# On this day in 2001, The Strokes released an unremarkable music video. Now it has been viewed 142,000,000 times and defines ‘indie chic’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/on-this-day-in-2001-the-strokes-released-an-unremarkable-music-video-now-it-has-been-viewed-142000000-times-and-defines-indie-chic/
- Published: 2026-11-05T08:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T08:20:36+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/in-2001-the-strokes-music-video-incie-chic/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- “Last Nite” turned a basic studio performance into an enduring indie image.
- The Strokes initially resisted making a promotional video.
- The video has been viewed 142 million times.

## Summary

The Strokes’ “Last Nite” video, released in 2001 to promote their debut album *Is This It*, helped establish the band’s image as effortlessly detached and influential in the rise of indie rock. Its deliberately plain presentation captured a raw, unpolished performance at a time when the band resisted the pressure to carefully shape their public image.

Director Roman Coppola persuaded the reluctant band to appear, and the video showed them playing in a television studio: Julian Casablancas looked distracted, drummer Fabrizio Moretti knocked over microphones, and the other musicians largely stayed still. It received heavy MTV rotation and remained a fixture for years; the article says it has since been viewed 142 million times and come to define “indie chic”.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.