Why money is not everything: Julian Casablancas speaks openly about creative standards at The Strokes.
In an interview with the colleagues from “Rolling Stone Italia”, Julian Casablancas, singer of the Strokes, spoke openly about his attitude to the band’s creative process. The obligation to hold the band together, for example, to exist, like Green Day or Bon Jovi, “forever”, is becoming increasingly important for the 46-year-old singer and songwriter. The band’s creative vision has moved into the background in favor of financial motives.
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Founded in 1998, the Strokes grew into one of the most influential indie rock bands. Her debut album “Is this IT” (2001) is considered the milestone of the garage rock revival of the early 2000s. But for Casablancas, the creative process was too much based on economic needs.
The search for new territory
Artistic integrity means constant further development – and Casablancas was neglected on the strokes. The focus on income contradicts Casablancas’ vision: “If I make money, that’s okay, but I don’t want to stand still. I’m not looking for security or status quo”. Casablancas is looking for new territory even after years of musical success. “There is a nice quote from Miles Davis: ‘The real risk is not to change.’ So I always want to have the feeling that I was looking for something undetected. “
He seems to have found new musical territory with the experimental rock band The Voidz. Her third studio album “Like All Before You” came out last year. But even if the strokes have not released new music since their album “The New Abnormal” (2020) and Casablancas is currently mainly active with The Voidz, there is no separation. This year, the strokes in the USA will play two concerts.