J Mascis

他是傳奇樂隊Dinosaur Jr.的主唱兼吉他手J Mascis，八零末期美國獨立搖滾的掌旗者之一，地位足以與Pixies的Frank Black，Sonic Youth的Thurston Moore平起平坐。
年輕時的J Mascis長相俊美，曾以這副模樣登上雜志封面，不知擄獲了多少Indie Girls的芳心。九零初期樂評甚至以:"Is J Mascis God?"來形容他的影響力，可見他的確曾叱吒一時。但為何才過了十年光景，J Mascis的長相已與過去難以聯想，我們不得而知，也許酗酒或縱欲是原因之一。但可以確定的是，他與高中好友Lou Barlow組成的Dinosaur Jr.，其影響力與故事性同樣令人瞠目結舌。
Dinosaur Jr.在八零結束前發(fā)行的三張專輯Dinosaur、You're Living All Over Me與Bug，皆深遠影響了九零以降的Grunge運動與Indie Rock風潮，堪稱后進樂隊的寫歌藍本。Village Voice樂評人Ken Switzer替他們的音樂下了絕佳的注腳:"Dinosaur Jr.'s songs lured listeners with gorgeous melodies and then assaulted them with noise."。簡單來說，Dinosaur Jr.綜合了Pixies的甜美吉他曲調與Sonic Youth的殘暴噪音聲線，將它們玩弄得更為精準流暢，卻又不失年輕的硬蕊精神。
論譜曲能力，Dinosaur Jr.寫出悅耳調子的功力與Pixies并駕齊驅，尤其第二張專輯You're Living All Over Me更是公認的吉他音樂經典作，幾乎每首歌都能讓人跟著合唱。如果想聽令人頭皮發(fā)麻的噪音音墻，J Mascis摧殘吉他的手法與Thurston Moore相比簡直不遑多讓，在力量上甚至更為兇猛。以團員自己的說法，Black Flag、Black Sabbath、M?torhead與Birthday Party都是影響Dinosaur Jr.音樂養(yǎng)成的重要因子，甚至早期R.E.M.的Jingly Guitar在他們寫歌的結構里也帶來了豐富的靈感。
然而第三張專輯發(fā)行后，J Mascis與Lou Barlow的關系已走入水火不容的地步。曾是高中好友的他們，憎恨彼此的程度只能以匪夷所思來形容。他們拒絕與對方交談，表演時不看對方一眼，J Mascis甚至于某次現場演出時在舞臺上用吉他敲了Lou Barlow的頭，雙方差點大打一架。1989年某天Lou Barlow接到J Mascis電話，通知他樂隊準備解散；但隔天Lou Barlow卻在MTV News上得知J Mascis與鼓手Murph另外找了新的貝斯手加入樂隊。
Dinosaur Jr.根本沒有解散，只是Lou Barlow被難堪地踢出去了。
於是新陣容的Dinosaur Jr.持續(xù)發(fā)行專輯，而Lou Barlow也自組樂隊Sebadoh。此時Dinosaur Jr.已成了J Mascis一人掌權的獨裁體系，新作乏味無趣，不論人氣或影響力皆劇烈下滑。反觀Sebadoh卻擁有相當好的口碑，Lou Barlow的個人發(fā)展顯然比老隊友好上太多。
故事寫到這似乎該結束了。但與Mission of Burma、Iggy Pop & the Stooges、Gang of Four、Pixies、Slint與New York Dolls等樂隊一般，Dinosaur Jr.于去年宣布復合，從年頭巡迴至年尾。
復合的動機值得玩味。今年初獨立名廠Merge重發(fā)了Dinosaur Jr.最早的三張經典專輯，均收錄了Bonus Track甚至是Music Video，因此這次復合巡迴可說是舊作重發(fā)的Promotion Tour。但團員接受訪問時又意有所指的表示:"It's so hip to be in a band now, it's like a fad or something, and it bums me out. It seems like mediocrity is OK now. I just wish people would be better, or if they weren't better, that they wouldn't play."翻譯成白話中文就是:“你們這些玩團的年輕臭小子，老大要回來教你們幾招了。”
臺上的Dinosaur Jr.談話很少，只是一首接一首幾乎不間斷地表演著。J Mascis瘋狂拉著吉他搖桿、用力踩著腳下的效果器，配上他滿頭甩動的銀白長發(fā)，很像武俠小說里描寫的絕代高手?？此粕畈夭宦?，但真要發(fā)起功來，那雷擊般的吉他音波可是連遠在東側的第五大道都聽得到。Lou Barlow與Murph也各自埋首于自己的樂器里，稱職扮演著支撐的角色。
短期內Dinosaur Jr.不準備譜寫新曲，這是正確的決定。畢竟一開始創(chuàng)作，只怕團員間理念的不合又要浮上臺面。還是先以巡迴賺飽荷包要緊，未來的事就留給未來解決吧。
Best known as the remote frontman of the influential indie trio Dinosaur Jr., J. Mascis was also an occasional producer and film composer. Born December 10, 1965 in Amherst, Massachusetts, he first emerged as a member of the hardcore unit Deep Wound, founding Dinosaur in 1984. Over the course of acclaimed LPs like 1987s Youre Living All Over Me and 1988s Bug, the group emerged among the most highly regarded in alternative rock, with Mascis creaky, Neil Young-like vocals and monolithic guitar leads becoming primary influences on the burgeoning grunge movement. The group temporarily disbanded in 1989, largely to allow the legendarily non-communicative singer the opportunity to dismiss bassist Lou Barlow, who went on to form Sebadoh; in the meantime, Mascis sat in on drums with a series of bands, among them the Velvet Monkeys and GobbleHoof, even producing the latters eponymous 1990 LP. Upon re-forming Dinosaur Jr. in 1991, he scored Allison Anders independent film Gas Food Lodging a year later, making a cameo appearance in the picture itself; he and Anders became regular collaborators in the years to follow, most notably on her feature Grace of My Heart. In the meantime, Mascis also produced records for pals including fIREHOSE (Mr. Machinery Operator) and Tad (Inhaler), and in 1996 issued his solo debut Martin and Me. After 1997s Hand It Over, Dinosaur Jr. disbanded. Keeping on with his personal musical eclecticism, J. Mascis and his new outfit The Fog issued More Light in fall 2000. Featuring appearances from avant garde guitarist Kevin Shields and Guided By Voices vocalist Bob Pollard, the record was a fine return to form that excited Dinosaur Jr. fans who had been disappointed with his acoustic record. A tour with Elf Power followed, featuring longtime friend Mike Watt on bass and Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton at several tour dates. It was his riff-heavy jams with Asheton and Watt that inspired much of the music he started writing for his follow-up, as well as several skydiving experiences. When he stepped back into the studio, he kept the guest appearances down to a minimum and recorded Feel So Free for a 2002 release.