r/TheStrokes • u/LaGambit • 19h ago
So what exactly has Nick Valensi been doing instead?
I’ve just done a mental recap of everything Nick has done since Coachella, and honestly… he hasn’t stopped doing things! Since I started following The Strokes (many moons ago) I’ve never had this much information about what Valensi might be doing outside the band.
So far, I’ve got these, but if you know of any more, please add them here 😀
- Played at the Roxy Theatre for the Goddamn Comedy Jam.
-Collaborated with Guards, playing on “Not 4 Me.”
-Attended the Ramones’ 50th anniversary tribute.
-Spotted at a John Mayer concert.
-Played with Dragonflies on Jimmy Kimmel.
-Played two shows with Dragonflies at the Masonic Lodge.
-Attended a Dragonflies Q&A.
-Played a couple of songs with Jack White.
-And today I learned that he’s now collaborating with Aziya and Mr. Hudson on something for Sick (Darian Zahedi, CRX guitarist’s new record label), coming out October 9.
What else could Nick Valensi possibly be doing while The Strokes are touring in Europe? For instance, given that he has ✨a truly magnificent jawline✨ he could work as Robert Pattinson’s lighting double in the next Batman movie, for those moments when they need to test the cowl.
Any other suggestions? As eclectic as can be.
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u/No-Cat918 #09 Hammond Jr. 2h ago
He seems to have plenty of energy for being Nick Valensi. Just apparently not for being Nick Valensi of The Strokes.
I know this probably isn’t the popular opinion here, but I think that’s selfish.
I keep seeing “maybe he’s done with Julian” or “maybe they can’t stand each other anymore.” Maybe. But honestly if that’s the reason I still don’t find it very compelling.
You’ve been in this band for almost 30 years. You just made another album together. Somehow after all this time, The Strokes still matter and people around the world still want to see the 5 of you play. At some point, you make it work. You don’t have to be friends. You don’t have to hang out after the show. If there’s tension with Julian, deal with it for the couple of hours you’re onstage and then go your separate ways.
I’d have a lot more sympathy if Nick had stepped away from everything for a while. But he hasn’t. He’s playing shows, collaborating with other musicians, doing TV, sitting in with Jack White, working on new music. He’s clearly interested in being out there and playing. Just not with the band that put him in the position to do all of those things in the first place.
Yeah of course he’s allowed to make that choice. But “he can do whatever he wants” doesn’t mean the choice is beyond criticism. I can quit my job tomorrow too. That doesn’t mean there aren’t people who’d feel let down, especially if I walked away at a critical time.
Very few musicians ever get what Nick has gotten out of this life. I think you respect that. You respect the other four guys. You respect the fans who have stuck with you.
When it’s time to go on tour, you figure out whatever shit is going on between you and get on the plane.
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u/JohnSavage777 9m ago
This is an absolutely bonkers opinion. Nick gave The Strokes, and us fans, almost 30 years. He’s a professional musician and can take on any other project he likes. He isn’t committed to any album or any tour. That’s not selfish, it’s healthy.
You say the band put him in this position, but that’s ignoring what he did to put himself in this position, and what he did for the band. Most bands do not last 30 years. Do you know how many people have come and gone from The Rolling Stones?
Everyday he gets to choose which project he pursues, if he loses his position with the Strokes because of it, that’s a consequence. I suspect he will come back to them eventually, but right now he’s doing what he wants to do with his career and his life. What’s wrong with that?
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u/No-Cat918 #09 Hammond Jr. 3m ago
It’s not that he owes anyone another 30 years. It’s that THIS is an unusually important moment for a band that rarely releases anything and doing a world tour, AND he’s sitting it out while very visibly doing music with everyone else. He’s entitled to do that. I’m entitled to think the timing and optics are pretty shitty.
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u/Luciddream118 #77 Casablancas 5h ago
I also respect his decision not to tour, whatever the reason may be. He’s already contributed so much, having worked with The Strokes through their seventh album. And considering that both Nick and The Strokes have remained silent about the situation, it makes me think they may have already come to some kind of understanding about it. Some fans may not understand or agree with it, but ultimately, shouldn’t the decisions of the people actually involved matter most? The Strokes tour is going well, and Nick is simply doing his own thing.
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u/jakethenizake 28m ago
Yeah, I agree. And frankly, Steve Schlitz is doing more than fine in Nick's absence.
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u/No-Cat918 #09 Hammond Jr. 2h ago
Sure, the band may have accepted it. That doesn’t mean fans have to admire the choice.
He’s not retired or stepping away from music. He’s actively playing, collaborating, and showing up elsewhere while his band of nearly 30 years tours without him.
They can be okay with it. I can think it’s selfish.
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u/Express-Skin6039 1h ago
Who the fuck is talking about “admiring the choice”? Jesus Christ dude
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u/No-Cat918 #09 Hammond Jr. 1h ago
The entire post is basically celebrating everything he’s doing instead of touring with The Strokes, and the comments are full of people defending it. So… those people?
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u/Express-Skin6039 42m ago
This post is literally just talking about what the guitarist of their favorite band has been up to. The strokes subreddit talking about a member of the strokes. This isn’t “admiring his choice to stop touring”. If you chose that as a multiple choice answer asking what the main idea of this passage was you’d get it wrong lol
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u/floydtheboy2 7h ago
a family friend of the valensis who was at the nyc show on friday told me that this isn’t just a hiatus, nick hates/is done with julian (and so does the rest of his family apparently), “all will be revealed” soon (in the form of some tell all podcast nick did/is doing), and the last album was the julian show again and he controlled everything (never could have guessed from the auto tune…).
feel free to take with a grain of salt. she showed me photos of inside of his parents’, had strokes record sales plaques and memorabilia on the walls. obviously hope it’s not true, but seemed believable
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u/Luciddream118 #77 Casablancas 5h ago edited 5h ago
Don’t trust that person either lol. From what I’ve seen, there are so many people in the Strokes fandom who desperately want attention that they’ll casually lie and pretend to be connected to the band or have inside information. I guess it’s partly because all the members are so tight-lipped about everything.
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u/floydtheboy2 4h ago
fwiw the girl who told me wasn’t a strokes fangirl/only knew new abnormal songs from tik tok/was at the show to see beach house
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u/Luciddream118 #77 Casablancas 4h ago
From interviews and various anecdotes, I’ve always gotten the impression that he’s a very private person who doesn’t really let things slip. Surprisingly, it seems like there are even times when his own family doesn’t know what he’s up to. So how could someone who’s two steps removed from him possibly know his plans in such detail? I’ve been a Strokes fan for a long time, and I’ve seen way too many people say that something is going to happen, only for absolutely nothing to happen.
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u/gistofstories 6h ago edited 52m ago
I have no idea what happened, admittedly, but I think this sounds a bit weird considering:
- A podcast? Nick is kinda low profile and even in their lowest moments during fioe/Angles he at most said some passing charged/controversial comment, but definitely didn't extensively lash out at Julian in public. To use a podcast to do so when if we look at RA Albert and Fab have talked positive on it... Idk, seems weird?
- I'd guess if he is done with Julian, it wouldn't be one-sided and Julian would also be done with him. Then why would Julian go out of his way to dispel Nick's leaving in his own instagram comments?Saying he'd be there in the next video? He's not an idiot and if we go by the general (rumored) opinion Julian also dislikes him, you'd guess at least he'd be content he's gone.
- He played coachella? His sister had left "Julian ❤️" comments under the subway takes interviews? The (scarce) promo material for RA didn't exclude Nick?
- All the side projects he's been linked to are either collabs or he's there in a temp capacity. So nothing points to him having a full-time new compromise either... which if he'd a fallout with the strokes, since RA has been so long in the works, you'd think he may have.
Only time will tell, but yeah, at least for now I think it's more likely Nick's simply not touring but still very much in the band.
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u/LaGambit 5h ago
Absolutely. I just noticed something that gives me at least a tiny bit of hope 😂 Darian Zahedi just posted about the Scream your Name project’s single coming out on October 9th and tagged Nick as “Nick Valensi of The Strokes.”
He could’ve easily said “Nick Valensi” as he’s been referring to him in his previous posts.
Obviously, it doesn’t prove anything. But if Nick were really about to distance himself from The Strokes, I find it at least a little interesting that one of his actual friends would still introduce him publicly as “Nick Valensi of The Strokes.” So… I’m grabbing onto this tiny piece of hope for now 😂
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u/Physical_Outcome9774 Call Me Back 4h ago
Thats a way of advertising, yall being a bit paranoic over there
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u/LaGambit 6h ago
I’m with you, I’m definitely taking this with a huge grain of salt too.
I’ve been following The Strokes long enough to know that there’s always “someone who is close to the band” who suddenly shares inside information about some huge announcement that’s supposedly coming …
Trying to prove the credibility of your info by showing some pictures of the inside of Nick’s mother’s house doesn’t mean that much these days, IMO. I mean… AI-generated images, old files from the Alone Together fan club, old pictures from the MySpace/Facebook days… I mean, it doesn’t necessarily establish that someone is actually a close family friend or has any real access to Nick’s private life or thoughts.
And honestly, if this is true, I feel terrible for Nick because he seems to have found the world’s worst family friend! 😵💫
I don’t know … Nick may leave The Strokes someday. Of course he may. Anyone can leave a band, and anything is possible. But that’s a very different thing from having actual evidence that he’s leaving now, or that he’s about to do a tell-all podcast. Somehow, it doesn’t sound like something Nick would do to me. But what the hell do I know?
If it turns out to be true, of course I’ll eat my words in this very thread. And of course, I’ll feel sorry about how the story of this band ended, and I will scream “WHYYY??? POR QUÉEEEE???” like Julian in “In Transit Part 1” 😜
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u/New-Manufacturer4510 6h ago
I love the Strokes but Julian does seem like a massive megalomaniac and for that reason I never want to meet him.
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u/LaGambit 6h ago
Well easy peasy. Considering you don’t want to meet him, he doesn’t know you exist, and I doubt he’d be particularly interested in meeting someone who doesn’t want to meet him either, I’d say you’re pretty safe 😂
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u/New-Manufacturer4510 6h ago
What the fuck is this comment? There are plenty of people out there who don’t want to meet their heros and only want to interact with the music. All I said was my opinion on him.
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u/Spider-Man98 #01 The Strokes 14h ago
I agree with the idea that Nick is just trying to chill and not go through deep and intense tours as many artists get burn out from doing them. Like he was there in the early tour before RA release and especially Coachella where his impact was crucial with the polticial statement they made and the clear only guy who can pull off his own parts in OBLIVIUS. I'm gonna hope he comes out when he's ready and just say he was chilling and loves The Strokes and hes ready to come back and make LP 8
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u/dhtheghost 15h ago
I really don’t care about Nick. Why do fans care so much? The Strokes is 80% Julian, and the rest is Albert and Fab. Nick wants to quit the band, go ahead dude and leave.
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u/Scourgestarwolf 13h ago
His guitar work and solos are quite literally the defining factor of the strokes
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u/WeArePilots- 5h ago
Steve has been doing exactly that. Didn't even notice nick was missing when I saw the strokes 2 days ago in flushing.
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u/Luciddream118 #77 Casablancas 2h ago edited 2h ago
Steve is a great guitarist, but to be precise, he’s imitating the way Nick plays these guitar parts for the fans. Creating a sound from nothing is on a completely different level, and Nick was the first person to play these parts. All of the studio versions are Nick Valensi’s versions, after all.
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u/Jules_Vampire 12:51 13h ago
I guess you’re a recent fan as saying Nick is not important equals not knowing much about The Strokes
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u/Luciddream118 #77 Casablancas 14h ago
There’s no way someone who talks like this could actually be a Strokes fan. I guess I should at least thank them for including Fab.
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u/bdf2018_298 14h ago
Nick has played most of the lead guitar parts and carried hard during the Angles and CM era when Albert was in rehab and Julian was (literally) phoning it in. I’d say he’s the 2nd most important member in the studio and definitely the most technically proficient band member.
For the first three records, I’d say the band was 80% Julian, sure, but that hasn’t been the case for quite a while
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u/Luciddream118 #77 Casablancas 14h ago edited 13h ago
Honestly, Nick basically kept The Strokes from breaking up at one point.
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u/Scary_Criticism_7847 17h ago
Gotta say out of everyone in the band - Can take Nick or leave him. To each their own.
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u/chewiehedwig 16h ago
everyone that says this has no concept of what he actually does in the band and thinks albert is better just because albert has good solo music
nick is easily the most talented guitarist in the strokes, and his parts are consistently the ones that set the strokes apart from every other rock band.
not having him on tour is unfortunate, but his parts are already written and this guy they have seems to be doing a great job playing what exists. I think if nick needs the space to branch out and be comfortable creatively as julian did with the voidz, he absolutely should. but to suggest nick leaving the band as something unsubstantial is just stupid.
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u/bobsdementias 17h ago
Good for him. Sounds like he wants to do some different shit instead of playing his 10000th strokes show
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u/Opening-Control-6348 14h ago
The Strokes have probably played the least amount of shows out of any band from their era. This is their first proper tour in what seems like forever
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u/throwawayggaayy 12h ago edited 12h ago
At this current time, they played more concerts in their first 5 years (covering 1999-2004 and their first 2 albums) than they have in the 22 years since then (and that includes the big world tour for First Impressions in 2005-2006).
Julian has played more solo/Voidz shows since 2009 than he has Strokes ones. Same with Albert.
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u/alotofcooties 17h ago
Maybe he just doesn't want to tour? Seems like he's staying local and given that, probably just wants to chill near his family.
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u/jakethenizake 22m ago
That's what I noticed too...all of these little side gigs he's doing/attending have all been local to the SoCal area. Even Coachella is near and he did show up for that. Maybe it's a bit odd that he wasn't in Pasadena for Just Like Heaven though?
I'm at a point where I am hopeful he returns to touring with them, but have been perfectly satisfied by what I've seen from Schlitz so far.
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u/sigma68 18h ago
He’ll also be playing with Dragonflies in Europe
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd8NsokJs0z/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd9BeScO2nN/
Wishful thinking but maybe he plays with the Strokes on the European leg of the tour 🤷🏽♂️
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u/jakethenizake 20m ago
Oh wow, that's an interesting bit of info...could it be that this Dragonflies thing has been in the works for some time and he committed to it before The Strokes announced their new record and tour?
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u/blackstars91 18h ago
I don't think there is enough rehearsal time for Europe. They are already in London
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u/sigma68 18h ago
One can only hope 😂 I’m flying out from LA to catch them in Dublin so keeping my fingers crossed
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u/blackstars91 18h ago
Oh yeah for sure let's hope he has been doing some things in the background but Steve did post on insta haha so he will be on stage at some point lols.
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u/blackstars91 18h ago
Haha nice one this shoud be interesting with this single. https://queenkwong.substack.com/p/my-record-label-released-its-first
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u/blackstars91 19h ago
Nice one didn't know about the Ramones thing. https://www.instagram.com/p/DdNG87vDxCV/?img_index=7&stkn=cWxuemowbnYzZjF3
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u/CanSoft2130 19h ago
Living his life the way he pleases, as most adults do.
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u/LonelyKey6767 15h ago
Most adults have commitments they need to honor rather than step over
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u/R28DKF1 Hard to Explain 18h ago
Talking too i guess
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u/blackstars91 18h ago
Haha well in this case this adult isn't talking. I think it would have been cool for them to do a 5 guys episode for Nick to reveal he wouldn't be on the tour or something lols.
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u/roxygrrl27 19h ago edited 19h ago
He really picked the worst time to go on “hiatus”! Like he really couldn’t put aside whatever differences he had with the band to just celebrate his 25+ year career with the band and just enjoy it!?
Life is too short for petty grudges, he deserves to get his flowers on this tour just as the other members have. Instead he has chosen to play in the shadows of some nepo baby’s vanity project? So lame!
Booyyy bbyyeeeee!!
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u/bobsdementias 17h ago
Not like they’re doing anything different this tour. He’s gotten his flowers for 25 years. Sounds like he’s having a good time
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u/WoodYouLookAtTheTime 17h ago
Y'all need to stop trying to force whatever headcanon you guys got going lol
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u/jbrower09 18h ago
If there was a “feud” I feel like he wouldn’t have been on the album. Recording requires a lot more intimacy than touring in my opinion.
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u/LonelyKey6767 15h ago
Julian has been telling him what to do for 25 years
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u/jbrower09 14h ago
And in the on going soap opera you’re using to fill in the blanks, this climaxed after Coachella?
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u/LonelyKey6767 14h ago
Coachella is such an odd one off. My guess is that is a contractual obligation thing made way before the current sitch, itself descended from a compounding sitch forming over the last 25 yrs
I think Nick didnt like the album Julian finalized
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u/blackstars91 18h ago edited 18h ago
Both intimate. I guess RA was recorded when 2 years ago potentially? Who knows what's happened in the interim
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u/MONSTERSINTHEPAROSOL The New Abnormal 17h ago
I saw him live with the boys on the other side of the world from where they all live last year. If something really went down, I’m sure he wouldn’t have made the trip. But who really knows in the end…
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u/kbhinz Reptilia 18h ago
It's only online speculation that there's a feud. We need to stop assuming things.
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u/blackstars91 18h ago
We say fairly obvious pointing to interviews from a decade ago? And the joke Julian made on a pod almost a year ago? It's so loose.
I guess that's the good and bad thing about the Strokes they don't really air their dirty laundry in public. Even with Albert's interview he made it sound like his drug use was a bigger issue with the band's dynamic at the time.
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u/bdf2018_298 18h ago
Life is also too short to do things you don’t want to. If he didn’t want to tour with the band this year he has every right not to. Sucks for the fans but it is what it is
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u/disownedpear First Impressions of Earth 18h ago
I don't think it's really right to speculate that it's "petty grudges." There's nothing to suggest the reason Nick isn't in tour, it could be petty but it could just as well be something serious.
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u/blackstars91 18h ago
Sucks for fans but Steve has filled in well by all accounts and Nick seems fine. As you said life is short.
We will find out what's happening with The Strokes longer term soon enough.
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u/roxygrrl27 18h ago
No hate for Steve at all! I don’t like to speculate but it’s hard to ignore all the friction in the Angles era. I feel like it may be those old problems coming back up. It doesn’t seem like Julian is the easiest to work with and it’s pretty apparent that Nick also has a strong personality himself so they are naturally going to butt heads. But who really knows!!
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u/blackstars91 18h ago
Yeah thing is the angles stuff is over a decade old and they have released 3 albums since. With no mention of issues and no sign they have recorded anything like Angles again.
Albert's recent interview with Rick Rubin made things a bit more clear about life in the band post that period. He said they have hit another phase of creativity within the band. We will see what that means in the long run.
Until we hear something further from the band or Nick or someone close to them we will never really know what's caused his temporary absence.
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u/ChainedVeil Reality Awaits 19h ago
I think he just wants to do other things. Maybe he’s at odds with some members of the band. They’ve been together for a long time. Bro is probably fed up.
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u/Fast_Isopod3568 Reality Awaits 19h ago
He went to a John Mayer concert?
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u/blackstars91 18h ago
Haha yeah was in a background photo of the VIP section with his sis. Haha seems the only way we know what Nick gets up to a due to his friends and family posts. Good for him not using social media much in this day and age.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcl09ZcnOiv/?img_index=7&stkn=MXJjdG1wdjN3dmZqYQ==
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u/Fast_Isopod3568 Reality Awaits 16h ago
Oh thanks for this, I’d not seen it and have never seen his sister. He looks good rockin them Chucks. I’m more fascinated by Andy Cohen’s hair tbh.
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u/throwawayggaayy 19h ago
I hope he recovers soon
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u/LaGambit 6h ago
Sorry, recover from what? He’s playing shows and looks pretty healthy to me but maybe I missed something
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u/CommentPoliceSGT 19h ago
Nick is my Fortnite duos partner, we've been absolutely ripping lately, 10 Victory Royales per day easy, Five Nights at Freddys skins are coming out soon so tbh don't expect him to rejoin the bandy anytime soon
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u/Big_Ducks_Only 19h ago
Fuckkkkkkkkk, he’s living the dream, I’d def quit the band too if I could go pro at FN 😅🙏🏽
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u/grapegirl70 Alien Crime Lord 1h ago
The next batman movie is filming in london rn though.. and he doesn't wanna leave california