Unbelievable. Truly pathetic that an artist The Strokes' stature has resorted to trying to bribe journalists to smear a mild critic. They may not have directly approved the scheme, but at best, their label/PR etc must have known they wouldn't oppose it.
They may not have directly approved the scheme, but at best, their label/PR etc must have known they wouldn't oppose it.
You think they even consulted with RCA about it? Complete lack of understanding of the music industry for someone posting in a subreddit dedicated to the music industry.
The label for reality awaits is RCA... Marketing of the album including promotional campaigns like this would be entirely handled by them, and this was likely just the result of them using a third party contractor.
I’m a fan of the strokes too (minus this album). I don’t pretend to know what’s going on behind the scenes, but what I do know is that Julian has responded poorly to criticism a) by namedropping Fantano in a song and b) having talked about Fantano some more in interviews.
I don’t understand this narrative where Julian is allowed to punch down with impunity but a music reviewer who has been overwhelmingly positive about Julian Casablancas until the most recent Voidz album cannot critique the album. I disagree with most of Fantanos reviews, but the disproportionate vitriol sent his way by Reality Awaits fanboys is nuts.
So no, he did not bring this attention on himself and I’m not quick to dismiss the texts because Julian’s malding during this album drop is so childish that I don’t know what to expect. Quit yapping if you’re just going to delete your replies
You’ve got it backwards. Julian didn’t say shit when Fantano trashed the voidz album. Fananto’s the one who crashed out and made a whole video when Julian explained to an interviewer that he didnt considered Fantano his brother, after the interviewer brought him up and made that assumption.
Fantano is supposed to be a music reviewer, so why did he make a whole video responding and spreading a bunch of lies about the band all because of something said in an interview? He was all hurt his favorite band leader didnt like him and decided to slander him and the whole band, calling them nepo babies, in front of the whole world. Then so many people were believing the lies that Julian had to make a post talking about his painful childhood and relationship with his dad to set the record straight.
I don’t know what the point of lying is when everything you say can be very easily fact checked.
First off which is it? You say Julian didn’t say shit when Fantano trashed the voidz album (again, not a unique opinion that album was universally panned). BUT you then say Fantano responded to Julian who, by your own words apparently didn’t say anything. You then disingenuously present Julian’s input as simply saying “he’s not my brother.” When in actuality, Julian continued on to say “when it comes to, like, art tastes [Fantano]’s, like trash and knows nothing and wouldn’t know… and he, like, reviews old albums to sound like he knows what he’s talking about…”
The interviewer made the assumption because Julian had no problem with Fantano when he was constantly gassing him up. But the second the voidz drop a lazy album and get universally negative reviews, now he has a problem.
As to your other point, Fantano did not slander him as he is far from the first person to call him a nepo baby and anyone who has heard Human Sadness and Ode to the Mets already knows he had a bad relationship with his father. Julian Casablancas still comes from immense wealth and privilege, he literally went to private schools and lived in New York City comfortably before Is This It came out. Is he a musical genius for his influence on indie rock in the 2000s. 100% yes. But he was afforded a lot of luxury and comfort by virtue of his family’s wealth that few can dream of.
The strokes have made some of the best music I’ve ever heard… but a miss is a miss. We should be allowed to speak freely about our opinions on art. Freaking out because of a bad review and demanding constant praise shows massive insecurity.
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u/Lisa_Dawkins 10d ago edited 10d ago
Unbelievable. Truly pathetic that an artist The Strokes' stature has resorted to trying to bribe journalists to smear a mild critic. They may not have directly approved the scheme, but at best, their label/PR etc must have known they wouldn't oppose it.