creative enterprise—but it also carries risks when new technologies like AI enter the picture.