The Afghan Whigs

Well, it's, it's fascinating, isn't it, this relationship that we all have with music, whether you create it or you listen to it and love it, is that it changes shape and constantly searches, and, and the context changes around you and then reflects back on you something you didn't even know.

And I'm sure you've got many experiences of that as the band reaches its 40th anniversary.

Congratulations, by the way.

Thank you very much.

What a remarkable milestone for a band that could've just spiraled off into outer space, into blood, guts, and dust after a few years of very prolific, you know, creativity.

Mm-hmm.

And amazing to think that you've been around this long now.

I think the break-

Yeah

... was, was that, that is why I'm able to sit here today and, and, and, and go out and do those songs again and, and, and be, uh, in a band with, with John again.

You know, we, that, when, when we broke up in, whatever that was, 2000, I think, uh, um, it was, it was strange at first.

I mean, that, you know, whether you want to admit it, a- admit it or not, the, it ha- it is your identity.

Mm-hmm.

It was who you were for blank amount of years, and, and went, and, and to go try to do something else.

But that doing something else and, and learning that I could do it, and that I could continue doing what I had already done, uh, that gave me the confidence that when I was finally, when it was finally presented to me to-

Mm

... to do it again-

Mm

...

in a meaningful way, I was, I was ready for the challenge.

You know, it's interesting.

I was going over an old conversation that you had.

There's a Substack guy called Stu Berman who used to be, well, still is a journalist.

But he, he's start- he uploads old conversations he'd previously done.

And I found one of yours with him, and it was interesting because it was around '98, you know, and you'd just released 1965.