The Back of the Book: Does Reality Await, or Is This It? What the Strokes Reveal About the Past – and Future – of Rock
The Ricochet SuperfeedShow Notes
Twenty-five years ago, the New York City band The Strokes released one of the most widely hyped debut albums in rock history. Critics saw them as the saviors of rock n’ roll. But if the cultural influence of modern rock music is any indication, that promise fell short. In his new book Is This It: The Never-Ending Rise and Fall of the Strokes (and Rock ‘n’ Roll), music journalist Steven Hyden considers the fickle fate of rock through the trajectory of the Strokes’ career. He joins the podcast to discuss how the Strokes fit into rock history, why they captured such attention, and what their latest releases indicate about the future of music. He and Chris also discuss cigarettes, the return of Oasis, and Wisconsin sports culture. Show Notes: Steven Hyden’s book, Is This It Steven’s Substack, Evil Speakers The Strokes song with a Barry Manilow melody, “Razorblade” Chris’s review of Steven’s Is This It in The Wall Street Journal Chris discusses the Strokes on the Political Beats podcast Lizzy Goodman, Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011 Time Stamps: 2:19 — Introduction to the Strokes (and how they’d “save rock”) 6:16 — Generational views on rock music 14:04 — The 5x5 Continuum and cultural transference 19:12 — The “cool” aesthetic and cigarettes 23:05 — The Midwestern view of a New York band 28:24 — Is This It, American version 35:44 — Changes in music criticism 40:48 — Reality Awaits: music in the digital age 48:43 — Technology, music, and the middle-class band 52:50 — The Oasis reunion: a participatory performance 57:06 — In praise of Wisconsin sports culture Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out,” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Keira Stenson.
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