The Strokes

“Yo guys what should we call our b... hngnghghrngnrgnnnn”

~ Julian Casablancas

An odd group of mismatched characters.

The Strokes are an American garage band formed in 1999 in New York City. They are known worldwide for inventing rock music, leading the way with their 36-minute long Strepsil commercial 'Is This It'. They are also famous for popularising the use of dynamic lyricism (which many have interpreted as Alzheimer's Disease) in their performances, inspiring many spin-off genres such as hip-hop and gibberish.

The Strokes are made of five zombie-faced, greasy men who are the object of many a girl's wet dreams. It wasn't until the band nearly drowned on the set of 'You Only Live Once' that they made a concerted effort to tone down their sex appeal, first characterised by an erratic shift in their musical themes. For the first time, instead of making music about booze and lung cancer, the Strokes began to experiment with personal storytelling, vowing to make each song an authentic expression of their deepest, most intimate feelings. The results of such efforts included Angles, a half-hour ode to elementary school geometry, and "Future Present Past", which explored the band's yearning to quit music and become drag queens. This last effort was ultimately counterproductive, turning the majority of their fanbase gay, and so the band spent the next 28 years working on their next release, "Please Just Be Normal" in an attempt to preserve their lives (they still hadn't learned to swim).

History

Formation

The Strokes came to form as a sin-loving fag group in a state juvenile facility, all having broken sodomy and bestiality laws within southeastern states. Realizing that their release date would never come,ringleader Jack Cutter decided to turn the tables and climb high above the dreary walls.

Monsieur Cutter took on the alias Julian Casablancas and commissioned a gaggle of thuggish, barely legal man-whores, most of whom hailed from the state of Arkansas and rechristened them with exotic-sounding names and fascinating, but not believable, back stories. Neal Ficks of St. Petersburg, FLA thus became Nikolai Fraiture of St. Petersburg, Russia while the unfortunately named Fannie Man of Little Rock was christened Fabrizio Moretti of Lake Como, Italy. Bunk mates and banjo players Al Hartey and Nookie Vinny decided they wanted a piece of the action too: thus, Albert Hammond Jr and Nick Valensi were born, their finger-pickin' banjos replaced by Les Pauls and skinny ties. They boys called themselves The Strikes and decided that since time won't save their souls, this would be their last nite in juvie. Agreeing to meet in the bathroom at 12:51, the Strikes pushed the flowers in the window and stole away, like pieces of driftwood floating underwater.

Taking the last train, they robbed a convenient store and set the room on fire, but not before gang leader, Julian Casablancas robbed 29 different people (only 7 that he liked). Mistaking the Nevada police men for New York City cop, Casablancas screamed that they weren't too smart and the Strikes were immediately arrested.

In court, the judge claimed that because the Strikes were barely legal, charges would not be pressed and that they would be sent back to juvie. "Is this it?" Julian asked. The judge assumed that Julian and the Strikes had been dead high while on their rampage but Casablancas shook his head. "I'm Sober and still alive," he is quoted as saying. When asked why he had committed the crime if he was, indeed, not coming down, Julian answered simply: "It's hard to explain." Back in Juvie, Casablancas suffered from manic depression caused by either life in The Modern Age or Courtney Love. The Modern Age proving bearable, many blamed Love's love. In other news, Nikolai Fraiture was released after a Slideshow of his activity proved he *had calmed down indefinitely*. Mild fame followed: he was recently voted as the most energetic person ever to exist by a poll of blind lepers in southern Albania.

Hiatus

The band collectively decided to piss off everyone who ever liked them by going on a freaking hiatus. This caused 3/5 of the band to start their own side projects, including Nickel Eye, Little Joy, and Albert's eponymous, self titled band... of the same name. They did not count on people not caring about their so-called "side projects" and said to be returning to the loving arms of their fans early 2009. However, it was 2011 and they hadn't come back yet, so their fans could only assume they were lying and continue to be pissed off.

Comeback

They did come back after all, only 2 years later than they said they would have. Fangirls around the world didn't give a shit though, and enjoyed it nonetheless.

Then they released another album on 2013, and later on they released yet another album on 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members

Julian "Fernando" Casablancas

Widely accepted as the only member of The Strokes, he came up with the name of his one-man act while drunk and accidentally pluralised it. Upon waking the next day, he realised his near-fatal mistake and employed some people he knew to take "band shots" with him. After the success of his first album, he realised those same actors/thugs were probably needed for the tour and, so, they were employed on a full-time basis and given false, elaborate, passing-for-legitimate back stories. Casablancas' wife, Cameron Diaz, is protected by three layers of bullet-proof glass and is hardly seen outside. Though, it has been said she is barely visible indoors either so she may well follow Julian everywhere he goes. Imagine that; a paparazzi-proof wife. Wouldn't that be the way to go for those with a paparazzi problem, eh?

He comes up with 99% of the band's material and is like, the only person who is allowed to wear sunglasses inside.

He was last seen in a Converse commercial and in some lazy vacation with a robot replica of Juliet Joslin, the most wanted person in the United States.

You have to make unmeasurable effort to understand five words of what he sings (since he weeps instead of singing like anyone else).

He is the root of a teenage girls sexual frustration.

Albert "Albert "Albert Hammond Jr" Hammond Jr" Hammond Jr.(fuck, his name is sinfully long..)

Son of a neo-death-folkmetal-surf singer (reproduced by budding), Albert met Julian when they were taken hostage by a Swiss Anti-Neo-Death-Metal-Surf singers Group in Switzerland. Albert wasn't given a nickname because he already has a long-ass name, although it has been speculated that his name is a nickname which also has a nickname which often leads to confusion and a tendancy to forget about him and omit his name from sentences and paragraphs, etc. He plays rhythm guitar for the musical group and is a wannabe lead guitarist. He constantly breaks the Guitar Hero golden rule of not wearing your guitar above your belt. But we forgive him because of the confusing journey his name has taken to become itself all over again.

Nick "The Stick" Valensi

Lead guitarist and and comedian. In 2005 he became a professional Jesus impersonator when he grew his hair long. Soon after a large riot of blood-lusting christians brutally beat him into a coma, Nick decided it would be best to cut off his long locks. His sister was also features in the video for Juicebox. He was last seen canoodling with Lucy Liu in the Viper Room.

Nikolai "I'm like, French (no shit)" Fraiture

He broke the zoom. Also, it has been said that he is the single-greatest bass player in the history of the world. However, a citation is needed. He is often forgotten because he is widely accepted as "the shy one", though, he was the first to marry and have children. He is currently working on a side band called Nickel Eye, which shows his mastery of word play left and right. His official profession is a "mugician," and he is, of course, quite practiced in the art of mugick.

Fab "Crazy Mofo" Moretti

The drummer. No one really cares about him, he was picked up after a show when the band's original sousaphone player left due to artistic differences. He grew a beard in 2008 and it makes his face look stupid. Nobody knows if he's Italian or not, but he sure does make good spaghetti or so Drew Barrymore said in an interview on Jada Pinkett Smith's talk show which was axed half way throught the second season. Interestingly, Adam West once told my uncle, "That Fabrizzio, he makes good spaghetti." but my uncle didn't hear it properly for the laugh track that often plays over West, so, what he really said is pure speculation.

Critical reception

“Wait, so they're not British?”

~ Anyone on The Strokes

“This Is Shit.”

~ The Strokes on The Strokes' debut album

“The Strokes?.......”

~ Everyone in the world

“Josh is so obsessed with The Strokes!”

~ Everyone in AAST

“The Strokes?.........Oh yea that band from the 90's”

~ Retards

Albums

• Is This Shit (2001)

1. "Is This Album Overrated or what?" (2:35)
2. "Modern Life Blows as does NME magazine" (3:32)
3. "Carisoprodol" (3:42)
4. "Barely A Pedophile" (3:58)
5. "Someday I'll Get Laid" (3:07)
6. "Eating Pussy" (3:12)
7. "We're Totally Not Ripping Off Tom Petty" (3:18)
8. "Hard To Explain why this album's so overrated" (3:48)
9. "Fuck Da Police" (3:36)
10. "I Never Came" (2:57)
11. "Tried My Luck And Got An STD (3:28)
12. "Take It Up The Ass" (3:16)

• Oh Shit Call 911! (2003)

1. "Whatever Happened To My Drugs?" (2:54)
2. "Reptile Sex" (3:41)
3. "Automatic Stop" (3:26)
4. "21:15" (2:33)
5. "Shut The Fuck Up Bitch" (3:04)
6. "Between Drugs & Alcohol" (3:15)
7. "Sex In A Bathroom Stall" (2:57)
8. "She's Outta Control" (3:06)
9. "The Way It Shits" (2:22)
10. "My Dick Length Has No End" (3:07)
11. "I Can't Get Laid" (2:34)

• First Impressions Of This Shitty Planet (2006)

1. "Do Whatever The Fuck You Want" (3:09)
2. "Juicy Juice" (3:17)
3. "Fart In A Cage" (3:27)
4. "Gillete Mach 3" (3:29)
5. "On The Other Side Is My Alcohol" (4:38)
6. "Vision Of Multiplication" (4:20)
7. "Ask Me Anything Officer" (3:12)
8. "Runescape" (3:33)
9. "Killing Flies" (3:50)
10. "Fear Of Rape" (4:00)
11. "15 Thousand Hours" (4:34)
12. "Pies Of The World" (4:29)
13. "Evening Pun" (3:06)
14. "Yellow Light! Go Faster! (3:11)

Needless to say, this album made teenage girls all over the world (and a slightly smaller number of teenage boys) do things to themselves that we shall tell you when you are older.

• "For the Love of God, I Hope This is It Greatest Shits" (2007)

A compendium of their best achievements, largely from one place (Julian's pants).

• Anus (2011)

1. "Machu Pikachu" (3:30)
2. "Under Cover as The Darkness (you know that band that sang I Believe in a Thing Called Love)" (3:56)
3. "Two Kinds Of Diabetes Medications" (3:42)
4. "You're So Retarted" (2:34)
5. "Taken For Another Douchebag With Sunglasses & Fag-Pants" (3:23)
6. "Gag Reflex" (3:52)
7. "Call Me Back (You Worthless Slut!)" (3:02)
8. "Acid Flashback" (2:59)
9. "Methamphetamine" (3:01)
10. "Life is Simple In The Matrix" (4:15)

The Strokes' first album since Julian Casablanca's 2010 deal with Evil Jesus to be less worthless.

• Cumdown Machine (2013)

1. "Crap Out" (3:42)
2. "None the Time" (3:01)
3. "Devil Trigger" (4:02)
4. "Welcome to Japan (you filthy weaboo!)" (3:50)
5. "The One that Has the Same Name as This Album" (4:58)
6. "60/9" (2:43)
7. "Gay Animals" (4:20)
8. "Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time" (3:21)
9. "Lap Dances" (3:36)
10. "Shitty Ending" (2:52)
11. "Call It Festivus, Call It Hannukah" (3:24)

• The New Paranormal (2020)

1. "The Adults Are Crapping" (5:09)
2. "Selfish" (3:42)
3. "Brooklyn Cringe to Chorus" (3:55)
4. "Bad Decisions (the reason you were born)" (4:53)
5. "Eternal Slammer" (6:15)
6. "At the Björk" (5:10)
7. "Why Are Mondays So Depressing (Garfield's song)" (4:35)
8. "Still the Same Yet" (5:37)
9. "Ode to the Meth" (5:51)

See Also

• Green Day
• Weezer
• Panic! at the Disco
• The Vinegar Strokes