Jack White
Jack White
Jack White is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is known as the lead singer and guitarist of The White Stripes, and has had success in other bands and as a solo artist. On April 24, 2012, White released his debut solo album, Blunderbuss. His second studio album, Lazaretto, was released on June 10, 2014. Both received wide commercial and critical acclaim...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth9 July 1975
CityDetroit, MI
CountryUnited States of America
I made a rule for myself in my early 20s not to become a record collector in the sense that I reference all my old records. I can't live like that. I'd just be trapped in comparison, trying to emulate something, so I made a rule to just buy what I need, just the records I need.
It's hard for me to play seated theaters because people tend to sit down and get a little bit complacent, so it's less energy. It's just very dry and dead. People start to feel like they're watching a movie. The environment when they walk into it, it's not standing room only, smoking and drinking and rock 'n' roll. So it's a little bit dangerous to do that.
As an artist, you take things from your environment, and there's going to be a style coming out of your environment.
I probably could have a hip-hop-style entourage of 40 people coming with me to the club or whatever, and I don't do that. And I think sometimes maybe I should. It just makes things easier - if you don't like being by yourself, maybe just don't do it ever.
The main things to rebel against - over-production, too much technology, overthinking. It's a spoiled mentality; everything is too easy. If you want to record a song, you can buy Pro Tools and record four hundred guitar tracks. That leads to overthinking, which kills any spontaneity and the humanity of the performance.
I believe I am a better director than actor. I enjoy acting if the part is right. Directing comes very naturally to me. I enjoy it. I am very confident in my work.
You can't steal an artist's songs and also tell him he can't license that music to a commercial.
Saying you love something out loud with the wrong intonation in your face can damn you and destroy what you're working on.
I have very little interest in the bottom line or signing artists to help make the label profit. That's a lucky, unique position to be in, but it all comes out in the wash.
Musically, though, you're a character and you're singing a song. If you're not your own character, you're the character in the song, most of the time. Even blues musicians, a lot of them who were the most realistic, at times, they were singing a song and portraying a character in the song. There's something to be said for getting involved in the emotion of a song, too, with the characters.
People have sort of a problem trying to see an end to a situation as being positive or romantic.
Punk is an attitude, not a genre, age group, or time period. What's interesting is trying to define the blues and punk in different ways. They are very close cousins.
The big picture is a nice way to think of things if you have the freedom to.
The day that music is taken for free by the majority is the day that the phrase "sell out" doesn't exist any more.