Rolling Stone comments were taken out of context, made to sound worse than he’d meant them

Jun 2, 2014 09:40 GMT  ·  By
Jack White blames our “sensationalized age” for his negative comments on fellow singers in Rolling Stone interview
   Jack White blames our “sensationalized age” for his negative comments on fellow singers in Rolling Stone interview

Jack White is coming under heavy fire for a series of comments he made in an interview with Rolling Stone running in the latest issue of the magazine. They reignite the feud with the Black Keys and also dismiss the likes of Adele, Duffy, and Lana Del Rey as copycats of the late Amy Winehouse.

When Rolling Stone released the first excerpts from the interview, they mostly concerned Jack’s ex-wife Meg White of the now-defunct White Stripes, and how she could never summon enough energy to be thrilled or happy for their musical success, which eventually took a toll on their working relationship.

Jack also blamed the tensions from the band on her inability to communicate, despite his many attempts at getting her to open up. Knowing how their marriage ended in a bitter divorce, it wasn’t that strange to hear him lay all the blame at her door.

However, when Rolling Stone released more excerpts, it became clear that White was on a crusade against the entire world, all on his own. He told the magazine that, without the White Stripes, there would be no Black Keys and that they copy his music to the point where it’s obscene how similar the sounds are.

He also expressed his belief that, if Amy Winehouse hadn’t died, there would be no Lana Del Rey, or Duffy, or even Adele.

“Adele selling 20 million records? That would not have happened if Amy Winehouse was alive. The White Stripes did the same thing, and in our absence, you’re gonna find someone to fill that. And you get a band like the Black Keys, who said they never heard of the White Stripes? Sure,” Jack continued.

You can imagine the outrage this caused among fans of all those artists White mentioned. In a lengthy open letter posted to his official website, he apologizes for everything he’s said, stressing that this was just “shop talk” that only industry insiders would understand.

According to White, his comments were taken out of context in the sense that he should have elaborated more on the topic but couldn’t because he was trying to be brief. Sadly, we live in “a sound bite, sensationalized age,” so his effort at offering a decent insight into his view on the music industry was reduced to saying he “trashed” all those artists.

“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,” White writes.

He extends the apology to the Black Keys and Meg White as well, saying he had nothing but love and support in his heart for them. His words on them too were twisted and made to sound worse than he’d actually meant them to.