Dinosaur Jr.’s Lou Barlow admits he is not on speaking terms with J. Mascis

The songwriter reveals that he still has a frosty relationship with Mascis

Dinosaur Jr’s Lou Barlow has admitted that he rarely speaks with bandmate J. Mascis.

The two have had a strained relationship since Mascis asked Barlow to leave the group in 1989. Tension between the pair cooled in later years leading to a reunion in 2005 which was followed two years later by the release of their first album as a trio since 1988.

But despite working together again, the relationship between the two appears to have remained frosty.

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In an interview with Bandcamp Daily, Barlow revealed that him and Mascis are “not chatting”.

“J. makes me laugh. He’s incredibly dry and has a pretty harsh sense of humor that I enjoy. But we’re not chatting,” he admitted.

“I don’t really have friends in general. I never have. I didn’t go to college and didn’t have friends in high school. I live a very domestic life. My family is the epicenter of my life. Literally everything I do is either write songs and play music, or I’m immersed in my domestic life. I don’t think I’ve ever said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go out tonight and hang out with the guys!’ Music is the glue for my relationship with J. and 90% of the male friends I’ve ever had,” Barlow added.

Drummer Emmett “Murph” Murphy, the third founding member of the group, said that he often has to serve as a mediator.

“It’s so funny, because J. and Lou still rarely talk to each other. Once in a blue moon they’ll send an email, but if we’re going to practice or get together, I’m always the go-between. J. will text me asking, ‘Do you want to see if Lou will do this?’ He rarely will text Lou and vice versa. I’m happy to do it, and basically I have accepted that as my role. It’s funny, because when I’m in the middle of it, it seems deadly serious. Looking back, I’m like, ‘That’s a total Spinal Tap moment’,” Murphy said.

Dinosaur Jr. will release their new album ‘Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not’ tomorrow (August 5).

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NME’s Stuart Huggett gave the album 3 stars, writing: “Despite its dips, there are plenty of strong reasons here to keep Dinosaur Jr from extinction”. Read the full review here.
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