FILTER Issue 38

A first trip into the world of solo-dom can present certain hazards for a singer in a successful rock and roll band—expectations run high and questions run deep. To that, Julian Casablancas offers this: “If anything, I want to console people. There’s a portion of people who I think are like, ‘What the hell? When are The Strokes getting back together?’ Nothing I’m doing is slowing that down.” With the release of his first solo record, Phrazes for the Young, Casablancas gets to flex his skills as a multi-talented musician; mostly seen as just a singer, Casablancas actually wrote most of the instrumentals and guitar solos for The Strokes’ albums. Here, Casablancas shares with FILTER his secret dream to be a modern composer, how he separates solo material from potential Strokes songs, and how recording in America’s heartland surprised him.

Also in this issue, living legend Mel Brooks reminisces about the origins of comedy career, making his first movie The Producers, collaborating with Gene Wilder on Young Frankenstein, and dishes on the cast of regulars that make up this King’s court; Vampire Weekend challenges the stigma behind their ivy league educations and the use of Auto-Tune on their latest album, Contra; Wes Anderson shares of the journey behind writing and directing a film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox; and we talk to the Manic Street Preachers about guitarist Richey Edwards’ mysterious disappearance, using Edwards’ journals to write a new album, and touring the States for the first time in 10 years.

In addition, writer-director-Python Terry Gilliam, self-described as both “mad” and “obsessed,” tells of the importance of finishing Heath Ledger’s final film; Annie continues as a “pixie brimming with punk,” although she almost considered ending her music career in 2001 after the death of her musical partner and boyfriend; legendary photographer Herman Leonard shares snapshots from his longtime love affair with jazz; we hang twenty with pro surfer Rob Machado and spit about his new film, The Drifter; and we relive the atmosphere of the Reeperbahn Festival in the port town of Hamburg, Germany. Plus, Malakai, Little Dragon, Final Fantasy, Athlete, Mission of Burma, and enjoy Michael Showalter’s frogs-inspired EndNote. Yes, frogs.

COVER
Every Man for Himself: The Evolution of JULIAN CASABLANCAS


FEATURES
Worlds of Pure Imagination: WES ANDERSON, Roald Dahl and Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Insides of a Monster: Busting the Myth of VAMPIRE WEEKEND
Faust Things Faust: The Not Entirely Tragic History of TERRY GILLIAM

F-STOP
ANNIE: Don’t Stop

TRIBUTE
MANIC STREET PREACHERS: From Despair to Everywhere
Where Did I Go Right? The History of MEL BROOKS: Part 1

SOUND ESCAPES
Achtung! Don’t Fear the REEPERBAHN

GETTING TO KNOW
MALAKAI
LITTLE DRAGON
FINAL FANTASY

YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW
ATHLETE
MISSION OF BURMA

FLICKER
THE DRIFTER: Flowing in Indo with ROB MACHADO

ENDNOTE
by MICHAEL SHOWALTER