The White Stripes have officially retired

[littleacorn]

I've followed them since 01, but living with can't make it work parents and a brother with Cerebral Palsy who I looked after most my life made it really tough to get to a show. Especially a show that was an hour and a half away from home with having said parents.

[dunedin]

I have no excuses either. I'm old enough, ugly enough, and they played within 30 miles of my house a bunch of times. But for whatever reason I never picked up on them until it was too late. I saw them on TV a couple of times. Watching those performances now, I should have wet myself with excitement. I can't explain why I didn't, so I just have to live with it.

[Jettkoral]

Wait, the White Stripes broke up?

[KNARF]

ps it absolutely, on like a profound level, breaks my heart when i see some of you guys saying how you never got to see the stripes live.

ya turkey! Not everyone's parents let them go to rock n roll shows at 12, 13 etc. By the time I was interested and old enough to buy tickets and go myself, the Stripes weren't touring anymore, and then they broke up. I really started getting into them a few months after their break up, a la Shane. And it hurts.

hellosmith,

I love that you said "Ya Turkey!" How appropriate since Thanksgiving is around the corner.
You backed up my point. For those who were too young to go, that's understandable. I just wish everyone could have seen them even once.
But what I was getting at is that I've met people who are in their 40s who claim to be big White Stripes fans–yet they never put the effort to see them once.
Come on! Only every article referred to them as the greatest live band on the planet.
Even casual music fans were curious enough to put the effort to see them once.

If anyone out there has not seen McCartney before, GO NOW!!!
You still have a chance to see a BEATLE play BEATLES songs.
It's an insanely amazing time we're living in that we have this opportunity still
to see a legend from the greatest band there ever was and will ever be.
Don't wait til it's too late.

I won't even mention how many times I've seen the White Stripes because everyone will hate me.

[KNARF]

Great read if you guys are interested...I apologize if someone already posted this elsewhere

http://consequenceofsound.net/2011/02/t ... rock-band/

notwdrums18,

Thanks for posting that article link!
That article crystalizes the essence of The White Stripes beautifully!!!
It freakin brings tears to your eyes!

Thanks!

[shaneoftheroad]

I've met people who are in their 40s who claim to be big White Stripes fans–yet they never put the effort to see them once.
Come on! Only every article referred to them as the greatest live band on the planet.
Even casual music fans were curious enough to put the effort to see them once.

I take slight offense to this (ever so slight).

I didn't read those articles, didn't see the interviews. I heard of the Stripes in passing before Icky Thump but nobody even hinted they were as amazing as they were. It was one of those out of sight out of mind things. When I first discovered them for real it was Elephant that did it (of course) but I was way late to the party. Then I came to the Swirl and started DEVOURING everything I could. My first post here was "Hey, I'm ISO everything the White Stripes ever released." I got ribbed along those lines.

I would give anything to see the White Stripes play one song, man. Just one song. Don't tell me I'm not a music fan because I didn't see those articles. I'm more than a casual music fan, have been my whole life. I was just into the wrong genre when the Stripes were going strong. If I knew then what I know now I'd have seen them at least once. But when I did discover their music it made everything interesting for me again. It's been a fun ride since I found them.

[Jettkoral]

White Stripes aren't the greatest live act out there. Elton John puts on a great show...Paul McCartney..KISS!

[KNARF]

Shane,

Your passion is fierce man! I love it!
I guess for me whenever I think of the sixty something times I saw them,
it's such a long stretch of time between DeStijl–up to the end
and it was such a HUGE part of my life, that I can't imagine not having heard of them.
But you know what, I think New York has a great deal to do with it.
They played more shows in NY than most cities. In fact on the Blunderbuss tour,
I got to see Jack White 5 times in New York.
But I get it man, sometimes someone has to turn you onto it.
No intention to offend you even in the slightest.
It's just that there are a few characters out there that claim to be fans,
but when you talk to them they're far from. They're trying to create some sort of identity for themselves.
The word "fan" is used much to loosely in my book.

I personally think they'll reunite one day. Call it wishful, but why not?
Look at it this way, if there was ever a band that can reunite in the easiest way possible,
it's The White Stripes cause it just takes 2 people. That's it!

But Jack does seem like the type to keep moving forward and not look back.
The White Stripes will always be his first and most significant baby...so you never do know what the future holds.

I love the passion man.
PM me your email address and I'll send you a few live shows I think are some of their best.

-F

[Kali Durga]

I think, too, that it's a matter of where your head's at when you're exposed to something. It can be anything, a band, a book, a film, whatever-- If you're into different things at the that time you're exposed to it, or if you're not mature enough, or if you're in the wrong emotional state, it's just not going to click. That's what happened to me with the Stripes. I had heard how amazing they were, so I checked out their latest record at the time purely out of curiosity. There were four songs on that record that resonated with me lyrically and really got into my head-- 300mph Blues, Little Cream Soda, Martyr, and Rag'n'Bone. There was something about the words of each of those songs that told me I should get into that band. But I was listening to people like Chris Cornell and Maynard James Keenan at the time, and Jack's voice was just too... quirky, in comparison. And words and voice are what hook me into a band, appreciation of the music comes later. It wasn't until I was talking to a friend a year or so later about how I knew I should be into the Stripes but I just couldn't quite get there, and she said "If you're interested in Jack's music, you should check out his other band, the Raconteurs". You know how you'll always remember certain days in your life when something important happened? The day I first heard Blue Veins is one of those. I can remember exactly what the sky looked like as the song was playing and I realized "Holy shit, that guy can really sing". That made me go back and listen to the Stripes with different ears. I suddenly heard all of the emotion behind the words in those songs that had initially tipped me off to Jack's brilliance as a song-writer. But it took the right song, perhaps ironically not a Stripes song, to make me hear it and that's what opened the door to realizing what I'd missed. But at the time I first heard of them, I just wasn't ready for them. I can regret that all I want, but these things have to happen organically.

[Jettkoral]

Shane,

Your passion is fierce man! I love it!
I guess for me whenever I think of the sixty something times I saw them,
it's such a long stretch of time between DeStijl–up to the end
and it was such a HUGE part of my life, that I can't imagine not having heard of them.
But you know what, I think New York has a great deal to do with it.
They played more shows in NY than most cities. In fact on the Blunderbuss tour,
I got to see Jack White 5 times in New York.
But I get it man, sometimes someone has to turn you onto it.
No intention to offend you even in the slightest.
It's just that there are a few characters out there that claim to be fans,
but when you talk to them they're far from. They're trying to create some sort of identity for themselves.
The word "fan" is used much to loosely in my book.

I personally think they'll reunite one day. Call it wishful, but why not?
Look at it this way, if there was ever a band that can reunite in the easiest way possible,
it's The White Stripes cause it just takes 2 people. That's it!

But Jack does seem like the type to keep moving forward and not look back.
The White Stripes will always be his first and most significant baby...so you never do know what the future holds.

I love the passion man.
PM me your email address and I'll send you a few live shows I think are some of their best.

-F

They're not getting back together, ever. Sorry to burst your bubble.

[flattop2001]

Shane,


But Jack does seem like the type to keep moving forward and not look back.

-F

They're not getting back together, ever. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Frank - I agree with everything in your post except this. He always has one eye to the past in my opinion, I also think he would reform the stripes in a heartbeat, like he says mix Blue and White, you get Limbo. Meg on the other hand.....
I think his solo stuff is better musically, lyrically and technically but there is just something about the stripes that pulls at your gut, and that feeling that "hey, I could do that" but without the chemistry, which as I know you witnessed many times, its just not the same.

Jett- I agree but never say never.

[maxman142001]

Shane,


But Jack does seem like the type to keep moving forward and not look back.

-F

They're not getting back together, ever. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Frank - I agree with everything in your post except this. He always has one eye to the past in my opinion, I also think he would reform the stripes in a heartbeat, like he says mix Blue and White, you get Limbo. Meg on the other hand.....
I think his solo stuff is better musically, lyrically and technically but there is just something about the stripes that pulls at your gut, and that feeling that "hey, I could do that" but without the chemistry, which as I know you witnessed many times, its just not the same.

Jett- I agree but never say never.

^^^ couldnt say it better

[KNARF]

I think his solo stuff is better musically, lyrically and technically but there is just something about the stripes that pulls at your gut

Flattop2001,

You're right that Jack's solo stuff is more "technically" sophisticated than The White Stripes.
But that surely does not make it better. Not by a long shot. Actually not even close for me.
There's tons of technical crap out there that can't inspire a fly. But Jack did it very well with Blunderbuss!

To get closer to the purity of what we're talking about I think you gotta separate recordings from live shows.
For me the essence of The White Stripes has always been THE live show. But not just any live shows.
The live shows where it was easy to be 1 foot away from Jack-up against the stage like they were playing in your living room.

I was spoiled seeing them right in front of me all those times. I don't say this to brag or anything. I say it cause it's depressing.
The best JW solo show I've seen was by far the Webster Hall Unstaged show that Gary Oldman filmed.
The reason it was the best was because I managed to get right in front like in the old White Stripes days.

But regardless how close I was, seeing Jack White solo does not come close to The White Stripes.
That article said it best: "Every Note Counted". With all these musicians on stage, things tend to blend in.
You're seeing Jack White–yes, but you're seeing a "band". The White Stripes were much more than a band.
They were an EXPERIENCE. And it does not translate onto most concert films. Not even UGWNL.
It kinda comes across during the week they played Conan OBrien every night. Can't seem to find those in HD anywhere.
And if anyone was at that pop-up show in Union Square NYC–That crystalizes the WS experience for me.

Anyways I can go on and on. If I'm personally going to get more excited about JW solo,
He's gotta drop all the country vibes and bring the Punk. Less Nashville. More CBGB's.
Less Willie Nelson. More Ramones.

In other words more "Let's Shake Hands"

[Bikedo]

bout JW solo,
He's gotta drop all the country vibes and bring the Punk. Less Nashville. More CBGB's.
Less Willie Nelson. More Ramones.

In other words more "Let's Shake Hands"

[KNARF]

BIKEDO AWESOMENESS!!!