Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli on feminism, grunge legacy and new album

Greg Dulli, the charismatic frontman of the Afghan Whigs, sat down in a London hotel bar to discuss how the band’s sound and ethos have shifted over four decades. While the group rode the post‑Nirvana wave into mainstream awareness, Dulli insists their music has always been rooted in soul and funk, using distortion only to cut through the volume of drummer Steve Earle’s heavy playing. “Any kind of jangle wasn’t going to work,” he said, recalling the early decision to lean into gritty guitars.

The lyrical content, Dulli explained, draws from Motown‑era storytellers like Holland‑Dozier‑Holland but twists those influences into darker narratives of co‑dependent love, betrayal and inevitable consequence. He described his songs as “acknowledging consequence more than dealing in judgment,” a perspective shaped by personal loss – his father was the youngest of fourteen children and several uncles died while Dulli was still young. Those early experiences, he said, gave him a direct line to themes of sorrow, loss and loneliness that still surface in the band’s work.

After a long hiatus, the Afghan Whigs returned with Soft Control, an album Dulli believes stands shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the 1993 breakthrough Gentlemen and the 1996 concept record Black Love. The new material blends the band’s signature bleak funk with modern production, offering a fresh take on the “arch romantic dysfunction” that defined their earlier output. Dulli also touched on his personal evolution, noting that confronting the male ego in his lyrics forced him to learn “how to be a feminist.”

The interview also highlighted how industry figures, including a surprising nod to pop star Usher, helped facilitate the band’s reunion, though Dulli kept the focus on the music rather than the mechanics of the comeback. As the Afghan Whigs look ahead, Dulli remains committed to exploring the darker corners of human emotion while embracing a more inclusive outlook.

Original reporting: The Guardian.