Sometimes, the drapes really are just blue, and there’s nothing more to parse from that. Other times, one has to raise their eyebrows, because there are signs. In this particular case, I may be the only one waving this flag around, but I firmly believe that one character on Amazon’s adaptation of Daisy Jones & The Six was at least partially inspired by the drummer for the Strokes, Fabrizio Moretti.
That character would be The Six’s own drummer, Warren Rojas. Initially, I figured I was just projecting my own interests onto this show, and I waved the connection off. After all, most people were joking that Warren and Eddie were more reminiscent of Hall & Oates—which would make more sense, given the time period. However, the more I watched the show, the more I started to wonder whether or not a little bit of modernity had seeped into The Six.
Warren Rojas is a favorite for longstanding fans of the series because he’s the lighthearted, goofy one; whereas everyone else is caught up in some personal drama, Rojas is just snorting blow and dating models, having a great time. Similarly, Fabrizio Moretti was always the most lackadaisical member of The Strokes, a band which (however unintentionally) cultivated a fairly cool, untouchable image. Observe:
Beyond that, both Fab and Warren are Latino drummers with very distinct senses of style, and—most notably, and what pushed me to stick to my guns after all was said and done—they dated some pretty high-profile people. Fab’s most publicized relationship was with Drew Barrymore, who still speaks of him with adoration:
Following that relationship, he ended up dating SNL’s Kristen Wiig, whom he met when the band performed on the show years ago. You know, like how The Six played on SNL and Warren met that one actress who was hosting. And then they started dating.
I know, I know, I’m pulling at a lot of obvious strings that could be any number of carefree big-haired drummers, but what I found fun about this connection is the fact that it reminded me of the power of band fandom. Ultimately, what is Daisy Jones & The Six but one big fanfic written by someone who loves bands? Fleetwood Mac is, of course, the most obvious and direct inspiration, but there were plenty of other references thrown in there too. My parents would text me as they watched the show saying things like, “This is just an Aerosmith rip-off,” or, “They need a full show with the Donna Summer character,” and it just absolutely delighted me.
In this age of socially-acceptable nerddom, it’s easy to forget that some of the most rabid fans were band fans back in the day. From Beatlemania to beyond, loving bands and musicians is a tale as old as time, and really loving them is almost a rite of passage. I know when I was younger, I took my love of bands very seriously. My desktop wallpaper collection (yes, I had one of those, get over it) was almost exclusively just tour shots from groups I was saving up to see. My Tumblr account was full of old Britpop press images, and if I was ever driving my friends around, they’d be held hostage by my ever-growing CD collection. Therefore, this kind of banddom—and Daisy Jones‘ reflection of it—is very dear to me!
At the very least, I’d like to think that Taylor Jenkins-Reid also went through a Strokes phase as a teenager and that partially inspired the direction she took with Warren. Either way, that’s my headcanon from now on. Maybe someday, if we ever get a second season, we can also get a Devendra Banhart-inspired character so we could have the two of them recreate this classic:
(Featured Image: Draw Pictures Studio)
