And he will talk about everything from strip clubs to night terrors to his hatred of Pringles potato chips.But when it comes time for a formal sit-down, he will give me the worst interview I have ever experienced. Rolling Stone Lists: The New Immortals The Strokes are more than just a band.
"You never know when it's going to blow up on you."Casablancas is wearing a green work shirt with the words U. GARBAGE COMPANY over the pocket, and faded black pants.
"You know how bands have to decide what to wear onstage? "We just decided that we would wear what we wanted to wear onstage all the time, so we wouldn't have to think about it. No matter who I'm talking to, I always talk like I'm doing an interview."Over time and beer, however, his disclaimers stop, his conversation loosens and his jokes get sharper.
Casablancas is blessed with a quick wit, and if you listen close enough, you hear him delivering off-the-cuff comments that, when spoken in his slow, slurred voice, seem twice as funny.
"No matter how hard I try, I can never be that good," he following afternoon, I meet Hammond at Tower Records in the East Village.
He is sporting several days of stubble and a pinstriped secondhand snort coat over an inside-out T-shirt.