By Kate Bristow
Daily Bruin Contributor
Shaggy haired and vintage clad, New York natives The Strokes
scream The Beatles in more ways than one. Echoing years gone by,
their sound craftily incorporates ’60s and ’70s greats
such as the Velvet Underground, John Lennon, Roy Orbison and Buddy
Holly.
Although the music of the past marks their style, The Strokes
have created something avant-garde. They draw on so many different
types of music that it’s impossible to point a finger in just
one direction.
“We just sort of find what’s cool in some things and
try to do it in our own music,” said guitarist Albert Hammond
Jr. “Whether it’s a rap song, heavy-metal song,
acoustic song, anything.”
It seems that an up-and-coming band has never been so ahead of
the game. West Los Angeles Tower Records reported up to 35 holds
for their debut album “Is This It?” a week before its
Oct. 9 release.
The album had been out in the United Kingdom since August, and
was much anticipated across the Atlantic after it’s smashing
success in Britain.
However, the original release date, Sept. 25, was cancelled and
a massive recall occurred. The Strokes made a decision to change
the content of their CD before letting it hit the shelves. In light
of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the song “New York City
Cops” was removed from the album completely and all original
copies of the CD were destroyed.
The band said that the song was written long before the tragedy
occurred and does not endorse violence against New York policemen
nor does it have any real clear message against them. The chorus is
the line in question. Casablancas repeats “New York City
Cops” three times and then says, “They ain’t too
smart.”
According to Hammond Jr., the song is just about cops hassling
this guy who is just hanging out with this girl somewhere.
“Basically, it is just a complaint that the cops should be
out doing other things than bothering people that are just hanging
out,” he said. The band still feared, however, that the
lyrics could easily be taken in the wrong way.
“It just came out at the wrong time, that’s all, so
we changed it,” explained Hammond. “We just felt like,
for some reason in America as a mass sometimes people are too
sensitive and they don’t really want to hear excuses, even
though what you are giving them isn’t really an
excuse.”
While “New York City Cops” has been taken off the
playlist for “Is This It?” it remains in the
band’s set and they don’t see any problem in playing it
live.
The Strokes formed in 1999, and three-fifths of its members were
close friends from prep school days. Vocalist Julian Casablancas,
guitarist Nick Valensi and drummer Fabrizio Moretti attended high
school at the private and prestigious Dwight School of Central Park
West and bonded there, sharing a common passion for rock music.
The threesome was joined by bassist Nicolai Fraiture, a friend
of Casablanca’s from grade school, and second guitarist
Albert Hammond Jr., a Los Angeles native and former Swiss boarding
school roommate of Casablancas.
While their schooling background may make them seem like a bunch
of rich kids who want to be rock stars, Hammond Jr. proclaims that
The Strokes never really took advantage of their families’
resources.
“No one ever gave us money to do anything. We never used
the connections to get anywhere. All the stuff we did was just
hard work in the studio and it just happened to be that our
families had money,” said Hammond Jr.
The Strokes relied upon the New York “buzz” to
spread the word. They began by playing in hole-in-the-wall clubs
for small audiences and slowly ascended the ladder of
gigs.Â
In the fall of 2000, The Strokes began playing at New
York’s Mercury Lounge, and the club’s booking agent,
Ryan Gentles, became their manager. They recorded a three-song demo
called “The Modern Age” and the buzz that once
resonated through New York City spread across the nation. The
Strokes have begun their siege upon America’s music
scene.
Tickets to their two Los Angeles shows at The Palace, on Oct. 18
and 19, are sold out and there are advertised bids of over a
hundred dollars on e-Bay. Rare copies of the band’s original
debut record, featuring the song “New York City Cops,”
are also selling on the Internet for a comparable price.
Get them while they’re hot, The Strokes are going to be
big.
See The Strokes live at the Palace in Hollywood on Oct. 18 and
19.
The following is an excerpt from The Strokes’ song
“New York City Cops,” which was removed from the U.S.
release of “This Is It?” … Nina’s in the
bedroom She said it time to go now But leavin’ it ain’t
easy I got to let go I got to let go And the hours they ran slow I
said every night she just can’t stop sayin’ New York
City Cops New York City Cops New York City Cops They ain’t
too smart. … Trapped in an apartment She would not let them get
her She wrote it in a letter I got to come clean I getting bored of
their scene darling I’m somewhere in between I said every
night ever night, I just can’t stop sayin’ New York
City Cops New York City Cops New York City Cops They ain’t
too smart…