Garden

Directed by Adelle and Lou Barlow Drawings by John Moloney Animation by Chloe Hemingway

Filmed during the tail-end of the pandemic in Massachusetts.

“Everyone seemed to want a disruption in the order of American life, it seemed necessary. Then it happened. It began as a bitter lamentation but as I was finishing the lyrics, singing over the instrumental version of the song while driving to J’s through the miles of farmland that separate his studio in Amherst and my home in Greenfield (Massachusetts), I saw a sign on a shed: Back to the Garden. I was looking for a resolution, where do we go when faced with such dramatic confusion? Back to basics, back home, back to the garden. Luckily I was able to complete the vocals and instrumentation for the song just before the quarantine.

There wasn’t a video planned for the song but since my wife Adelle and I had started making holiday ‘specials’ for my YouTube channel this past December, we thought we could knock one out for Garden. I wanted to capture the two of us holding hands on a levy overlooking a scenic bend in the Connecticut River (very close to where the first Dinosaur video, Little Fury Things, was filmed!). Adelle thought we should incorporate the whimsical paintings of Dinosaur Jr’s tour manager John Moloney. He routinely dashes off caricatures of J, Murph and I when we travel. I told John about our ideas and he thought it would be easy to video the band playing the song. So, John and Adelle quickly captured the band playing the song on their iPhones on a cold February afternoon and I edited it all together in iMovie. Then we had Chloe, the real vid expert at Jagjaguwar, put the paintings by John and Adelle into the mix, and that’s it! Thanks for watching.”

• Via Lou Barlow

Pre-Premiere Q&A with Lou

Video Summary: The video features an interview with Louis Knox Barlow of Dinosaur Jr., where he answers fan-submitted questions. Topics range from musical influences and songwriting to gear and touring experiences.

Barlow discusses his diverse musical influences, stating that he’s influenced by everything he hears, from Biggie Smalls to the Ramones. He finds it difficult to pinpoint specific influences, describing his head as a “big stew.” When asked about a song he wishes he’d written, he says he’s too overwhelmed with music to focus on what he wishes he’d written.

Regarding gear, Barlow details his use of an exotic BB preamp bass pedal for its smooth low end, which he runs through various amps, including an SVT and a Marshall. He advises aspiring musicians to be relaxed, conversational, and kind when playing in clubs.

When discussing songwriting, Barlow shares that he tries to translate his internal dialogue into songs. He names the first Ramones record as a personal favorite because of its simplicity and originality. He also recalls a favorite moment recording “Your Living All Over Me,” when he incorporated a home recording onto the album.

Barlow explains the difference in his writing process for Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh, noting that he often uses a four-string guitar tuned differently for Sebadoh. He doesn’t play video games and used a Tascam Porta One for early recordings. Currently, he is reading “Chatter,” a book about the voices in your head. He cites “Raisins” as his favorite Dinosaur Jr. song and wishes the band would play “Been There All the Time” more often live. He prefers to perform barefoot for comfort and cooling purposes.

He remembers being incredibly nervous at his first show with Deep Wound. His favorite film is “Raising Arizona,” and his current favorite bass to play is his Gibson Grabber. He’s inspired by Johnny Ramone’s strumming style and Lemmy’s prominent bass playing. Barlow prefers a higher action on his bass for richer sound and describes his unique playing style as natural, influenced by hardcore music and the need to be heard over J Mascis’s loud guitar.

He mentions his children starting school again and working on a new YouTube special with his wife, Adele. He doesn’t favor flying V basses due to their inability to be played sitting down. The hardest part of creating “Sweep It Into Space” was the limited session time. Easy Action is his favorite band to tour with. The Ramones were a huge influence, making music seem accessible. He’s never seen a ghost.

Barlow says he never set out to be a musician, it just happened through his love for hardcore punk. He trims his own hair and doesn’t mind playing with hair in his face. Deep Wound’s lost song, “Anatomy is Destiny,” remains a favorite. He prefers Godzilla over King Kong. He clarifies that he strings his ukulele like a four-string guitar, not in ukulele tuning. There are potential future Folk Implosion projects in the works with John Davis. Murph would likely win in a fist fight. His favorite food is his wife’s cooking. He finds energy by staying busy. He’s nervous about solos and doesn’t prioritize them. The first song he learned was “My Hat It Has Three Corners,” but he threw his guitar down during a performance. His first bass was a Gibson Grabber. Dinosaur Jr. sometimes has extra players to replicate the original recordings, especially for songs like “Wagon.” His best snack on the road is pineapple. Before shows, he likes to play guitar and sing to ease his nerves. Early on, Dinosaur Jr. didn’t cooperate with sound guys. He relies on his wrist for fretting hand dexterity and jokes about chia seeds. He concludes by thanking everyone and promoting his new video, “Garden.”

Bonus - John Moloney gave Lou the original paintings used for the video and he shared them via this post.