On Touring the Chocolate Factory

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shaneoftheroad
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On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by shaneoftheroad »

Forgive me if this is hard to follow. I’m going to write it all down as it comes to mind and leave it here for anyone interested. If you’re a Third Man official and want me to take any of this down, let me know. But I’ve left out much of the more tantalizing bits. ;)

Here we go. Here’s the story of how I got to peek behind the curtain at Third Man Records after a year and a half of cat-and-mouse. This is also the story of how I finally met Jack White.

In December 2015 I gave blood at Third Man Records and they allowed me to choose a gift from under their Christmas tree. Most people were choosing record-shaped boxes, leaving nothing to chance. I chose one of the smaller bags. Inside the bag was a blank plastic record from the record booth in the lobby. But on the label it said I could have a tour of Third Man Records and bring 5 friends.

In short, I lucked out. Not just anyone gets to see behind the curtain at Third Man Records. That privilege is reserved for employees, artists and invited guests. You can’t buy a look-see. I was over the moon for the opportunity.

The tour was scheduled for February 2016. I chose my guests carefully. There would be my wife Mandy, of course. My friend Miranda couldn’t make it, so I substituted the esteemed Tom. Filling out the other slots were Tam, Ara and Ryan (all appreciative Third Man fans). Ara and Ryan are also fellow musicians so they decided to come stay the night at my place so we could finally play together.

So the day drew near and I realized I was developing a nasty case of strep throat. White spots, pain, nausea, fever. By the time Ara and Ryan showed up on my doorstep it was in full swing. I felt horrible and was in great pain. We got through the night but it was a hugely wasted opportunity. The next day, the day of the tour, I was so bad off I decided to stay home. But I insisted they go without me. Ara, Ryan and Tam had all traveled so far, I couldn’t let them down.

Stories of their tour are available here and there online so I won’t recount it here in detail. My friend Kate took my spot and Ben Blackwell gave them an incredible peek behind the scenes. They seemed ashamed to tell me the tales, fearing their good fortune would push me further into regret. But when my friends are happy, I’m happy. And I was thrilled to hear every detail of their adventure.

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And here is Tam's blog about the tour:
http://kalidurga.blogspot.com/2016/02/a ... elvis.html

They did have a surprise for me. Blackwell had signed the record booth record and told them I could reschedule so I didn’t have to miss out. It absolutely made my day. So we rescheduled.

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As the day approached I got a message from Blackwell saying he needed to find another day. Still grateful for the opportunity, of course I didn’t mind. So we set another date. As that date approached I realized I would have to cancel again due to elements beyond my control. But I realized he had gone above and beyond so I told him we could just cancel the whole thing. But he insisted. He wanted me to have this tour. But he was going on temporary leave and then was opening a record pressing plant at the beginning of 2017 (which I didn't know at the time). So it would have to be March 2017. The date was set. Thursday, March 8, 2017 at noon.

But March 8 wasn’t a Thursday. It was a Wednesday. I had the day wrong in my head.

On March 8th, as I was planning my trip for the next day, I got an email from Blackwell asking if I was still alive out here. I thought he was kidding around at first, referencing the many times we had to cancel. But, no. It was Wednesday, the 8th. And I was an hour and a half late for the tour. I was horrified.

I apologized profusely and told him he had done all he could to keep his obligation, that now we could cancel and I was very embarrassed. But he once again insisted, can you believe it? So I sent him another set of dates. Then today, March 9th (a Thursday) at 11:30 he wrote me asking if I could be in Nashville at 3. I didn’t get the email until noon. At first I didn’t think I could do it but at the very last second I decided to just go for it. I hopped in the car and gunned south, making it 15 minutes early.

What follows is my account of finally touring Third Man Records in Nashville. But I’ve been asked to censor several bits of information. Here we go.

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In planning the rescheduled rescheduled rescheduled reschedule I promised Blackwell I’d bring him donuts for his patience. But I left on such short notice I broke my promise. He seemed genuinely disappointed. Nevertheless, he persisted. He unlocked the first door and we were off.

Through the first door I saw a familiar face sitting at a yellow desk. I’m never good with names but I’ve seen her on countless occasions at Third Man. Blackwell introduced us but I didn’t catch her name, which would become a recurring theme throughout the tour. One wall in this room was covered with old concert prints, mostly from the White Stripes. They were actually glued to the wall! But he didn’t comment on those just yet. The tour was on!

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Glued To The Wall (not my photo)

The first hallway was lined to my right with many Third Man artifacts from over the years on shelves, all the way to the ceiling. He noted I should recognize them and he was correct. Pretty much all the novelties, though I didn’t recognize a square yellow piece that looked like a guitar pedal. I saw another just like it later in the tour but didn’t think to ask about it. It seemed more like an art piece than an actual pedal, like it was made of porcelain or clay.

As I was concentrating on the novelties I heard a door open and Blackwell greeted someone. I looked up and there was Jack White, coming out of the Film Editing door. He and Blackwell exchanged business talk for a second then Ben introduced me as “Contest Winner Shane Devon” and he introduced Jack as simply “Jack”. Jack smiled, shook my hand and said “hi, I’m Jack.” I returned the handshake, “I’m Shane.” Ben told him he was going to tell me all the secrets. Jack laughed and said, “no, not all. Just give him around 90% of the secrets.” I pointed out to Ben that Jack said he has to give me at least 90% of all the secrets and we had a good laugh. Then we said our “nice to meet you”s and moved along.

Blackwell led me into the art department as if I hadn’t just met someone who has impacted me musically on the same level as the Beatles. But I tried to shake it off. Still lots to see.

The art department room was shockingly tiny but impressively decorated. The colors on the wall were basic Jack White colors accented with black designs. The colors popped and it was the only room with skylights. Two skylights, actually. And a crazy high ceiling. Each person sat at a computer. I asked what they did in the art department and they said they mainly design posters and such. So, the posters you see at events, these are the artists who design them, for the most part. I told them one of my favorite posters was from the Black Belles release show but Ben quickly told me that was before any of them were there. He then told them I was a fan from way back, which is true enough. Though I didn’t discover the White Stripes in time to see them live. We chatted for a bit about the room (Jack designed the walls) and what they were all working on. Then one of the artists gave me a Third Man pen and we said our goodbyes.

Ben led me up some stairs and we went through another door into the control room behind the Blue Room stage. He showed me the cutting machine that came out of King Records. I asked if James Brown would have been recorded using the machine and he said most definitely! Then I realized I had actually been recorded on that same machine and I got chills.

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Me with The Blueprints recording direct to acetate, Record Store Day 2015

He said the console they used was built for them new because they couldn’t take a chance with a vintage console, losing channels and such. The console went straight into what looked like a 1-inch stereo tape machine. Blackwell said the cutter didn’t get the levels it needed coming straight off the board so they needed the tape machine in between. I’m assuming it’s because the console doesn’t have a pre-amp onboard but I don’t know for sure. The sound came from the stage, through the tape machine, to the cutter. So it's still live to acetate, so cool. There was a second record cutting machine in the room but he said they’re always saying they’ll fix it and never get around to it.

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The Tape Deck (not my photo)

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The Cutting Room (not my photo)

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The Console (not my photo)

Then he led me out the door, back through the art department and down the hallway, up another bit of stairs. This time, Jack was nowhere to be seen. I wouldn’t see him again actually. But that’s cool. That one time was perfect.

I realized we were in the walkway above the hallway leading to the Blue Room. Ben had me look out the window, saying he bet I’ve spent a lot of time in that hallway. He would win that bet. The walls were lined with photographs from the Blue Series. I mentioned I own every standard Blue Series release and he seemed genuinely impressed. I’m not sure he believed me. But it’s true.

Through another door, we were in the warehouse surrounded by shelf after shelf of clothes. Mainly t-shirts and sweatshirts with various TMR trappings on them. Down more stairs and we were on the warehouse floor. The place was massive! Boxes piled as high as a house! An employee was putting together the Iggy Pop book, sliding records into the back cover. Ben told me I should read it, and I will eventually.

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Surrounded By Clothing (not my photo)

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The Warehouse (Photo: The AV Club)

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The Warehouse (Photo: The AV Club)

Right next to us was the online ordering area where they put together and ship off the packages we order. The ceiling was lined with cool red lights, mainly for decoration. The place was brightly lit from the main lights. I asked Blackwell if the warehouse is where Willie Nelson had performed. He said yeah and pointed out the spot where Willie stood for the show.

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Online Shipping Area (Photo: The AV Club)

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Online Shipping Area (Photo: The AV Club)

Behind one of the 3 black doors on that side of the warehouse was the customer service room. There were 3 employees in there. Blackwell said all our complaints go to those three people. They were inexcplicably cheery. Maybe it’s because Ben kept introducing me as “Contest Winner Shane Devon.” I don’t know.

Next stop was the archive. Not the vault, mind you. The archive. Here, Third Man keeps one of everything they’ve ever released. It was cool to see everything in one spot and it was surprising how little space it needed. One tiny little room. But everything was meticulously organized and put away. A whole history of Third Man Records merchandise all in one room.

Blackwell said we were going to Third Man Books next because he had a legitimate reason to stop by anyway. It was only a few steps away, still in the warehouse. Once there I was shown a project they’re working on, though they made me promise not to say what it is until the official announcement. But the employee handling what I saw was nervous about me being there. But Blackwell told them I was cool. Everyone relaxed and we spent quite a bit of time talking about it. Once they make all the announcements I’ll fill in the blanks to this segment. I managed to confirm suspicions about a topic we’ve discussed before.

One of the guys was Chet from the Ultras S/C. He said I looked familiar. I mentioned he may have seen me on Record Store Day once when we were recording in the Blue Room. He agreed that must be it. I told him I recognized him from the Ultras and the Black Faces. He mentioned he was playing in a new band that night at The Basement. I wanted badly to say I play music with the owner’s brother. But I’ve dropped that name before and people always call me out for name-dropping. So I just nodded enthusiastically.

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With that, me and Ben left the warehouse floor and went out a door onto the patio outside the bathrooms, leading to the Blue Room. He commented about how I’d likely seen this all before. And I had. He also asked me my favorite Third Man record. But I wasn’t sure if he meant since opening in Nashville or all-time. So I hesitated. He didn’t seem to care so I dropped the question without truly answering, other than mumbling De Stijl is my favorite Stripes album. I wish I’d thought that through beforehand. But “what’s your favorite” is such an impossible question in this instance. C’est la vie.

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Me with The Blueprints, rehearsing on the patio, Record Store Day 2015

Into the Blue Room with his magical blue-glowing futuristic key device. He said I should be familiar with that room. I am, of course. But it’s still a thrill every time. He confirmed the giant elephant head is indeed the one from American PIckers. He then opened a giant door beside the stage and we were in a short hallway in front of another door. Without a word he opened the door and I knew immediately we were going into the vault. The actual vault. An actual vault with a vault door and everything.

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The first thing I noticed inside the vault were rows of reel to reel tape boxes labeled “The White Stripes”. On the top shelf I noticed some from The Dead Weather and Olivia Jean and many others. On one the middle shelves I saw the Raconteurs. I asked Ben if the White Stripes reels were masters or the original multitracks. He said both were kept in this storage! BOTH! He pulled out a box labeled “Elephant” and showed me the labels on the back. “Toe Rag” was written on top in bold letters, the name of the legendary studio in London. The songs listed were as follows:

“Girl You Have No Faith in Medicine”
“Seven Nation Army”
“Who’s To Say”
“Baby Brother”

And under each track was a list of what was on each of the 8 tracks. Seven Nation Army used every single track! I could have spent hours, days, weeks going through every single reel. Every technical question I’ve ever had about everything Jack has ever recorded could be answered in that room. I wanted so badly to ask if we could just spend some time there going through boxes. But, of course, those aren’t for me. I was merely passing through.

I noticed Get Behind Me Satan was in a slightly different container than the others. Most others were in typical cardboard boxes. Get Behind Me Satan was in plastic containers. And right next to those containers was a box of smaller boxes with labels like “My Doorbell”. I seem to recall the large box was labeled “tones” or something like that.

I found a photo on Jack's website of one of the Get Behind Me Satan containers (this is not my photo but this is definitely one of the reels I saw):

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I said again that De Stijl is my favorite White Stripes album and he showed me the multitrack tape. Amazing. I asked if he had the original Let’s Shake Hands recorded by Jeff Meier on four track all those years ago. He said he did and the tape was indeed in the vault. He started looking for it but I cut him a break, didn’t want him to have to move everything. But he did show me a box with some Dirtbombs tracks as well as “Red Death at 6:14” and “Ashtray Heart” from the Stripes. Not sure if that was the master reel or the original multitrack.

Every time I’d read about Jack pressing record on a machine… Those tapes were in the machines. Those exact tapes. The magnitude of it all hit me at once. I told Ben I was overwhelmed and he seemed uncomfortable for a moment. haha But he’s a cool guy, he didn’t make me feel silly for recognizing the importance of those tapes. I think he understood.

I was in Heaven. All this music that has meant so much to me over the years. I likened standing there to when I visited Sun Records in Memphis. I felt like I shouldn’t be there. Those tapes weren’t supposed to be real things. And I certainly wasn’t supposed to be standing next to them. But I was. I did. I was there.

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Inside The Vault (Photo: AXS TV)

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The Gang's All Here (Photo: AXS TV)

As we were leaving I noticed a label on a Raconteurs box called “Bedridden Blues”. I asked Blackwell about it and he said it’s not an unreleased song, it was just renamed before the release. But he couldn’t remember which song it was, though he tried.

With that, he closed the vault. Wow.

He took me down the hallway and we passed a display containing Jack White and Alison Mosshart’s bullet-ridden clothes from the Dead Weather video “Treat Me Like Your Mother”. I happen to know my friend Nathan won Jack’s clothes from that video in a contest. I knew he was trying to sell them a while back, cool to know where they ended up. Down the hall we found ourselves in a lounge area. There was taxidermy everywhere, which seems creepy but it really worked with the coziness of the room. The kitchen was a retro-50’s motif with a stuffed penguin on top of the fridge.

I said a stuffed penguin on top of the fridge. Awesome.

We ducked our heads into Blackwell’s office, with its impressive memorabilia on the walls. Including an original 1960’s Black Panther flag used in MC5 and Soledad Bros imagery. He even had a devestatingly rare Virgin Mobile White Stripes advertisement on the wall. I wish I could have had a better look around but an employee was trying to work in there. We respectfully left her to it before I could absorb anything in any real detail.

Across the hall we ducked into the office of Ben Swank. I said hello, he said hello. That was that. Blackwell mentioned again he could answer any questions I may have but I feel he must have suspected I knew everything he would tell me, which wasn’t always the case.

We found ourselves back in the room with the posters glued to the wall. Yes, glued. But it works for the room. On the opposite wall were more cool photos from over the years. There was also an original drawing for the design of the kitchen area (stuffed penguin on top of the fridge wasn’t in the drawing). I noticed the bay doors on the far end and knew the tour was coming to a close. We were one door away from the sales floor. Blackwell thanked me for coming down on short notice and we both expressed relief we finally got the tour out of the way after a year and a half.

Out on the sales floor I expected him to ask the standard “what do you want?” question that would result in my walking away with a rare piece of vinyl. But at the same time I knew that wouldn’t seem right, given his great patience and graciousness in allowing me to take the tour after so much conflict. So I didn’t push it. I’d met Jack White on the tour for goodness sake!

He did ask if there was anything I didn’t pick up over the years, he wanted to give me a memento. I told him I had everything I wanted and it was cool. But he wanted me to leave with something. So he pulled a copy of Jon Wayne - Texas Funeral off the shelf and said it was his favorite release by Third Man so far. He gave it to me and we said our goodbyes. He asked if I was sticking around but I told him I had to leave because I had a studio session that night. He said “that’s good business.”

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And that was it. Worth every second. I’ll never forget it.

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Me and Ben in the Blue Room, Record Store Day 2015

Any questions? I think I included everything I’m allowed to talk about but I’m open to answering anything you wanna know, if I can.
Last edited by shaneoftheroad on Sun Mar 12, 2017 4:56 pm, edited 11 times in total.
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Kali Durga
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by Kali Durga »

I am so happy that this finally happened!
"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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shaneoftheroad
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by shaneoftheroad »

Kali Durga wrote:I am so happy that this finally happened!
You and me both. Exceeded expectations. Ben's the man.
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Datch
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by Datch »

You are the luckiest man in the world! Great read. Thank you for being so detailed in between all the censoring you have to do.
“More people know a fragment of his music than know his name.”
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Aquamarine
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by Aquamarine »

Glad it finally happened for you. :) Glad you have a photographic memory, too! When my senses are bombarded like that, my mind goes blank afterwards.
elduderino
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by elduderino »

despite my inherent cynicism and old man grouchiness, it's always disarming and entirely wonderful how the folks at TMR engage with their followers. i've had so many interactions (too few lately) with that gang that they make me feel like an old friend.

glad you got the golden ticket, shane.
he is everything i hate...
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shaneoftheroad
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by shaneoftheroad »

Thanks, y'all. The more I think about it, I believe I wouldn't change a thing about the whole tour. As a fan I really couldn't ask for anything more. It was so cool.
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love_islander
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by love_islander »

Datch wrote:You are the luckiest man in the world! Great read. Thank you for being so detailed in between all the censoring you have to do.
+1 Green with envy here!
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benyo
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by benyo »

Thanks for this ! This was such a good read... I'm excited what the "secret release" will be, that you saw already.
Props to Ben for beeing this patient.
" I wish someone would ask me “how do you get that sound?” they never do. The answer is “I fucking mean it.” " - Jack White
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anonymousbrunette
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by anonymousbrunette »

A wonderful story, Shane! Of course I'm thrilled for you (and grateful for last year's tour/jam session.) Couldn't have happened to a nicer fella. I hope you enjoy the memory for years to come.

That Vault tho, whoo wee. I've never wished I had a photographic memory so badly.
"I didn't mean to drown myself. I meant to swim till I sank - but that's not the same thing."

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shaneoftheroad
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by shaneoftheroad »

Forgot to include this cool detail in my tour story. When I missed the first tour I sent my wife and friends in my place. Since it was my birthday they made me a magnificent surprise. This is Tom, Ara, Kate, Ryan, Mandy and Kali performing "We're Going To Be Friends" just for me.

I believe this is my favorite birthday gift of all time.

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love_islander
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by love_islander »

shaneoftheroad wrote:Forgot to include this cool detail in my tour story. When I missed the first tour I sent my wife and friends in my place. Since it was my birthday they made me a magnificent surprise. This is Tom, Ara, Kate, Ryan, Mandy and Kali performing "We're Going To Be Friends" just for me.

I believe this is my favorite birthday gift of all time.

Image
Image
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shaneoftheroad
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by shaneoftheroad »

love_islander wrote:Image
I'm no doctor but... Somebody call a doctor!!
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higherlimits
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by higherlimits »

Awesome story, thanks for reliving your tour!
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gst510
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Re: On Touring the Chocolate Factory

Post by gst510 »

Very cool.
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