What Does “Icky Thump” Mean, Who Is the Skeleton, and Other Random Thoughts about the White Stripes
A lot of questions and comments have been raised ever since Jack and Meg released info about their new album, Icky Thump, and a preview video to accompany the announcement.
First off, the major question has been “What does ‘Icky Thump’ mean?” Well according to the posting on the official White Stripes site, “some residents of northern England might also recognize the title” but the Stripes have spelled it wrong on purpose for “kicks” and “metaphors” and to “avoid a possible lawsuit from the estate of Billy Eckstine.”
With that in mind, a Google search for “ecky thump” will send you to a bunch of links, where one in particular gives a definition that seems pretty reasonable:
It’s a north England saying, generally an exclamation of surprise, disbelief or in recognition of something amazing. The ‘ecky comes from ‘eck (heck), which is a bastardization - or euphemism - of “hell”. Where the thump comes in exactly, I’m not sure. My best guess is an onomatopoeic partner for “hells bells!”
Source(s):
Lancashire upbringing, degree in English and the gold old OED
It’s basically an exclamation of surprise…except in this case it’s spelled incorrectly to have numerous different meanings and interpretations.
The phrase “ecky thump” was also used to describe an “ancient” martial art derived from…er… Lancaster, Lancashire, Northern England on a British television comedy called The Goodies. According to Wikipedia, the martial art usually involves “hitting unsuspecting people with black puddings while wearing flat caps and braces.” Hahahhahhaha.
But in terms of the video, some people have made special note that in the video Jack is CLEAN-SHAVEN and looking mighty prime with his newer shorter hair. Raaarrr! There has also been some controversy revolving Jack’s diva-like hand waving whilst singing a la Mariah Carey or Christina Aguilera.
My favorite thing about the preview video is the skeleton…but WHO do you think is inside the skeleton costume? The Backseat Blogger is betting on Brendan Benson..
Thoughts?
1. Anonymous | 10:25 pm on March 2nd, 2007
I actually think it seems more like Patrick…it fits his style of humor
2. Anonymous | 5:53 am on March 3rd, 2007
beck?
3. spamber | 7:28 am on March 3rd, 2007
my money is on David Swanson
4. rachel | 8:04 am on March 3rd, 2007
LOLOLOL at the idea of the skeleton being brendan benson. remember your drawings of him from the first raconteurs show at irving? HE’S TOO FAT!! ROFL
5. Sodwee | 8:31 am on March 3rd, 2007
I bet the skeleton is Jim Diamond, reduced to a simple stupid character on a random video.
6. Sodwee | 8:32 am on March 3rd, 2007
Swanson most probably : he took pictures of the duo recording… (mojo mag).
7. laura | 8:55 am on March 3rd, 2007
oh of course!! david swanson is an EXCELLENT guess.
8. Anonymous | 9:53 am on March 3rd, 2007
maybe it’s your mom?
9. kevin goodall | 11:37 am on March 3rd, 2007
if the goodies’ lancaster martial art story is the origin - it would be nice if the band play a date in my home city (lancaster, uk) in honour of it, instead of the empress ballroom down the road in blackpool! for anyone unfamiliar with the goodies - they did a surreal comedy show aimed at a family audience, and the video for the beastie boys’ song ‘intergalactic’ was inspired by them.
10. Daniel | 12:45 pm on March 3rd, 2007
Jack learned the phrase from his wife. The MOJO article says it is a favorite saying of hers.
11. Eugene Sedita | 12:46 pm on March 3rd, 2007
Beck. It’s always Beck.
12. Crisphotogram | 4:11 pm on March 3rd, 2007
Looking into it too much is kinda taking the fun out of it. And most of the time Jack is just vibing off of that!
Let’s hope they do a week on Conan again!
13. larry | 4:14 pm on March 3rd, 2007
maybe we are just to seeing him with a guitar in hand-he does alot of hand gestures when he pauses from plucking. and he is looking mighty fine….yummmm. Karen is a lucky girl to have snared that fox. too bad there were no below the waist shots of his big package.
14. curly | 4:15 pm on March 3rd, 2007
I know thats right larry-hes got a horn-o-plenty and im plenty horny!!!!
15. MOE | 4:15 pm on March 3rd, 2007
He has the biggest wad I have ever seen on a white boy-I usually black guys
16. schemp | 4:16 pm on March 3rd, 2007
fags
17. mk | 4:16 pm on March 3rd, 2007
skeleton-Nicole Richie
18. Anonymous | 4:48 pm on March 3rd, 2007
The skeleton can’t be Brendan Benson- he is too skinny to be a skeleton
19. koe | 4:49 pm on March 3rd, 2007
Skeleton is lindsey lohan or kate moss–may karen white-looks short but the distance could be deceiving-whoever it is is anorexic as hell hahaha
20. Anonymous | 4:49 pm on March 3rd, 2007
I think the skeleton is Billy Bob Thorton
21. Anonymous | 6:24 pm on March 3rd, 2007
Laura are u the skeleton?
22. robin | 10:03 pm on March 3rd, 2007
i think the skeleton may be meg
23. Anonymous | 9:26 am on March 4th, 2007
wheres the tits. its not meg.
24. CAgirl | 10:46 am on March 4th, 2007
Look at the hands. They look like man hands.
25. emily | 1:16 pm on March 4th, 2007
yea i think its………..i dunno but i cant wait for the new album!!
yummmm jack is sooo hotttttttt!!!!
@(0_o)@
Emily
26. tough love chick | 1:57 pm on March 4th, 2007
OK, I’m gonna say it…I call call “manliner” on Jack White!! Curious about this new record though.
27. Anonymous | 2:30 pm on March 4th, 2007
Jack is so smokin hot…………damn. Who cares about the skeleton!
28. charles | 7:27 pm on March 4th, 2007
im gonna have to go with beck the voice sounds like him near the end of the clip
29. fo | 8:58 pm on March 4th, 2007
i say beck too
seems like a good answer
and dudes, jack is so freaking fly
30. laura | 6:03 am on March 5th, 2007
definitely NOT meg. i still like the david swanson theory.
31. Anonymous | 10:49 am on March 5th, 2007
its nicole richie
32. Genevieve | 1:09 pm on March 6th, 2007
You guys are crazy mad about knowing who the skeleton is eh?? Well, it could be lots of people! Jack has collaberated with many other artists. My bro thinks it may be BECK and I am starting to feel the same. It can’t be Meg, cause that skeleton has no breasts and Benson is to Fat. So, it could be anyone else Jack likes to hang with while recording. Your guess is as good as mine.
33. Genevieve | 1:11 pm on March 6th, 2007
Nicole Richie is a good one lol
34. Genevieve | 1:12 pm on March 6th, 2007
Jack is amazing hot !!!! Especially when he’s on stage!! Come back to Canada Jack!!!!????
35. spamber | 2:20 pm on March 6th, 2007
yes! they better play a show in Canada.. specifically Toronto. and no more stupid festivals that cost waaay to effing much..stupid vfest
and i’m still sticking with David Swanson as mr.skeleton
36. Anonymous | 9:16 am on March 7th, 2007
its a dehydrated nicole richie
37. Anonymous | 11:41 am on March 7th, 2007
its his bony-ass wife. how do you go from a cutie like meg with a great rack to that malnourished skeleton.
38. Anonymous | 2:11 pm on March 7th, 2007
You are all wrong. It’s Hunter Muldoon from the Muldoons! A friend of theirs on the Little Room said it was.
39. Anonymous | 10:04 am on March 8th, 2007
We forgot about those little dudes. And I agree 38.
Karen is not very pretty .Meg is hot,and Rene is cute, but Karen is fugly. Then again, Jack is a strange looking dude.
40. Anonymous | 2:09 pm on March 8th, 2007
I’ve seen Karen in person and she is absolutely gorgeous, but to each their own. She’s got a beautiful voice and sparkling personality as well.
41. Anonymous | 7:31 pm on March 8th, 2007
Karen Elson is extremely unattractive. I have also heard she can be quite the diva. Oh well, Jack is whipped. Too bad. I never pictured him marrying someone like that. Than again I never thought I would see him do a Coke commercial or play at a freakin Prada fashion show either. Blaaah
42. Anonymous | 7:33 pm on March 8th, 2007
Karen is nasty lookin
the skeleton is BB Bumpkin
cant wait to hear the new CD
……with the one album deal maybe it will be the last one. ANY THOUGHTS ON GOOD OPENING ACTS FOR THE STRIPES WHEN THEY TOUR?
I say Amy Winehouse.
43. Alex | 9:00 pm on March 8th, 2007
The person in the skeleton costume is Hunt Muldoon!
44. Anonymous | 9:23 pm on March 8th, 2007
You people who think Karen is ugly are crazy!
http://bp1.blogger.com/_ZKbPivLw1K0/RXriIbrA8eI/AAAAAAAAAG8/_-R-09h_6Os/s1600-h/jan_vogue_italia.bmp
http://avantgarde.blogsome.com/2007/02/28/fashion-fetish-fantasy-by-steven-meisel/
http://gemmaward.yculblog.com/post.1757983.html
45. Anonymous | 9:42 pm on March 8th, 2007
“I have also heard she can be quite the diva.”
In her early days maybe, but I wouldn’t know. Her rep is quite the opposite now.
46. Anonymous | 3:08 pm on March 10th, 2007
karen is beautiful and a truly nice person. i saw her sing once in NYC and she blew my mind, i met her for a second as I am friends with the a girl Jorgee who is also in the act karen is in, she was really pregnant and she was so sincere and polite. the fashion is world is tough i bet you have to be a diva to not end up a strung out druggie or used and thrown out she has been a model for over 10 years. jealous is all i would say…
47. laura | 6:57 am on March 11th, 2007
when/why did this turn into a Karen-bashing thread? Cool it!
48. Anonymous | 3:48 pm on March 11th, 2007
Karen sucks. Her last 2 men were heroin addicts. She is a nasty lookin skank. Meg is a cutie.
49. Anonymous | 1:31 am on March 13th, 2007
“Her last 2 men were heroin addicts.”
anyone with a clue knows that’s not true.
50. Anonymous | 9:13 pm on March 16th, 2007
Ok I know James Iha is an ex and a heroin junkie-whos the other? He was the guitar player(original) in The Smashing Pumpkins.
51. Anonymous | 4:48 pm on March 17th, 2007
Hey 44-yeah shes hot if you like to get poked with a chicks ribcage. Meg is so much hotter!
52. Anonymous | 7:19 pm on March 17th, 2007
karen’s last two boyfriends were david pajo and james iha. neither was a saint, but neither was a junkie. her first boyfriend, raphael de rothschild, died of an overdose. karen said they didn’t talk about their problems, his with junk and hers with food. he kept using and od’ed. she got help and thrived.
53. spamber | 5:12 am on March 18th, 2007
didn’t marcie bolen date james iha too?
54. CAgirl | 4:01 pm on March 18th, 2007
Wow! Talk about six degrees
55. Anonymous | 2:26 pm on March 19th, 2007
James Iha was a junkie. She is an anorexic bimbo. She is using Jack to try to get into the recording industry. But alas-she is being used as a catholic baby making machine. Jokes on Karen I guess. lol That englisg poon-tang must be good cause Jack has lost what was left of his twisted mind.
56. Anonymous | 9:41 pm on March 19th, 2007
these twisted jealous rants make you look like a joke. believe what you want. i hope it makes you feel better.
57. Anonymous | 11:17 am on March 20th, 2007
Yeah it’s kind of funny that Karen has no intention of recording an album any time soon considering she married Jack to get into the recording industry.
58. Anonymous | 1:37 pm on March 20th, 2007
It will not last-Their marriage.
59. Michelle | 1:40 pm on March 20th, 2007
You are all nuts. I thought this was a music blog-not a gossip blog. I do not know who is scarier: the fanatics defending a complete stranger or the loons hating a complete stranger. The blog title should change from modern age to modern tween. The modern age seems as though it is false advertisement.
60. Anonymous | 5:52 pm on March 20th, 2007
complete strangers to you. the internet is a powerful tool. i see no reason to let misinformation go unchalleged, but i do know when to quit.
61. Michelle | 12:29 pm on March 22nd, 2007
Oh great its another nut job that “knows” them. Get a freakin life Anonymous. I love reading the Modern Tween Blog!!!
62. natalie | 12:30 pm on March 22nd, 2007
my vibrator is a powerful tool also. lol
63. Anonymous | 5:05 pm on March 22nd, 2007
Why don’t you post about music Michelle?
64. Michelle | 8:16 pm on March 24th, 2007
OK I like the stripes. I am looking forward to the new album and tour. I have been a fan since album 1 and have enjoyed watching them grow musically. Meg is the female Ringo Starr. She holds her own but gets dissed all the time cause shes a chick. Thats ok she can laugh all the way to the bank. Jack is a strange dude but a musical genius. Oh and Anonymous63 why dont you kiss my ass. Funny 62
65. Anonymous | 9:55 pm on March 24th, 2007
grow up
66. Tim LANG | 5:49 am on March 25th, 2007
My money is on Tony Blair.
67. Anonymous | 4:29 am on March 26th, 2007
stupid
68. Michelle | 11:24 am on March 26th, 2007
nah-its dick cheney
69. Gina | 11:54 am on March 26th, 2007
I agree with you, Michelle. I like coming to this site because Laura posts lots of cool stuff, and I like to read the comments for the few people who actually post something useful/interesting, but every discussion of the White Stripes always eventually degrades into a bunch of people dissing Jack or Karen.
70. Michelle | 3:08 pm on March 27th, 2007
People are just jealous. I dig his writing and playing. I dont care who he screws. I dont agree with all his career choices but what the hell do I know? He is a shrewd man, thats not always a bad thing. And of course Meg ROCKS!
71. zw | 5:25 pm on March 29th, 2007
Is that an organ or the POG?
72. stacie | 7:04 pm on April 2nd, 2007
I really understand why Jack doesn’t want his private life spewed about for everyone to disect. He is a musical genius and that is all he wants anyone to care about, his music. He doesn’t look you up and critisize your life choices. I say enjoy what he has given us and let him live his private life for himself how he wants to, what does it really matter who he loves and chooses to spend his life with, it hasn’t stopped him from creating and sharing his music. Just let him do his thing =)
73. Genevieve | 6:28 am on April 4th, 2007
I think you jealous biotches need to lay off Jacks wife, she is a model and she is very pretty, and how do you know if Jack is whipped??You know them personally now?? Screw you guys!! I would love a chance to have dinner with Jack and his lovely wife!! I bet they are the sweetest couple you’d ever meet!! I couldn’t see Jack letting anyone whip him!! Jack seems to have a very strong will and hasn’t given in to the industry, or let anyone boss him around regarding his music, so I strongly doubt he would let anyone rule his personal life either. Maybe you people should be happy for Jack and his wife and new baby, since they seem like a sweet little family unit. IN SHORT, BACK OFF AND LEAVE THE POOR GIRL (KAREN)BE!! Just cause she has Jack and you dont doesn’t mean shes a bitch, just means shes got something you dont!! lol
74. Anonymous | 2:26 pm on April 4th, 2007
I think karen know her personel life is over. soon she married jack.her name is all over the internet I doudt it she let you guys let her down