Jack White has created a remarkable cosmos of his own over the course of his career. The fact that the artist now runs Third Man Records in Detroit, a popular record shop with an attached studio and vinyl production, is not least due to his beginnings with The White Stripes. In an extensive interview with Zane Lowe and Apple Music, the artist revealed more about the time in exactly that location, which paved the way for a successful solo career and other music projects.
Memories of the beginnings of the White Stripes
Working with Meg White was associated with a special vibe right from the start. “It just felt cool, but I didn’t think it was going to be something that other people would like, but I think I really like the feel of it. It feels so dirty, raw and simplified. I wasn’t trying to play complicated guitar solos or learn seven chord changes or anything. It was just very intuitive. There was more and more, let’s dig deeper and sound more Detroit, more of that. The very first White Stripes album we made had one goal: I want it to sound like the city, like the streets we just walked through.”
Jack White: Which led to the end of the band
After six albums, The White Stripes said goodbye to their fans. Why Jack and Meg White decided to do so has always remained a bit vague. In an interview with Apple Music, the musician went into more detail: “Maybe around 2010 I had the feeling that we wouldn’t make any more White Stripes records. When Meg and I hung out or talked together, it seemed like that wasn’t going to happen anymore. But we didn’t want to tell people that. You never know if things won’t change in five years. But then I felt like maybe it would be healthier for me and them and for the fans… Because at the moment I’m in the process of releasing a solo record and when I hear someone say, ‘Why don’t you just have one Made White Stripes record?’ – I don’t want to hear that. So that was one of the reasons.”
Jack White on his personal working style
“Every time I go into the studio I try to do something I’ve never done before. And it’s not something that other people haven’t done before. It’s just new to me. I want to try to do it this way. I want to write the song from that perspective. I want to write the song on the bass this time and not on the guitar. Whatever it is to put me in a different state so I don’t repeat myself. That’s how the whole thing keeps evolving.”
That’s why Jack White played all instruments on many tracks on the new albums “Fear of the Dawn” and “Entering Heaven Alive”. “It’s simply because I’m not able to do sessions with other people. It’s hard… and I’ve made mistakes. I recorded the drums last, which you really shouldn’t do. But then it inspired me. I thought: I like that. I liked that it was fake.”
Watch the full interview with Zane Lowe and Apple Music here: