Editing The Afghan Whigs (section)

==Lyrical themes==
Since the band's formation, certain themes have been noted as developing Dulli's songwriting for The Afghan Whigs and beyond – in particular, his mixing of [[black humor]] with topics such as [[drug addiction]], sexual deviancy and suicidal thoughts,<ref name="The Bob"/> which often seem more personal and provocative due to their frequent embrace of the first person.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.summerskiss.com/awpress/sniff_city_village_voice.php|title=FROM THE ARCHIVES : Sniff City // Village Voice|publisher=Summerskiss.com|access-date=1 January 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924112246/http://www.summerskiss.com/awpress/sniff_city_village_voice.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many notable The Afghan Whigs' songs are rooted in exploring power battles in romantic relationships.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.summerskiss.com/198/black-love-ny-times/|title=Black Love – NY Times|website=Summer's Kiss|date=17 March 1996|access-date=1 January 2015|archive-date=10 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810073138/http://www.summerskiss.com/198/black-love-ny-times/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[Gentlemen (album)|Gentlemen]]'' in particular has been cited for its frank and uncomfortable exploration of masculine tropes and expectations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.summerskiss.com/205/black-love-billboard/|title=Black Love – Billboard|website=Summer's Kiss|date=23 March 1996|access-date=1 January 2015|archive-date=29 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729092810/http://www.summerskiss.com/205/black-love-billboard/|url-status=dead}}</ref> including elements of sadomasochism and alienation.<ref name=autogenerated10 /> ''[[Black Love (The Afghan Whigs album)|Black Love]]'' meanwhile, contains lyrics about revenge and honesty.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.summerskiss.com/208/black-love-spin/|title=Black Love – Spin|website=Summer's Kiss|date=April 1996|access-date=1 January 2015}}</ref>

Dulli's songs with The Afghan Whigs also betray a fascination with and sympathy for the [[anti-hero]], which he attributed to an influential conversation with his grandfather during childhood: "I remember as a kid watching a cowboys-and-Indians movie and I was rooting for the cowboys… My grandfather asked me why, and I said, `Because they're the good guys.' And my grandfather explained to me that the Indians were fighting for their land and that the cowboys were trying to steal it from them. Then he said something to me that I never forgot, which was, `Good people aren't good all the time and bad people aren't bad all the time.' I've been exploring that gray area ever since the idea that saints can fall and sinners can transcend."<ref name="autogenerated5">{{cite web|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|date=3 May 1996|title=Afgha Whigs' Dulli Explains Why Sometimes The Jerk Goes Ballistic|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/05/03/afgha-whigs-dulli-explains-why-sometimes-the-jerk-goes-ballistic/|access-date=1 January 2015|website=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref>