Casablancas alone

In a world not exactly desperately waiting for a new Strokes album, news reaches us that causes a wobble:

Good morning,

I wanted to let you know that Julian Casablancas is readying his solo debut, Phrazes for the Young, scheduled for release this fall on Cult Records/RCA. Casablancas plans to announce a special series of U.S. dates shortly, to be followed by a solo tour later in the year.

There's a photo too - or a picture, or... well:

Uh... yes. The image is by Williams + Hirakawa. Yes.

It's due for release in the autumn, so expect a late-summer leak followed by a scrabbled-forward release date.

Waiter! Waiter! This soup tastes like it's been standing about doing nothing for seven years

The NME reports that Julian Casablancas is about to open a restaurant:

Julian Casablancas turns restaurateur

The Strokes’ frontman Julian Casablancas is set to open a restaurant in Los Angeles, and will DJ at the official launch tomorrow (October 13).

Really? He's opening a restaurant with the money he made from Is This It and... well, from Is This Is?

Casablancas is among a string of well-known faces to invest in the venture, including Mark Ronson, actors Gerard Butler, Danny Masterson, Chris Masterson and Laura Prepon and DJ Steve Aoki.

Ah. So he's a shareholder that just happens to be playing the opening night.

It's called Shin and its menu is Korean BBQ. Trendy BBQ joint in Hollywood with Casablancas playing records. If SlimFast could bottle that idea, they'd have the perfect appetite suppressant.

Plimsole company ups sell-out stakes

Advertising. It's tricky, isn't it? Do you accept cash from advertisers, or do you starve?

Still, at least it's possible to take the money and still retain some of your dignity. Sometimes. Though that's not what Santogold, Pharrell and Julian Casablancas have done, taking the cash and doing a wouldn't-have-happened-without-the-ad collaboration for Converse:

Geoff Cottrill, chief marketing officer for Converse, said "My Drive Thru" ties in comfortably with Converse's heritage of aligning with the independent minded. "We call them optimistic rebels," he said. "They're the core of what our brand stands for -- being an advocate and catalyst for creativity. ... We wanted these guys to come together, create a piece of music and share it with anyone who wanted it."

The independent minded who all wear the same shoes and the optimistic rebels who make a song because a multinational company pay them money. Yes, we've heard of them.

You can hear the song on stereogum but, really, we'd recommend you choose your own shoes and give it a miss.