Music
Jack White says sorry for trash talking The Black Keys and Adele
by Tyler Munro
June 2, 2014
If there’s one thing Jack White loves almost as much as music, it’s a hearty publicity stunt. And in the lead-up to Lazaretto, his soon-to-be-released second solo album, there’s been no shortage of them. Don’t worry, though—he’s sorry.
First came Meg White. For his cover story, he told Rolling Stone that he didn’t talk to his old White Stripes partner anymore. He complained that she didn’t high-five him enough, that she was too reclusive. But in a letter posted to his website over the weekend, White says, as always, that his words were taken out of context for a headline. He says he’s championed her for 15 years as a “strong female presence in rock and roll,” and that he would “never publicly pick on” someone he “loved so dearly.”
Okay, fair. That story was blown out of proportion. But less than one week after it made the rounds, White was at it again. Elaborating in that same cover story on when he tried to get his kids into a new school because Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach’s kids also went there, White championed his music as innovative and imitable.
“There are kids at school who dress like everybody else, because they don’t know what to do, and there are musicians like that, too. I’ll hear TV commercials where the music’s ripping off sounds of mine, to the point I think it’s me,” he said. “Half the time, it’s the Black Keys. The other half, it’s a sound-alike song because they couldn’t license one of mine. There’s a whole world that’s totally fine with the watered-down version of the original.”
In short: Jack White modernized the blues. Exclusively. Just ask him.
But he’s sorry that he said it. So sorry, in fact, that he’s written a triumphant non-apology in that same letter. He doesn’t apologize for saying they ripped him off, but at least he’s glad they’re successful at it.
I wish the band the Black Keys all the success that they can get. I hope the best for their record label Nonesuch who has such a proud history in music, and in their efforts to bring the Black Keys songs to the world. I hope for massive success also for their producer and songwriter Danger Mouse and for the other musicians that their band employs. Lord knows that I can tell you myself how hard it is to get people to pay attention to a two piece band with a plastic guitar, so any attention that the Black Keys can get in this world I wish it for them, and I hope their record stays in the top ten for many months and they have many more successful albums in their career.
Right.
Oh, but that’s not it! He went onto chide Adele, Lana Del Ray and Duffy—remember Duffy?!—saying that their success is a product of Amy Winehouse’s death.
I wish no slight to the talents of Winehouse, Duffy, Lana Del Rey, and Adele. All of whom are wonderful performers with amazing voices. I have their records and I hope for more success for them all as the years go on. They deserve all they’ve gotten. And, I also would love to state that I personally find it inspiring to have powerful, positive female voices speaking out and creating at all times in the mainstream, and all of those singers do just that, so I thank them.
It’s almost like Lauryn Hill’s “Doo-Wop” never happened!
If you want to read Jack White’s apology in full, it’s here. But it’s pompous, long and incredibly awkward to read. More than anything, it’s another way to get his name in the news. Then again, it worked—we’re writing about it, after all.
Oh, and Lazaretto is out on June 10th.
Tags: Music, News, Adele, Duffy, Jack White, Lana Del Ray, The Black Keys, The White Stripes
