Thursday 28th of March 2024
  • Home
  • News
  • Julian Casablancas blames ‘cultural brainwashing’ for Ed Sheeran’s success

Julian Casablancas blames ‘cultural brainwashing’ for Ed Sheeran’s success

 		Julian Casablancas blames ‘cultural brainwashing’ for Ed Sheeran’s success

Julian Casablancas thinks “cultural brainwashing” is to blame for the current state of pop music.

In a far-reaching interview with Vulture, the Strokes frontman, 39, explained why he thinks artists like Ed Sheeran dominate the charts.

“People grow up with norms knocked into their heads,” he told the website. “And I’m not trying to diss Ed Sheeran or any pop star. Ed Sheeran seems like a nice, cool guy and I have nothing against his music. Let him sell a billion records. I’m just saying I don’t understand why there can’t be a world where Ed Sheeran gets 60 percent of the attention and [indie artist] Ariel Pink gets 40 percent. Now it’s almost like Ed Sheeran gets 99.5 percent of it. The creative bands have been pushed so far into the margins. But my bigger point is that whether it’s music or politics, right now we’re mired in whoever’s propaganda is loudest.”

Pink, a relatively obscure Los Angeles-based indie rocker, is best known for his twisted brand of 70s-inspired pop and bizarre antics. While beloved by a certain subset of music fans, the closest Pink has come to a mainstream breakthrough was in 2014, when he claimed Madonna was on a “downward slide” and called Grimes “stupid and retarded.”

He continued, “Like I said, I have nothing against Ed Sheeran, and maybe he’ll still be putting out records 30 years from now, but I just think that with the internet and how accessible things could be, we shouldn’t have to wait years and years for time to sort things.”

“But that’s not how it’s turning out. You see all these people wearing Black Flag T-shirts now and that band probably was playing to 12 people back in the day,” he explained.

It’s not a new phenomenon, either, according to Casablancas. He pointed towards rock legend Jimi Hendrix’s less than robust sales numbers.

“People don’t realize that it took years for him to get the acclaim that he has now,” he said. “You look at the charts back then and he was at No. 300. He didn’t have hits.”

Casablancas latest album, “Virtue,” with his lesser-known band The Voidz is due out March 30. One would assume he doesn’t expect it to be a hit.

 Scientists create first human-pig embryos Into the wild of Antarctica: Scientists, robots and 'pancake' 

COMMENTS

LEAVE A COMMENT

Trending:

SOCIAL MEDIA

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

@khabar

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

@khabar

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM

@khabar

STAY TUNE ON YOUTUBE

@khabar

TIMELINE NEWS