In Conversation: J. Robbins of Jawbox
In his work with Jawbox, J. Robbins found a way to make "difficult" music almost-easy listening. For his second solo album, he simply wants to show you who he is.
My first interview with J. Robbins, exactly 30 years ago in February of 1994, did not go well. Or at least that’s what I thought when we were in the middle of it: Following an innocent opening question about his first crush, the legendary Jawbox frontman became increasingly defensive and almost gleefully combative. When I got home to transcribe the interview, however, I realized that J.’s honest reaction—as frustrating as it was—also worked to tell us more about who he was and where he was in his life than most interviews ever could with words. It somehow became one of my favorite moments in the history of the zine.
Much has changed since we met on that day: He survived the major label ringer, built a storied career as a producer, found love, and eventually became the proud father of an incr…