Different Strokes

“The funny thing is, I’ve never, ever wanted to do a solo record. I was happy being in The Strokes, but I think that I was probably the only one who was,” Julian Casablancas laughs wistfully as he parks his car in sunny LA. “I basically felt like I had no choice but to do this album.”

In many ways you can’t blame his estranged bandmates for wanting to forge their own paths. If rumours are to be believed, the 31-year-old New Yorker ruled The Strokes with an iron fist. But when we ask him about his role as the group’s taskmaster he seems understanding of his friend’s choices.
“Some people wanted to go outside that box and that’s cool. The thing is, when I was in The Strokes I did most of the songwriting and I guess people felt trapped. However, I want everyone to be happy, so I’ve backed off and I’ve allowed them space to do their solo stuff. I think people don’t like being told what they can’t do and that’s where resentment sets in. I think that’s one of the good things about being in a band. I also respect people who want to go outside that for a while.”
But enough about the past. Let’s get to Julian’s first solo effort, the sprawling, mad-as-a-goose-on-stilts Phrazes For The Young. To say it’s going to surprise some people is like saying the British National Party’s Nick Griffin would put a few noses out of joint at an Aswad gig. There may only be eight tracks, but all of the songs are bursting with ideas and take in elements of prog, country, folk and hip hop. There’s even a good old-fashioned Irish drinking song on there too, hidden between the cracks of the Bowie-esque ‘Ludlow Street.’
“If it sounds like an Irish drinking song then that’s no bad thing,” grins the musician. “It definitely has that old American folk vibe and there are European flavours too and that all meets up in old New York. I wanted the vibe to be like I was travelling through time on a New York street, so you’ve got elements of the melodies that are like a traditional folk sound. Then I wanted modern drums and stuff happening too, so it would be hard to put your finger on what the song sounds like.”
While the singer confesses to “shitting himself” about how the record will be received, he can rest assured that no-one can ever claim it sounds just like a collection of Strokes B-sides. In fact, bar his trademark baritone, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was some hip new act on the scene.
“I won’t lie. It was a pretty damn fun record to make. I kinda just did whatever the hell I wanted. I get these really crazy ideas and sometimes people look at me like I’m out of my mind and it was nice to just do them all. I mean, I actually got rid of about 75% of the ideas but it was fun to try them all. I basically wanted to throw the whole kitchen sink in there and then strip it back. I wanted to work that way because I’m used to working the opposite way, where it’s tough to get insane ideas into a song.
“The record might evaporate into nothingness and on the other hand people might love it. I’ve no idea,” he continues. “I’ve heard the songs way too many times to judge. I’ve been rehearsing my ass off and the songs are dead to my ears right now. I’m excited about it coming out though. I don’t want my expectations to be too high because if it flops miserably I don’t want it to be too emotionally scarring. I’m keeping my expectations low!”
When speaking with Julian it’s pretty clear that the chance to spread his wings and try new things was one that he relished and he also hints that perhaps his estranged bandmates weren’t the only ones who were being hindered artistically.
“It was amazing to just be able to do what I want musically and have the feeling of freedom. Working with The Strokes is great obviously, but you’ve got five guys who are fierce critics and are pushing you in a certain direction and I think that sometimes it can be too tough, you know? Why can’t a certain idea come to life? But yeah, it was great to work with new and fun people who listen to you and respect your opinion. It makes for a nice change.”
While his words in black and white may seem cold, it’s worth pointing out that Julian has a rather wicked sense of humour too. In fact, the only time we sense a rift between himself and his childhood friends is when we ask him if he misses Albert, Fab, Nikolai and Nick.
“No, I don’t really miss them,” he responds. “The only time it felt odd was during rehearsals, because that was something I wasn’t used to. Having to sit there and sing and play a new song with people who weren’t The Strokes was weird. Once I got over that it wasn't weird at all. Now I feel a little more comfortable about stuff like that in general. Beforehand, if strangers walked into a room we’d feel uncomfortable, but now it’s no longer weird.”
In the (nearly) four years since The Strokes released their third record First Impressions Of Earth Julian has changed quite a bit. No longer the party-fiend of old, the soon to be first-time father isn’t as awkward or shy as he was when Is This It came out in 2001. These days he’s even known to make the odd guest appearance on other people’s records and most recently performed on Incredibad, the debut album by Saturday Night Live comedy troupe The Lonely Island.
“Performing ‘Boombox’ was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a recording studio because The Lonely Island were so logical and simple about everything. There was absolutely no pressure. I’m friends with those dudes – I met them when we did SNL – and they’re very, very sweet, insanely funny guys. You can’t even make jokes around these people because they’re on another level.
“In general though, I’m not really into collaborating with people. I don’t feel like it’s something I need to do and I haven’t really met anyone I feel compelled to write with. I don’t see many people out there on the same wavelength – not that I’m saying I’m on a higher wavelength, coz I’m not. I’d love to work with the guy from Dirty Projectors though. That’d be fun. Maybe me, Dirty Projectors and Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys. That’d be, like, GRRR! Crazy good. I don’t wanna approach these people, though, as they mightn’t have heard of me or like me. However, if we casually run into each other and talk about it then I’d be down for sure.”
As Julian prepares to head out on the first leg of his tour to promote the record (while enthusiastically telling us he’s coming back to Dublin) we ask him about how he views his life at the moment.
“I think I prefer the way things are now to the way they were then,” he concludes. “I’m working from when I wake up to when I go to sleep and I like that better than the old days. In the old days I just focused on music and the partying hours. Now it’s like when I can get a free moment the parties still happen, but not as regularly as they did in the past. You used to do a semi-decent day’s work and you’d be like ‘Yay, let’s celebrate’ and now it takes more to celebrate. But it’s totally worth it.”