The White Stripes: Is this band a hoax?

[MrGuitarguy]

How many players out there would commit time and resources to covering Son House and even making a video? Give the guy some credit. No record exec was clamoring for that...

A couple of million, minimum, would be my guess. However, none of them have the financial backing (videos don't make money). It's not like doing old blues artists' music is a new concept, espically when it's a popular, old blues artists. Hell, that applies to any artist's existing work that's popular.

Jack White is doing nothing new. Bands like Local H (and how many others in the history of music?) have been doing the no bass player thing for ages. Bands have been writing music like the stripes for decades, they just were the ones who won the recent "this band gets real promotion from a record company" lottery.

You show me the band pulling this stuff off live for a change and then maybe I'll believe that something worth while is there. Until then it's just another Ashley Simpson situation. What's on the album isn't really the real performer.

On a personal note, I don't like the songs and I don't care if Aerosmith wrote them in the 70's. But as I said, that's a personal preference.

[belikerick]

You show me the band pulling this stuff off live for a change and then maybe I'll believe that something worth while is there. Until then it's just another Ashley Simpson situation. What's on the album isn't really the real performer.

Well, I don't know what "Ashley Simpson situation" you're talking about because I saw the White Stripes at Red Rocks this August and they were excellent and sounded great. I was definitely suprised because I wasn't expecting a twosome to sound so good. I did catch a few times where they used a backing track that seemed to be triggered by one of Meg's electronic drum pads. Jack's playing and singing were right on (with guitars in tune, no less) and Meg kept good time through most of the songs. It was most assuredly the same White Stripes live as on their records!

Maybe you caught 'em on a bad night.

[Michael_]

I read an interview of Jack White in some magazine where he stated that they purposely have a bad live show because he thinks its more fun and it gets a reaction out of the crowd. He likes to take a song to the point of almost falling apart and pull it back again. Maybe he isn't a genius or anything, but he is creative, fresh, and certainly talented. I assure everyone that he is an accomplished guitarist. There's nothing wrong with taking a different aproach to things; thats mostly what rock is about anyway, right? Not a hoax, no way.

[acb]

Spoofin' hillarious

Jimmy Fallon as Jack White

Drew Barrymore as Meg White

02.14.04 Saturday Night Live Clip 6.2mb dl

[hamerboy_]

I don't mind widening my horizons and checking out something new. But the White Stripes? Come on. Not to mention the fact that some are praising the talents of Jack White on his production of a Loretta Lynn album. You guys are listening to Loretta Lynn?

-Bobby

[MCChris]

I don't mind widening my horizons and checking out something new. But the White Stripes? Come on. Not to mention the fact that some are praising the talents of Jack White on his production of a Loretta Lynn album. You guys are listening to Loretta Lynn?

-Bobby

Nothing I've heard by the White Stripes interests me in the least but the Loretta Lynn stuff does. It seems like she's moving/being taken in a direction similar to Johnny Cash's toward the end of his career, hooking up with a contemporary rock personality and releasing some truly raw, haunting stuff. Then again I've only heard the one song/video they play on VH1 Country, but that's the impression I get.

And hell yes I'm listening to country. Doesn't matter if it's genuine old school or sugary new school, there seems to be some top-flight musicianship there that's missing in other commercial genres.

I guess that combined with the fact that I only listen to sports talk radio anymore is an indication of how disgusted I am with rock and rap these days.

[jwhitcomb3]

You guys are listening to Loretta Lynn?

-Bobby

Yep. Aren't you?

-Jonathan

[Stike]

It's interesting but doesn't 'sink the hook' for me....yet. And by yet, I mean influenced a purchase. Personally, I think Dexter Romweber has more talent in his toejam that Jack but, just like W-S, either you get it or you don't.

Next topic, BJORK

S.

Never really cared for the Flat Duo Jets but damn if Dex aint a great singer. That man is a freak however, I used to sell him strings years ago.

I'm not much of a Stripes fan but at least they're getting kids to pick up guitars and drums instead of turntables. I really dig the Van Lear Rose album though.

[Willie G. Moseley]

To show you how some folks can leap to conclusions, I noted in a column some time ago that I sold my Airline angular guitar---which isn't that good of an instrument---for a lot more than I'd paid for it, due to its association with the White Stripes. I also noted RE that band: "No bass player? Not interested."

I got some hostile mail for that comment, but I play bass myself, which said respondents may not have realized. One guy said it wasn't right for me to dismiss a band because of the instrument line-up. Well, I didn't dismiss 'em---I said I wasn't interested...and am still not interested, and have still not heard 'em. The respondents' reaction was a bit of a stretch, and made me thankful, once again, that all entertainment is optional.

[hardheartedbill]

I'm not a huge fan but my son like em a lot. He is a great player and his favs in the past have been Page, Brian May, Clapton and Harrison ( classic rock all the way ) but the WS really have made an impression on him. I think the Jack can really get the gut bucket on slide, I've been impressed w/ a few things that I heard ( don't know the song titles ) JW do on slide, a very rural approach. I'd have to say not a joke