…………………………

1. They stick roses on their mike stands.
2. Their singer is named Greg Dulli, has a bobbed haircut, and loves Neil Young and the Isley Brothers.
3. No one in their hometown Cincinnati listens to rock ‘n’ roll. The Afghan Whigs grew up with funk and soul. “Having the right beat, or as you call it, groove, is very important to us. It would be an exaggeration to say that funk has a direct influence on our music, but I find black music much more interesting than white pop.”
4. They agree on Public Enemy, Ice-T & Boogie Down Productions (“Hip hop is probably the most important music of our time”).
5. Greg’s favorite film is “Great Balls of Fire”, and no one can do a better imitation of Dennis Quaid.
6. The most lasting impression on bassist John Curley was a Chuck Berry concert he saw as a teenager.
7. They love car races.
8. Up until their German tour, the band knew neither “Pretty Vacant” nor “I Wanna be Your Dog”. Their road manager convinced them to play both songs as encores. (“The pieces are very easy to play, but the Stooges & the Sex Pistols never meant anything to us, that just sort of passed us by.”)
9. Their producer is Jack Endino. “Sub Pop was the sound of ’89,” says Dulli, “now interest is starting to wane. People overlook the fact that Sub Pop is more than just grunge and Mudhoney.”
10. “Retarded” is the best Sub Pop single since “Touch Me I’m Sick”.
Sebastian Zabel