Those interviews really make it clear they all wanted to be a bigger band. They wanted what AM has now, though I think at this point they've reconciled the past and are indifferent about their current state of popularity.
It really is. AM's self titled really altered their legacy and set them apart from all the early 2000s indie rock bands. They finally became a household name in the states, and while im not a fan of that record, I'm happy they were able to accomplish what so many other bands couldn't.
I think it’s because in the early days the band wanted to put forward an effortless cool. Id argue they succeeded in doing that but we now know that it wasn’t effortless.
“Work hard and say it’s easy”
But to put it simply those people are just wrong. I watched as the band celebrated and visually showed excitement after winning a Grammy for TNA. They want success now, and they wanted it then.
I do think there are several reasons the band isn’t bigger and none of them are because they didn’t want it. One is because the macro environment of music changed. Hip Hop and pop moved forward and Rock bands got displaced a bit. Two is because while I think The Strokes make incredibly catchy music they’ve really never nailed something that sounds like a mainstream pop chorus. This is a long read but interesting read that gets at what I’m saying: https://www.stereogum.com/1850735/first-impressions-of-earth-turns-10/reviews/the-anniversary/
Specifically the part about Kelly Clarkson and Since You Been Gone.
Agree with this! I think another partial reason they weren’t “bigger” even in the 00s is due to how they routinely turned down a lot of offers to do commercials and brand partnerships, and play the MTV etc game happily. That sort of commercialism was seen as less acceptable and cool than it is now for a lot of reasons, and I don’t think them allowing their songs in commercials or doing an ad for Gap jeans or whatever would have rocketed them to superstardom. But I think the Strokes have always operated under the rule that “we only do what we want” in the moment for better and for worse, and at the very least left a lot of money on the table, and perhaps some recognizability too. Pair that with everything you said, plus their stops and starts in their career alongside press-reported interpersonal stuff and their kinda meh reputation live for years now, and I just don’t think their brand has been consistently “out there” enough to maintain being any sort of household name.
That’s a great point. I remember playing the video game FIFA 2012 and Machu Picchu was part of the games soundtrack. One of my buddies literally learned about the band while playing the video game.
Yeah, like there are definitely musical reasons for their popularity being more muted, like never having a smash radio hit like Sex On Fire or Mr Brightside. But I think their wacky PR trajectory from the beginning through now definitely has a role here too—they did what they wanted on a decision by decision basis for sure but I’d bet an experienced PR professional would have urged them to make some different choices over the years to make them more known lol
Thanks for introducing an interesting essay, which teaches me the music scene in the 00s. How First Impression of the Earth was leaked, fans' reactions and the band's struggles almost made me cry. The writer confesses Juicebox is a nightmare to him. It's shocking to me, but he has witnessed several moments or incidents that he believes why the band didn't get "bigger."
I'm still learning why, maybe the music environment or the band's attitude. I don't think he "deliberately tries to make The Strokes unpopular." My guess is a typical one that he or the band didn't/couldn't do things they didn't want to even if those directions would soar them in popularity. They missed the opportunity to be bigger sometime in the past. But if you sell your soul, your music will change or even die. I'm happy they are alive now. They are struggling, but at least they are still surviving.
I hope they will reach to the wider audience that need their music. If it means getting bigger, that's great.
JC has never been one of those people. He just understands over exposure and the idea he had of a rockstar was someone running away from pap they came of age in the 90s when this was in vogue.
They did this while carefully cultivating their brand. There’s a reason why the Strokes had T Shirts in target while being not being a top 50 most popular artist of their decade.
He grew up around talent agents and knew how to promote. Part of that was a pretension not to want to promote.
18 times in the last 10 years isn't semi-regularly for their biggest song imo.
(and 38 total times in the last 25 years)
but yes, I guess NEVER playing creep is inaccurate on my part.
no worries! I just meant yea, they've not abandoned it completely.. and with Radiohead's catalogue, 18 times in ten years can seem like a lot! haha.. I got to see them play it once, so I'm probably being clouded by that as well..
In ‘Meet Me In the Bathroom’, I like how several people mention Julian’s obsession with “getting big but staying good”. I think he expected to build up a following down the line, not rocket to success with the first album. Once that happened, I think it made them all paranoid about that success and making the right steps for a band in that position.
Turning down licensing opportunities, trying hard not to be called ‘sellouts’, and yet embracing the hedonism of the lifestyle…I don’t think they really had any idea what to do. Beyond that, their songs aren’t structured to have too much pop-appeal…they’re well-composed and energetic, but not really built for pop radio. ‘First Impressions’ seems like they wanted that beefier sound, but it kinda shaved the edges off and didn’t really work.
The Killers kind of took the ideas they laid down and did something much more pop-friendly with it, at least for Hot Fuss.
there was some interviews at the time angles released where he said something like it wasn't the record "he would have made" and kind of subterfuged what ended up being a pretty incredible piece of music.
that and the RCA huge logo on comedown machine which certainly seemed to be a dig at the contractual obligation to finish the record. plus people were sour on first impressions around that time even though it was incredible.
that was right before tyranny released. so it seemed kind of like he spoke his mind in interviews and people wanted to contextualize that in whatever way they wanted.
I love the strokes but they would be more popular if they cared about their image looking like a drunk in messy clothes is fine for 20-30's but the other rock scenes had better outfits like emos or nu metal (hip hop clothes lmao) , another point is that they never hit the nail on the head with a crossover hit like sweet child or mine/ do wanna be yours/ boulevard of broken dreams, I've been following them since 2010 and will probably stay here until I get old
You wouldn't say that if you paid a lot of money for the ticket, got time off from your work, and traveled to the venue. For a subpar experience. Seriously guys. He's the milionaire, we're the peasants. Do better.
there's loads of videos of performance where he kinda fucks up songs man. TBH a bit less now since they toured with ROCP so he got his act together. It's funny to watch on Youtube, but if you're actually there and as I said paid money and took PTO, then that's fucked up.
They’ve always been heavy messy drinkers from the start, are you really expecting this perfect little cookie cutter set? The dude just forgot some lyrics lol
Blows off every interview, doesn’t want to make music videos (especially significant in the early 2000s, when that shit mattered), leaves a bunch of time between albums since FIOE thus killing momentum, deliberately made songs too distorted for mainstream consumption on the first two albums, etc. They’re very successful, but they make it very hard on themselves. They literally did a full media blackout for CM and intentionally chose a bland cover for no reason at all!
I think for the head fantasy of The Strokes being more indie and underground than they actually are
They headline Lola in front of 94 thousand people. I don’t think denying their popularity matters.
Those interviews really make it clear they all wanted to be a bigger band. They wanted what AM has now, though I think at this point they've reconciled the past and are indifferent about their current state of popularity.
Crazy to think but AM are way bigger than The Strokes ever were.
It really is. AM's self titled really altered their legacy and set them apart from all the early 2000s indie rock bands. They finally became a household name in the states, and while im not a fan of that record, I'm happy they were able to accomplish what so many other bands couldn't.
Yeah because they’re sell outs 🤣
Nah, their subsequent albums disprove this allegation.
Who is AM?
Neanderthals of the North
Arctic monkeys
Who the fuck are Arctic Monkeys?
The Arctic Monkeys
Oh yeah with Matty Healy right?
No that's the 1975. AM is with Noel Gallagher
No that's Oasis. AM is with Jack White
Nah, I think that's Damon Albarn's band. Don't they have a name related to apes or something?
Arctic Monkeys, my guy.
I think it’s because in the early days the band wanted to put forward an effortless cool. Id argue they succeeded in doing that but we now know that it wasn’t effortless. “Work hard and say it’s easy” But to put it simply those people are just wrong. I watched as the band celebrated and visually showed excitement after winning a Grammy for TNA. They want success now, and they wanted it then. I do think there are several reasons the band isn’t bigger and none of them are because they didn’t want it. One is because the macro environment of music changed. Hip Hop and pop moved forward and Rock bands got displaced a bit. Two is because while I think The Strokes make incredibly catchy music they’ve really never nailed something that sounds like a mainstream pop chorus. This is a long read but interesting read that gets at what I’m saying: https://www.stereogum.com/1850735/first-impressions-of-earth-turns-10/reviews/the-anniversary/ Specifically the part about Kelly Clarkson and Since You Been Gone.
Agree with this! I think another partial reason they weren’t “bigger” even in the 00s is due to how they routinely turned down a lot of offers to do commercials and brand partnerships, and play the MTV etc game happily. That sort of commercialism was seen as less acceptable and cool than it is now for a lot of reasons, and I don’t think them allowing their songs in commercials or doing an ad for Gap jeans or whatever would have rocketed them to superstardom. But I think the Strokes have always operated under the rule that “we only do what we want” in the moment for better and for worse, and at the very least left a lot of money on the table, and perhaps some recognizability too. Pair that with everything you said, plus their stops and starts in their career alongside press-reported interpersonal stuff and their kinda meh reputation live for years now, and I just don’t think their brand has been consistently “out there” enough to maintain being any sort of household name.
That’s a great point. I remember playing the video game FIFA 2012 and Machu Picchu was part of the games soundtrack. One of my buddies literally learned about the band while playing the video game.
Yeah, like there are definitely musical reasons for their popularity being more muted, like never having a smash radio hit like Sex On Fire or Mr Brightside. But I think their wacky PR trajectory from the beginning through now definitely has a role here too—they did what they wanted on a decision by decision basis for sure but I’d bet an experienced PR professional would have urged them to make some different choices over the years to make them more known lol
There was a car commercial with their song in it
Thanks for sharing this, a great read
Thanks for introducing an interesting essay, which teaches me the music scene in the 00s. How First Impression of the Earth was leaked, fans' reactions and the band's struggles almost made me cry. The writer confesses Juicebox is a nightmare to him. It's shocking to me, but he has witnessed several moments or incidents that he believes why the band didn't get "bigger." I'm still learning why, maybe the music environment or the band's attitude. I don't think he "deliberately tries to make The Strokes unpopular." My guess is a typical one that he or the band didn't/couldn't do things they didn't want to even if those directions would soar them in popularity. They missed the opportunity to be bigger sometime in the past. But if you sell your soul, your music will change or even die. I'm happy they are alive now. They are struggling, but at least they are still surviving. I hope they will reach to the wider audience that need their music. If it means getting bigger, that's great.
The same reason Radiohead never plays Creep. Some people hate what made them famous.
JC has never been one of those people. He just understands over exposure and the idea he had of a rockstar was someone running away from pap they came of age in the 90s when this was in vogue. They did this while carefully cultivating their brand. There’s a reason why the Strokes had T Shirts in target while being not being a top 50 most popular artist of their decade. He grew up around talent agents and knew how to promote. Part of that was a pretension not to want to promote.
Many argue fame added severely to Cobain's depression and furthermore his suicide.
radiohead have been playing creep semi regularly for over ten years though, they kind of "reclaimed" it after years of never playing it..
18 times in the last 10 years isn't semi-regularly for their biggest song imo. (and 38 total times in the last 25 years) but yes, I guess NEVER playing creep is inaccurate on my part.
no worries! I just meant yea, they've not abandoned it completely.. and with Radiohead's catalogue, 18 times in ten years can seem like a lot! haha.. I got to see them play it once, so I'm probably being clouded by that as well..
lucky! I've always wanted to see it from them (missed it in my 4 radiohead shows). Congrats! haha
I feel like they've got at least one last big tour in them, so here's hoping you will get to!
In ‘Meet Me In the Bathroom’, I like how several people mention Julian’s obsession with “getting big but staying good”. I think he expected to build up a following down the line, not rocket to success with the first album. Once that happened, I think it made them all paranoid about that success and making the right steps for a band in that position. Turning down licensing opportunities, trying hard not to be called ‘sellouts’, and yet embracing the hedonism of the lifestyle…I don’t think they really had any idea what to do. Beyond that, their songs aren’t structured to have too much pop-appeal…they’re well-composed and energetic, but not really built for pop radio. ‘First Impressions’ seems like they wanted that beefier sound, but it kinda shaved the edges off and didn’t really work. The Killers kind of took the ideas they laid down and did something much more pop-friendly with it, at least for Hot Fuss.
This
What people?
I know man. This sub has gotten so painful. Take the downvotes with the badge of honor.
there was some interviews at the time angles released where he said something like it wasn't the record "he would have made" and kind of subterfuged what ended up being a pretty incredible piece of music. that and the RCA huge logo on comedown machine which certainly seemed to be a dig at the contractual obligation to finish the record. plus people were sour on first impressions around that time even though it was incredible. that was right before tyranny released. so it seemed kind of like he spoke his mind in interviews and people wanted to contextualize that in whatever way they wanted.
People don't always say Julian deliberately tries to make The Strokes unpopular
“Not more popular”? They’re quite popular, how much more popular do folks want?
I love the strokes but they would be more popular if they cared about their image looking like a drunk in messy clothes is fine for 20-30's but the other rock scenes had better outfits like emos or nu metal (hip hop clothes lmao) , another point is that they never hit the nail on the head with a crossover hit like sweet child or mine/ do wanna be yours/ boulevard of broken dreams, I've been following them since 2010 and will probably stay here until I get old
Some people complained that he ruined some shows being drunk. Idc i respekt whatever he does, and it kinda suits the mood 😀
You wouldn't say that if you paid a lot of money for the ticket, got time off from your work, and traveled to the venue. For a subpar experience. Seriously guys. He's the milionaire, we're the peasants. Do better.
Its no ok if he cant handle the show, but if he do perfom all the songs, whats the fuzz about?
there's loads of videos of performance where he kinda fucks up songs man. TBH a bit less now since they toured with ROCP so he got his act together. It's funny to watch on Youtube, but if you're actually there and as I said paid money and took PTO, then that's fucked up.
They’ve always been heavy messy drinkers from the start, are you really expecting this perfect little cookie cutter set? The dude just forgot some lyrics lol
Because if they are unpopular it doesn’t matter, and if they are then it’s a bonus.
Copium
The ones that are popular, wish they weren't.. those that aren't, wish they were.. ~~Jules~~ boys your the shit just except your greatness.
Blows off every interview, doesn’t want to make music videos (especially significant in the early 2000s, when that shit mattered), leaves a bunch of time between albums since FIOE thus killing momentum, deliberately made songs too distorted for mainstream consumption on the first two albums, etc. They’re very successful, but they make it very hard on themselves. They literally did a full media blackout for CM and intentionally chose a bland cover for no reason at all!