Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D- MD) totally stuck it to her Republican colleagues with a little slam courtesy of The White Stripes‘ song “Effect and Cause.” Watch it:
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My brain exploded twice in one week when both the Strokes and the White Stripes played a double headlining bill first at Irving Plaza (August 14, 2002) and then at Radio City Music Hall (August 15, 2002) in New York City.
The Irving Plaza show was insane of course, with the White Stripes opening, and Strokes playing to the hometown crowd. At that time Julian Casblancas had an injured knee, so he did both shows sitting down on a stool. During the Radio City show Jack White came out during “New York City Cops” and did the guitar solo. Mindbogglingly weird!
According to my blog entry after the Irving Plaza show, even though the White Stripes were one of my most favorite bands ever, they couldn’t compare to the five guys from NYC:
I’m sorry, I really can’t explain it, but as much as I love the White Stripes, it was really all about The Strokes last night. Totally. It’s the first show they’ve done in New York in… 8 months… and it’s just… *sigh* dunno. Great.
Anyone else remember these two epic nights in music history?
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When worlds collide! Jack White and Julian Casablancas share a few words (and a kiss) at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom back in the day.
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Letting go of the past and looking toward the future can sometimes be a really tough thing to do. I know because I’ve been doing a lot of that recently. As I get older I see how important it is that we keep moving, keep changing, and not let fear or familiarity prevent us from doing something new and exciting. When you’ve had special times in your life — days, months, even years of happy moments, events, or milestones — you tend to put them up on this pedestal. Some of us like to think fondly upon those times as “the good ol’ days,” and I think, “man, it just doesn’t get any better than that!”
And there’s nothing wrong with remembering things as they were, as long as your can accept that part of looking at the past is just that — reminiscing at something that once was, but is no longer.
To me, the end of The White Stripes — a band I’ve both loved and admired for nearly ten years — is of course bittersweet. I think I speak for a lot of fans when I say that I am sad to see Jack and Meg announce the end of their remarkable run as one of the greatest American rock ‘n’ roll bands ever to exist, but I understand why they would want to call an end to the band. I’d rather have them go out on their own terms, while they’re still on top, rather than see them produce albums that their hearts weren’t into doing 100%.
These two kids produced six albums worth of some truly amazing music. I remember in the early 2000s I would literally listen to White Stripes songs over and over and over every waking hour of the day. The simplicity, the power, the raw energy of their tunes would take me to another place. I would pour over bootleg and live recordings, imagining myself there in the crowd.
When I listen to their early recordings I always get shivers down my spine and my heart thumps just a little faster. When I think of my favorite White Stripes songs like “The Big Three Killed My Baby,” “Expecting,” “Now Mary,” I can actually feel my body enliven itself. Over the last 10 years or so that I’ve been a fan, the White Stripes’ music has given me so much joy — I know that seems really very sappy, but it’s absolutely and honestly true.
I’ve also had so many happy memories from the many times I’ve seen Jack and Meg live. Probably my favorite show was when they did a free show on October 1, 2002 at Union Square Park here in New York City.
Here’s what I had to say at the time:
THE BIG THREE KILLED MY BABY!!!!!!
THEY PULLED THE PLUG AT 1 O’CLOCK, AT THE START OF “BOLL WEEVIL”, BUT JACK KEPT SINGING. THEN HE TOLD EVERYONE TO BE QUIET, AND SANG A TRUNCATED VERSION OF THE SONG TO THE CROWD W/OUT A MIC. THEN EVERYONE CHEERED. THEN EVERYONE BOOED NISSAN AND THE COUNTING CROWS. HOPE YOU ALL HAD FUN!
The weather was to die for today. It was like summer. It was beautiful. You were all beautiful. I love you.
And that’s how I’d like to end this post, “It was beautiful. You were all beautiful. I love you.”
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Jack and Meg have called it quits just before my birthday AND Valentine’s Day.
THIS IS BREAKING MY HEART.
I’m starting a support group if anyone wants to join.
Noooo!
RIP, White Stripes. We loved ya!
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Under Great White Northern Lights has been released. Got my box set in the mail today. What do y’all think? Worth the money?
Best Buy is also featuring a limited edition bundle of the film and live album, get it while supplies last.
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Jack White has certainly had some well-publicized beefs in the past, but this major beef that started with a smack-down on the Air Force Reserve and beat its way down to a lone Salt Lake City-based 56-year-old ad and film musician named Kem Kraft.
It all started when The White Stripes took great offense to a recent Air Force Reserve advertisement that aired during the Super Bowl containing a song that sounded eerily similar to “Fell In Love with a Girl.” This prompted the band to post this statement on the Third Man Records website:
We believe our song was re-recorded and used without permission of the White Stripes, our publishers, label or management.
The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support.
The White Stripes support this nation’s military, at home and during times when our country needs and depends on them. We simply don’t want to be a cog in the wheel of the current conflict, and hope for a safe and speedy return home for our troops.
We have not licensed this song to the Air Force Reserve and plan to take strong action to stop the ad containing this music.
Watch a video of the “Extreme” ad on the Huffington Post site or on Bing
The original song by the Stripes:
The Air Force Reserve then passed the blame over to the ad company they hired, responding with the following statement:
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As you probably already know, the new documentary It Might Get Loud featuring legendary electric guitar players Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), The Edge (U2), and Jack White (White Stripes, The Raconteurs, Dead Weather) opens this Friday (Aug 14) in NY and LA. The film, helmed by director Davis Guggenheim (executive producer of An Inconvenient Truth), focuses on the three guitarists and their individual relationships with the instrument.
Tonight I had a chance to screen the film, and I’m pleased to report that fans of rock ‘n’ roll have nothing to fear–the movie is a joyous celebration of all things axmen. Even if you go into the theater without being a fan of any of the featured guitarists, by the end of the film you’ll have a newfound respect and reverence for all of them. In fact, if you’re anything like me, you’ll end up running home and spinning all your old Zeppelin, U2, and White Stripes albums and finding yourself listening to them with a whole new set of ears.
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This just in: Jack White’s Third Man Records has announced their very own social network and subscription service. The basic jist is this- it’s called The Vault and it’s a two tiered subscription service: Premium service is $7 a month and the Platinum membership is $20 a month, both with a minimum of a 3 month signup. Members will have access to presales and exclusive content and merchandise for bands that are on the label (including The White Stripes, The Dead Weather, and The Raconteurs).
Explains Jack in a blog post, “The community we are building here will be like no other you’ve been a part of in regards to music. We hope to have a place where positivity and beauty in music and art can be shared together as a community. A place that has content that you can only see if you truly want to explore the deepest depths of the third man records vault.”
Platinum subscribers who sign up between July 3rd and July 21st will receive a double album of The White Stripes LP Icky Thump. This will be an exclusive never before heard MONO mix of the album on 180 Gram Vinyl, with customized artwork in a gatefold sleeve. In addition to that behemoth, you’ll also receive a 45 of The Dead Weather performing two covers, Pentagrams Forever My Queen and The Downliner Sect’s Outside. This 45 will come with special labels and sleeves that you will only get through the Vault. Last but not least, you’ll get a Third Man Records T-shirt, with a new design that AGAIN you can only get through The Vault service.
There’s a lot of info on the site, so check it out now.
Press release after the jump.
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According to the official White Stripes website, this weekend White Stripes drummer Meg White and her fiance Jackson Smith officially tied the knot as part of a double wedding staged in Jack White‘s backyard in Nashville, TN. Smith is the son of rockers Patti Smith and Fred (Sonic) Smith (MC5) and was the guitarist in the recently disbanded Detroit group Back in Spades.
The May 22nd wedding also served as a ceremony to Raconteurs and Dead Weather bassist Jack “Little Jack” Lawrence to his girlfriend Jo McCaughey.
The couples were wed by former Soledad Brothers‘ drummer, and long time White Stripes friend, Benjamin (Ben) Swank.
Congratulations to the happy couples!
FUN FACT: Ben Swank was the inspiration behind the Von Bondies song “Been Swank.”
RELATED LINKS: Meg White to Get Married
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