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man ’ s got to know his limitations ,” Clint Eastwood once observed as the defiant renegade cop Dirty
22 illinoisentertainer . com sptember 2018
Standing For True & Good By Tom Lanham
Harry . Similarly unforgiving Strokes bandleader Julian Casablancas is still gradually discovering his own with his latest splinter combo – initially dubbed Julian Casablancas + The Voidz , now known simply as The Voidz – and its sleek , sophisticated sophomore set , Virtue . And he ’ s still not sure what it all means .
Casablancas only knows that the tableau around him has changed dramatically signaling the need for a brave new team to assail it . “ I think I ’ ve always been honest , and I ’ ve always had a political side ,” says the diehard New Yorker , whose Strokes helped launch an edgy , guitar-centered rock movement out of said city with its landmark , picture-perfect garage-punk debut from 2001 , Is This It . “ But after George W . Bush won the second time , I really rattled awake , like , ‘ What is going on ?’ So I tried to immerse myself and study and learn and see what ’ s going on .” He sighs . “ And it has just been a scary learning process . So with The Voidz , I ’ m trying to deal with it in a way that ’ s positive .”
Because Casablancas – son of late Elite Model magnate John Casablancas – is no longer a lone wolf . And he and his wife Juliet have cubs – two young sons , Cal and Zephyr . And there ’ s still something ominous about this perpetually brooding , bedheaded-and-black-leather-jacketed misanthrope , but there ’ s a warm pulse thumping just beneath the surface of Virtue , which features as fellow Voidz musicians he ’ s been working with since his first 2009 solo disc , Phrazes For the Young , like Jeff Kite and Alex Carapetis . It opens on the strummy jangler “ Leave it in My Dreams ,” with a warped Duane Eddy guitar break and Casablancas waiving his signature metallic vocodered singing style for straightforward miking . It ’ s startling at first , but as the set continues through the sinister metal of “ Pyramid of Bones ,” a Joy Divisionbuzzing “ My Friend the Walls ,” a No Wave-dissonant “ Black Hole ,” and the hula-hypnotic “ Wink ,” which does boast those old signature-affected vocals again . “ It ’ s not like I wake up in the morning and think , ‘ You know what ? Let ’ s do distorted vocals all day today ,’” he explains . “ So sometimes they ’ re affected vocals , sometimes not . Sometimes it ’ s just an acoustic guitar with a couple of chords , recorded live in a room . Or sometimes you ’ re thinking of some strange computer-music sounds , and you stumble upon something that just sounds cool , and then that makes it onto the record . A lot of music that I listen to really affects me , and I ’ m open to just about any idea .”
Having just returned to the mainland from a Honolulu getaway with his clan , where he had narrowly avoided Hurricane Nate , Casablancas was getting used to the novel concept of the family vacation itself , which he ’ d never attempted until he had kids . “ And I have to admit , I don ’ t find them very restful ,” he yawns . Otherwise , he ’ s ready for a nearly hour-long chat to preview his upcoming Riot Fest festival appearance . It ' s also his birthday -- he just turned 40 .
ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER : On “ Phrazes For the Young ,” you sneered “ Out of the Blue ,” where you pretty much openly admit to being a defiant brat , then ask ,
“ Yeah ? And what of it ?” How have you changed since then ? JULIAN CASABLANCAS : I never specifically thought of myself as defiant . So I guess defiant relative to what is the question . But I ’ ve always tried to stand for things that are true and good , and against things that are bad and false . So I don ’ t think I ’ ve changed much in that respect . But there ’ s this glory quest thing that people like to glamorize and like to read about , so doing something great or grand does have its importance . And I ’ m not saying that I ’ m not on some kind of glory quest , but I think the important thing now might be internal happiness . But again , everything is relative . If you have a chance to save a village with certain actions , that might be a priority . But if you ’ re just shouting at the world from some small corner of the internet , maybe you ’ d serve the world better by being a better father , for example . Having said that , I think I ’ m maybe somewhere in between . I think most people are . And I think that nourishing our young ones – without that over-protective , helicopter , everything-you-do-is-special kind of entitlement issues – is probably the first important cornerstone of our society . And that also gives you the satisfaction that you ’ re doing something positive , for sure . So there are two different sides to work and a quest for happiness .
IE : But you did cultivate a profile of the elusive , reclusive artist , toiling alone in his garret . JC : With the reclusive thing , I think that there are things that , as an artist , are overvalued and things that are undervalued . And the # 1 thing that gets undervalued is that whoever works the hardest is going to be the best . And my point is if you ’ re working intelligently or [ in ] the right way or [ doing ] the right thing , valuing working is important . And I ’ ve always balanced things to where the social element is secondary , which – from my warped position – is what makes an artist interesting . But I understand it from a fan ’ s perspective , that the social aspect is equal . I get that because I am still a fan . I ’ m still a human that gawks at gossipy stuff . So the perception might be that I ’ m reclusive , but I don ’ t feel that way . I just value working more than ‘ being on the scene ,’ or whatever . But I like to have a good time ! I like to party ! And I ’ ve always just wanted to lend my talents to be part of something ’ that ’ s greater than myself . But to get to what you ’ re saying , I supplanted a lack of confidence with drinking , so that gave me the fake energy and courage to b some form of what I wanted to be . But – as time has passed and I ’ ve made mistakes , and I basically didn ’ t stop drinking – that took a few years . And now that I ’ ve found my confidence without drinking , I feel so much more powerful . And I stopped drinking a long time ago .
IE Obligatory question here – are The Strokes over ? Or is it never say never ? JC : Umm … I really , really …. it ’ s not like …. people … there ’ s no kind of outside regulation to put labels on things . And I ’ m obviously not on tour right now with them or doing stuff with them this second . But I ’ m always around and available to work on any project - any and all projects - that make sense at the time . continues on page 26