It's always been beyond me why when people make lists it's always a 'Top 5' or 'Top 20' even 'Top 100'. Why aren't there lists of 'Top 42' or 'Top 93'? Because after all, there all just numbers.. no more, no less. People put too much emphasis on numbers. Sporting achievements, music industry sales, cooking or household budgets. Numbers really do make the world go round. Speaking of numbers, I'm about to add to my own list of numbers with my #4 band of all-time, The Strokes.
One day, I'll have a beer with them. One day...
I can remember the first time I heard The Strokes like it was yesterday. I was taking a long drive with my older brother, an avid follower of good music. He told me stories of his days of listening to Kyuss and Nirvana, teaching me of the mastery of Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain, Josh Homme and the like. We were listening to the radio, and they announce 'The song that everybody's been talking about.. here's The Strokes'. In 3 minutes of Last Nite, the shitty pop music that had consumed the first 9 years of my life had been blown out my ass. It was incredible. I couldn't stop thinking about how great this band was.
I saw them play on TV not too soon later, and a man crush was born. Julian Casablancas was my idol. Still, to this day, I regard him as the coolest person alive.. and certainly someone who I want to meet before my time's up.
I guess it's just the beer-swigging, cigarette-smoking, womanizing, distorted-sounding, leather jacket-wearing simplicity that The Strokes embodied took me away. They look cool, they act cooler. Simple garage rock at it's absolute finest. The critics loved them, the fans loved them more.
The Strokes actually broke up after their 2006 release First Impressions of Earth. But to be perfectly honest, I never expected them to last that long. Nothing that good ever does. They were supposed to burn out and crash horrifically like their rock and roll predecessors. But no, they simply took a few years break and got back together for a world tour in 2010, much to my relief.
Unfortunately I didn't get to see them play though. In fact, I'd bought a ticket to go see them at a festival, but due to lack of funds I had to give my ticket back. One of the low points in my life for sure. Actually, in the last 6 months all but one of my Top 5 have toured Australia (not being able to get tickets to any of them), with that one band that hasn't yet toured (my favourite band of all-time) I'm actually going to be able to see. Thank god.
Listen to: Reptilia off second Room on Fire, probably best embodies their overall sound.
Download: Debut LP Is This It. Rolling Stone voted in their 500 Greatest Albums All-Time. 'Nuff said.
Ah, to be in that crowd. Incredible.
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