One evening in Cheney Hall, my dorm first year at Berkeley, in the early spring of 2003, S. and I ended up in these two guys - E. and F. - on our floor's room playing that game UNO. Anyway, E. was playing The Strokes' album Is This It. Other than "Last Nite" I hadn't heard any Strokes songs and hadn't been that interested in the band. That all changed that fateful night. The music was so good! E. kindly agreed to burn me a copy of the cd and for the next 7 months, I listened to that cd non-stop. I remember so distinctly walking across campus to class one day in April 2003 listening to Is This It on my discman (oh yeah!) and realizing how happy I was. It was a great feeling and one I realized I had really really missed feeling my entire last year of high school. It was a gorgeous day - really sunny and Berkeley's campus was super green - and the Strokes were awesome and I was so glad I was done with UTS and happily living my life on the other side of the continent.
In September 2003, L. and I started hanging out all the time. So naturally I asked her if she wanted to go see The Strokes with me when they came to San Francisco in October. Despite not really knowing their music that well, she agreed.We went along with 3 other girls (including S.) on October 21, 2003. The show was at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (really just this big room more than an auditorium) and Regina Spektor and then Kings of Leon were the opening acts (which is funny because L & I became huge Kings of Leon fans 2 years later but that night we just wanted them to finish so the Strokes would come on). That was the best show I had ever attended at that point in my life and definitely still among the top 3 best shows I've ever been to (the other two being Broken Social Scene in DC in November 2006 and Kings of Leon in Paris in June 2007). Usually I would be shy at shows and just kind of stand there (I still usually do that now... :) ) but that show was different. We were really packed in, we were close to the front and to the Strokes, we were all dancing and singing along to the songs we knew - it was so fun!! It also solidified L and I's friendship because after that show we became even closer.
For the next week both L and I listened to Is This It on repeat and then on October 28th the Strokes' second album (which they played most of the songs on at the show) Room on Fire came out. Room on Fire will always always always be my favourite Strokes album and one of my favourite albums in general. I played it constantly and could still probably tell you every word on it, despite not listening to it much recently. If I were to be stranded on a desert island and could only take 5 albums, it would be on the list. If I could only take one, I'd probably take it just because I know I don't get sick of it and because even 9 years later, I still think it's really great.
That album was also the soundtrack to a particularly intense period of my life. I was 19, almost 20, and finally felt like I knew and understood something about life and intense romantic feelings (super cheesy but true!). The title of this blog post comes from the third song on Room on Fire Automatic Stop. I always felt, even at the time, like B., right from the start, warned me things didn't have the same meaning for him but that I couldn't help feeling those things anyway because to me, all these new and exciting feelings, just felt too important. And even 9 years later, that time in my life is still important to me and I still think that line applies really well.
In my last semester at Berkeley in spring 2006, the Strokes' 3rd album - First Impressions of Earth - came out. I used to listen to it (now on my ipod) every day as I walked from my apt to North Gate and then across campus to my Portuguese class. I liked it but it didn't have anywhere near the same appeal or instant obsession to it as Is This It or Room on Fire had. L. and I went to see them again in San Francisco in March 2006 but I remember more about walking to BART and then walking home to my apt once we got back to Berkeley in the rain more than I remember the actual show... And so while I still considered the Strokes one of my favourite bands by summer 2006, I had stopped actively listening to them.
In late 2009, Julian Casablancas released a solo album. There was an article about him in the NY Times at the time, which I read with interest and even forwarded to L., but for some reason which is beyond me I didn't even think to buy his cd. I think if it had been a Strokes cd I would have definitely bought it but even though Julian Casablancas was - and always will be - my favourite Stroke, I just wasn't that interested in buying it. That all changed in the summer of 2010, though, when M. gave me a bunch of music, his solo album included. I loved it - especially the first three songs which I listened to over and over. I instantly felt remorse that I hadn't supported Julian enough in the fall and I remember spending one summer evening in my living room reading article after article about him (and getting more and more intrigued) as the light faded outside.
In March 2011, the Strokes released their first album in 5 years. I like it a lot. I didn't listen to it anywhere near as much as I listened to any of their other albums but it definitely had that distinctive Strokes sound which I had missed the last 5 years. I listened to it a lot at first but I don't often listen to it now and I rarely listen to the whole thing through (I like the first 5 songs way better than the last 5) but the worst part is that L. (although her little brother bought her the cd, how sweet!) didn't really like it that much. That was the worst part because it made it clear that the period in our lives when the Strokes was both of our favourite band was really and truly over.
Sometimes it seems sad my obsession with them is over but what's sadder in a way is that L. and I don't have that obsession together anymore. It makes sense though because I don't get as intense about bands in the way I did when I was 19 and 20. I think that's just part of growing up. And while L. and I may not be discussing and/or listening to the Strokes non-stop anymore, we're a) discussing other things and b) will always have that time in our lives to be happy about.
Before I end, just for fun, here is a list of my top 6 (I couldn't pick just 5) favourite Strokes songs (in no particular order and this was so hard, I pretty much like every song on Is This It and Room on Fire) 1. Reptilia 2. What Ever Happened? 3. The End Has No End 4. Is This It 5. Hard to Explain and 6. Automatic Stop
Happy Listening!!
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