The bandmembers' reputations for being five big-city brats on a tear precedes them. It's tempting to see them as five buds touring the world and leaving a trail of blown minds, broken hearts and empty beer bottles along the way. At least, that's what a lot of people like to believe. "It's so funny because my mom believes the hype," Moretti confessed. "She reads stuff, and she's like, 'You prissy little bitch.' " "That's what your mom said to you, man," Valensi replied. "And then I had to explain to her that I'm a rock star," Moretti joked, inciting laughter among his bandmates. The next-big-thing phenomenon carries with it an ability to make people feel obligated to jump on board. While the Strokes have benefited from this kind of hype — they've established a reputation for converting packed houses into fans with a single live performance — the buzz can be a double-edged sword. "The only way [hype] works against us is when people read and hear about us before they've heard our music, and I could see how that could turn people off," he said, referring to skeptics. "But I have faith in what we do. It's good enough to beat a lot of the hype. In time all that press stuff will just wash away, and the last thing standing will be the music. So I'm not that worried. "If we played uninteresting music, no one would care about how we dress or how we look or anything like that."
		<--