Nick Valensi Is Busy Playing With Everyone But the Strokes

Rumors abound as to why Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi has been on indefinite hiatus from his longtime band since May, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing with other artists. Valensi’s spent the last few months shredding alongside Jack White, Nigel Godrich and Dhani Harrison’s group Dragonflies, and, last night in Paris, Duran Duran.

“You might recognize him from the Strokes but tonight he’s here with us, the amazing guitarist, Nick Valensi,” said Simon Le Bon ahead of their performance of “Rio,” which they had to restart due to technical difficulties. “I don’t know how to fix shit like this,” Valensi said about the snafu. Julian Casablancas might be thinking the same.

Alex Suskind has overseen music coverage for New York magazine’s Vulture and, before that, Entertainment Weekly. He has written about TV, film, technology, politics, and tons of other stuff for The Guardian, Vanity Fair, and The Fader. ... Read More