The Strokes of Genius

In the fall of 2000, the Strokes were still struggling to get gigs, working day jobs at frozen-yogurt shops or record stores to pay the rent on their Hell's Kitchen rehearsal space. By early 2002, they had logged a gold record, an appearance on Saturday Night Live and sold-out tours in the States, Europe and Japan. "I always kind of thought in the back of my head that this kind of stuff was possible," Nick says. "But I never would have said it out loud, because it would have seemed ridiculous."

Spend much time around the Strokes and you will see them kiss each other. Hard. On the lips. "In our band," Julian says, "it's like a test of your manhood. Like, 'C'mon, don't be a pussy, gimme some tongue!' " The Strokes — all between twenty-one and twenty-three years old — display a loyalty fiercer than that of most lovers. Aside from the visible affection conveyed in hugs, sloppy kisses and semi-ironic high-fives, there is an intangible camaraderie that can make everyone else feel like they're missing the punch line of an unspoken joke.

"With us, there's a level of humor and intimacy I've never felt with any other friend," Fab says. "I can slap those guys' asses without feeling uncomfortable. That's more than you can say for a lot of people in this world. It's like we're past the point of brothers; brothers wouldn't even do this stuff to each other."

Julian, Nicolai, Nick and Fab all grew up on Manhattan's Upper East Side — all children of relatively well-to-do parents. Julian's dad, John Casablancas, founded the Elite Modeling Agency, a fact that is frequently cited by those who feel the Strokes are uptown rich kids slumming it downtown. "Julian is a very humble guy, so he might not say this," Fab says firmly, "but he never lived with John Casablancas. John Casablancas is a very cool guy. But Julian is a very self-sufficient person. He worked as a bartender, just like everyone else worked. We're all very happy — very happy — being sons of people who have worked hard and given us opportunities that a lot of people haven't had. But we're not extra-super-privileged kids. When we got signed, I lent my parents money, because they were broke."

The Strokes met while still schoolboys, starting with Julian and Nikolai when they were six years old. "We met at a French school, Le Lycee," says Nikolai, deliberately cranking up the volume on a Leonard Cohen record loud enough that it drowns out his own voice. "When we were in fifth grade, there was a water-main break on the avenue of our school. My parents were already on their way to work. I was walking home, and I told Julian I had nowhere to go. He said, 'Well, I'm going home, come over.' I stayed over, and we hung out for three days and became friends."

Years later, while attending Manhattan's private Dwight School, Julian met Nick and Fab. Nick had already been playing guitar for several years. With his older sister, he would sit in Central Park and strum Jimi Hendrix tunes. "I always thought I wanted to be able to play any song you could name," says Nick. "But once I started playing with Julian, that's when I really started to understand music." The four lived near one another, and every day after school they would get together and practice.

"We would play in this little room in my house," Fab says, "and my parents would bang on the walls: 'Stop playing so loud!' " Julian's stepfather and Fab and Nikolai's older brothers introduced the boys to Bob Marley, Jane's Addiction, the Velvet Underground. "Our music was, like, Doors-y, but trying to be classical," Fab remembers. "We all took music classes and tried writing songs, and when we put them together they were this crazy amalgam of insane ideas that we thought was really cool."

Julian started writing music when he was fifteen by figuring out Nirvana songs on guitar, or by trying to improve on the vocal melodies of tunes he heard on the radio. "I wanted to get to the bottom of what makes a song really blow you away or hit you hard emotionally," he says. "I went through different stages where I'd listen and figure out the songs, and once I thought I'd absorbed everything from that particular artist, I'd move on. Nirvana. The Wall. Bob Marley. Velvet Underground. Beach Boys. Classical stuff. Stuff on the radio. Even songs I don't like, sometimes I can learn something from. I'd practice anytime I wasn't at school or doing homework. Well, I never did homework."