When Karen O met Julian Casablancas
Indie sleaze figureheads Karen O and Julian Casablancas both found themselves at the helm of rock bands who rose to prominence in the early 2000s, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Strokes, respectively.
Since then, their lives and careers have followed reasonably similar trajectories. They both spent formative years in New York – as Casablancas was born in the city, and Karen O attended New York University’s art school – before both artists ventured into music and became two of the most revered names in the alternative sphere.
Casablancas formed The Strokes in 1998 with childhood friend Nikolai Fraiture and schoolmates Fab Moretti and Albert Hammond Jr. Their debut EP led to labels fighting over the band, while the release of their first full-length record, Is This It, in 2001, catapulted them into the spotlight. As landfill indie rock pushed into the mainstream, The Strokes were at the centre of the movement, influencing many of the bands that followed.
Meanwhile, Karen O formed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs while at NYU in the 1990s. After landing a support slot alongside rising stars The Strokes, the band released their debut album Fever To Tell in 2003, a record that featured their hit single, ‘Maps‘. Like The Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs thrived on the increasing popularity of indie music in the US.
Both Karen O and Casablancas would also later venture into solo artistry in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The two have inhabited the same sphere for decades now, so it seems fitting that conversation between the two came easy when they reunited during an interview for Time Out in 2014.
In a lengthy conversation, the two ask each other questions about everything from Radiohead to their artistic processes to the existence of aliens. Karen O states that she’s both a Radiohead fan and “a believer in life on other worlds”, while Casablancas details his songwriting process. He states: “I think you have to be in a lyrical mode, and that’s when the best things happen – when you’re thinking about lyrics or writing lyrics, and you’re in that headspace.”
Somewhat nostalgically, Karen O and Casablancas look back on their show together at the Mercury Lounge together early on in their careers, before either of them was signed. Karen O recalls Casablancas wearing “a blue or purple-velvet blazer” with the collar up, while Casablancas maintains that it was “a red Levi’s thing.”
Interestingly, while Karen O remembers seeing The Strokes as a rival band, Casablancas states that he didn’t see it that way. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer said: “Because you were at the top! You were ruling the school”. She recalls the scene feeling like a “boys’ club”, and the two become increasingly complimentary as Casablancas reassures her that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released “huge mega records”.
Expectedly, the two artists also shared their thoughts on “the scene” in New York. Casablancas suggests that the scene has developed more recently, stating: “I feel like there’s more of a scene now. I’m talking to all these cool bands and musicians. Before, it was just bands trying to make it.”
Pausing for a moment, Karen O reflects: “Being in New York at a time when New York was not on the map, it was real easy to make music just because you wanted to, without any expectation. But now, it’s impossible, almost anywhere, to not have the expectation.”
The interview comes to a close as they bond over their love for New York, charting areas such as the opera, the best places to dine out in the city, and the impact of 9/11 on the city. Karen O concludes: “The cultural bounty of the city hasn’t changed at all. All you have to do is lift the veil a little bit.”
Karen O and Casablancas find their common ground between their love of art, New York City, and experiences within the 2000s indie scene. It’s fascinating to see two indie icons come together nearly a decade after their heyday and refreshing to see the ease and grace of the conversation that followed.
