Jack White Interview for arte
Really cool interview. You can hear him talking about his epitaph and playing a bit of “I guess I should go to sleep”.
The interview starts around 1:05 .
EDIT : Here’s the translation.
But first all, an encoutner with Jack White, a modern rock legend.
« Hello mister Jack White »
« Hello »
« Nice to meet you »
« Nice to meet you too, welcome to my house. »
Jack White , is a multinstrumentalist with various projects who isn’t afraid of anything, to the point that he is never anxious.
« I’m never nervous. A lot of people ask me if I’m anxious before a show. I’m not boasting, but I’m never nervous before going up on stage. After a concert, when someone tells me that I looked anxious, I answer « Oh really ? I wasn’t anxious » . Sometimes, I wish I were, because it would be a challenge for me. But for me, going up on stage is the same as entering a room and say hello. »
Jack white always finds new ways to challenge himself and has started different muscial projects. His first band, the. White Stripes, with meg white, his ex-wife presented as his sister begins to be succesful in 2001.
Then with the raconteurs, he plays some kind of sixties pop. In 2009, he starts the supergroup the Dead Weather with members from the Kills and QOTSA. Jack also has his own label, Thid Man, et has produced country singers.
« There are artists who had been successul in the sixties and who still play shows the exact same way they did back then.They play their hitsthe same way they did in the sixties.I think it’s a bit sad, because they try to perpetually live again their golden age instead of creating new songs . »
Jack White is now releasing is first solo albulm.
« I’ve never done sex discrimination. I’ve always played with men and women. I’ve produced and played with a lot of women like Loretta Lynn, Wanda Jackson, Alicia Keys, Meg White or Alison Mosshart.During the recording of Blunderbuss, sometimes I played with women, and sometimes I played with men in order to see what would happen. I’m gonna tour with two bands, a female one and a male one. I will decide in the morning which band will play in the evening. »
He plays the guitar until his fingers are bloody. His guitar idols are blues players like Son House or Blind Willie Johnson.
« For me, you don’t have to be polite or delicate towards this instruments? You have to attack it.
I’m not a guitar virtuoso, or any other instrument virtuoso.I couldn’t play spanish guitar. On the contrary, I’d rather fight with my guitar to get sounds I wouldn’t get if I played it pacifically. »
This White Stripes riff has gone down in history. Seven Nation Army has became the first song guitar apprentices learn to play.
« It was during soundchecks in Australia. When I played this riff, I thought it would be a perfect James Bond theme. We had even put « Bond theme « as a temporary title. I didn’t know I’d get to compose it a few years later. »
In 2008, Jack White composed Another way to die for the film Quantum of sOlace.
Jack grew up in Detroit, in a neighborhood full of seedy bars and sordid hotels. He is the youngest of a catholic family. His first intrument was the drums.
« There was a lot of people in the house. I have nine brotthers and sisters. So I had a tiny little room when I collected a lot of things. I garbage-picked pieces of drum sets, and I saved money to buy instruments. When I was 15 or 16, I had a lot of musical equipement in my room. I had to sleep of the floor, on a piece of foam to keep it all in my room. »
Nowadays, Jack White don’t have space issues. His Nashville building hosts his studio, his label and a shop.
« Could you play something for us ? »
« Oh, really ? »
« Just a little something »
« What could I play ? »
« I really should go to bed »
« My epitaph ? What could it be …Nobody listened to me until I started to sing orhave a good day or I’ll be right back, I just went out to buy some cigarettes. That’s it. »
(via lickanicecreamcone)
