Pulse Magazine, June, 2001

OFF TOPIC WITH MARK LANEGAN

Did you know that former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan is also an avid basketball fan? Yep, that's why we asked him about that instead of Field Songs (Sub Pop), his latest solo offering.

With his beloved Seattle SuperSonics out of playoff contention this year, Lanegan offered his handicap of this year's NBA playoffs.

How do you think the playoffs are going to go down, which teams do you think will make the Finals?

"It's too tough to tell in the West because it's changing every day. Plus, I haven't been able to watch games like I did ... so I just look at the papers and I can see the Lakers and Clippers, of course. At the end of it all, I think San Antonio is going to do it, and I think Philly in the East."

What do you think is the difference? Why do you think San Antonio more than the Lakers, or even Portland?

"Because San Antonio has been playing together for a while, they've got something to prove, because when they won it, it was in a short season. They're playing really tough. Everybody's healthy, and they have one of my old favorites, Danny Ferry, on the team now, too, who had to toil in Cleveland for so many years. I just think they're more of a team. I think the Lakers are in such disarray. I think the Kings are too up-and-down, and I think Portland is falling apart."

What do you think of the Shaq-vs.-Kobe thing?

"I'd rather have Shaq any day of the week. Personally, I like Shaq and it seems like the rest of the team likes him, too. Whereas every other day there's a comment like, 'We got guys who can take Kobe's place' every time he's out. You know there's a lot of shit going on there and like I said, he's [Kobe] great and all, but you gotta win, too. That's why I like [Philly's Allen] Iverson. He's playing team ball this year."

By Colin Devenish