Stealing Shirts From The Strokes

Images by Cody Smyth

If you are reading this, you might be about to see The Strokes, live in fucking concert. Incredible.

Exciting. You aren’t worthy. Who are you? Have you got any idea what you’re in for? The band that defined New York City in the new millennium; the band that made messy hair, vintage shirts, and Converse hi-tops cool again; the band that made you and your mates buy guitars in the 9th grade, are about to play the Splendour stage and you are here to bear witness. Lucky you.

By some very last-minute stroke (I’m sorry for this pun) of luck, we were able to secure a quick chat with Strokes guitarist, perpetual trendsetter, and wine seltzer connoisseur, Albert Hammond Jr., during his journey home from a brief tour in Europe, to discuss the looks, the laughs, and The Body.

I know you’re a little short on time so I’ve got a few questions organised for you. First of all, you left a shirt at a photo shoot a couple years ago and now it’s hanging in my closet, so thanks for that.

I did? What shirt?

It’s a collared long sleeve shirt with blue and grey stripes, and now it’s my date night shirt.

Oh, no way! I don’t remember it but that’s great to hear.

We are running photos for this article from back in the day, shot by Cody Smyth. When you see these early photos of you and the band, what comes to mind first?

Ah, man. He took those photos when we were still playing to, like, 20 people. A lot of different emotions. I guess the beginning photos are fun to see, I remember those times fondly. It’s funny to look back at those, seeing how we had no idea what would happen, and seeing where we are now and how the dream has sort of worked out. It’s funny because it still feels like that, at its core. We are kind of the same as then. I mean, of course we’ve changed, things have changed, but when we hang out now, there’s something in it that feels the same as when we first met.

I saw you at Irving Plaza last year. That was a great show, maybe 700 people in the room. How do those smaller, closer shows compare to stadiums and festivals? Do you have a preference?

There’s a wide range in there. My preference is always to play our own shows. I wouldn’t say that I prefer small shows; a variety is fun. I like making a big room feel smaller and the performance style in that. Of course, it’s always fun to be in a sweaty club kind of thing. I like them all for different reasons, I wouldn’t take one without the other. You like the small ones because you play the big ones.

John Mulaney was your surprise opener at that show. I was on mushrooms and I thought I had gone to the wrong show.

Ha-ha! That is so good! Julian is friendly with him, and I think that was right after we did SNL. We were just trying to make a show for people. Something more than just us. A little surprise. He was doing a show later that night, too! Only comedians can do that. Come in, do a quick 10 or 15-minute set, then leave and go do a whole show.

Throughout your career, The Strokes have done a lot with comedians and you tell jokes on stage. Can you talk about comedy in the band?

Sure, yeah. I know what you’re saying. A while back we had that one Apollo show and David Cross was there, which he probably still regrets because of how crazy the audience got. As a band we watch a lot of comedy, and as a band I think we are funnier than people expect. I think people believe we are really serious people, and we can be, but we mostly make fun of things and each other and situations.

Here are some questions from people that you know: 1. What is the worst trouble you got into as a kid?

I don’t think I really got into trouble. I think I got given enough freedom to where I didn’t find it necessary to disrupt what I already had. I drank, smoked pot, cigarettes, but I never pushed the boundaries or did it while driving or anything. It seemed easier not to get in trouble. I did like arguing, but only if I was defending a point or something. Like if something happened at school, my parents would hear me out and have my back. I wasn’t mischievous like that.

2. The song ‘Automatic Stop’ was originally called ‘The Raga’. What does that mean and how did you come up with that?

We didn’t really come up with it, I think it was just a working title because of the Raga line, you know, the upbeat guitar strums. Like reggae.

3. Tommy Boy or Wayne’s World?

Tommy Boy.

Why?

Hmm… usually when people ask a question like that, they don’t have a follow up so I don’t really have a ‘why’ ready to go. They’re both good, there are just a lot of phrases in Tommy Boy that I still use in my life. There’s something about it that sticks.

4. Are there any tracks that didn’t get released that you wish had?

From stuff we worked on?

Yeah, I watched a video of a Strokes set from like 2001 and there were tracks that I didn’t recognise.

Oh, not any of those, but there were songs that never got worked on or worked out. As a band, the songs that are most exciting to you get the most attention, and before you know it, the record is done. Or the song got beaten to death and you wish it went a different way. That’s what happens constantly as a band when you collaborate, and in some ways, that’s why you keep going—because you feel like you haven’t done what you’re trying to achieve yet.

You are a very well-designed band. I’m really interested in your flyers when you were first starting out, all of the visual imagery that accompanies the music. Can you talk about how you design, and how you’d describe the visual component of The Strokes?

I wouldn’t know how to describe it, and I wouldn’t really want to. What’s awesome about it is the feeling that you get. A picture is a thousand words, you know what I mean? We’ve always had a strong aesthetic, Julian kind of knew what he wanted. I remember really going to town on the booklet for First Impressions of Earth. We probably worked harder on those early flyers than anyone else from that time. For us, the visual element went hand in hand with the music. It doesn’t feel like something separate. Every aspect of those records and flyers were very thought out by us.

Outside of music and work-related things, what are you up to? Are you a gardener? Do you have other hobbies?

Am I a gardener? I like that, but no. Do I have any hobbies? I’m sure I do. Let me think here. Do I care about anything? Yeah, I’m a human being who does other things, right? I think things excite me at different times depending on where you catch me. There’s always got to be something else going on other than music that helps you to maintain balance, regain energy and excitement for what you’re doing or working on. I like to stay active.

You’re active? Like you’re jogging up mountains?

I mean, that’s a very specific form of activity, but sure, I run. Being active takes many forms for me so I’ll just say that. We don’t need to get into every little thing, I just like to be athletic.

I don’t know what this means, but someone asked me to ask you how many pull-ups you can do at Juice Bar.

Oh yeah, they had a bar there. I don’t like exercise in a competitive form. Whether you do three or 30, it’s about your own journey and what you’re gaining from pushing yourself. I don’t get when someone’s like, ‘I can lift this much weight.’ Like, cool. I do not care.

Here’s a question I ask a lot of Splendour artists: what have you been listening to lately?

I’ve been listening to this book on tape, but that’s probably not what you were searching for.

No, it totally can be! What is it?

It’s called The Body by Bill Bryson, and it just goes over the human body. It’s pretty incredible. Music-wise, I listen to a sort of big variety. I listen to a lot of classical which is also probably not exciting.

You don’t have to excite me, man.

I just know from past interviews, I’ll give an answer and they’ll be like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, but what about that song on the radio?’ Well, then, just fill in the blank yourself.

Hey if you’re listening to The Body, I wanna know.

Yeah that, but also Philip Glass’ string quartet… This Thin Lizzy song called ‘A Song for While I’m Away’, and Phil Lynott’s song, ‘Old Town’—those are the three songs that are on the top of my ‘Liked Songs’ on Spotify, so I’ve been listening to those a lot. They get played a lot in my universe.

We just hit time, so I’ll let you go. Thanks for talking to me today, let me know if you want your shirt back.

I don’t know exactly which shirt it is so it’s hard to say if I want it back. I don’t feel like I’m missing it but maybe it’s my favourite thing and I don’t realise it. If you’re wearing it on dates though, that’s cool too. I wouldn’t want to take away a shirt that’s been working.