w/Sloan, Rooney
Mon Oct 21 at the Paramount, $32.

Seventh grade was the first time I heard someone utter the fighting words of band backlash. They came from Erin Counter, who I assumed loved hair metal like everyone else at my junior high. As Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me" video flashed scenes of arena mania to anyone in the neighborhood lucky enough to have MTV, Erin stood with arms folded and eyes rolled, announcing, "I'm so sick of Def Leppard."

I was stunned. Pyromania and Hysteria were staples for the rock cassette collectors at Meadow Park, and I knew Erin had once felt an affinity for "Photograph." But now, here she was, slamming the door on Def Leppard at the apex of their popularity. Kinda blasphemy, but then again, kinda cool to hate something everyone else loves. Right?

Since then, I've witnessed many walkouts on bands after the tidal waves of exposure started drowning out the music, leaving an annoying ringing in fans' ears. Every genre has fans who jump off the ride once the band's PR vehicle gets too big. I have a friend who won't listen to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs until the hype dies down (good luck).

It's hard, though, for me to think of a band I like (post-Def Leppard) that has suffered a faster, bigger backlash than the Strokes have. Even as the bitter bitching about their extemporaneous trivia seems to have died down a bit, the viciousness with which people initially went after the band still lingers.

The Strokes--five New York twentysomethings who started playing music three years ago and quickly made the pages of The Face and Rolling Stone--were born to the public coated in rumors and inconsequential facts that had little to do with their distorted pop hooks. When I interviewed them last summer, frontman Julian Casablancas complained about the backlash. "People say, 'I see you in all these magazines but I've never heard you,' and that blows," he said. "I just want people to hear the music and decide for themselves. I don't think people like having shit shoved down their throats. We're not doing that; [the press are] writing [the praise], and we're saying in interviews, 'That's not who we are,' and we're just trying to play music--but it's like it doesn't matter because there's a thousand magazines out there."

One year later, the band's catchy debut, Is This It?, plays in clothing stores, on commercial radio, and in CD players around the country. But in a recent phone conversation, drummer Fabrizio Moretti told me the band is still trying to outrun the bullshit. "I'd like to be able to get to a point where [the press] doesn't mention our clothing or our haircuts or our funny names. It's just like, say something good about my music. I guess it stems from the beginning, where we were being written about before we had an album, and [the press] had to latch on to something to make us human. But if that's the case, now it's up to us to weed that out."

Musicians can be a jealous breed--especially when the success of one band is thought to come at the expense of others. As Rolling Stone, Spin, and MTV race to find the Next Big Thing, the Strokes becoming the darlings of the "underground rock" (i.e., rock that doesn't sound studio-polished) world has turned the band into a lightning rod for the anger of those who feel some other band deserves the spotlight more.

Now that the Strokes backlash has quieted from a roar to a room-level "Didn't those guys get famous 'cause they have connections with a modeling agency?" (Answer: No), the focus on the Strokes is settling back on the music. Is This It? swims in a jangle-pop cologne of downtown attitude, with Casablancas muttering aloof lines like "take it or leave it"--a sentiment that unfortunately carries over into the Strokes' live show. And if there's one thing about the band I can criticize, it's that Casablancas' "they just dug me out of my grave to do this show" stage delivery can often leave much to be desired.

Still, it's good to see the Strokes discussions returning to center on their music again--instead of their appearances and connections. Because whether you're talking hair metal or moody pop, it's a shame when talent gets sideswiped by a superficial hype-backlash.