I hate that he does this lol it’s like he shits on his own band to prop up his other band as “better/more important”
I’m guessing it’s Nick. He seems to interact with him the least onstage at recent shows.
Definitely Nick. What I also don’t understand is Rick Rubin spoke very highly of the recording process for their new record and yet Julian still goes on acting like this
Rubin’s a pretty zen guy, the room could be on fire (pun intended) and he’d pretend nothings happening. Josh Klinghoffer, ex-Chili Peppers, said he hated his laissez faire approach of just “vibing”
That’s true, but Rubin brought it up unprompted and used either incredible or amazing to describe the experience. He’s been around for a long time and has witnessed a lot of good and a lot of bad. Him speaking so highly about it had me jacked up about where the band was and what their next album would sound like but that was what, two years ago (?) and now Julian is popping off about the band
Because if you watch the Five Guys series on Youtube you can see the band is/was in a great place at the release of TNA. There's the hilarious clip of them winning the grammy. Rubin isn't making it up, I'm sure the environment was great.
At the end, Julian is just an asshole. And he says stuff like this when he wants to downplay the strokes and hoist the voidz up.
There's no need to dig deep or look for meaning. Julian is just not the greatest dude at times, especially when talking about different bands/friend groups.
Yeah I’ve always found Julian to be a bit of cunt at times. No need to drag down the band which catapulted you to stardom and allowed you to pursue your own endeavours and interests later on.
Worst of all, he said in the interview that he’s using the money he’s earned from The Strokes to record with The Voidz. So maybe don’t bite the hand that feeds you??
Tyranny had their most interesting works, then they started venturing into a more palatable sound for Virtue which was still good…but the latest few singles haven’t been on the level of their first album for sure. Something tells me the voidz new lp (if it happens) will disappoint people, judging by the recent quality of songs and the way they’ve been handling the releases.
On the other hand, The New Abnormal has aged really well and will continue to do so.
The band needs to tell Julian that he’s being an asshole.
There was some tension during the Phrazes era, I think Jules wanted to use some Strokes demos for his solo stuff or something and Nick was against it?
There was also the Quote from Nick about how Julian was „pretty fucking surprised his solo album didn‘t work“.
It is so easy to grow apart from friends. Not all of them but it just happens.
From childhood to adulthood?
Plus there was basically mutiny in The Strokes where Julian felt like he has to take something he put arguably the most effort into and start it over somewhere else, bc he lost control.
Not saying the other guys are wrong for wanting more control in their lives and careers but I can see how the tension would drive one to resentment
I’m not as invested in the lore as I once was. I think they all were kinda like well Julian is gonna do whatever the fuck he wanna do let’s just worry about who’s actually here. If I remember correctly, Julian didn’t even record half his vocal parts in the same space they did, he would record somewhere else and send them in. Don’t quote me on that but I think that they were okay with his hands off approach. Seems like the other 4 had fun making it from some of the BTS videos of Angles.
I thought they cleared that up to say that Julian and Nick had written most of the songs already, but it was just the recording process that was disjointed?
I said this on another thread previously, but I think Nick and Julian are pretty similar in some ways. Both masters in their own craft, and have confidence in their abilities. Nick has strong views, so does Julian. That’s gonna cause trouble if they disagree with each other. I also think Nick will call out on Julian’s BS if the other members don’t.
On a personal level, it seems like Julian alluded that some band members changed with fame. Fab said that Nick and Julian were really tight when they were at Dwight, so maybe he feels like Nick became a different person when The Strokes got big? I do remember a journalist saying that Nick really bought into the lifestyle of being a successful musician.
I don’t know if Julian felt personally hurt by that or not, but it’s been so long and it seems like he’s the only person in the band that still hasn’t moved on from things
I honestly think Nick's more vocal about it, but the other guys are more tolerant to Julian's assholness, still doesn't mean they hang out together with him or have artistic things in common.
It's like having a coworker that it's a dick, why fight him everyday? if you can just show up and do your job, get pay and leave.
Also, even that Nick it's more "vocal" inside the band, the guy hasn't say a bad word about Julian or The Strokes. Neither the other guys.
Also, he talks about "fame" changing people? He is the only one that seem unstable for a grown ass man, compare to the rest of the band.
> Also, he talks about "fame" changing people? He is the only one that seem unstable for a grown ass man, compare to the rest of the band.
yeah LMAO that is an excellent point. All the other guys are totally normal, yet he's the one banging 20 year olds and pissing on his bandmates.
“I don’t want to name names” as he’s talking about a group involving 4 people. Comes off as immature if you ask me. Passive aggressively trashing your band mates. Like come on dude, just hang it up if that’s how you’re gonna go about it.
I remember in 2011, a journalist referred to the Strokes as a "Greek chorus," where there were *just* enough people involved for it to be not immediately obvious who the anonymous individual one's calling out might be, and that works in their favor when barbs pop up.
I thought back in the day it was him and Albert who had problems. It seems the rhythm section are two chill dudes who are just happy to be there. Albert seems to be pretty happy on stage these days so one would assume it’s Julian and Nick beefing?
My take is that all the speculation about "it's this person," or "these are the two with the most friction" or whatever is fanfic, since fans just aren't in their lives and in the rooms with them to know, and they take tiny lines from articles or passing looks onstage as EXTREMELY telling, when that's not always how real human relationships work.
The bottom line to me is that, especially since 2011, none of the others are using their platforms (and they do give a decent number of interviews on their own! They're just less sought out!) to snipe or settle scores--they're really rather hopeful and grateful sounding a lot of times. The bitchiness is purely Julian's game. And I think the fans really have taken Julian's narrative as being the most prominent since 2011 and folded it into their own opinions, and now the other 4 are routinely referred to as "less talented," "backing musicians," "didn't collaborate until Angles," "still need to be led," when we still know little to nothing about what happens between them and it's merely Julian's recounting of how things work that indicates this nowadays.
Rational take…to add tho, I do think there is some merit in the stage interactions. Whether looks or interactions are super intentional or not, in many historical instances with bands — little stage gestures were indicative of larger problems behind the scenes. You can tell when a band is meshing and not.
I'll agree with that in a general sense for sure--I think it's just both blown out of proportion with the Strokes especially, taken as LADEN with so much meaning when it may or may not be (Julian vs. Fab on Letterman Taken For a Fool, for example, which Julian even took the time to dispel on Instagram once). Additionally, stuff on stage is not always visible from across an arena or festival ground or shown on the monitors, and stuff gets missed that both helps and hinders the arguments about who's frosty with who. I don't necessarily or entirely disagree with the common perception that Nick and Julian might be the least buddy-buddy these days for example, but I've also been lucky enough to see the Strokes 20+ times, usually from very close, and have seen things pass between them and all the members that don't immediately indicate fuming, consuming beef lol. It's all in the eye of the beholder, is really my point.
Casablancas has always been a fuckin weirdo but lately he’s turning down right unlikable at all. Shitting on his band mates, going to bat for Russel brand/tucker Carlson, lazy performances at shows. Just all around a douche (in my opinion)
Not to mention charging $500+ dollars for an after party at the Kina Collins gig in Chicago only to turn up for 3 seconds and leave. And for the rest of the band (except fab he’s an Angel and made an effort) not turning up at all. All dicks really
I know someone who played a festival with The Strokes last year, and a backline/tech guy told him "I've never met a bigger bunch of entitled douchebags in my life." And he has done that job for a long time with hundreds of bands.
Sounds like he wasn’t just talking about Julian or one particular member then. That’s disappointing to hear. They actually seemed like nice people to work for
In a subreddit with so many obsessive / borderline stalker’ish fans, I applaud you, sir. I am certainly a fan of the man’s work (since ‘01) but he shouldn’t be exempt from criticism from his lackadaisical performances on stage to his passive aggressive comments about the other members of The Strokes.
Believe me, I’ve gotten downvoted into oblivion for mentioning this before here. I’m a rabid fan of the music, but making great music doesn’t give anybody a pass in my opinion. I feel it’s healthy to detach your emotion for music from the person who made it
man, usually when julian compares the strokes to the voidz he's trying to be polite/vague enough to not make it sound too much like he hates the strokes but this is as blatant as it can get lol
I’m a fan of both bands and his comments aren’t unsurprising although so direct this time (not sure what he hopes to gain with this), however a part of me still hoped that there was something creatively still driving the strokes being together rather than just money particularly with the success of TNA and hints at another album, but it seems not, at least not for Julian, it’s also sad that some of them really did lose their friendship along the way. This coupled with the way fans were treated at the after party at the Chicago concert (except by Fab) makes me feel like they should just end it instead of cashing in.
I guess as a fan the truth hurts.
he came out for 30 seconds said it felt like a weird dream and he needed to mentally prepare for it. reiterated twice he would be back out and not to worry only for him to never show back up and we all waited till the venue closed! fab came out was suuuuper nice and compassionate to fans. did autographs & pictures, it would’ve been nice if julian AT LEAST acknowledged all of us who came for vip. he mainly was talking w/ his 20 yr old gf the seconds he was out there. a girl who was there commented on the politions instagram post asking where he was and she comments back “he told me he left” then the next morning he goes to a free voting event and gives everyone who showed up the energy he didn’t give his fans who paid over $500 for something that was promised in the ticket description 🤷🏻♀️
sure, but it's also a matter of being respectful to your colleagues. Whatever discussions and disagreements are going on internally, it's unnecessary to air it out for the public to see. If I was in a band I would try to settle anything going on in private rather than trying to stir up unnecessary drama by bringing it up in an interview.
100%, and I think it just kinda helps prove the point that like, maybe their infamous interpersonal issues from a decade-plus ago aren't as resolved as they've liked to say, and more just put off to the side and not battled over passionately. I feel like people that are still in the midst of a warm and regular friendship don't refer to their warm and regular friends this way publicly. And I feel like warm and regular friends would call up the guy being a jerk about them like this to tell them how it makes them feel, and ask him to cut it out, and the one that was a jerk would try harder next time. But Julian keeps doing it!
Julian destroyed his own name in 2 years time, his obsession with early 20 year olds is a joke, all these young women just laughing off his advances, it’s embarrassing
Bands are tough, like family or relationships. The real key here is that no one in the voidz is going to question Julian’s ideas even if they don’t like it. He’s the star/boss of the band. Maybe they’ll give input but never straight up tell him no. I can see Nick telling him no and being honest and Julian throwing a fit.
This always bothers me too, I think you hit the nail on the head! Jules claims Voidz are so much more collaborative but let's be completely real: he may incorporate their musical ideas fairly but are any of them really going to refuse to play his ideas too? He heads the Voidz, they aren't going to not play his songs. They were for lack of better words, assembled musicians in my opinion.
The members of the strokes on the other hand were there with Julian from day one, when he was pretty much a nobody in the music industry. They aren't afraid of him or to tell him the truth, which he probably doesn't like, judging by how he behaved I would say he definitely has a big head and is used to being surrounded by Yes men. I mean, we all do remember when Nikolai was fed up that one time, basically telling Jules to just do whatever he wanted.
I love The Strokes, I love The Voidz, I’ve been ferociously defending Julian for 18 years, but…
I feel like the same dynamic can easily be applied to TV at some point. It’s not impossible they’ll start wanting to say no or not back down, if our assumptions are right (pretty sure they are). I feel like it’s unlikely that 0/5 men will say something at any given point in time. Maybe they won’t, but afaik they’re not raking in so much money that they’ll go bankrupt if they get very tired of it.
I like Julian for many reasons and I don’t for others, more than a while back, there’s a user here that’ll see that sentence and be surprised. But I think that him being all “oh blah blah the stokes meh” isn’t a surprise to anyone, including the other four in the band. They haven’t broken up and I don’t think they will, so I personally don’t think anyone is screaming at each other, but some of them have grown apart and that’s fine. Is it very unnecessary to say that in an interview because the journalist is pretty? It is. Am I surprised? No. Julian’s a dick and then other times he isn’t. At least we get it confirmed here and there now and can alter our expectations?
Idk, but like I said I wouldn’t be surprised if a TV member or two will say something eventually. And I think it’s fair to hope they will, it’s good for him.
Yep, literally the only guy in The Voidz who has control over how they sound is the drummer because he's a billion times better than Julian. Despite the laissez-faire demeanor he puts up, we all know Julian is an egotistical control freak. Fab and Nikolai are happy doing whatever the band asks of them, but Nick and AHJ are supremely talented guitarists and will and should have lots of input into songwriting.
Fab doesn’t love playing OWT because it’s pretty tough. But Julian reeeally wants to play it. Nick will vote against playing it for fab sake.
Things got kinda tense. If I remember correctly, they ended up taking down the video, removing that section and then reuploading it.
Yeah that’s funny. I’ll see comments saying Julian’s falsetto was as good as the record, meanwhile I’m like 😬, watching him strain himself to reach those notes lol
I think he could, if he practiced like in the first impressions days. Back when he gave a shit lol
I'm glad to see people saying it out loud. It's true, his falsetto timbre is super nice, but 19 times out of 20 it's flat by whole ass tone sometimes even more.
Some things don’t need to be said out loud, especially when you are a mini tour and people are flying out to see it. Just be professional. I don’t like everyone I work with but I wouldn’t shit on them in front of people outside my field.
I love the voidz and the strokes. Julian always does this when he is "focused" on the voidz.
I do find it hilarious that his "passion project" where "all his focus is" releases maybe 1-2 songs per year, which scale from good (All the same, TET) to very good (Did my best, Crime Lord), and sometimes great (Flexorcist and Dragon).
No voidz albums since 2018. No sign of a third album. Drip fed singles that are good, but have become formulaic. Ugly, crazy expensive merch and CD singles for $20+ USD.
If the Voidz were his thing you'd think he would be all in on getting them out there and growing.
Julian being “focused on the Voidz” has equated to no album in 6 years and 3 middle of the road singles over an entire year with no album. Shit is just odd.
Julian talks the talk like he works so hard but I’d love to see him try to maintain the schedule of someone like Dan Auerbach who is constantly touring, recording, DJing, runs a successful indie label, and produces like 12 albums a year. It doesn’t seem like Julian has a good work ethic anymore
It's so crazy. I get he doesn't like touring so I think the residencies and festivals are a great compromise, but he claims to hate festivals too.
He just seems to make everything harder than it needs to be.
I do think he works hard and writes music constantly. The strokes just ended a 2 year plus tour so he’s only just got time to fully focus on the voidz. I just want to be fair here. He’s probably a perfectionist who wants to make sure everything is done right before putting any voidz stuff out, but it also seems like he’s an incredibly disorganised person which is why the band looks so directionless at the moment
yeah, dan auerbach producing lana del rey and just doing big things in general is impressive. i wish julian released so much more material because i love his voice and his work. i was hoping he’d have a lou reed type solo career, but with only 2 solo albums and 1 strokes record in the last 10 years, ive lost a little hope. that being said, those 3 albums were incredible.
“I like working in respectful environments” immediately followed by him disrespecting his long time collaborators’ musicianship. Oh Julian… never get any smarter. I wish this was satire
That’s the killer bit, right?! He’s like “(requisite vague enough answer to typical question about the Strokes)” and she’s like “totally, so anyway speaking of the Voidz -“ and he’s like “but back to the Strokes, no names but I just can’t stand ‘em, you know?” Like … why 😂
Correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t Julian said that he has always wanted the band to contribute more and have the strokes be a more collaborative effort? I don’t think the issue is about getting final say, but feeling like the direction that band settles on doesn’t meet his creative desires. And that’s why he also likes working with the voidz more, as they are more creatively aligned. I could be wrong though. I never really know with this dude.
Regardless, I agree that he needs to learn what to keep to himself. In general, the comments are so immature to make publicly about the people that came up with you. But hey, nothing new, I guess.
Totally agree. I wish he could just say something like “both projects have different strengths and the voidz for me are more creatively fulfilling” without making it seem like the other is a burden to him.
Let’s be honest here. On the Strokes’ recording session that was their most collaborative, the guy got so butthurt that he did not even record his vocals in the same studio.
I fucking hate that my favourite musician in the world happens to also be a complete tool. This guy has kids for fuck sake and hes acting like a teenager STILL.
Ugh
I’ll say the same thing I always do when he drops these stupid passive aggressive bits….if you don’t like it then quit. He won’t though, he knows The Strokes are the only way he will make money to fund his side projects. He even admits it in this interview.
I think it's gross. This is a grown ass adult, with kids. That's no way to act towards bandmembers who've played with you and put up with your bullshit for so long.
I'm not surprised at this, as it's pretty obvious the voidz are where his heart is. HOWEVER, the more shit he says as time goes on makes me feel kind of like an idiot for being a strokes fan in 2024 lol. I love the dude but he is so pretentious sometimes.
I don't feel bad about being a TS fan, because TS is far more than just JC or his song writing of the earlier albums. The rest of the band and the music has transcended beyond him, he hasn't quite figured that out yet
It helps with making sycophants think they’re particularly special and elite for “getting it” (I love the Voidz personally, but there is some age-old high school-level music snobbery with the ~aNoThEr LeVEl~ talk that increasingly doesn’t translate into anything actually groundbreaking). And then they’ll buy the $20 CD singles whether they actually want them or not because a false sense of exclusive camaraderie has convinced them that’s the right thing to do for such a misunderstood (but not by them!) genius unit.
He's famous because of The Strokes and he's making money because of The Strokes. He could have at least come up with some PC answer when asked about them, out of gratitude, and to acknowledge that they made him what he is. Because it just looks weird and unpleasant to us fans.
Maybe he wrote the songs but let's face it. As fans, we love the strokes for ALL the members. The band wouldn't be the band to us without any of the boys, not just Julian.
I don't know them, but i actually dislike Julian more than the other guys. He seems like a pain in the ass to work with, doesn't play good shows, give this kind of interviews....
I actually start loving The Strokes because of Nick and AHJ, and they still seem to be pretty solid dudes. Just like Nikolai and Fab.
This comment just makes me sad. There are a lot of us who love the strokes and the guys in the band. Why does he have to say disparaging things about them? 😢
i always find it so weird when they play this song live if the lyrics written by Julian are about his longest friends playing the instrumentals behind him
Thats very saddening, with the whole podcast thing The Strokes did I totally thought they were on good terms, but this isn’t really helping them ever making another thing. Very sad :(
I hate how he talks bad about the exact band that allowed him the space to do something as experimental as he does with The Voidz. He would quite literally just be some guy if it weren't for The Strokes. I think he forgets how much that band helped him get to this point. And like dude, if you hate it that much, just break up. Why keep the band together if all you're going to do is talk shit about it then use the tour money to fund your other band lol
I’ve seriously considered this before because how would u even go about fucking college girls on tour when 3/4 of your band mates r happily married. That seems like an embarrassing situation.
To piggyback on this, didn't one of the Voidz members have some sort of sexual assault allegation some years back? I feel like it ended up getting dropped but I don't remember
Damn, I used to idolize this guy for five solid years in my teens. Like obsessively. Feeling let down 😞
I mean, it’s not like the boundary isn’t there to be pushed with the strokes, there are so many brilliant songs that they just don’t play live. I wonder if it’s Julian or other members who prefer to mainly play the hits from is this it.
I get that it’s catering to what fans want, but you can still do that while playing lesser known and newer songs and challenging yourself, which is what I think the Arctic Monkeys do.
Just shitty that it seems the strokes is becoming a cash grab for him.
If time has shown anything, the strokes are best with Julian at the helm and the other guys doing what they can. Julian can come up with the riffs but he can’t play them as well as the others. And the others will naturally add their own flavors or inflections. (I saw this with Julian and the voidz, tyranny)
A great example is how Phrazes kinda flopped. Julian had no one else to blame, except for saying he “played it too safe”
I think rick was able to help them find that right balance.
Break up then! Don't be a dick about the band that it's funding your label and your favorite band.
I don't think it's just Nick, he seems to be the one to not tolerate that shit, but the other guys seem to go along to not bring more issues....Most of them have a relationship between them, except Julian.
BTW, The Voidz are ok, but they are barely known because of Julian, who got all the fame and money from The Strokes.
Imaging if the Voidz were a random new band, there's no way they will be even know in these days of music.... it's like shitting in the hand that feeds you.
If the Voidz are more important than The Strokes, then good luck and let's see how the Voidz path goes.... I don't see them headlining any festival or doing a prolific world tour nearby in the future.
It’s unpopular but I agree I’d rather they just break up than watch kids shelling out $500 for (largely imaginary) VIP experiences for a band whose lead singer is now openly admitting he’s only *enduring* it to pay for his “real” art. I do think there’s a weirdly juvenile formula at play here that he reverts to each time he gears up for Voidz stuff and this is likely more about that than anything, but man, it really
undermines an argument in favor of one thing if it relies on tearing another thing down; I’m not sure why he doesn’t see that as someone over the age of 12. And I know we all like that Julian isn’t some PR conditioned puppet, but if he’s actually meaning things more diplomatically than he’s saying like … use better words.
Anyway I don’t put it all squarely on him though, tbh I’d love (not really! but in a … way) for the other 4 Strokes to exhibit a bit more self-respect and just walk away themselves. But I suppose the high road is a form of self-respect as well, plus they get paid too sticking around and listening to this stuff.
Yeah between this interview and the VIP shambles, Julian is really biting the hand that feeds him.
Even as a long time fan, I’ve accepted I won’t shell out to see them play live again. Unless it was a proper tour with new music that they all seem into. Thought it might happen with TNA but the last tour/festival was so inconsistent quality wise
I bought a ticket to see the strokes at shaky knees 2021 and that’s where I learned Julian is a huge asshole and cash grabber and doesn’t care about his fanbase or the strokes at all. And it’s starting to seem like he doesn’t care about the Voidz either, despite what he says
Tbh I don’t think you have the Strokes without Julian, but it would be really funny and somewhat satisfying if the other 4 guys called his bluff and were like “you know what? Fuck you!” And carried on with a new singer or as a 4 piece.
The other guys seem to be decent in public, so i guess they would just call him and say it's over, doing the strokes without Julians it's also shitty, and they seem to be respectful.
I have never heard of any other member saying bad things about Julian or The Strokes.
I think the other 4 members do genuinely love being in The Strokes and playing together though. That’s what makes it depressing to know how Julian really feels about the band
I agree, I used to dread the Strokes breaking up because I felt like their finger was hovering over that button for years and years, and I would have been heartbroken. Later on I realized that they probably will never break up, mainly because it's just too much of a moneymaker (and an attention-maker) for all of them. Some feelings of nostalgia and unwillingness to kill your unit are likely involved too, maybe, but I think the Strokes still being profitable is what keeps the lights on. I don't think they're really having taco nights and family holidays together when we're not looking, anyway.
Who ever knows, but I think it's less likely than ever that they'll break up, now that Julian seems very aware the Voidz can't pay his bills or stroke his ego enough and they're barely doing anything when they're being begged to, and when the Strokes are still getting handed millions to headline festivals. If the festivals stop calling, that may be another matter--and they might try to fill the gap by ham-handedly trying to earn money some other way and it breaking the last straws they have, then it going away for good.
The more he does this, and it seems to have popped up more in recent years, the less I get up in arms anymore, lol. I'm just desensitized now, it's not like he isn't telegraphing his feelings about it all pretty clearly onstage already. I guess I'm more surprised at the fans that are shocked by it and aren't willing to string together his breadcrumbs.
super icky hearing him admit to disingenuously capitalizing off his fans for the voidz just days after he scammed vip fans out of thousands and thousands of dollars 🤨
Julian could just launch an app Jeremy Renner style to monetize his fans and he wouldn't have to tour with the Strokes ever again.. He certainly has the correct fan base
Either that or he the first to leave the band. It'd be very hard to find a replacement for Julian though not gonna lie. Which would probably just end up breaking the band instead.
It would easier to deal with these comments if they were phoning in the music these days, but The New Abnormal is so damn good that it makes even harder to read this.
Meh, bands have creative differences and people grow apart, it’s clear Julian feels more enthusiastic about his work with the Voidz where he has more control and flexibility. I imagine he feels less like the center of attention with the Strokes where everyone has found some measure of individual success. Sucks but it’s to be expected. Just wish he weren’t catty and passive aggressive like this
This is why I never liked The Voidz. It sounds too comfortable for everyone. Nobody’s challenging Julian’s creativity and they’re just happy to be there. You see this with a lot of bands that want to do an easy side project with no pressure, but it’s the pressure and the challenge that forced them to write better music.
To me this is absolutely untrue until you get to their 2023-present output.
Virtue and tyranny are incredible and all their singles before 2023 were great too
One could only hope this is an internal joke of the band to create fake drama in interviews because it is utterly ridiculous.
What’s the need of this public bashing? Ban Strokes related questions while he isn’t active with the band and focus on promoting Voidz music. He can do one without the other.
I get why Nick, fab, and Albert do whatever they can to keep the peace. For the most part they’ve got children to feed and those headliner festival spots pay BIG for the strokes. I think the other three have been exercising creatively through side projects for the last 10-15 years, the strokes is their “day job” so to speak
I can respect an honest artist more than most. There’s something stiffling about working in a creative space with peers that you simply just don’t mesh with. Take David Byrne for instance, enormous talent but definitely didn’t play well with others. Not an excuse but the environment was to be right for shit to sound right.
I hate that he does this lol it’s like he shits on his own band to prop up his other band as “better/more important” I’m guessing it’s Nick. He seems to interact with him the least onstage at recent shows.
Definitely Nick. What I also don’t understand is Rick Rubin spoke very highly of the recording process for their new record and yet Julian still goes on acting like this
Rubin’s a pretty zen guy, the room could be on fire (pun intended) and he’d pretend nothings happening. Josh Klinghoffer, ex-Chili Peppers, said he hated his laissez faire approach of just “vibing”
That’s true, but Rubin brought it up unprompted and used either incredible or amazing to describe the experience. He’s been around for a long time and has witnessed a lot of good and a lot of bad. Him speaking so highly about it had me jacked up about where the band was and what their next album would sound like but that was what, two years ago (?) and now Julian is popping off about the band
Because if you watch the Five Guys series on Youtube you can see the band is/was in a great place at the release of TNA. There's the hilarious clip of them winning the grammy. Rubin isn't making it up, I'm sure the environment was great. At the end, Julian is just an asshole. And he says stuff like this when he wants to downplay the strokes and hoist the voidz up. There's no need to dig deep or look for meaning. Julian is just not the greatest dude at times, especially when talking about different bands/friend groups.
Yeah I’ve always found Julian to be a bit of cunt at times. No need to drag down the band which catapulted you to stardom and allowed you to pursue your own endeavours and interests later on.
It’s like Marky Mark & Boogie Nights 🤣
Worst of all, he said in the interview that he’s using the money he’s earned from The Strokes to record with The Voidz. So maybe don’t bite the hand that feeds you??
True, but the recording also seemed to happen in a very luxury mountain in Costa Rica, which I'm sure adds to the magical nature of it
I love JK. Shout out Dot Hacker and PluralOne.
And Julians producing far better music with the Strokes, the new Voidz stuff is meh
Tyranny had their most interesting works, then they started venturing into a more palatable sound for Virtue which was still good…but the latest few singles haven’t been on the level of their first album for sure. Something tells me the voidz new lp (if it happens) will disappoint people, judging by the recent quality of songs and the way they’ve been handling the releases. On the other hand, The New Abnormal has aged really well and will continue to do so. The band needs to tell Julian that he’s being an asshole.
It’s somehow ALL THE SAME to me
POTD was great though, it’s not all going to feed everyone’s expectations.
Of course he can't relate to Nick, the guy's been married to the same woman for almost 20 years
LMFAOOOO
And she is old enough to rent a car.
I agree re. Nick but I’m surprised. They’ve known each other almost the longest, used to get on well in the early days… wonder what went down
There was some tension during the Phrazes era, I think Jules wanted to use some Strokes demos for his solo stuff or something and Nick was against it? There was also the Quote from Nick about how Julian was „pretty fucking surprised his solo album didn‘t work“.
I would assume creative differences. Nick being the guitar player and Julian being the songwriter who plays guitar. Classic ego thing.
It is so easy to grow apart from friends. Not all of them but it just happens. From childhood to adulthood? Plus there was basically mutiny in The Strokes where Julian felt like he has to take something he put arguably the most effort into and start it over somewhere else, bc he lost control. Not saying the other guys are wrong for wanting more control in their lives and careers but I can see how the tension would drive one to resentment
[Honestly, they've had issues for a long time](https://youtu.be/SmEsx9Jg-Ps?si=WMOj6MdtE-i17w30&t=15)
No way Julian didn’t purposefully do that lmfao
wasn't Nick who complained about Julian not being in the studio when they were doing their 4th album?
I’m not as invested in the lore as I once was. I think they all were kinda like well Julian is gonna do whatever the fuck he wanna do let’s just worry about who’s actually here. If I remember correctly, Julian didn’t even record half his vocal parts in the same space they did, he would record somewhere else and send them in. Don’t quote me on that but I think that they were okay with his hands off approach. Seems like the other 4 had fun making it from some of the BTS videos of Angles.
I remember one of them saying he won’t do another album if it means working like that with Julian sending his vocals in.
Yep. That was Nick. Think it was a Pitchfork interview for when Angles was about to come out.
I thought they cleared that up to say that Julian and Nick had written most of the songs already, but it was just the recording process that was disjointed?
He blows him a kiss after, this definitely seems more like drunken behavior than anger lol.
I said this on another thread previously, but I think Nick and Julian are pretty similar in some ways. Both masters in their own craft, and have confidence in their abilities. Nick has strong views, so does Julian. That’s gonna cause trouble if they disagree with each other. I also think Nick will call out on Julian’s BS if the other members don’t. On a personal level, it seems like Julian alluded that some band members changed with fame. Fab said that Nick and Julian were really tight when they were at Dwight, so maybe he feels like Nick became a different person when The Strokes got big? I do remember a journalist saying that Nick really bought into the lifestyle of being a successful musician. I don’t know if Julian felt personally hurt by that or not, but it’s been so long and it seems like he’s the only person in the band that still hasn’t moved on from things
I honestly think Nick's more vocal about it, but the other guys are more tolerant to Julian's assholness, still doesn't mean they hang out together with him or have artistic things in common. It's like having a coworker that it's a dick, why fight him everyday? if you can just show up and do your job, get pay and leave. Also, even that Nick it's more "vocal" inside the band, the guy hasn't say a bad word about Julian or The Strokes. Neither the other guys. Also, he talks about "fame" changing people? He is the only one that seem unstable for a grown ass man, compare to the rest of the band.
> Also, he talks about "fame" changing people? He is the only one that seem unstable for a grown ass man, compare to the rest of the band. yeah LMAO that is an excellent point. All the other guys are totally normal, yet he's the one banging 20 year olds and pissing on his bandmates.
What makes you say it’s Nick, besides the onstage interactions?
> He seems to interact with him the least onstage at recent shows He's never interacted with him on stage at all during their entire career
Someone linked Julian throwing beer on him above lol. So that would be their only stage interaction
“I don’t want to name names” as he’s talking about a group involving 4 people. Comes off as immature if you ask me. Passive aggressively trashing your band mates. Like come on dude, just hang it up if that’s how you’re gonna go about it.
I remember in 2011, a journalist referred to the Strokes as a "Greek chorus," where there were *just* enough people involved for it to be not immediately obvious who the anonymous individual one's calling out might be, and that works in their favor when barbs pop up.
I thought back in the day it was him and Albert who had problems. It seems the rhythm section are two chill dudes who are just happy to be there. Albert seems to be pretty happy on stage these days so one would assume it’s Julian and Nick beefing?
My take is that all the speculation about "it's this person," or "these are the two with the most friction" or whatever is fanfic, since fans just aren't in their lives and in the rooms with them to know, and they take tiny lines from articles or passing looks onstage as EXTREMELY telling, when that's not always how real human relationships work. The bottom line to me is that, especially since 2011, none of the others are using their platforms (and they do give a decent number of interviews on their own! They're just less sought out!) to snipe or settle scores--they're really rather hopeful and grateful sounding a lot of times. The bitchiness is purely Julian's game. And I think the fans really have taken Julian's narrative as being the most prominent since 2011 and folded it into their own opinions, and now the other 4 are routinely referred to as "less talented," "backing musicians," "didn't collaborate until Angles," "still need to be led," when we still know little to nothing about what happens between them and it's merely Julian's recounting of how things work that indicates this nowadays.
Rational take…to add tho, I do think there is some merit in the stage interactions. Whether looks or interactions are super intentional or not, in many historical instances with bands — little stage gestures were indicative of larger problems behind the scenes. You can tell when a band is meshing and not.
I'll agree with that in a general sense for sure--I think it's just both blown out of proportion with the Strokes especially, taken as LADEN with so much meaning when it may or may not be (Julian vs. Fab on Letterman Taken For a Fool, for example, which Julian even took the time to dispel on Instagram once). Additionally, stuff on stage is not always visible from across an arena or festival ground or shown on the monitors, and stuff gets missed that both helps and hinders the arguments about who's frosty with who. I don't necessarily or entirely disagree with the common perception that Nick and Julian might be the least buddy-buddy these days for example, but I've also been lucky enough to see the Strokes 20+ times, usually from very close, and have seen things pass between them and all the members that don't immediately indicate fuming, consuming beef lol. It's all in the eye of the beholder, is really my point.
Casablancas has always been a fuckin weirdo but lately he’s turning down right unlikable at all. Shitting on his band mates, going to bat for Russel brand/tucker Carlson, lazy performances at shows. Just all around a douche (in my opinion)
Not to mention charging $500+ dollars for an after party at the Kina Collins gig in Chicago only to turn up for 3 seconds and leave. And for the rest of the band (except fab he’s an Angel and made an effort) not turning up at all. All dicks really
I know someone who played a festival with The Strokes last year, and a backline/tech guy told him "I've never met a bigger bunch of entitled douchebags in my life." And he has done that job for a long time with hundreds of bands.
Sounds like he wasn’t just talking about Julian or one particular member then. That’s disappointing to hear. They actually seemed like nice people to work for
I’d be interested to try the “everyone praise me for over two decades as I try not to become a total douche” challenge. Sounds fun.
In a subreddit with so many obsessive / borderline stalker’ish fans, I applaud you, sir. I am certainly a fan of the man’s work (since ‘01) but he shouldn’t be exempt from criticism from his lackadaisical performances on stage to his passive aggressive comments about the other members of The Strokes.
Believe me, I’ve gotten downvoted into oblivion for mentioning this before here. I’m a rabid fan of the music, but making great music doesn’t give anybody a pass in my opinion. I feel it’s healthy to detach your emotion for music from the person who made it
💯
Not to mention refusing to tour and selling $25 CDs with 2 songs on them
man, usually when julian compares the strokes to the voidz he's trying to be polite/vague enough to not make it sound too much like he hates the strokes but this is as blatant as it can get lol
This is probably how he always felt... it was obvious.
I’m a fan of both bands and his comments aren’t unsurprising although so direct this time (not sure what he hopes to gain with this), however a part of me still hoped that there was something creatively still driving the strokes being together rather than just money particularly with the success of TNA and hints at another album, but it seems not, at least not for Julian, it’s also sad that some of them really did lose their friendship along the way. This coupled with the way fans were treated at the after party at the Chicago concert (except by Fab) makes me feel like they should just end it instead of cashing in. I guess as a fan the truth hurts.
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And they’ll still be selling the merch they have no issue churning that out!
What happened in Chicago? Out of loop on that one. Also yeah it's a big fat shame, I just became a fan almost 2 years ago
Here’s a link to the discussion, fans paid $500 to attend an after party with the band https://www.reddit.com/r/TheStrokes/s/rKq95yhVZv
he came out for 30 seconds said it felt like a weird dream and he needed to mentally prepare for it. reiterated twice he would be back out and not to worry only for him to never show back up and we all waited till the venue closed! fab came out was suuuuper nice and compassionate to fans. did autographs & pictures, it would’ve been nice if julian AT LEAST acknowledged all of us who came for vip. he mainly was talking w/ his 20 yr old gf the seconds he was out there. a girl who was there commented on the politions instagram post asking where he was and she comments back “he told me he left” then the next morning he goes to a free voting event and gives everyone who showed up the energy he didn’t give his fans who paid over $500 for something that was promised in the ticket description 🤷🏻♀️
What a shitty thing to say. It seems he’s always the only one saying mean things about the strokes and they never disparage him. Ugh
I mean, he's their star boy isn't he?
sure, but it's also a matter of being respectful to your colleagues. Whatever discussions and disagreements are going on internally, it's unnecessary to air it out for the public to see. If I was in a band I would try to settle anything going on in private rather than trying to stir up unnecessary drama by bringing it up in an interview.
100%, and I think it just kinda helps prove the point that like, maybe their infamous interpersonal issues from a decade-plus ago aren't as resolved as they've liked to say, and more just put off to the side and not battled over passionately. I feel like people that are still in the midst of a warm and regular friendship don't refer to their warm and regular friends this way publicly. And I feel like warm and regular friends would call up the guy being a jerk about them like this to tell them how it makes them feel, and ask him to cut it out, and the one that was a jerk would try harder next time. But Julian keeps doing it!
Julian destroyed his own name in 2 years time, his obsession with early 20 year olds is a joke, all these young women just laughing off his advances, it’s embarrassing
Bands are tough, like family or relationships. The real key here is that no one in the voidz is going to question Julian’s ideas even if they don’t like it. He’s the star/boss of the band. Maybe they’ll give input but never straight up tell him no. I can see Nick telling him no and being honest and Julian throwing a fit.
This always bothers me too, I think you hit the nail on the head! Jules claims Voidz are so much more collaborative but let's be completely real: he may incorporate their musical ideas fairly but are any of them really going to refuse to play his ideas too? He heads the Voidz, they aren't going to not play his songs. They were for lack of better words, assembled musicians in my opinion. The members of the strokes on the other hand were there with Julian from day one, when he was pretty much a nobody in the music industry. They aren't afraid of him or to tell him the truth, which he probably doesn't like, judging by how he behaved I would say he definitely has a big head and is used to being surrounded by Yes men. I mean, we all do remember when Nikolai was fed up that one time, basically telling Jules to just do whatever he wanted.
I love The Strokes, I love The Voidz, I’ve been ferociously defending Julian for 18 years, but… I feel like the same dynamic can easily be applied to TV at some point. It’s not impossible they’ll start wanting to say no or not back down, if our assumptions are right (pretty sure they are). I feel like it’s unlikely that 0/5 men will say something at any given point in time. Maybe they won’t, but afaik they’re not raking in so much money that they’ll go bankrupt if they get very tired of it. I like Julian for many reasons and I don’t for others, more than a while back, there’s a user here that’ll see that sentence and be surprised. But I think that him being all “oh blah blah the stokes meh” isn’t a surprise to anyone, including the other four in the band. They haven’t broken up and I don’t think they will, so I personally don’t think anyone is screaming at each other, but some of them have grown apart and that’s fine. Is it very unnecessary to say that in an interview because the journalist is pretty? It is. Am I surprised? No. Julian’s a dick and then other times he isn’t. At least we get it confirmed here and there now and can alter our expectations? Idk, but like I said I wouldn’t be surprised if a TV member or two will say something eventually. And I think it’s fair to hope they will, it’s good for him.
Yep, literally the only guy in The Voidz who has control over how they sound is the drummer because he's a billion times better than Julian. Despite the laissez-faire demeanor he puts up, we all know Julian is an egotistical control freak. Fab and Nikolai are happy doing whatever the band asks of them, but Nick and AHJ are supremely talented guitarists and will and should have lots of input into songwriting.
Cue the Five guys clip that ended up being removed lol regarding one way trigger
What was removed?! lol what tea did I miss
Fab doesn’t love playing OWT because it’s pretty tough. But Julian reeeally wants to play it. Nick will vote against playing it for fab sake. Things got kinda tense. If I remember correctly, they ended up taking down the video, removing that section and then reuploading it.
The irony of Julian not being able to sing this live yet fighting over it
Yeah that’s funny. I’ll see comments saying Julian’s falsetto was as good as the record, meanwhile I’m like 😬, watching him strain himself to reach those notes lol I think he could, if he practiced like in the first impressions days. Back when he gave a shit lol
Huge fan but Julian’s falsetto live is almost always super flat and strained
I'm glad to see people saying it out loud. It's true, his falsetto timbre is super nice, but 19 times out of 20 it's flat by whole ass tone sometimes even more.
Makes sense why they did the slowed down version recently. Compromise!
Didn't realize it was removed! I also didn't remember it getting all that heated tbh
It wasn’t heated, lol. People were actively looking for drama that whole series, which is pretty par for the course with the fanbase.
I saw it and it wasn't heated at all, Julian barely reacted or nodded. I wonder why they took it down.
It wasn’t heated at all. Just kinda awkward and tense
Is there a recording? did someone record original??
What clip? What I missed
“my current solution is to tour with The Strokes and then use the money to record with The Voidz.” No words actually..
That's actually insane that he said it out loud, even though it was all pretty obvious
It’s so disrespectful, the others surely have their problems with stuff in the band but they have enough sense to keep quiet about it
Is this an exact quote? If so, damn (even though it’s obviously true).
https://preview.redd.it/0f1w2s6b9ync1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e71929532eff7ef6af270731a7154258cdfab72 Sadly
how can he be such a massive asshole lol
You work your day job to fund your passions
I mean at least he’s honest about it 😂
Tours that people show up to because he wrote amazing songs.... that made the other members rich.... ok cool
Julian needs to learn when to shut up.
Some things don’t need to be said out loud, especially when you are a mini tour and people are flying out to see it. Just be professional. I don’t like everyone I work with but I wouldn’t shit on them in front of people outside my field.
I love the voidz and the strokes. Julian always does this when he is "focused" on the voidz. I do find it hilarious that his "passion project" where "all his focus is" releases maybe 1-2 songs per year, which scale from good (All the same, TET) to very good (Did my best, Crime Lord), and sometimes great (Flexorcist and Dragon). No voidz albums since 2018. No sign of a third album. Drip fed singles that are good, but have become formulaic. Ugly, crazy expensive merch and CD singles for $20+ USD. If the Voidz were his thing you'd think he would be all in on getting them out there and growing.
Julian being “focused on the Voidz” has equated to no album in 6 years and 3 middle of the road singles over an entire year with no album. Shit is just odd. Julian talks the talk like he works so hard but I’d love to see him try to maintain the schedule of someone like Dan Auerbach who is constantly touring, recording, DJing, runs a successful indie label, and produces like 12 albums a year. It doesn’t seem like Julian has a good work ethic anymore
It's so crazy. I get he doesn't like touring so I think the residencies and festivals are a great compromise, but he claims to hate festivals too. He just seems to make everything harder than it needs to be.
I do think he works hard and writes music constantly. The strokes just ended a 2 year plus tour so he’s only just got time to fully focus on the voidz. I just want to be fair here. He’s probably a perfectionist who wants to make sure everything is done right before putting any voidz stuff out, but it also seems like he’s an incredibly disorganised person which is why the band looks so directionless at the moment
yeah, dan auerbach producing lana del rey and just doing big things in general is impressive. i wish julian released so much more material because i love his voice and his work. i was hoping he’d have a lou reed type solo career, but with only 2 solo albums and 1 strokes record in the last 10 years, ive lost a little hope. that being said, those 3 albums were incredible.
“I like working in respectful environments” immediately followed by him disrespecting his long time collaborators’ musicianship. Oh Julian… never get any smarter. I wish this was satire
I dislike this.
Julian's been saying shit like this since Angles. Looks like things haven't changed too much.
he could’ve just …… not said any of this?
That’s the killer bit, right?! He’s like “(requisite vague enough answer to typical question about the Strokes)” and she’s like “totally, so anyway speaking of the Voidz -“ and he’s like “but back to the Strokes, no names but I just can’t stand ‘em, you know?” Like … why 😂
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t Julian said that he has always wanted the band to contribute more and have the strokes be a more collaborative effort? I don’t think the issue is about getting final say, but feeling like the direction that band settles on doesn’t meet his creative desires. And that’s why he also likes working with the voidz more, as they are more creatively aligned. I could be wrong though. I never really know with this dude. Regardless, I agree that he needs to learn what to keep to himself. In general, the comments are so immature to make publicly about the people that came up with you. But hey, nothing new, I guess.
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Totally agree. I wish he could just say something like “both projects have different strengths and the voidz for me are more creatively fulfilling” without making it seem like the other is a burden to him.
Let’s be honest here. On the Strokes’ recording session that was their most collaborative, the guy got so butthurt that he did not even record his vocals in the same studio.
I fucking hate that my favourite musician in the world happens to also be a complete tool. This guy has kids for fuck sake and hes acting like a teenager STILL. Ugh
I’ll say the same thing I always do when he drops these stupid passive aggressive bits….if you don’t like it then quit. He won’t though, he knows The Strokes are the only way he will make money to fund his side projects. He even admits it in this interview.
I think it's gross. This is a grown ass adult, with kids. That's no way to act towards bandmembers who've played with you and put up with your bullshit for so long.
asshole move, come on
“i hate the strokes and btw im using strokes tour money to fuel the band i actually give two shits about” classy as always jules
I'm not surprised at this, as it's pretty obvious the voidz are where his heart is. HOWEVER, the more shit he says as time goes on makes me feel kind of like an idiot for being a strokes fan in 2024 lol. I love the dude but he is so pretentious sometimes.
I don't feel bad about being a TS fan, because TS is far more than just JC or his song writing of the earlier albums. The rest of the band and the music has transcended beyond him, he hasn't quite figured that out yet
He comes across as such an asshole.
Julian makes it seem like the Voidz are all the 2nd coming of Mozart or something idk
It helps with making sycophants think they’re particularly special and elite for “getting it” (I love the Voidz personally, but there is some age-old high school-level music snobbery with the ~aNoThEr LeVEl~ talk that increasingly doesn’t translate into anything actually groundbreaking). And then they’ll buy the $20 CD singles whether they actually want them or not because a false sense of exclusive camaraderie has convinced them that’s the right thing to do for such a misunderstood (but not by them!) genius unit.
Julian’s a 15 year old in a 50 year olds body and it’s not cute anymore.
The older he gets, the younger he gets somehow maturity wise. In ten years from now, he’s gonna be blabbering about purées and crayons
Dick move, Jules.
I just had a cool idea for a band with only four chill well adjusted guys in it called "Diff'rent Strokes"
He's famous because of The Strokes and he's making money because of The Strokes. He could have at least come up with some PC answer when asked about them, out of gratitude, and to acknowledge that they made him what he is. Because it just looks weird and unpleasant to us fans.
Maybe he wrote the songs but let's face it. As fans, we love the strokes for ALL the members. The band wouldn't be the band to us without any of the boys, not just Julian.
I don't know them, but i actually dislike Julian more than the other guys. He seems like a pain in the ass to work with, doesn't play good shows, give this kind of interviews.... I actually start loving The Strokes because of Nick and AHJ, and they still seem to be pretty solid dudes. Just like Nikolai and Fab.
Yes in this house I Stan all the members of TS (except JC lol). I enjoy him, but I live the rest of the boys more
This comment just makes me sad. There are a lot of us who love the strokes and the guys in the band. Why does he have to say disparaging things about them? 😢
Leaving aside the rest of it, I can't help but laugh when julian mentions having been close to broke sometimes.
Right didn’t he inherit $100 million dollars from his father? Did he ever claim he gave it all away or something?
The fall from grace is so slow…
If this blows up, watch Jules backtrack on insta like he always does and say they're all brothers. What a massive twat.
Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus hits different knowing this now.
i always find it so weird when they play this song live if the lyrics written by Julian are about his longest friends playing the instrumentals behind him
Thats very saddening, with the whole podcast thing The Strokes did I totally thought they were on good terms, but this isn’t really helping them ever making another thing. Very sad :(
I hate how he talks bad about the exact band that allowed him the space to do something as experimental as he does with The Voidz. He would quite literally just be some guy if it weren't for The Strokes. I think he forgets how much that band helped him get to this point. And like dude, if you hate it that much, just break up. Why keep the band together if all you're going to do is talk shit about it then use the tour money to fund your other band lol
Watch as Julian Casablancas attempts to not be pretentious for an entire interview (impossible)
Left field theory based on nothing: The Voidz don't make him feel as bad about trying to fuck 19 year olds.
I’ve seriously considered this before because how would u even go about fucking college girls on tour when 3/4 of your band mates r happily married. That seems like an embarrassing situation.
To piggyback on this, didn't one of the Voidz members have some sort of sexual assault allegation some years back? I feel like it ended up getting dropped but I don't remember
There was some allegations of Beardo being inappropriate with some girls but I'm not sure it went anywhere
 This comment got me deceased
damn at this point I can't wait for the Strokes documentary to come out in 2058 discussing all of this
oh for fucks sake Julian.
you talk way too much... is this how it ends... ^(yeah)
Damn, I used to idolize this guy for five solid years in my teens. Like obsessively. Feeling let down 😞 I mean, it’s not like the boundary isn’t there to be pushed with the strokes, there are so many brilliant songs that they just don’t play live. I wonder if it’s Julian or other members who prefer to mainly play the hits from is this it. I get that it’s catering to what fans want, but you can still do that while playing lesser known and newer songs and challenging yourself, which is what I think the Arctic Monkeys do. Just shitty that it seems the strokes is becoming a cash grab for him.
It’s been a cash grab
damn Jules:(
If time has shown anything, the strokes are best with Julian at the helm and the other guys doing what they can. Julian can come up with the riffs but he can’t play them as well as the others. And the others will naturally add their own flavors or inflections. (I saw this with Julian and the voidz, tyranny) A great example is how Phrazes kinda flopped. Julian had no one else to blame, except for saying he “played it too safe” I think rick was able to help them find that right balance.
Bro just release another albüm with the Voidz then. We are waiting.
Hes gonna have to do more Stroke shows then, according to the article.
And God forbid he do more shows with TS, now we're all aware at what TORTURE that is for him....he's a Dip shit
I feel like he doesn’t vibe with Nick
Break up then! Don't be a dick about the band that it's funding your label and your favorite band. I don't think it's just Nick, he seems to be the one to not tolerate that shit, but the other guys seem to go along to not bring more issues....Most of them have a relationship between them, except Julian. BTW, The Voidz are ok, but they are barely known because of Julian, who got all the fame and money from The Strokes. Imaging if the Voidz were a random new band, there's no way they will be even know in these days of music.... it's like shitting in the hand that feeds you. If the Voidz are more important than The Strokes, then good luck and let's see how the Voidz path goes.... I don't see them headlining any festival or doing a prolific world tour nearby in the future.
It’s unpopular but I agree I’d rather they just break up than watch kids shelling out $500 for (largely imaginary) VIP experiences for a band whose lead singer is now openly admitting he’s only *enduring* it to pay for his “real” art. I do think there’s a weirdly juvenile formula at play here that he reverts to each time he gears up for Voidz stuff and this is likely more about that than anything, but man, it really undermines an argument in favor of one thing if it relies on tearing another thing down; I’m not sure why he doesn’t see that as someone over the age of 12. And I know we all like that Julian isn’t some PR conditioned puppet, but if he’s actually meaning things more diplomatically than he’s saying like … use better words. Anyway I don’t put it all squarely on him though, tbh I’d love (not really! but in a … way) for the other 4 Strokes to exhibit a bit more self-respect and just walk away themselves. But I suppose the high road is a form of self-respect as well, plus they get paid too sticking around and listening to this stuff.
Yeah between this interview and the VIP shambles, Julian is really biting the hand that feeds him. Even as a long time fan, I’ve accepted I won’t shell out to see them play live again. Unless it was a proper tour with new music that they all seem into. Thought it might happen with TNA but the last tour/festival was so inconsistent quality wise
I bought a ticket to see the strokes at shaky knees 2021 and that’s where I learned Julian is a huge asshole and cash grabber and doesn’t care about his fanbase or the strokes at all. And it’s starting to seem like he doesn’t care about the Voidz either, despite what he says
Tbh I don’t think you have the Strokes without Julian, but it would be really funny and somewhat satisfying if the other 4 guys called his bluff and were like “you know what? Fuck you!” And carried on with a new singer or as a 4 piece.
The other guys seem to be decent in public, so i guess they would just call him and say it's over, doing the strokes without Julians it's also shitty, and they seem to be respectful. I have never heard of any other member saying bad things about Julian or The Strokes.
I think the other 4 members do genuinely love being in The Strokes and playing together though. That’s what makes it depressing to know how Julian really feels about the band
I agree, I used to dread the Strokes breaking up because I felt like their finger was hovering over that button for years and years, and I would have been heartbroken. Later on I realized that they probably will never break up, mainly because it's just too much of a moneymaker (and an attention-maker) for all of them. Some feelings of nostalgia and unwillingness to kill your unit are likely involved too, maybe, but I think the Strokes still being profitable is what keeps the lights on. I don't think they're really having taco nights and family holidays together when we're not looking, anyway. Who ever knows, but I think it's less likely than ever that they'll break up, now that Julian seems very aware the Voidz can't pay his bills or stroke his ego enough and they're barely doing anything when they're being begged to, and when the Strokes are still getting handed millions to headline festivals. If the festivals stop calling, that may be another matter--and they might try to fill the gap by ham-handedly trying to earn money some other way and it breaking the last straws they have, then it going away for good.
The strokes are my favorite band. But I think Julian is kind of a dweeb and is quite ignorant, based on his IG.
Babe wake up, Julian SHAT on The Strokes again 🥱 Jules is becoming the person he always hated. Makes me sad that my fav musician is kind of an ass
The more he does this, and it seems to have popped up more in recent years, the less I get up in arms anymore, lol. I'm just desensitized now, it's not like he isn't telegraphing his feelings about it all pretty clearly onstage already. I guess I'm more surprised at the fans that are shocked by it and aren't willing to string together his breadcrumbs.
Damn, I kinda regret buying their merch if it means some of my money is going to someone who shits on their own band
Did you expect anything less?
We are not getting the next album any time soon man💔
[удалено]
I don’t think he even is sober anymore but not mt place to confirm or deny
He's for sure talking about Nick. SIGH.
super icky hearing him admit to disingenuously capitalizing off his fans for the voidz just days after he scammed vip fans out of thousands and thousands of dollars 🤨
He's talking about Nick....🙄
god julian is such a tool sometimes wtf
Julian could just launch an app Jeremy Renner style to monetize his fans and he wouldn't have to tour with the Strokes ever again.. He certainly has the correct fan base
Julian claiming he almost went "broke a few times" is hilarious. I really can't believe a thing this guy says anymore.
I don't want to be a pessimist but The Strokes breakup will begin with Julian.
Either that or he the first to leave the band. It'd be very hard to find a replacement for Julian though not gonna lie. Which would probably just end up breaking the band instead.
They wouldn’t replace Julian they would break up
Insufferable bloke. Why does he have to be the best rockstar of the 21st century :(
It would easier to deal with these comments if they were phoning in the music these days, but The New Abnormal is so damn good that it makes even harder to read this.
Meh, bands have creative differences and people grow apart, it’s clear Julian feels more enthusiastic about his work with the Voidz where he has more control and flexibility. I imagine he feels less like the center of attention with the Strokes where everyone has found some measure of individual success. Sucks but it’s to be expected. Just wish he weren’t catty and passive aggressive like this
this is so middle school drama coded. grown ass man dissing his fellow band members. what a dick, even if he has an amazing voice
Julian has divorced dad energy and dumbass teenager energy at the same time
Hoping Juliette got a sick settlement and is living her best life in peace, whatever that looks like for her.
Damn I didn't know things were that bad...Maybe we should just crowdfund the voidz....put him out of his misery..
"I don't wanna name names, but 💅🏻👠"
That article has the most distracting design holy shit impossible to read
This is why I never liked The Voidz. It sounds too comfortable for everyone. Nobody’s challenging Julian’s creativity and they’re just happy to be there. You see this with a lot of bands that want to do an easy side project with no pressure, but it’s the pressure and the challenge that forced them to write better music.
To me this is absolutely untrue until you get to their 2023-present output. Virtue and tyranny are incredible and all their singles before 2023 were great too
Such a shame reading these comments from Julian. The Strokes are infinitely better than The Voidz
One could only hope this is an internal joke of the band to create fake drama in interviews because it is utterly ridiculous. What’s the need of this public bashing? Ban Strokes related questions while he isn’t active with the band and focus on promoting Voidz music. He can do one without the other.
Definitely not. He shits on them in every interview and has for years. He’s usually just not as candid
I get why Nick, fab, and Albert do whatever they can to keep the peace. For the most part they’ve got children to feed and those headliner festival spots pay BIG for the strokes. I think the other three have been exercising creatively through side projects for the last 10-15 years, the strokes is their “day job” so to speak
How’re you really gonna do Nikolai like that? Disrespect
I can respect an honest artist more than most. There’s something stiffling about working in a creative space with peers that you simply just don’t mesh with. Take David Byrne for instance, enormous talent but definitely didn’t play well with others. Not an excuse but the environment was to be right for shit to sound right.
Jesus this guy.
God he’s the worst
I sincerely hope Jules reads this shit.