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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