His band helped define the sound of early-2000s rock.
But not everyone was impressed.
Julian Casablancas, the frontman and primary songwriter of The Strokes, turns 48 today, Aug. 23, 2026. Born Aug. 23, 1978, in New York City, Casablancas would go on to lead one of the most influential bands of the early-2000s rock revival.
The Strokes’ 2001 debut album, Is This It, was widely celebrated for its stripped-down, retro-inspired sound. But one legendary musician wasn’t quite as enthusiastic.
David Bowie had some strong thoughts about the album.
In an interview with Far Out Magazine, Bowie acknowledged that Is This It had three good songs but argued that The Strokes needed to move beyond their retro influences.
“I think they’ve got to stop sounding quite so retro, and really open up their writing more,” Bowie said.
“But I was quite disappointed with the album,” he added.
Bowie’s criticism was particularly notable because The Strokes were already being hailed as one of the bands leading a resurgence of guitar-driven rock. Their sound drew heavily from earlier New York bands, including The Velvet Underground, while Casablancas developed a distinctive crooning vocal style of his own.
Still, Bowie didn’t completely dismiss the group. He suggested that if the band opened up its songwriting and moved beyond its retro influences, “they could be quite good.”
And history ultimately proved that The Strokes had plenty more to offer.
Casablancas grew up in New York and attended the Lycée Français de New York and Dwight School, where he met several musicians who would eventually become his bandmates. His musical tastes were shaped in part by his stepfather, who introduced him to The Doors when he was young.
By the late 1990s, Casablancas was fronting what would become one of the most influential bands of the era. The Strokes officially took shape in New York in 1998, with Casablancas on vocals, Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. on guitar, Nikolai Fraiture on bass and Fabrizio Moretti on drums.
Casablancas was also responsible for the band’s now-famous name. After the musicians had considered several possibilities, Casablancas suggested The Strokes, and the name stuck.
The group’s breakthrough came with Is This It, which featured songs including “Last Nite,” “Someday” and the title track. The album became a landmark of the early-2000s New York rock scene, even as Bowie questioned whether the band’s sound was too rooted in the past.
Producer Gordon Raphael, who worked with The Strokes on The Modern Age EP and Is This It, later praised Casablancas’ musical instincts and songwriting ability.
Casablancas eventually expanded his career beyond The Strokes. He released his 2009 solo album Phrazes for the Young and later formed The Voidz, an experimental rock group that allowed him to explore a considerably different musical direction.
He has also collaborated with artists including Queens of the Stone Age, Santigold, Pharrell Williams, Danger Mouse and The Lonely Island.
Whatever Bowie thought of the band’s retro influences, The Strokes’ place in early-2000s rock history was already being written.
And today, Casablancas has another reason to look back: the singer who helped make The Strokes one of the era’s defining bands is turning 48.
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