After fulfilling his contractual obligations to Blanco y Negro in the UK and Sire Records/Reprise Records in the US, Mascis holed up in his home studio in Amherst, MA, which he named Bob's Place after his pet bulldog. Recording 99% of the instruments on the recordings, he emerged from the studio with the first J Mascis and The Fog album, More Light, an album title inspired by Mascis' growing interest in "hugging saint" Ammachi. One of the pivotal songs on the album, "Amma Ring", is also about Ammachi. Mascis signed with Artemis Records to release the album.
To promote More Light, Mascis enlisted sometime Dinosaur Jr. drummer George Berz and former The Minutemen and fIREHOSE bassist Mike Watt. Mascis had worked with Watt several times before - most notably producing the final fIREHOSE album Mr. Machinery Operator (1993, on which he also contributed some guitar and vocal parts) and contributing guitar and drum performances to several songs on Watt's first solo album Ball-Hog or Tugboat?. They embarked on four separate tours between October 2000 and the spring of 2001, including a tour of Japan and Australia, a European tour, and two full tours of the US. The set lists would be a mix of songs from both More Light and the Dinosaur Jr. back catalog, along with a handful of Stooges songs and a version of Black Flag's "I've Had It" with lead vocals sung by Watt.
During their first European tour, Mascis and The Fog participated in a John Peel session for BBC Radio, during which the band recorded a medley consisting of Teenage Fanclub's "Everything Flows", Pavement's "Range Life", and The Ruts's "In a Rut". This session is the only commercially available studio recording of the 2000-2001 line-up featuring Watt, and, along with a later J Mascis solo session from 2002, was released on CD by the Strange Fruit label in 2003.
At some of the tour dates, the band were frequently joined onstage by former Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton, during which time Mascis and the Fog would play several Stooges classics. Sometimes the group would be joined by guest vocalists like Evan Dando and Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie; a London appearance by the Fog with Asheton and Gillespie was marred when a fan spat upon Gillespie, which provoked the singer into hitting the fan with a mike stand as the Fog and Asheton were playing, ironically, "No Fun". The Gillespie incident notwithstanding, these appearances by Asheton later led to a one-time supergroup of Mascis, Watt, Asheton, and Ron's brother and fellow Stooge Scott Asheton, which inevitably led to the reformation of the Stooges themselves with vocalist Iggy Pop and Watt replacing the late original Stooges bassist Dave Alexander.
A second European tour behind More Light was cut short when the band was involved in a van accident en route to a Swedish concert. Mascis suffered minor back injuries but rebounded from them fairly quickly and began work on the second Fog album, Free So Free, released in 2002.
In 2005, Mascis put his Fog project on hold in order to tend to other business, mainly the reformation of the original Dinosaur Jr. lineup, to coincide with the re-release on the Merge label of the first three Dinosaur Jr. albums that had previously been on Homestead and SST.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_Mascis_and_the_Fog"
Ammaring
J Mascis and the Fog Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a piece I can't undo
Remember when I really blew it
Wish I would've thought of you
Tell the Ammaring
Tell a friend
Tell the only one around who's going to know Just what to send
It's the Amma Ring
It's a smile
Saying time to come with me son
You'll be gone for quite a while
Come on now
Drifting's made a big impression
Changed the focus changed the goal
It's less and less about our reasons
It's mmore about losing control
Get the Ammaring
Get a friend
Get the only one around whose going to know
Just what to send
It's the Amma Ring
It's a smile
Saying time to come with me son
You'll be gone for quite a while
Come on now
There's the Ammaring
There you are
I don't know too much about it
But I know that your a star
Come on now
The song "Ammaring" by J Mascis and the Fog is a reflective and introspective piece that touches on themes of regret, missing pieces, and impulsive behavior. The lyrics suggest a sense of lost opportunities and a yearning for someone to make up for those missed chances. The line "There's some scenery I'm missing" can refer to the things that have been overlooked or taken for granted, and the inability to undo what has been done. The next line "There's a piece I can't undo" speaks to the irreversibility of some actions or decisions.
The singer then reflects on a moment of regret, "Remember when I really blew it," and wishes that "I would've thought of you." This suggests that there is someone who could have helped or made a difference, but was absent at the time. The chorus then repeats the phrase "Tell the Ammaring, tell a friend," which is a call to action to seek out this person or solution that could have made a difference, but is now elusive or mysterious.
The second verse speaks to the idea of drifting, of losing focus or direction, and how it can change one's perspective on what is important. The lines "It's less and less about our reasons, it's more about losing control" suggest that it is easy to get caught up in the moment and overlook the bigger picture or goals. The chorus repeats again, emphasizing the urgency to "Get the Ammaring, get a friend" and the comfort that this solution will bring.
Overall, "Ammaring" is a melancholic song that speaks to the human experience of missed opportunities, regret, and the search for answers. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but they evoke a sense of longing for something or someone that could make a difference or bring a sense of closure.
Line by Line Meaning
There's some scenery I'm missing
I feel like I'm missing something important in life
There's a piece I can't undo
I have done something that I cannot undo or take back
Remember when I really blew it
I remember a time when I messed up really badly
Wish I would've thought of you
I regret not thinking of you during that time
Tell the Ammaring
Let the Ammaring know
Tell a friend
Also tell a friend
Tell the only one around who's going to know
Tell the only person who will understand
Just what to send
Exactly what to do
It's the Amma Ring
It's referring to the Amma Ring
It's a smile
It represents a joyful message
Saying time to come with me son
Let's go, son
You'll be gone for quite a while
You'll be absent for a long time
Come on now
Let's go now
Drifting's made a big impression
The act of drifting has had a significant impact on my life
Changed the focus changed the goal
It caused me to change my priorities and objectives
It's less and less about our reasons
It's becoming more and more about losing control
Get the Ammaring
Get in touch with the Ammaring
Get a friend
Also get a friend involved
There's the Ammaring
The Ammaring is here
There you are
You have arrived
I don't know too much about it
I don't have much information on the Ammaring
But I know that you're a star
But I know that you are outstanding and special
Come on now
Let's go now
Contributed by John J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tortillas56
There's some scenery I'm missing
There's a piece I can't undo
Remember when I really blew it
Wish I would've thought of you
Tell the Ammaring
Tell a friend
Tell the only one around who's going to know
Just what to send
It's the Amma Ring
It's a smile
Saying time to come with me son
You'll be gone for quite a while
Come on now
Drifting's made a big impression
Changed the focus changed the goal
It's less and less about our reasons
It's mmore about losing control
Get the Ammaring
Get a friend
Get the only one around whose going to know
Just what to send
It's the Amma Ring
It's a smile
Saying time to come with me son
You'll be gone for quite a while
Come on now
There's the Ammaring
There you are
I don't know too much about it
But I know that your a star
Come on now
@alexandroskourtis5268
There's some scenery I'm missing
There's a piece I can't undo
Remember when I really blew it
Wish I would've thought of you
Tell the Ammaring
Tell a friend
Tell the only one around who's going to know
Just what to send
It's the Amma Ring
It's a smile
Saying time to come with me son
You'll be gone for quite a while
Come on now
Drifting's made a big impression
Changed the focus changed the goal
It's less and less about our reasons
It's mmore about losing control
Get the Ammaring
Get a friend
Get the only one around whose going to know
Just what to send
It's the Amma Ring
It's a smile
Saying time to come with me son
You'll be gone for quite a while
Come on now
There's the Ammaring
There you are
I don't know too much about it
But I know that your a star
@endlessweekend5041
sight unseen is IMO the best skate video ever made.
@ronnyreagan9320
endless weekend agreed, the soundtrack is bliss too
@FluffSweden
The scene where the Ammaring outro blends together with Caring is Creepy is amazing.
@cirocjones9886
@@FluffSwedenYES
@deepfake4021
Tosh killed it!
@AshCozey
you're not fucking wrong. Tosh def slayed his part
@kevinthekorean
My friend passed away this past week and this song has helped me remember the good times we spent together.. I love you Riley man, miss you
@josephjr
may your friend rest in peace..
@DavidLovesToSkate
Bro, been rocking this for time, I don't skate anymore, but everytime I listen to this... it puts me back and I always wonder why I quit. Skateboarding was my first love.
@goofboy247
My thoughts and feelings exactly! This song brings back such great childhood memories of skating around with old friends.