Julian Casablancas for Les Inrocluptibles Magazine, December 2009
While the future of The Strokes was barely hanging on, and his bandmates had turned their backs against him, Julian Casablancas decided to leave unpromptedβ at least for a while. Now, being over thirty years old, married and about to become a father, far from debauchery and his native New York, the leader of one of Rockβs biggest tanks of the decade makes it crystal clear in Phrazes for the Young that the clockwork of his songs will be ticking for more time to come.
It should take no one aback that, for some years now, the sharpest edge of the most innovative Rock is being shaped in New York, particularly in Brooklyn. Nevertheless, for a couple of months, a sort of emigration can be seen heading West. After years of apathy, Los Angeles became a real science lab where the sounds of the future are outlined. Both cities capture the northamerican spirit, but each in their own unique ways: In a sense, Los Angeles is the polar opposite to the vertical, dense and elegant New York. Regardless, it is in Los Angeles where found to be staying at is New Yorker Julian Casablancas, leader of The Strokes, a band that, more than any other, embodied Manhattan over the last decade. βTechnically, I still live in New York, but I spend a lot of time here, mostly for work. I still havenβt moved in, although Iβm tempted by it. The weather certainly makes for a good argument: itβs hard to imagine any other place on earth where time is so smooth and regular, always perfectβ.Β
Mr. New York tallies with Californiaβs gigantic mythological image: always so big, always so pretty (although hair always so greasy), impeccable style and great awareness of his image (with him carries a big mirror when photoshoot season is on), attitude fit for the day, vaguely slacker. And, most of all, βJulesβ has a car which perfectly corresponds to the Los Angeles myth. βI love driving. Hereβs where I feel at home. I saw this car on the street, a 1992 black Oldsmobile Cutless with fluorescent yellow stripes, it was on sale, I liked it and it cost me hardly a thousand dollarsβ¦β. Finding Casablancas is not an easy task. Attempt to spend more than an hour with the mega-busy Strokesβ leader? Scheduling an interview face-to-face at Saint-Ouenβs flea market with Barack Obama wouldβve been way easier. After a false start, we finally pin him down at Silverlake, a nearby town. Thatβs the place Mr. and Ms Casablancas have chosen as their second residency.
Though, it is to make perfectly clear heβs no Mr. Nobody. Julian Casablancas, one of the last true rockstars, a fantasy-maker machine, an absolute icon to millions of young people, has been one of the most crucial characters to the music industry and pop culture over the past ten years. The leader of the band thanks to which Rock and Roll, presumed to have had bitten the dust, commercially dishonoured and old-fashioned stylistic wise, woke up at the beginning of the millennium with its characteristic arrogance, to now become the almost standard lifestyle to western youth. A skinny jeans and sweaty leather comeback? The Strokes. The omnipresent Rock and Roll coding of advertisements in any kind of neighbourhood? The Strokes. Dozens, hundreds of guitar bands, some good, others mostly bad, supported by labels excited to explore new commercial horizons? The Strokes, once more. And others, for sure, but The Strokes most of all. Itβs them who kicked things off.
To find his character intimidating? Nonsense. Actually adorable and good-hearted. Though, actually, not quite eloquent. The guy who withstands us and replies with a mouth full of avocado and tuna sandwich declares himself a bit irresponsible, through a naive speech. βMany records have been sold, yet weβve found ourselves outside the mainstream. We reached the biggest position one can grasp while being underground, an ideal spot. I donβt think The Strokes have actually revitalized Rock music. That would certainly be great, but I think itβs due to the Internet, the generalized access to every kind of music and every kind of crowd, that bands have been able to spread without labelsβ.Β
The northamerican is, for a couple of months now, in a way more personal frame, going through one of the most crucial moments of all his adult life. Now thirty one years old, married since 2005, soon to become a father. He, who says βIβve never planned anything with three days ahead in mindβ and who had a turbulent relationship with his dad, doesnβt seem to be particularly stressed or worried about the idea of his near fatherhood. βIβm not a father yet. The change hasnβt occurred, the thing doesnβt exist yet. Itβs impossible to say βnothing has changed my life quite like this kid hasβ because at the moment nothing has changed. My wife and I have spoken about it, but in a very general sense: we agree to let things develop in order to do themβ¦β. Another recent change, personal and radical: his lifestyle. After flirting with alcohol in a somewhat deep way since his youth, he said his goodbyes to binge drinking, which was one of the reasons for the big arguments heβs had with members of The Strokes over the last few years. Instead, from this crisis, he realizes: not so chatty when it comes to questions about his intimacy, Casablancas becomes way more agitated when explaining the recent, chaotic history of his band, which led him to explore the solo path he wasnβt planning to go down on just yet. His silences are telling of this: The Strokes were about to break up, before finally putting differences aside and, over the last few months, get back to work. βThe original goal was to work as much as possible with the band. But working hard doesnβt necessarily mean working hard in the studio: itβs an ongoing battle. You also gotta work as much as possible when the band isnβt in the room. The others didnβt share this mindset. Financially, everything is equally split within the core of The Strokes: after a while, I got the feeling that they only came around when their paycheck was due. But the problem may have come from my end as well: during our last sessions, we didnβt know how to communicate anymore, and my problems with alcohol certainly blew misunderstandings out of proportion. They had thrown in the towel, listened to what I said and sacrificed themselves, but didnβt seem to be happy in the slightest. Very frustrated, Iβd sayβ. The outcome being: fed up with tension, Albert Hammond Jr. with two solo albums, Fabrizio Moretti with Little Joy, Nikolai Fraiture with Nickel Eye and Nick Valensi doing various collaborations, all branched out without Casablancas. βThis solo album wasnβt really something I was looking forward to working on. Under different rules, I wouldβve been completely content with The Strokes, but they werenβt content with me anymore. I took the decision after the other members of the group decided to go on their ownβ¦ βHey guys, wanna write a song with me?β And the answer was actually doubtful, negative evenβ¦ I had no choiceβ.
Paralyzed due to typical ego problems within Rock bands, the rest of The Strokes left the control freak to deal with his issues by his own means, just like a lost boy in the middle of the school playground, forced to play by himself after having exasperated his playmates. Phrazes for the Young, inspired by Oscar Wilde (Phrazes and Philosophies for the Use of the Young) and the writings of thirteenth century Persian poet RΕ«mΔ«, is then presented by his creator as the by-product. Nevertheless, itβs nowhere near costing next to nothing. Phrazes for the Young is the work of a man whoβs fed up with obligations, who displayed every idea and desire of his into eight tracks. Even so, who wouldβve thought there were this many and so ambitious in nature? βMaking this record was an opportunity for me not to work nor argue with anybody. If I had an idea, good or bad, I would put it to work without any kind of restraint, whether it be conscient or unconscious. My choice of producer corresponds with this concept. Rick Rubin recommended Iβd work with Jason Lader. With no wish to offend him, I wasnβt looking for someone with the strongest of ideas, rather someone who was able to do what I had in mind in a precise and clear, technical mannerβ.Β
INTERVIEW>You were responsible for most of the work done in The Strokes, but this time you had absolute control. How was that for you?
Julian Casablancas: It was very liberating. I could chase any idea, without anyone telling me it wasnβt good. Obviously itβs not like all my ideas were good, but at least I could stick to my gut and find out what happened in the end. This is not the case when it comes to the group. Itβs the main disadvantage. Even if you think you have something good, from the very beginning, anyone can think opposite to you: everything stops there, and you can never know if it wouldβve been worth it to take it farther, which is very frustrating.Β
Right from the bat, musical differences are set clear. Do you think this record leads to a new horizon, or rather feels like a continuation of what came before?
A continuation. To have done exactly the same wouldnβt have made sense. But if I had made Phrazes for the Young for The Strokesβ¦ I donβt know, there certainly would have been differences. The rhythms, the drum parts would have been simpler. There would definitely be way less electronic elements, but Iβm also writing with the band, and we may or may not include more electronics, weβll see. I wouldnβt have been down for this a couple of years ago; ultimately, I would have arranged the guitars to sound like synths. And maybe the others wouldβve rejected the presence or mere imitation of electronica. Musically, with this record I wanted everything on each track to sound coherent, that sounds were correspondent to each other, and above all, melodies had to stand out, so that each element was interesting on its own if it were to be listened to separately. I also wanted the songs to be different from each other. Without mentioning the great ones βDylan, The Beatles, Marleyβ I donβt listen to records in their entirety anymore. I prefer playlists. I rather thought of Phrazes for the Young as a soundtrack. Of what movie? Blade Runner, maybe (laughs).
Recently, many things have changed for you on a personal aspect: you got engaged, youβre expecting a sonβ¦ At fifteen, did you picture yourself like this, at thirty one?
No, not really. And I donβt know how itβll be in the next couple of years. All I know how to do is think three days ahead; Iβve never been able to plan farther than that. Although, I recently began to come to terms with the fact that Iβm getting old. Itβs not like I feel old, but I get the feeling that I need to start thinking about the fact that Iβm getting old.Β
But do you think youβve grown up, matured perhaps? What does βmaturingβ mean to you?
I needed plenty of time to think about that. The title of the record is undoubtedly related to that. βPhrazes for the youngβ: sounds a bit old fashioned, but I like that idea, the phrase. I really donβt want it to come off as a sermon, be it grandiloquent or pretentious. I donβt want people to believe these texts have any kind of importance to them; theyβre not dedicated to anyone in particular. Theyβre a concept and a title I liked. Itβs linked with readings. And it also came to mind an idea about the passage of time: the disappointment in the fact that nobody told me certain things when I was sixteen years old. If I had known some things back then, I would do things differently in my life. Not necessarily better, mind youβ¦
Maybe now youβve put yourself into the position of someone who tells things to young people because youβre about to be a fatherβ¦
I didnβt know I was going to have a son when I went for that title, which actually came to mind when we were wrapping up the recording sessions of our last record with The Strokes (First Impressions of Earth, 06). I know that idea would work immediately and perfectly for this interviewβ¦ (laughs) But itβs not the case.Β
Are you afraid of the fact that something might slip through your fingers along the passage of time? Your energy, a way of being innocent, perhaps?
The only thing oneβs sure to lose is the βnewβ tag. But within the art world I get the feeling that itβs way easier for men to get old rather than for women. A man can let his things, the fad and years of youth go by, and keep being cool and even achieve a certain sense of class with age. For a woman of forty is different: one feels like sheβs already lived her best years, and that all sheβs left with is decay. The exceptions are kept track of, and thatβs quite unfair; women artists, with age, tend to disappearβ¦
Do you see yourself becoming a figure like Leonard Cohen?
Evidently, it would be great. I was actually thinking a bit about him when I talked about men who keep in shape despite aging. Anyway, letβs say itβs quite difficult to choose a harder-to-achieve example.Β
Youβve had pretty serious issues with alcohol. How did you overcome them?
My relationship with alcohol ended up getting in the way of my relationship with music. I was truly in an awful state, both physically and morally. Iβd like to go back in time: I wasted a lot of time, lost many things. My body ached when I wasnβt drinking. And that played a big part when it came to my relationship with The Strokes. When you find yourself in the state I was in, it becomes impossible to communicate effectively, and you end up drowning in alcohol things you really shouldnβt be, and each time you become way more incapable of fixing it. You get defensive. You canβt say things naturally. You canβt fix problems. And issues arise.Β
Was recording your solo record a way of trying to show something particular to the world?
Again, at first I didnβt really do it out of necessity, it was because I felt like people had to know what I was capable of. But once I started, what I liked was showing that I knew what to doβ¦ It was one of the weird aspects about The Strokes: I felt like I had to bring everyone to the top. And suddenly, everyone leaves to make records without meβ¦ I had no choice. Naturally, I never wouldβve wanted to do a record without them; I just needed for reasons to pile up. I needed to not feel guilty about it, but I was waiting something back from them, wanted them to come back to me.Β
Was there any kind of pressure, or competitiveness, when you heard the other Strokesβ solo albums and finally decided to make yours?
When youβre working on something, you want to show it to the whole world; hence, indirectly, to them too. But itβs not like I had posters of them up on my walls, which I stared at permanently, as a reference or rivalsβ¦ We actually love each other, weβre soulmates, but I think they came to the conclusion that I was always, no matter what, going to be there.Β
It looks like you have a strange relationship with the other members of the bandβ¦
But thatβs what bands are. Nothing is ever so simple within the core of a band. And if weβre an artistic collective, itβs not bad unless we understand each other well, while we find a common harmonious ground, but sometimes everything becomes impossible.Β
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Parallel Lives (pg. 43)
The solo coordinates of the rest of the members of the New York band
Fabrizio Moretti
Drummer of the band, Drew Barrymoreβs ex boyfriend, came together with Brazilian musician Rodrigo Amarante and singer Binki Shapiro to bring Little Joy to life. With most songs written by Moretti which he, in fact, doesnβt sing in, in 2008 published their debut under Rough Trade. A delicate acoustic folk treatment that differs quite remarkably from The Strokesβ musical horizon.
Albert Hammond Jr.
Son of musicians, the guitarist was first to call it quits. In 2006 he surprised many with Yours to Keep, and relapsed last year with ΒΏCΓ³mo te llama? Heβs the one who takes his solo career most seriously: this year he was found opening for Coldplay on their last European tour. As if this wasnβt enough, heβs about to launch his first menswear collection.
Nikolai Fraiture
With the helping hand of Regina Spektor and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokesβ bassist plays on stage under the name of Nickel Eye. He also leaned toward folk acoustic sounds. The Time of the Assassins was published earlier this year.Β
Nick Valensi
The second guitarist plays on Devendra Banhart and Little Joy, Morettiβs group.Β
Casablancas Style (pg. 44)
Son of founder of the Elite agency and model, The Strokesβ frontman always brought with him the dandy rocker look. Is it pure marketing or pure style? A closer look at his album cover.Β
Nod at Oscar Wilde
With his elegant pose, velvet coat and delicate hand, Casablancas vaguely evokes the British writerβs image, legendary dandy. And by all means: the title of his album is a direct reference to the book Phrazes and Philosophies for the Use of the Young by Oscar Wilde. Despite this, Julian confessed being unfamiliarized with Wildeβs work in a recent interview, since the last books heβs read were the Odyssey and Crime and Punishmentβ¦ Anyway, letβs say Julian plays quite well into the character. Only a crane is missing.
The voice of his master
This pretty fox-terrier belongs to Julian. And, associated with the electronic gramaphone, weβre instantly reminded by the painting The Voice of his Master by french artist Francis Barraud, which wanted to freeze in time the image of his dog listening, speechless, to a voice coming from a phonograph. The image later became the logo for RCA, Casablancasβ current label.
The retro-futuristic aesthetic
From the guitar hero neon folk guitar to the electric violin, all the way to the lacquered piano, everything seems to correspond to a late seventies/early eighties aesthetic, in a play of materials (wood, black lacquer, neon and velvet) extremely retro-futurist, which, simultaneously, resembles Barry Lyndon by Kurbic, and The Phantom of the Paradise, by De Palma.
Rock icon
The imageβs execution, which sprouted from the collaboration between photographers Williams+Hirakawa with graphic designer Warren Fu (famous for providing artistic direction of the last Star Warsβ episodes and various videos and physical graphics for The Strokes), brings to mind a couple of collages by Guy Peelart, like his Rock Dreams series published in 1974. This series of 125 works about the musical universe gathered rock cultureβs biggest idols (Dylan, Elvis, Jagger) with this exact same particular image treatment.Β
Translation done by MIC, March 2026
This interview was translated from the Argentinian publication of Les Inrockuptibles Magazine; Los Inrockuptibles, year 13, nΒ°142, December 2009Β
ISBN 0329-3718
