The Strokes - Oxford, UK, Summer 2001
By: Toby L
'I like doing interviews, man,' comments Fabrizio, before adding, 'Er, well, I don't really, actually!' However, he continues, 'But don't think that you are going to be just one in a million: you are your own person, you are your own golden god - and this is going to be a very distinct interview that we're all gonna do together...'
No wonder Fabby doesn't specifically enjoy doing interviews: what's the point if it only means you'll get accused of being something you're not?
The job of any journalist is to get to the truth in all that they research, be it reports into why most politicians don't seem to make any sense, whether monkeys bear that much a resemblance to humans, or even why certain bands are tipped to be the next global megastars; the bottom line is that it's the duty of the press to justify all that they promote. The Strokes have been popularised for the same reasons by many writers: namely, 'they're young, they're talented, they're from NYC, they've got great tunes, they're a great live act'. But is this it?
No. It isn't. This youthful five-piece promise a good future for rock music, if not just in themselves then also in the inspiration that they'll no doubt cast upon guitar-yielding teenagers. Their sound represents a punky panache and buzzing excitement which has been pretty vacant from an American scene that has been stylised by the big boys such as Durst and Manson in the last couple of years. The raw energy that their tunes and concerts display is a truly revitalising blast of fresh, new music that should invigorate the senses of all that own a sound-system.
Their first headline UK tour sees them spanning weeks on the road all over the place, taking in the south, north, west, east and all in between, giving the fans a chance to see their talent in the flesh. Today's show specifically - held in Oxford - is a special affair. Aside from being one of the early tour-dates on the current full-scale jaunt, the Zodiac venue tonight will soon see some of music's biggest names schmoozing alongside well-known faces of fashion, all packed together in a sold out audience, anticipation building as the crowd waits to see what it's all about. Luckily, we're shown what it's all about.
As The Strokes trundle onstage, from the outset, things are looking right: the audience is screaming, the room is heaving and the volume is loud. Not wanting to waste time, they explode into action, weaving together minor-key strikes on the guitar and tight drumming whilst lead-singer Julian Casablancas moves around like a mad dog itching to be released from its cage. Suddenly, when tracks such as 'Last Nite' are unveiled, you realise that this crazy pooch has been set free, shown as he snarls his way through every lyric and hovers across the stage. He's not the only character worthy of comment, though: what about Albert Hammond over there on the side, orchestrating high-pitched shrieks with his guitar. How about Fabrizio Moretti on drums too; he holds it together so tight that spandex seems as baggy as a pair of a fat man's pants in comparison. Also, there's the bold bass of the long-haired Nikolai Fraiture which is surely something to rumble hearts, not to mention the extraordinary Nick Valensi on lead guitar, who drives solos into a blistering, indoor inferno.
But, after just forty minutes - and a dig at the press, plus a middle finger erected up at a man that throws a cup of beer onstage - the show grinds to a satisfying halt during 'Take It Or Leave It'. Proving to be a shockingly suitable finale to a rush of class and a hurricane of heaviness, the title pushes us to realise that we want to take all they've got, as opposed to leaving it.
So, with such a powerful stage presence and live-set, surely these people are genuinely crazy guys to be with, eh? Insane and manic head-cases you presume then? Wrong. That's not to say that they're not enthusiastic about what they do, but - after just a few days in the UK - endless promotion, stunning performances and plenty of nights out, has resulted in the band being as tired as hell.
Rockfeedback meets them as they check into their hotel. Smartly clad in the attire that they will soon adorn onstage this evening, they greet us in a friendly manner and we walk up the stairs to their room to commence the interview. Or, at least, we climb up the stairs. The band are in fact so shattered that they can't even walk straight, the wooden hill in front acting as a daunting challenge to overcome. Wobbling from side to side and holding on to the wall for sheer safety, they finally make it upstairs, though - only for Fabrizio to discover that Julian's room is larger than his. Shouting via one of their hotel windows to their tour manager below as to why this is the case, no answer comes to avail. However - here they are, a female fantasy: all five members of The Strokes in one room at the same time... Despite the fact that Albert preferred to lie on one of the beds and attempt sleeping.
The prospects of this interview wouldn't have been good if a different angle wasn't used when talking to the band. So, let's ask them about other interviews they've had so far - specifically, what's the question they've been asked most by writers?
Without hesitation, Julian responds, 'It's been about the hype. They say, 'So, what do you think about all this hype surrounding you,' and I think that everyone has asked us that question so far.'
Nick continues. 'It is nice that people ask us, because it gives us a chance to answer and say people shouldn't believe any of it!'
'They don't ask enough about the music itself,' points out Fabrizio, prior to scratching his arm. 'It's like it's all about our personalities, our influences and so forth.'
'Maybe there's just nothing to ask us,' Julian contributes, with a grin on his face. 'I mean, when the album comes out, they can ask us questions about that and it will be more interesting. We just want to have a good time, provide good music as best as we can... We're trying our best and all this other stuff is not important to us and, journalists, because that's all they have, try to make all of the other stuff the centre (of what we're about), like our attitude and all of the other things that are more interesting until our music is a little more established.'
And when your music has become more known, who are you ideally looking to interest - the mainstream or the 'alternative' crowd?
'There's no one and no group that we've targeted,' states Moretti, with Nick following, 'Yeah, it's for everybody.' The mop-haired drummer thinks on the matter before saying, 'As long as people want to hear our music and we can provide it to them, I say we do it... There's something to be said about the pop-world. Even though it's been completed distorted and made ugly by bad music, its beginnings were right: to get music to as many people as you possibly can and celebrate it - and that's what we wanna do, with good music, in the right way.'
'We're making music and it just so happens to come out as rock music in a way. Whichever people can appreciate that, it's great,' reckons Valensi, in a most open-minded of views. However, to counter-act all that's been said on the matter, the reclining and chilled-out frontman informs, 'We're rock music trying to become world music (laughs)!'
Excellent: hearing gospel choirs and African drummers on their material may add a new light to their progression, surely?
'Nah; that's not progression - that's digression,' laughs Casablancas in response.
Take a look at any photo of the group and one thing that stands out is a kind of unity which seems to exist between each member - how has this come about: for the music, or through friendship?
'It's really just because we've been friends for so long,' answers Fabrizio before the question's even finished. 'We're a tightly knit group of friends, so we sort of influence each other in that way. It gets to the point where everybody looks around and...'
Julian sees it fit to spoil the atmosphere. 'Yeah, well; if only they knew how much I hate you!'
'Ya see,' Fabrizio says, pretending to be upset by his bandmate's comment. 'That's the kind of stuff that makes me cry at night (laughs from rest of band).'
Luckily, the lead-singer comes back, 'Nah, I'm only kidding, Fabby - I love you,' and they're all happy again, closer than ever.
What with three of the group born in the Big Apple, Fabrizio living there for most of his life, and Albert moving to New York in '98, its notorious hustle and bustle can either be something to help you pen your work, or something that merely irritates you. For The Strokes, living in a place unlike London, where life virtually ends over the weekend in comparison to the number of shops open and general activity to be found Stateside, does their energy come from in themselves or their habitat?
'From inside ourselves,' Julian rapidly returns, exhaling loudly. 'We've had a lot of good advice, we try and do the right thing, realise what it takes to make it and actually try doing it.'
'Indirectly, we're influenced by New York City. Everyone's influenced by their environment; there's no way to get out of that,' Moretti observes.
Would you say that you're really ambitious when you get down to things?
Mistaking 'down to things' for 'dancing', all of a sudden, Nick perks up. 'I'm ambitious about dancing,' he comments, in a voice that makes you receive anything he says with an element of doubt.
Well, er, what kind of dancing can you do, Nick?
'I do jazz, I do tap... I do...'
'This is so not true,' splutters Fabrizio, disgusted by what he's hearing.
What are you talking about, Fabby?! This is an interview - you've met the British media: there's no space for the truth!
'Nah,' Julian rasps, answering the real question. 'Our real ambition is just to be the next Skid Row!'
Great. Before you can say 'oh crap', they start singing 'classic' lines of the band in question - it's a frankly saddening moment for the supposed saviours of music.
Although journalists have been correct to support The Strokes, some have made a glorious blunder in the process; the fact is that this band doesn't need to hear praise all of the time. They're confident of their ability and their chances, but not to the extent where they proclaim themselves to be something more than they are. One instance where things have been looked into too much by the media is when the band got into a rare fight in their native city and were made to look as if this is just a normal part of their everyday life. Well, if this article is looking to set the record straight, so to speak, then let's at least start by saying The Strokes don't look to cause trouble - if anything, they'll do anything in their power, just like any other decent human-being, to avoid the hassle. That said, just like any other self-respecting human-being, they're not prepared to let people take advantage of them.
'We're seen by people like fighters - as if we're a street-fighting gang,' jokes Nick. 'We don't actually pick fights, though and we don't think violence is any kind of thing to be proud of...'
'Ever since that 'NME' cover-article came out, we're getting these guys coming to our shows or seeing us and picking on us, saying stuff like, 'Oh; so you guys think you're tough do you? Well, I'll show you what tough is,' and we're not cool with that.'
Julian imagines, 'If we had acted like all soft and shit, then we would have had loads of girls at our shows, instead of these violent guys that we get!'
Fabrizio then reasons, 'I mean, when people f**k with us, it's not like we're just gonna sit back and let it go.'
'Yeah,' agrees Valensi, preparing us for a jape. 'Well, if people f**k with us, we stab them!'
IT'S A JOKE; we don't want to cause any further confusion here! So - it's official - The Strokes don't stab people. Thank you.
Anyway, to further your name, you've been touring a lot, playing many shows on home-soil as well as in America - are there many differences between the two audiences?
(Unanimously) 'Yes.'
'The UK digs doing the mosh when we play,' says a perplexed Casablancas. 'I thought that moshing had disappeared or was only with all that metal shit! But, here in the UK, there'll be a guy with an acoustic guitar and people will be, like, 'Yeah,' and start moshing, throwing their shoulders into everybody!'
Nick backs up the singer, 'Yeah - they always f**king mosh! There's always a little mosh-pit at every show,' the guitarist mentions, genuinely surprised at the UK's fixation with the pushing and shoving phenomenon that is a mosh-pit. 'I don't think people mosh violently... I just think that people are dancing really aggressively and flailing around! They're just excited, man; it's cool.'
'I think there's a difference between moshing violently and moshing for fun, though,' muses Nikolai.
'I don't want to let up the fact that I don't think it's cool,' comments Julian defensively, 'because I don't want people to see us as some pussy band like Smashing Pumpkins who go, (puts on perfect Billy Corgan impression) 'Stop the moshing!' It's like sports fans here too! Everyone gets so f**king violent about it, man!'
How do fans react to shows in the US then?
'They just sit down, have a beer, have a hot dog,' answers Fraiture.
Hot dogs at a gig?
'Oh, sorry - I thought you meant at a game or a sports-event,' laughs off the bassist, embarrassed at his reply.
'They just have such an expectation of what you're gonna be like,' responds Fabrizio on the American crowd. 'So they stand there and watch, making sure it's all meeting their expectations... They don't even have time to show their emotions because they think they're so cool, think that they know so much...
'People seem more willing to say, 'Yay,' or, 'Nay,' here. There (in the States), they wanna say, 'No,' to what we're doing... The people have been saying, 'Yay,' which is a good thing, but it's only because we've slowly been able to convince them. That's a cool thing, because New York audiences are so f**king hard to conquer.
'Coming back from the first tour that we did over here, we did the Bowery Ballroom and it was just at a level that we had never reached before. It was fun because the energy was right.'
Julian passes over his feelings on the matter. 'Over here, people yell crazy shit at shows! When we got back to play the Bowery, people would shout, 'HOW WAS ENGLAND?!' But, over here, it's like, 'YOU NEW YORK FREAK!'
'... Or they'll go, 'F**K YOU,' throws in Moretti, Nick explaining, '... And that's just if they like you!'
How would you describe the live set yourselves?
Nick is inspired with yet more sarcasm. 'You could compare it to 'Riverdance'; it has the same sort of intensity and magic... You know how it just seems like there's magic onstage when Michael Flatley takes to the stage? Well, it's the same thing with us... Michael Flatley is actually a huge influence on the band.'
Bizarrely, Fabrizio claims, 'We're not Sting, but we're not At The Drive-In, either!'
When the lead-singer is invited to contribute, he outdoes this silliness. 'Our set's like milk and cookies...'
Really?
'Nah,' he finishes, 'It's more like a shot of tequila... (Smiles)'
Rather than directly addressing their views on the hype, let's turn it around: why do The Strokes think that they're receiving the attention they're getting? What do they have that no other all-male rock group have today..?
Nikolai reveals the hidden truth. 'Big dicks!'
Ohh...
'Nah,' he goes on. 'In New York there's loads of bands that are as good, you know...'
Delivering the real revelation, Nick Valensi says, 'The media likes people with cheekbones - and we have good cheekbones!'
Was toning up the cheekbones something you were looking to do when you started?
'Yeah! I mean, I had facial reconstruction,' lies Nick. 'I said, 'Make me look like Cher!'
Laughs from rest of group prompt Nick to sing, 'Do you believe in life after love,' obviously, this being the key lyric from Cher's unbelievably astounding hit from a couple of years back, amazingly called 'Believe'.
Julian thinks on the after-effects of the furore attached to the quintet. 'I'd be happy if we stay as a sort of underground band; I really don't want people to hate us because they think we wanna be f**king stars, because it's not true...'
Starting a new topic: as you've been thrust into fame in such a short time...
Immediately, Nick spits out, 'Fame?! Dude, we're so not famous! That's bullshit! We've been recognised a little bit, but we're hardly the Spice Girls...'
'Yeah, we've only been recognised by people that are going to one of our shows,' nods Julian. 'I've never been approached over here by anyone that's gone, 'Hey, are you in The Strokes?'
'In New York City, it happens sometimes... When people start singing one of our tracks across the street, I'm just like, 'Oh God...'
Anyway - for the sake of quality journalism - go along with it, boys. Where were we? Oh yeah - as you've been thrust into fame in such a short time, you will have had to learn a lot about the industry quickly. What has annoyed you about it already?
'Hmm... That's a good question,' deems Nick. 'Everything has been really great so far, though; it's been a sort of crash-course in record-labels, things with lawyers... But we have such a good team of people who we're surrounded by, like the people at Rough Trade, the people at RCA in America, our booking agents, our manager, our tour manager even - it's just that everybody's so cool. Everyone's very... distinguished; lots of crazy individuals, but everybody works really well together.
'I think the most annoying thing about we do is being portrayed in a false way; that's the only thing that's pissed me off, but, to tell you the truth, not much gets me down about what we've been doing really... I'm happy.'
'It's hard to be yourself when you're talking to an interviewer,' feels Casablancas. 'But I think we're getting better, though. Sometimes, with people, it feels like we're just hanging out, but, then, with other people, it sometimes feels a bit contrived: they may ask us a serious question after we'd been f**king around all day. You just sometimes wonder, 'Wait a second - I thought I was supposed to be dealing with professionals here!'
'Yeah, if people ask us a question about politics, I just won't answer anything,' announces Nick proudly. 'We, as a band, are officially on the record for not caring that much about politics.'
D'oh - I guess running for congress is one of the few things The Strokes won't want to achieve in their career, then. And, achievements have been something their development in rock 'n' roll has already seen plenty of. But - to get to such goals - was it the group that got them to where they are, or was it everything around it?
'I think that our music is definitely the main reason why it all started off,' acknowledges Julian with confidence, but not a trace of ego. 'Everything else has been a little bit out of our control, but I think we worked hard at something that we thought was good and it's paying off...'
'For me,' recalls Nicolai, 'Selling out the Bowery Ballroom when we were unsigned at the time was very special - not many unsigned bands get to do that.'
'We made the music happen for ourselves, you know,' believes Nick. 'We've worked relentlessly on improving our songs and throwing away bad ones, just so we could have a really solid, good batch of songs; (Puts on childish accent) we've got high standards here!'
Finalising proceedings, Julian sums up what many people are too impatient to sit still for. 'Just wait 'til the album comes out - that'll show everyone where we're coming from...'
There you go; they've said it themselves. Until 'Is This It' is unleashed in record-stores all across the globe, they'll still have to go through interviews such as this, trying to prove themselves to a potential audience that is still undecided. Hopefully, this article has shown them in the light they wish to be seen in.
So - what have we learnt today then? Quite simply, don't judge The Strokes yet until you've seen the full picture - for then, that's when you'll be totally convinced of their greatness.
Live Photo-Credit: Andrew Future
Artists in this article: The Strokes