DIARY: Hanging Out With the Afghan Whigs, 1994


From the Diary of the Backstage Rider

A note. I love the Afghan Whigs and they remain one of my most favourite bands. When I started BSR, I decided to share snippets and moments from my life in and around music and the musicians who made it. This diary entry is to show you what my life was like in the 90s, when I was a naive but cocky kid trying to navigate a lot of backstage parties. It’s not meant to judge or incriminate, and I kind of miss those days. These days the members of the Afghan Whigs are all fine, upstanding citizens. This was just my experience during one moment in time, and I don’t think it’s any secret that the Whigs liked to party during that time. So I thought I’d share it.

Saturday March 2, 1994, 4:25am

“Out at Lee’s Palace tonight to see the Afghan Whigs.

Greg Dulli, Afghan Whigs, MikalaT photoI was taking shots up at the front and stayed there in the front row, noticing the cute drummer. Made life-affirming and brilliant eye contact/smiles with Greg Dulli and Steve Earle (the drummer, and yes, he also has the same name as The Dukes and….) They were SO suave, cool. After the show (’cause I couldn’t pass on meeting them after all the smiles), I went to wait to chat. Hung around backstage in there, and Greg, bleeding from a cut from a hole he tried to put in his belt, gave me a beer. “What’s your name?” he asked. “Mikala? That’s a beautiful name.” I ended up discussing reporting and photography with their bassist John Curley and just laughed and chatted with them.

BACK TO THE HOTEL
After we got kicked out of the backstage, I was invited with them and we all headed to the Town Inn hotel on Church – me, the band, Jennie Punter (the music writer, and she was drooling over Greg) and MCA Greg [a promoter friend]. Jennie was so trying to snog Greg, but he and I had a good pillow fight in the van. The black one was Greg’s and had stains on it. I made a joke about it having “white stains” on it. Greg was tickled by that. “Oooh, you’re so bad,” he said.

At the hotel, Steve, two other guys and the band’s techs were watching porn on the TV and they were smoking a joint. Immediately there, Steve pulls out a bunch of white powder and puts it on the table.

He shows me his drivers license and started telling stories about going on a Burger King bonanza and hanging out in Amsterdam’s red light district.  [Editor’s Note: I was pretty naive  and didn’t know what he was pulling out a card for. I thought “why the hell are you showing me your driver’s license?’]

I’m also thinking: I’m the only chick here, with, like six guys. What the hell am I doing?

John Curley, Afghan Whigs, MikalaT photoBut my instinct said to relax (it helped that MCA Greg was there) so I did. They both asked if I wanted some and you know, of course, I said no.

TJ HOOKER AND BOOBS
Anyways, we were watching TJ Hooker. “I really miss her  boobs.” said Steve about his girlfriend. “I love them. I love women. (To me) Thank you for being a woman.” But then they decide to leave the hotel and were gonna head to a boozecan on King Street. Didn’t think it was a great idea considering how wasted everyone was and would get, so I called a cab and said goodbye. Steve hugged me and said:

“Nice to meet you and thanks for being an inspiration to me tonight. You know, I don’t normally look at people in the audience but I was drumming and looked up and saw you and you made me smile tonight.”

Awww. \m/


3 responses to “DIARY: Hanging Out With the Afghan Whigs, 1994”

  1. I seen Greg in Philadelphia touring on his own. I was suppose to meet him after the show w/ a bottle of xanax, and to this day I hate myself for not going back stage, the pills belonged to this fat chic who would of gave up as much as I asked for. I just could’nt meet my idle, shake his hand and say this is my date never mind the chicken grease on your pills she just likes food by the way i’m a huge fan!!!

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