Sep 14, 2010 - Interview Magazine - By Derek Blasberg

Etched in black ink on the heel of Alison Mosshart’s left hand is a tattoo: “14-2-02”—Valentine’s Day, 2002. It’s a very important date for the 30-year-old singer, marking the first time she took the stage with Jamie Hince, her cohort in The Kills. As half of one of London’s most celebrated punk-rock alt bands (complete with fashion street cred and a supermodel groupie in the form of Hince’s lady friend), Mosshart has her hardcore stage persona down. For this interview at The Mercer hotel in New York last December, she arrives with bangs covering her face and a cigarette hanging from her lips. She takes a menthol drag and lets out a loud, phlegmy treble cough, a sound an acute Kills fan might recognize as an opening note of the tune “Cheap and Cheerful,” in which Mosshart begs: “I want you to be crazy ’cause you’re stupid, baby, when you’re sane.” To watch her perform it live, you’d think she was exorcizing some pretty hateful demons. Lately, she’s even gotten a second project started, coming together with musicians Jack White, Jack Lawrence, and Dean Fertita as the band the Dead Weather; they just recorded tracks, and their first album will be out later in the year. Not that Mosshart is planning a break from The Kills. The duo is putting out its latest ep, Black Balloon, this month, and will continue on a hectic touring schedule that includes a pit stop at Coachella. Read More