Desperate Times AI Music
Dinosaur Jr. guitarist J Mascis has a strong opinion when it comes to musicians attempting to cover the iconic Jimi Hendrix. He firmly believes that most musicians who dare to tackle Hendrix’s repertoire fail to do justice to the late guitar legend’s brilliance. In fact, Mascis is so convinced of this that he’s never even attempted to cover Hendrix’s songs.
The rock veterans from Massachusetts had already established themselves in the music scene when the early ’90s brought a significant shift in the industry. Their unique brand of alternative music suddenly found a much broader audience. It was against this backdrop that Dinosaur Jr. released their 1993 album “Where You Been,” featuring the timeless hit “Start Choppin'” and a treasure trove of exquisite guitar wizardry.
As reported by UG: On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of “Where You Been,” J Mascis recently reminisced about his most significant guitar influences in an interview with Guitar World.
While Mascis acknowledges that choosing Jimi Hendrix as one of his primary idols might seem like an obvious choice, he passionately argues that many who attempt to cover Hendrix’s work often misinterpret the guitar virtuoso. Consequently, he’s never dared to play Hendrix’s songs himself. He explains:
“Hendrix probably seems obvious, but he’s the best guitarist ever, you know? No one is ever gonna get close to him. So, he’s on the list for that reason alone. He’s an influence for all the obvious reasons, but I’ve never even tried to figure out a Hendrix song, meaning I’ve never tried to play like him. I’ll never even try to play like him. I’ve never heard a single person play Hendrix correctly. People always try to rip him off, which is one of the saddest things ever. People trying to play like Jimi Hendrix are just depressing. I mean… I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan once, and he was OK, but I don’t know… he was a bit more repetitive than Hendrix. With Hendrix, it was all in his hands. You can’t duplicate that.”
Discussing Rory Gallagher, J Mascis highlights the Irish blues-rock legend’s remarkable ability to deliver electrifying live performances with minimal equipment:
“I loved Rory Gallagher for his energy. He was like a bolt of lightning on stage, focusing all his energy on the guitar and the gig. I’ve only ever seen a video of him, but I can imagine that seeing that in person must have been awesome. His style comes out in what I do because he was a player who often thought outside the box, and some of his solos were really weird. It can be hard to understand where he came from, which is an aspect that I like. I also like that his setup was so simple. Rory played through one little amp, which was different than all these guys playing through stacks of Marshall amps. The idea of Rory Gallagher sitting with his little Vox AC30 with a treble booster appeals to me.”
