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"
Where'd You Go
J Mascis and the Fog Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not fine I been wastin' life missing every sign
Squeeze my mind just to ring out the last drop of sense
The last time and you told me so
You told me so
It's not wrong
Where's today Where's tomorrow been
Where's the peace I crave
Where's the life I'm in
Where's today
Why's tomorrow feel
Like a whole new love
Like a whole new deal
It's not wrong
Where'd you go I got time please take me instead
Gotta know the urgency shot right over my head
Feeling rough but I'm holding on handing you my thoughts
Getting tough but I'm full of love
I'm full of love
And it's all part of the plan
I'm not saying that I like it or understand
But I just gave you my hand
Gotta feeling that you'll take me with you again
Where's today
Where'd tomorrow go
Did it all wash out
Is there something I should know
Where's today
Why's tomorrow feel
Like a whole new love Like a whole new deal
And it's all part of the plan
I'm not saying that I like it or understand
I gotta be grateful I can
Cause I know that you'll take me with you again
The song "Where'd You Go" by J Mascis and the Fog is a reflection on the passage of time and the mysteries of life. The lyrics suggest a sense of urgency to understand the meaning behind the fleeting moments of our existence. The opening verse sets the tone for the song, with Mascis acknowledging that he has been "wasting life missing every sign." The urgency to make sense of life is captured in the lines "squeeze my mind just to ring out the last drop of sense," which suggest a deep desire to fully comprehend the world.
The chorus poses a series of questions about the meaning of life and the passage of time. The repetition of the phrase "Where's today" underscores the sense of confusion and disorientation that the singer is experiencing. The lines "Why's tomorrow feel like a whole new love, like a whole new deal" suggest that the future is unknown and unpredictable, and that life is a continual process of change and growth.
The final verse is perhaps the most telling, with the singer acknowledging that life may not always be easy to understand, but that he is willing to trust in a higher power to guide him. The lines "I'm not saying that I like it or understand, but I just gave you my hand" suggest a willingness to surrender to the mysteries of life and to trust in a larger plan. The final line, "Cause I know that you'll take me with you again," suggests an abiding faith in the continuity of existence beyond the boundaries of our mortal lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Get in line there's a message that I gotta heed this time
I need to listen closely to the message being given and follow it.
It's not fine I been wastin' life missing every sign
I recognize that I haven't been paying attention to the signs pointing me in the right direction and it's not okay.
Squeeze my mind just to ring out the last drop of sense
I'm trying to make sense of everything and understand what I need to do next.
The last time and you told me so
I remember the last time I was given advice and I didn't follow it.
You told me so
I remember being told what to do and not doing it.
It's not wrong
I understand that I was given good advice and I need to follow it this time.
Where's today
I don't know where I am in my life right now.
Where's tomorrow been
I don't know where I'm headed in the future.
Where's the peace I crave
I'm searching for inner peace and haven't found it yet.
Where's the life I'm in
I'm not sure what kind of life I'm living at the moment.
Why's tomorrow feel
I'm confused about the future and what's coming next.
Like a whole new love
I'm experiencing a transformative change in my life.
Like a whole new deal
I'm moving on to something completely different and unknown.
Where'd you go I got time please take me instead
I'm ready to go wherever the path takes me and have the time for it.
Gotta know the urgency shot right over my head
I missed an important opportunity because I wasn't paying attention.
Feeling rough but I'm holding on handing you my thoughts
I'm struggling but still putting my faith in the universe to guide me.
Getting tough but I'm full of love
I'm becoming more resilient and capable of handling obstacles with love instead of fear or anger.
And it's all part of the plan
I trust that everything that's happening is part of a bigger plan, even if I don't understand it.
I'm not saying that I like it or understand
Even though I don't like or understand what's happening, I accept it anyways.
But I just gave you my hand
I'm putting my faith in a higher power or the universe to guide me.
Did it all wash out
I'm wondering if everything I've been through or done has been for nothing.
Is there something I should know
I'm curious if there's some kind of message or lesson I should be learning from this experience.
I gotta be grateful I can
I need to focus on being grateful for what I have right now.
Cause I know that you'll take me with you again
I trust that no matter what happens, I'll always be guided and taken care of.
Contributed by Camilla G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Alexanderlee904
The drop on “it’s not wrong” builds the chorus so well
@huwhitecavebeast1972
This is such a great song, I can't figure out why it doesn't have more views considering how popular he was in the 90s.
@S44BBOI
up there with J's best songs and no1 is here : ]
@MegaMumbles
I never knew there was a video for this. Literally my favorite song of all time. Thank you so much.
@hellbilly479
Same I fucking love this song so much
@mackeydirk8643
More Light is the spiritual sequel to Green Mind.
@eclecticfranz
Super good !
@billhouse9619
it rocks it rocks and now i'm stoned
@BRUNOAZIZ
where was i whens this came out?...wtfck!!..itz amazing
@barbarusbloodshed6347
I was in front of the TV watching 2Rock on Viva Zwei and then they showed this video.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viva_Zwei
I was amazed. To say the least. From that day in 2000 to today this has been one of my favorite rock songs!