Amherst, MA native and Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis caught the ire of his city after saying that it lacks any quality restaurants. After making his remarks on a podcast, Mascis has become the subject of a local campaign to highlight the city’s food scene.
Mascis appeared on an episode of the How Long Gone podcast back in January to promote his new solo album, What Do We Do Now. Speaking with hosts Chris Black and Jason Stewart, Mascis declared “There’s not one good restaurant around.”
“The pizza’s okay but it’s overly college—you know you can get chicken cordon bleu pizza, tortellinis on a pizza,” he said, with local outlet Amherst Bulletin deducing he was likely referring to Antonio’s Pizza on North Pleasant Street. The hosts pressed him further, asking if there’s not even one “faux nice restaurant that feels like a country club,” to which the guitarist replied “Of course there are restaurants, but they’re all horrible. It’s a vortex for food. It’s weird—I’ve traveled everywhere and this is like the worst food anywhere, pretty much, that I know of.” As far as what he does like, Mascis said his tastes tend toward Thai or Vietnamese—which he said the town lacks—and that the New England lobster roll is probably his favorite entree.
The Amherst Business Improvement District took J Mascis’ comments personally and was quick to issue a response. The city has already launched a ten-week campaign called “Take A Dino To Dinner” to highlight what it maintains is a thriving food culture. Diners are encouraged to stop by the Visitor Information Center to grab a toy dinosaur, then take it out to eat at a local restaurant and post a picture of it—and be sure to tag @dinosaurjr and @jmascis in addition to the restaurant, @amherstdowntown. Participants will be entered into a weekly drawing to win a $50 gift card to an Amherst restaurant of their choice.
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ABID Executive Director Gabrielle Gould maintains that the campaign is all in good fun and meant to highlight the city’s food culture and discourages locals from bashing Mascis. A lifelong resident of Amherst, Mascis recently supported his community by helping open The Drake concert venue back in 2022.
“Let’s have fun, support our small businesses and enjoy the incredible food we are so very lucky to have in downtown Amherst,” Gould said.
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