Ben Blackwell
The unbashful Ben Blackwell is one half of the drumming duo rumbling beneath Detroit's Dirtbombs. The stylishly under-styled garage outfit is fronted by legendary punk ringleader Mick Collins, and will roll noisily through the Crocodile on Tues Feb 26.

So your Motor City is getting a lot more attention these days.... Are all the local bands jealous of the White Stripes? "They're never home anymore--they're always out on Scandinavian promotional tours or some crazy stuff like that. No one's jealous; we just miss them."

So what are the benefits and hazards of being one of two drummers in a band? "The benefit is that you can stop in the middle of a song to go get a drink or to climb on top of amplifiers and start dancing. You think I'm joking... try me! The hazard is that one time I was told that Pat, the other drummer, was spooning me while I slept."

What's the best lesson you've learned from Mick Collins? "Be sure you know how old she is. That, and to never book a weeklong tour of Spanish festivals without consulting the rest of the band. The second was more of an indirect lesson, but it was valuable nevertheless."

So you purport to be an expert on urban legends. Aside from the one about C-3PO's penis appearing on the Star Wars trading cards, what's your current favorite bit of lore? "Did you hear the one about the lady pleasuring herself with a live lobster tail? The lobster shot its eggs inside her and the little lobster eggs started eating away at her uterus."

Lovely. "Or the one where the rock band is sleeping in their van with blankets over their faces because of the morning sunlight? The band awakes amidst a flurry of police because someone saw the van and thought it was filled with dead bodies."

Interview by Hannah Levin