Craig Finn

HOLD STEADY LINCHPIN

What music are you currently grooving to?

I really like this Fontaines D.C. record, Dogrel. I’ve also been digging Where Future Unfolds by Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble. It has a lot of soul samples, is very rhythmic, kinda chanty – super-cool. And like a lot of people I’ve been watching The Rolling Thunder Revue.

What, if push comes to shove, is your all-time favourite album? Let It Be by The Replacements. It came to me at a very important time, and it made me feel that there were people out there that might understand. Plus, they’re from Minneapolis, which is my home town. What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it? The Bay City Rollers’ Greatest Hits from a Target department store in Minneapolis. They had a Saturday Morning show and I heard Saturday Night and I loved it. It’s a tragic story, awful. It gives it a next-level sadness.

Which musician, other than yourself, have you ever wanted to be? To be Nick Cave for a little would be cool. He writes amazing songs, gets to perform with an incredible band… and I admire his work ethic. The beauty he’s spun is incredible. He’s always gonna be age-appropriate; his thing will age very gracefully.

What do you sing in the shower? Usually something I wrote and is in progress, I’m trying to work it out. Repetitive muttering of lyrics in the shower can usually get you there. Or I might sing Springsteen, Thunder Road, that’s worth a shower jam – romantic and wide in scope.

What is your favourite Saturday night record?

Any of the first four Van Halen records. The first one, they’re what you want out of a Saturday night – it’s fun, it’s upbeat, the way they do harmonies and the electric guitars. It implies a good time.

And your Sunday morning record? The Velvet Underground, Loaded. It sounds nice, cleaning the house, walking the dog, making breakfast, that kinda thing. The Hold Steady’s Thrashing Thru The Passion is released on Frenchkiss Records, August 16. Craig’s solo UK tour starts on October 11.