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BONUS: The Strokes and Rock's Middle Class with Steve Hyden

Nov 10, 2026 · 46m

Summary

Writer Stephen Hyden discusses his new book, *Is This It?*, which examines The Strokes' impact on rock and roll and the broader decline of bands in the streaming era. The conversation explores why the band failed to save rock from pop dominance, the shift from group dynamics to solo artists, and the disappearance of the "middle class" of musicians. Hyden also highlights the band's enduring cult following among younger generations and analyzes the tension between Julian Casablancas' auteur vision and the group's collaborative identity.

Topics discussed

Sponsor: Indeed Sponsored Jobs Intro and guest introduction: Stephen Hyden The Strokes' fascinating career arc and hype The decline of bands in the modern music zeitgeist The Strokes as saviors of rock in 2001 Underrated Strokes albums and the 'one masterpiece' myth Late-period Strokes appeal to younger generations T-shirt bands and the importance of visual branding The Strokes logo and cultural relevance Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and the missing chorus The drum machine sound and rock radio reception Sponsor: Hydration and energy tips Other bands from the Strokes-era scene The 'Strokes-y' label as a double-edged sword The hollowing out of the middle-class band tier Streaming numbers vs. cultural fame Famous but unsuccessful vs. successful but unknown The Blue Dot Fever phenomenon and tour cancellations Band identity vs. frontperson identity (Killers vs Strokes) Does 'bandiness' matter in the influencer era? Solo artists vs. bands: Cost and logistics Discussion of a book on band hierarchies The Pinocchio effect: Solo artists forming bands Democratization of music production and hip-hop Julian Casablancas as the singular composer The tension between band identity and solo vision Hypothetical: Would Julian have done it solo today? Sponsor: Indeed Sponsored Jobs Band dynamics and the 'for hire' mentality Electronic elements and the James Murphy influence The 'real drummer' attitude in indie rock Visual presentation and authenticity in rock Forward-thinking sound vs. garage rock nostalgia Sophistication in song structure and The Voidz The new Strokes record and auto-tune Sympathy bias for the Strokes' later work Track ordering and the 'Psycho Shit' experiment Outro and Substack plug Sponsor: Abercrombie Holiday Collection
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