THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNARF003

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THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNARF003

Post by KNARF »

THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY BY KNARF.jpg
Today, 1/3/13 I finally share with you my complete Jack White Airline guitar story.
Numerous fans have contacted me with questions about this. The Rolling Stone & Mojo articles gave brief synopses, and hardly the level of details die-hard fans would appreciate. HOW it happened is not nearly as interesting as WHY it happened. As you read on, know that the day I finally met Jack White to present him with the guitar I had invested a lot of life to TWS–having seen them 37 times at that point. This plays heavily into the Airline guitar story. So here it is. Hope you enjoy it. Note: this is the full story no-holds-barred. Nothing is dramatized. And nothing is held back. I’m not one to talk about me, but with this story there’s no other way to tell it since I went thru it. Some of you may feel some parts of this story comes across as braggy. It’s unfortunate if you read it that way. This is not intended as some sort of show-off piece. I’m not one of those fans or collectors that chooses to hide anything rare rather than share it with those who care and matter–YOU. I’ve never put it down like this and decided to dedicate the time to it because I know the greatest fans in the world are on White Swirl. I also found some photos from the event–many of which I’ve never shown anyone. You asked. You get. I separated the story into 13 paragraphs for your organizational/reference pleasure. Enjoy.

1 A BROTHER & SISTER DUO FROM DETROIT
A long time ago in a galaxy nearby, an Australian girl I worked with named Sara (a red-head) introduced me to this brother & sister duo from Detroit. She didn’t know she was about to change my life and consequently destroy my savings account. After hearing the type of music I played loudly in my office, she handed me De Stijl. I was an instant fan. I had to find their 1st album that very night, but music was not sold on the internet then so I drove around to numerous record stores before finding TWS self-titled album at Tower Records in Long Island, NY. My fandom rose to a whole new level, and this is before White Blood Cells would be released. I will spare a lot of detail if I’m going to focus on the guitar story, but a certain amount of detail is necessary to truly and deeply understand the gospel that I preach. Soon I finally saw TWS live. I’ve seen TONS of acts and pride myself as a R & R historian of sorts. Seen all the old-timers of the 50’s & 60’s etc. What instantly stood out about TWS on stage was this certain element I’ve never seen before on stage. Their unique sense of playfulness on stage. The only band I’ve seen footage of who exuded this sense of fun on stage is The Beatles. The only band I’ve actually seen live I can say that about is the Beastie Boys. Sure Springsteen always looks like he’s having a blast, but he’s got 30 people on stage. The Beatles were just 4 while The Beastie Boys just 3 center-stage. And The White Stripes just 2–WITHOUT ANYONE ELSE ON STAGE. This notion is a big part of my story. The less people on stage, the more focus you naturally put on everything else–especially the instruments. It’s easy to focus on just 2 people. Best of all you hear EVERYTHING–including the mistakes. I’ve always told people “What The White Stripes do wrong is more interesting to watch than what anyone else does right.”

2 PRACTICALLY CENTER-STAGE
At all 68 WS shows I’ve seen, I was no further than the 1st 3 rows almost every time. What you see from 3 feet away is quite different even from 30 feet away. I didn’t just “see” those early shows. They were injected into my veins in the most vivid–every single drop of sweat–high definition micro-detail. Lucky bastard? For sure! But I put a lot of work into those shows. I earned them. If you lined up outside 6 hours early–the front row was yours. And that’s what I did EVERY SINGLE SHOW. Why? Unlike most bands where being 1 foot or 1000 feet away does not “really” matter, with TWS it made all the difference in the world. They were not just a band you went to only hear. That’s just 33% of the show in my book. You had to SEE them close-up to REALLY get a sense how they pulled it off without a set list. There were so many things you’d only see from the first few rows–that you’d miss completely from 10 rows back. I know this sounds extreme, but it’s true. Not any WS concert footage–including UGWNL comes close to capturing their magic like being 1st row center-stage. Typical concert footage with cameras cutting back & forth, zooming in/out etc. distract your eyes from the things that separate TWS from any other band. Camera movement is needed for most bands since it tricks the viewer into thinking there’s more movement and energy on stage even if the band is stationary. If you want to watch TWS on video, watch the old videos where a camera is just planted still in front of the stage for the whole show. Those give you the best taste–but still, you just had to be there. No matter what Jack does in his career, and how great it will be, it’s hard to believe anything will compare to seeing Meg wailing away, while Jack kicks your ass and leaves his blood on stage. NOTHING compares to those early White Stripes shows. NOTHING. I’m not bragging. Just telling it like it is. I really feel sorry for people who never got to see The White Stripes at all. Seeing Jack White solo is great, but it does not compare–even when he plays WS songs. Why? How can this be? Are you telling me the 2 bands of such great musicians are not better than just seeing Jack play with Meg? YES. That’s EXACTLY WHAT I’M SAYING. Jack’s solo tour was amazing. I’m not taking anything away from it. The best way I can describe it is even though they SOUND like WS songs, they don’t LOOK like White Stripes songs.

3 “THE JACK WHITE GUITAR”
During the course of all the WS shows I saw, the shapes of everything red, white & black including the stage, their outfits, etc. would change, but 1 thing was always EXACTLY the same. It’s what Jack was holding 97% of the time on stage. A shiny red & white plastic guitar that became the single most iconic symbol of TWS since the early days. The soon to be iconic swirl on Meg’s drumhead–was not introduced on stage until years later. Jack’s shiny weapon of choice has gone by many names. “The Jetson,” “The JB Hutto,” etc. It’s birth name is “The 1964 Montgomery Ward Airline” but to me it has always had one name: “The Jack White Guitar.” This is not just another rock-star’s guitar. And its not just one of the guitars Jack played in The White Stripes. “The Jack White Airline” WAS The White Stripes. Without that guitar, the band loses its stage identity. So much so that when I listen to TWS I picture Jack playing THAT guitar. It’s a deeply profound part of the visual/audio lexicon of TWS music. How many guitarists can you name who played a stock guitar (not customized at all) that eventually would come to represent their band? Slash plays a Gibson Les Paul, but so do tons of guitarists. A good example is Paul McCartney. Look at Paul today when he’s not holding the Hofner Bass. He simply looks like “Paul McCartney”. But with the Hofner Bass, he’s suddenly one of the Beatles. Amazing what the right tools do for the job. Without the Airline guitar it’s Jack covering The White Stripes. If Jack was 80 years old playing WS songs with his Airline, it would feel more like TWS than him playing WS songs with a blue guitar. Clark Kent is not Superman unless he’s dressed like Superman. This may sound crazy to those who never saw TWS. I guess I’ve been programmed after experiencing all those shows so intimately close. I can’t fathom it differently. I guarantee you if you saw TWS play a song, then directly after Jack’s male & female bands did the same WS song, you’d agree Jack & Meg did it better. I’m a million % confident in that. And I’m not talking about just the music part. Sure you can get the music to “technically” sound better, but I’m talking about the complete experience. That experience has been missing for me in the solo JW shows. I’m not taking anything away from this great tour. It’s just hard to compare TWS live to anyone–including Jack White. How could that be? All these great musicians and better drummers than Meg right? Well my friends, certain things defy explanation. That was the magic of The White Stripes.

4 THE 3 YEAR SEARCH
During the thirty-something time I saw TWS I decided I wanted the Airline guitar even though I’m not a guitar player. When I did the math in my head, I thought of the big chunk of life I spent seeing Jack play this particular guitar just a few feet away from me. I saw it as Jack’s baby. I’m sure he’ll never hold his children as long as he’s held this guitar. Ha! Crazy but true. You get the point. If I could have one WS memento to keep–it would be Jack’s Airline without anything else even entering the field of contemplation. If TWS were a trio with a bass player, the Airline guitar would mean a lot less to me since there’d be another guitar sound present. The fact that aside from Meg White’s drumming & Jack’s voice–the only other thing you’d hear on stage in those early shows came from this guitar made it the single MUST-HAVE item. Most people don’t know how impossible to find this guitar was from 1999-2003. I scoured the world for it. Not one showed up on Ebay for many years. A few times I came across a similar body with a different headstock. Unacceptable. Then one night I could not sleep and got up to do the same Ebay search I’ve done for several years. I thought I was dreaming. Truth be told, I saw the BUY IT NOW button and clicked it on reflex. I vaguely glanced at the price. My head blew up seeing that one other than Jack’s existed. It was $3,000 and in mint condition. As great as Jack’s looked on stage, this one was a virgin. When I received it and opened its original guitar case to lay eyes on it for the first time, it was like that scene from Pulp Fiction where John Travolta opens the suitcase and a bright light shines from it. It looks like TWS. It sounds like TWS. IT IS TWS.

5 “YOU’RE GONNA GIVE WHAT TO WHO?”
Not long after at a WS show, I noticed one of the guitar’s pickups as well as a few knobs were missing. To me it looked like it was deteriorating, but of course we know that Jack must have just switched the setup. Few things are accidental with Jack. But regardless, to see that guitar differently than I had in numerous shows prior–then coming home to see my bright & shiny, mint Jack White Airline Guitar–just did not feel right to me. May sound corny, but the truth is that a moment of inspiration hit me and in that very second I made a promise to myself that I would keep: “I’m giving this to Jack.” It made perfect sense. He’s the definitive guitar player of THAT guitar. He deserves it. To set my mind on giving it to Jack is one thing. But how was I going to do it? I had no idea but knew if it was going to happen, it would happen in New York since the WS always played more shows in NY which meant more opportunities. I remember just knowing it would happen somehow.

6 MEETING JACK
A month later on a Saturday morning I was putting extra time at my job, I get a call from my good friend PES who lived uptown. Knowing I’m a huge WS fan he says:

PES: “I think The White Stripes are performing in the middle of the street”

ME: “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?”

PES: “Seriously. They may be shooting a video”


I got the address and instantly stormed out of the office without doing any work that day. I jump on the subway uptown and arrive near Grant’s Tomb and there they were. Jack & Meg were on the video shoot for The Hardest Button to Button. (My 1st post was about this incredible day) I instantly recognized the director Michel Gondry. I’m a big fan. Out of respect, I first asked Gondry if I may speak to Jack between takes when there was down-time. And there was lots of down-time on that shoot with all the re-setting up of the drum sets. Gondry was gracious so I approached Jack while he was waiting under the overpass tunnel you see in the video. Here are a few photos I took which I've never shown anyone until now–followed by the conversation I had with Jack.
THE JACK WHITE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY KNARF.JPG
THE JACK WHITE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY KNARF 2.JPG
ME: “Jack, I have an Airline Guitar identical to yours but in mint condition I want to give you”

JACK: “It’s says Airline on it like mine?”

ME:
(I LOOKED AT JW IN THE EYES AND JOKINGLY BUT SERIOUSLY SAID)
“Jack, I know your guitar better than you know your guitar”

JACK: (Laughs) “You want to GIVE it to me?”

ME: “Yes. You deserve to have it”


Jack then had to go back to shoot the next setup but we’d chat several more times that day before Jack & Meg would sign the white shirt I was wearing and Jack asked me to send photos of the guitar. So I arranged with his manager to email Jack the photos. These are the guitar photos I sent Jack:
THE JACK WHITE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE FRANK ANSELMO KNARF 1.JPG
THE JACK WHITE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE FRANK ANSELMO KNARF 2.JPG
THE JACK WHITE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE FRANK ANSELMO KNARF 3.JPG
THE JACK WHITE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE FRANK ANSELMO KNARF 4.JPG
THE JACK WHITE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE FRANK ANSELMO KNARF 5.JPG
THE JACK WHITE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE FRANK ANSELMO KNARF 6.JPG
7 EMAIL FROM JACK WHITE
Not long after I receive an email from Jack White. This is Jack’s actual response I received on 11/17/03:

My god, that guitar is perfect. Thank you very much for wanting me to have it.
I never expected my old guitar to become so "iconic" it's odd.
But I thank you deeply for your present and will cherish it deeply.

Jack white

III


Then I get an email from Dan Miller from the band Blanche. He was sorta managing TWS in those days. He was on set the whole day with his wife Tracee who was the make-up artist. Dan told me that he’d arrange for me to come backstage at the next show in New York.

8 THE DAY HAS COME
Soon enough I get the call and arrangements are made for me to meet in the VIP at Roseland in NY. Earlier that day I bought a red button-down shirt for the occasion cause, well, that’s what you do. I hooked up my cousin Angelo who had been my WS concert partner since day one. We did not like sitting in VIP. It was a far cry from being in the front where Jack sweats on you. So we made our way to the front gate and enjoyed yet another amazing show. As the final song of the encore: “Boll Weevil” plays, we run back to VIP. “Boll Weevil” was always what the WS played as the very last song–when Jack REALLY felt the crowd.

So I’m minutes away from meeting Jack backstage and I remember not feeling nervous or anything like that. I met him several times before that. He was very approachable and easy to get next to back then. In fact at the beginning of the White Blood Cells tour, I was waiting outside the Bowery Ballroom before a show when here comes Jack walking in front of the venue with a cane. Not a single person on line knew who he was–yet they were on line to see TWS. What the? It was the strangest thing. Jack was not hurt. He just liked walking with a cane. I asked him about it. We then had a conversation about a show I drove to in Philly a few weeks prior where something not much different than JW Radio City show #1 transpired. But I won’t get into that now. That’s a whole other post. I call that Philly show at the Trocadero “The Mirror Show”. Curious if anyone on Swirl was at that show. Please reach out if you were there. Curious to hear anyone else’s recollection of what transpired that night. Either way, it was AMAZING.

When the show ended, Dan Miller came up to grab us and proceeded to take us backstage. Here goes nothing. I walk backstage and see Whirlwind Heat who opened that night. Dan Miller tells me he’ll go get Jack. In the meantime I had a conversation with the Whirlwind Heat guys and we start talking about the album Jack just produced for them. Then a man in black with red alligator shoes appears. The messiah has arrived.

9 THE MESSIAH HAS ARRIVED
Jack greets us then we sit down on the side of the room no one was sitting in. My cousin is to my right and Jack to my left. The guitar case is in front of me. But before the unveiling we start a dialogue:

ME: “JACK, GREAT SHOW!”

JACK: “I SOUNDED BAD, I’M SICK”

ME: “WHAT’S WRONG?”

JACK: “BRONCHITIS”

ME: “WELL, YOU SOUNDED GREAT”

JACK: “I FAKED IT”


I unlock the guitar case but don’t open it. Then I tell Jack:

ME: “WELL, HERE IT IS. YOU DESERVE IT”

I open the guitar case and before it even comes out, at first glance, Jack nods his head in amazement. My cousin in a very funny way gestures to jack and says:

ANGELO: TAKE IT! IT’S YOURS!

I then hand it to Jack. Jack begins looking at every part of it up and down.
The very first thing Jack said when he first held the guitar was:

JACK: “THE NECK IS SO STIFF”

Til this day, I’m not really sure why he said that. I guess the neck on his is probably worn out with all the wear & tear. That’s gotta be it. Jack kept nodding his head in amazement. His reaction was all I hoped for. Again, you gotta understand how rare it was to find one of these then–especially in MINT condition with the original case. I had a camera with me and had some photos taken. I’ll add photos to this post as I track more down. It’s been a while so they’re scattered. Here’s the photo we took which ended up in the Rolling Stone & Mojo articles:
Frank Anselmo Presenting Jack White The Mint 64 Montgomery ward Airline Guitar Backstage at Roseland NYC.jpg
I then ask Jack to sign me an auto. I brought 2 magazines. That Mojo issue with my favorite WS photo ever and Guitar Player featuring Jack showing off his Airline. There was no question this was THE photo to get signed. I came prepared with a white paint marker because the Mojo cover seemed dark. Jack liked the white paint marker. Before Jack signed the magazine he turned and whispered in my ear and said: “When I was a little boy and did something good, my dad would say: “Jackie, you’re a gentleman and a scholar.” Then signed the same thing to me. This is the first time I’m showing anyone this. Personal stuff:
JACK WHITE GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR FRANK ANSELMO KNARF.JPG
Then we went to find Meg in the back hanging with friends. Not many words as you’d expect from Meg. But she was great. All smiles. We met several times before and she was always as sweet as you’d imagine.
JACK WHITE STRIPES MOJO MAGAZINE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR FRANK ANSELMO KNARF.JPG
After TWS signed the Mojo cover, it felt like the right time to leave. Jack looked really winded from the show that night plus he was sick. So we said our goodbyes and that’s history.

10 THE AFTERMATH
The most common question I’ve been asked since–negates the whole purpose of giving Jack the guitar in the first place. It sums up how selfish people are: “What did he give you in return?” Since when does a gift warrant a return gift? It was not a “trade.” It was a GIFT. People can’t seem to swallow this notion. Most think because he’s a millionaire and I’m not, that Jack should have given me one of his old guitars or something. That would have been sweet of course, but I never expected anything. I did include a note that was glued on the inside corner of the guitar case, which had my address and contact info. I thought maybe someday I’d get a simple thank you letter in the mail but never did. I was never disappointed about that since Jack was so gracious and signed me a personal note on the magazine in person. A simple note in the mail does go a long way for a fan. You put things like that on your wall forever. But I can’t imagine it having happened any better…until Rolling Stone Magazine contacts me.

11 WHO SAID YOU GOTTA BE A ROCK STAR TO GET IN ROLLING STONE?
Furthest from my mind was anyone doing a story about this. A few days later I’m contacted by an editor at Rolling Stone magazine asking me if I was the guy who gave Jack the guitar. I said “Yes” and they did a phone interview. Same thing with Mojo. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this. It never even crossed my mind. My hope was to renew the symbol of TWS. Sure the Airline I gave Jack could one day have become his main stage guitar, but the truth is that his Airline was working fine despite its appearance. Mojo made it sound like Jack’s guitar was going to die and I saved it–which is ridiculous. But in all the shows I went to I never saw a backup on stage. I don’t think Jack ever had a backup of this guitar. I believe it was just the one.
Here's the Rolling Stone & Mojo magazine articles:
JACK WHITE STRIPES ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY FRANK ANSELMO KNARF.jpg
JACK WHITE STRIPES MOJO MAGAZINE 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY FRANK ANSELMO KNARF.jpg
12 ENCORE
Someone recently wrote to me and said that this might just be the most generous thing a fan has ever done in history for their idol. Wow. I never looked at it like that. Maybe it is. Who knows? Either way, I’m happy after all these years, that so many people still ask me about it and it went down the way it did. Most thought I was crazy to give away something I spent $3K on. It’s hard for most to understand. Thankfully this is a stage where most will understand my madness…I think.
The following year Jack appeared on the covers of many magazines with my old guitar.
It became his photo-shoot guitar and he proudly displayed it. Here's one example from Guitar World.
Jack actually says some nice things about me in the interview.
JACK WHITE STRIPES 1964 MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR WORLD FRANK ANSELMO KNARF.jpg
Well there it is. I’ve finally put down the definitive story of me giving Jack White the iconic Airline guitar in all the detail I remember. And I do remember everything vividly. I hope I did not bore anyone. I never expected it to be this long. So many great memories come back. I was pleased to see the Jack White Airline guitar immortalized with the Third Man “Mold-A-Rama.” What a great idea!

13 BOLL WEEVIL
In many ways, my act of passing this guitar to Jack was a message as if to say: “Here you go, keep The White Stripes alive and well.” I don’t want anything in return. Just don’t ever stop.” It was not a gift just given as you’d give any gift. It was meant to be played–IN THE WHITE STRIPES. Who knows? Maybe one day it will. And if TWS never reunite, Jack should definitely take the color red out of retirement one day and play his red Airline on stage again.

Jack, if you’re reading: Red was your favorite color before The White Stripes and is still your favorite color. Plus your daughter’s name is Scarlet. Daddy’s gotta at least play that shiny red guitar on stage for his little girl some day. I think Scarlet would love that. Did I just attempt a Jack White guilt-trip? Well my friends, it’s just that deep.
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Last edited by KNARF on Fri Jan 04, 2013 8:08 am, edited 2 times in total.
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theeradicaleclectic
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by theeradicaleclectic »

ooh.. little tear drops... you know the airline was made the year i was born and it seems almost magical to me... in all honesty.... you know what i mean i think ... to me its like a red lightning bolt laying there on that zebra carpet... the white axe?? wow... dunno... just love it really quite a lot to be sure... and the use of red to show jacks writing in the email... was he writing in red then too??

i confess to having had the white stripes come to my venue and play early early on but i was never really able to fully appreciate what you have just shared with us here.... what a fan and all true what you say about the front row experience in all ways

thanks so much for posting this and making such a fine presentation of it all mr. KNARF 8-) ... i think you need a hug after all that! :D

best quote
KNARF wrote:Jack’s solo tour was amazing. I’m not taking anything away from it. The best way I can describe it is even though they SOUND like WS songs, they don’t LOOK like White Stripes songs. I’m not taking anything away from this great tour. It’s just hard to compare TWS live to anyone–including Jack White. How could that be? All these great musicians and better drummers than Meg right? Well my friends, certain things defy explanation. That was the magic of The White Stripes.
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by love_islander »

This makes me miss #6 :)
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by maxman142001 »

Thanks for this gem Frank!
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by mojoryan »

Great story, man. Even better than the others. The tops to me was when you pointed out the true purpose of a gift, and in this case, "the" gift. Whether or not the way you iconize Jack resonates with me or not, has little bearing on the gesture of love for the man and his craft. Goddamned good to have to here. Thanks for sharing it.









edit-2 flippin' edits due to phone auto-correct...frustrating.
Last edited by mojoryan on Sat Jan 05, 2013 6:07 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by orangeshoeskid »

Great story. I remember reading those articles in Mojo and Rolling Stone when they came out.
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by Kaber »

Thanks for the lovely post.

Great to hear you gave Jack such a great gift.

The rule of three - give and you will receive back three times.

We have certainly been rewarded over the years
by what he did with it.
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by chadeg »

Oh, there's one for sale right here... http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/sho ... ea%29-2000 :P

No seriously, that's an awesome experience/story you've got there! I wish I'd have seen them at least once, but unfortunately I started going to festivals one year too late....
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by Bikedo »

Thanks for the story Frank and damn those are quite a lot of shows you've seen.
Saw only a handful myself but at least they also include '01 and '02 shows.
Only thing is the use of the word Messiah to me is a bit awkward.
I love the White Stripes as a band for their music and live shows but I'm always weary of putting people I only know from a distance or the media on pedestals.
Looking forward to more stories and pictures.
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by theeradicaleclectic »

Bikedo wrote:Thanks for the story Frank and damn those are quite a lot of shows you've seen.
Saw only a handful myself but at least they also include '01 and '02 shows.
Only thing is the use of the word Messiah to me is a bit awkward.
I love the White Stripes as a band for their music and live shows but I'm always weary of putting people I only know from a distance or the media on pedestals.
Looking forward to more stories and pictures.
i think awkward is a good word but thats also similar to how some folks might have perceived the stage act... something of a congregation being greeted by its pastor and salvation for that night ... check out the intro and see if you feel a sense of that

Last edited by theeradicaleclectic on Fri Jan 04, 2013 3:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by flattop2001 »

Great stuff Frank, thanks for sharing. As an aside I can personally vouch for Frank as he hooked me up with something recently with no thought of reward or return. TOP GUY.
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by Kali Durga »

I seem to recall reading a blog post somewhere that included a good portion of that story, but it's very cool to now read all the extra, deeper details. Your excitement definitely still comes through after all these years, Frank. While I agree that referring to Jack as "the messiah" is a bit extreme, I can certainly understand how the emotions you felt in that situation might have inspired you to see him that way. Thanks very much for sharing all of this with us.
"And the message is clear: if we want Jack White as our hero, he will entertain, but not pander. We have to accept all his flaws, whims, caprices and manias as a critical, sometimes uncomfortable, part of the contract."
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2crazikids
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by 2crazikids »

Kali Durga wrote:I seem to recall reading a blog post somewhere that included a good portion of that story, but it's very cool to now read all the extra, deeper details. Your excitement definitely still comes through after all these years, Frank. While I agree that referring to Jack as "the messiah" is a bit extreme, I can certainly understand how the emotions you felt in that situation might have inspired you to see him that way. Thanks very much for sharing all of this with us.

Hmmm, there might be just a few of us who consider Jack to be messiah status... or at least a prophet... works for me ;)
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Re: THE JACK WHITE MONTGOMERY WARD AIRLINE GUITAR STORY–KNAR

Post by woodisgood »

Many many thanks for the full-on story, Frank—a pleasure to read, and well written too!

And as far as I'm concerned, JW is a musical messiah. (All you other regular-type messiahs: check your CVs at the door.)
"I'd wish you happiness, but I know it'd be detrimental to your art."
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