Julian Casablancas Says Fame Lasts One Day

This week on Beats 1, Julian Casablancas from The Strokes spoke to Zane Lowe on new material, Cult Records, Eps v albums and festivals.

On if there were more songs:
“No, we worked together without an agenda and then three songs kind of appeared. So I just thought, hey why don’t we put these out and everyone said that’s a terrible idea.”

On The Strokes being on Cult Records:
“It’s interesting or perhaps boring, it’s the same kinda of debates, instead of a label fighting you thought there’s still those commercial concepts. Well, if you do it this way i’s probably cheesier but you’ll probably sell more. And then if you do it this way super art, Miles Davis, next level but no one will hear it or care. So you’re still debating those things but it’s more an internal voice now instead of some music business guy pressuring you and fighting you on it. So it’s different but similar, relaxed I would say almost in a way more pressure on me personally cause before I would just care about music and I cared about the roll out but if it was terrible I could blame someone else.”

On Cult:
“I’ve always had friends or people who are fans come up to me and ask for advice or collaboration. That was always a weird issue in the past because without being able to see it through completely sometimes it would kinda go array, I would give them advice and people wouldn’t get it. So now it’s kinda all or nothing. It’s either I will help but help completely or if you’re not into that we don’t need to waste our time. I think once people sign I try take pride in trying to make sure the music is at a super high level.”

On the next music video for “Threat of Joy”:
“We were gonna do ‘Oblivious’ and we had all this super, heavy, political content and it kind of through different and direct corridors got shut down so we decided to do ‘Threat of Joy’ instead at the last second. Probably for the best.”

On the difference in releasing music now as opposed to the past:
“It’s interesting I supposer, or boring. We came out right before the era of the internet and now we’re still going during the era of the interest. The contrast is pretty clear to I supposed to us or to me, or you or everyone, or no one. The internet had changed everything, cliche but obviously I suppose.”

“I think there’s more of a feeling now because you see the reaction. You get feedback pretty quick whether you like it or not. I don’t really check to see what people are saying but people just inevitably, ‘man people are really hating that new song, or loving’ but I feel it quickly and its cool. I think the turnaround makes more sense. Almost a day is enough. It’s almost like that’s the attention span of today’s music and all kind of consumers I guess. Once you hear about something you want it and usually can have it right away.”

On releasing EPs versus albums:
“It wasn’t thought out that specifically in terms of what would be right for us. It was just simpler. We hadn’t done anything in a while, you almost want to do something light. Three songs no big deal. Kinda get back some of the mojo, momentum before potential albums.”

“I think creatively just on an art level EPs are much more creative. It reminded me of when we started. I think on a business level doing an album and a mega tour that’s how you make more money I believe. On an art level I’m all about EPs and maybe that’s what we’ll do I don’t know but an album is a more traditional way to make a living.”

On performing at festivals:
“I’m gonna take me out of the equation. I think 98% of musicians that I know and talk to really don’t like playing festivals. My main issue is always the choice thing. Where they’ll put people on at the same time and you have to choose who you got to see and then you’re always kinda wondering oh I should have gone to see the other. It’s a business model. They make a lot of money and it’s the main way artists make money now I think. It’s cool for fans to go and see a lot of bands, I’m not an evil on the world or anything it’s cool to do. But my favorite thing would be playing surprise shows at half empty bars. That would be my dream and that would be devastatingly financially ruinous approach. I still want to do that stuff anyways for fans so we’ll see how much we can mix it up.”

“I think yeah festivals are fine, I think they can be cooler. I think when you do things like Coachella where there’s a main GA is a VIP thing where people are kinda not really engaged and then you have what I would call real fans like a mile away behind a barricade, squashed. It’s a terrible vibe I find, again art versus commerce. It’s hard to find a sweet spot. Festivals, yay I don’t know what to say.”