Two questions; If Timmy Mallet got stoned for ten years, would he look like J Mascis? And if you left any of Coldplay alone in a room for ten years, would they be able to play guitar like him?

The answer to the first question is quiet possibly; the answer to the second question is no.

J can play guitar like Timmy Mallet can do the wacca-wave.

For long-time Dinosaur Jnr fans, seeing J live in a solo setting is quiet the conundrum; do you want (even) less banter between songs or more songs packed into a set?  Would you give up the energetic fuzz of DJ for being able to hear his lyrics and melody clearer? Do you want to him energetically bob or would you rather get lost in his fret play when he sits still?

For each positive of seeing DJ live there seems an almost an equal positive to seeing J band-less.

The key word being almost.

For all his efforts to  create the sonic atmospheres of DJ with only an acoustic electric guitar (and a shed load of peddles), some of J’s songs don’t sound quiet as strong as they do when played with a band.  They have no right to of course, but on occasions it’s the songs that suffer.  On the other occasions his material sounds as strong as it always does.

J is excellent live, perhaps he just needs some help to adjust select the appropriate songs.  Maybe he should wait ten years then give Timmy a call?