The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen | Reaction + Lyrical Analysis + Live (1994)

[@armandomilicevic2312]

What a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t sure if this counted as an official request when I first suggested it, so I definitely wasn’t expecting to see a reaction when I logged onto YT today. I’m glad you guys liked the song. The Afghan Whigs are IMO the most underrated 90s band. They were signed to Seattle’s SubPop label in the early days of grunge, but never became huge like some of their contemporaries, for which there are many reasons: they were from Ohio and not Seattle, and didn’t really look like a grunge band; they became more funk and R&B influenced as their career progressed, and the subject matter of their songs often dealt with the ugly side of relationships and sexual desire, making it difficult for MTV and radio to find a good spot for them. But they put out some damn good music. I hope your viewers dig it, and hopefully look into some of their other songs (“Uptown Again”, “Somethin’ Hot”, “Honky’s Ladder”, and “Debonair” are all good follow-ups to this one). And I promise I’ll go with something a little less obscure for my next request!

[@MrDecksels]

Please don't. This band barely gets the attention it deserves.

[@davidgreen3719]

Check out “MY CURSE” from the Gentlemen album: I grew up in Dayton and would travel to University of Cincinnati where all the guys they played around were also starting bands (I think I remember Throneberry was a band Dulli etc). Their first album i remember hearing was Congregation and loved it. I think gentlemen came next. Coincidentally I moved to New Orleans years later, where another friend of mine from Dayton, who also knew this crowd…and while we lived in the French Quarter, we would take his dog to the dog park there, and strangely enough, Greg Dulli was there walking his dog there. Talk about a small world. They were there recording the album 1965 in a beautiful home turned recording studio on Esplanade Ave and we were there one day while he was messing around with the keyboard sound I later recognized in “Crazy”. It was pretty surreal given so far from Ohio we were. Anyway, my favorite song by them is still “MY CURSE”. Just a great song, and the lyrics are really beautiful! Sung by Marcy Mays, incredibly well. Anyways, VERY different from the song “GENTLEMEN” but maybe more about a different kinda “relationship” as well. Anyway, would love to see what you think of that one.

[@neonskepetunije]

Thank you for suggesting it Armando, and sorry for the late response!

[@seltzershank9167]

Greg Dulli has a rare ear for musical connections! Excellent request.

[@mdav30]

You both win the internet for being the first people to react to this amazing song on ALL of KZbin! Great job! The whole album is worth a listen, one of the best albums of the 90s.

[@ShadyLurker84]

Love this band and song!

[@davidgreen3719]

Check out “MY CURSE” from the Gentlemen album: I grew up in Dayton and would travel to University of Cincinnati where all the guys they played around were also starting bands. Their first album i remember hearing was Congregation and loved it. I think gentlemen came next. Coincidentally I moved to New Orleans years later, where another friend of mine from Dayton, who also knew this crowd…and while we lived in the French Quarter, we would take his dog to the dog park there, and strangely enough, Greg Dulli was there walking his dog there. Talk about a small world. They were there recording the album 1965 in a beautiful home turned recording studio on Esplanade Ave and we were there one day while he was messing around with the keyboard sound I later recognized in “Crazy”. It was pretty surreal given so far from Ohio we were. Anyway, my favorite song by them is still “MY CURSE”. Just a great song, and the lyrics are really beautiful! Sung by Marcy Mays, incredibly well. Anyways, VERY different from the song “GENTLEMEN” but maybe more about a different kinda “relationship” as well. Anyway, would love to see what you think of that one.

[@neonskepetunije]

Thank you for sharing that with us and for the suggestion!

[@MrDecksels]

First comment (twice):"That bass" I know. I always got a kick out of John Curley's basslines. You're going to love their song Debonair.

[@neonskepetunije]

We'll check it out!

[@RahimRahmat]

Somehow (and I don't know why yet), these guys remind me of The Clash. Anyway cool song. Thanks for introducing us to this band!

[@Gerzzo]

They cover Lost In The Supermarket.

[@stephenthomson6230]

So happy to see this video as I haven't thought about this band for so long!! Afghan Whigs and Buffalo Tom were two of my favourite bands in 1992. If you like the soul of the Whigs you should listen to the Replacements. Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Always love your reactions.

[@neonskepetunije]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@ByDylanYoung]

Basically, the Whigs were a punk band (not grunge) inspired by a certain strain of Mr. Pitiful soul music. They spoke perfectly to a gritty subverted hope and ambition of the 90s era, and of the very real relationships flawed people have with each other-the collision of souls expressed in lust, resentment, attraction and addiction to those things. Dulli also managed to express the dark zone inhabited by a certain type of 90s, pre-incel, anti-rape culture, non-woke toxic masculinity that was doomed to be expressed as sexual frustration and emotional impotence, even as it was seductive and compelling. It was sensitive, intelligent, alt-dick culture that was refreshingly self-aware. They are categorically the most under-appreciated band of the post 80s rock cannon. Those who know know. Mojo once identified Gentlemen (accurately) as the darkest rock album ever made, beating out other worthy contenders like The Cure's Pornography. But that's a big part what held them back commercially. The song were too truthful and to mature, even as they identified with the emotional immaturity of questionable manhood. It was a much harder pill to swallow than Beck's Loser or Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. Musically and lyrically, the Whigs were a visceral experience (live shows were incredible) that gave you no place to hide. If you want to understand the difference between what Nirvana and The Afghan Whigs bring to the table, compare the covers of the both their albums, released 6 months apart, Nevermind and Congregation. One is a white baby swimming in an opiate fugue swimming pool. The other is a white baby wailing in the arms of a black woman. They are two of the most iconic album covers ever made but I'd argue that Congregation is the more timeless and evocative one. It speaks to something specific and raw. Nevermind's is more of an overt disassociation from reality and very much a product of the 90s album aesthetics (albeit and excellent one). Congregation's album cover is clearly a reaction to Nevermind's, and it says it all. Although the Afghan Whigs had been around longer than Nirvana and already had two earlier albums under their belt, Congregation was when the soul punk sound truly found its voice. For me, those two albums are the two most important ones of that era. The followups, Gentlemen (Afghan Whigs) and In Utero (Nirvana) continue the dialogue that was happening (largely unintentionally) between the two projects. Both the band's figurehead's had huge drug problems. But only one survived the decade and is still making music.

[@frenchdoge]

adding this one to my playlist

[@seanherskowitz665]

Now that’s a cool band name! Great job as always

[@Gerzzo]

Good call...brilliant band...going to see them next week.

[@drlarrymitchell]

Cool.

[@lynnsalzwedel6812]

Good taste❤😊

[@adoryntriggerhappy]

Funky 🙂

[@gzig61]

Is this the theater of the absurd channel?