Tuesday, August 9, 2011
ICKY FINGERS The White Stripes Interview by Peter Murphy
In rock ‘n’ roll’s alternative history, the south also rises. And rises again. Below the Bible Belt that girdles America, a wellspring of Delta blues, Pentacostal gospel, New Orleans jazz, Nashville country and Memphis rock ‘n’ roll, from Elvis to Johnny Cash to Jerry Lee, from John Lee to Muddy to Buddy Holly, from the 13th Floor Elevators to the Allman Brothers to Gram Parsons to REM.
Berry Gordy’s Motown dynasty excepted, the postwar pop boom was the story of Jewish and Gentile singers, songwriters and A&R wizards buzzing like worker bees in Brill Building cubicles. But the component parts of rock ‘n’ roll’s bone machine were manufactured in Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas before being shipped upriver to the industrialised northern zones of Chicago, Detroit and New York.
So powerful are the Confederate states’ psychogeographical allure that some of the most evocative songs of the south have been written by artists who never lived there. John Fogerty, a Berkeley boy, based
Interview
The White Stripes uncut
Interview by Andrew Perry
Sunday 14 November 2004
Observer Music Monthly
Andrew Perry (Observer Music Monthly): Let's start with Super 8 film...
Jack White: That was a lot of work for them. I was wondering how they were gonna do it. They had six different cameras, and the cartridges only lasted for three minutes, they had to keep changing them over and over again. He had no idea who was filming what. He had everyone on walkie-talkies but there's no fade back monitor for the director to sit in, so he can only kind of guess what they're filming. So I think he was kind of barking out orders in general. Like film Jack's face, or, film Meg's face, or, film Meg's hand. But they were just guessing where they were.And I think there was some kind of light thing too. I could see from the balcony whether the Super 8 camera was on or not from the red light on top. (laughs) It was really funny. He had to line them all up on a computer, and work out where it landed in the show. Sometimes there were big spaces, depending on how long it took someone to load a new cartridge. Then they could only use another angle. Really interesting.
OMM: But not convenient.
Jack White: That was a lot of work for them. I was wondering how they were gonna do it. They had six different cameras, and the cartridges only lasted for three minutes, they had to keep changing them over and over again. He had no idea who was filming what. He had everyone on walkie-talkies but there's no fade back monitor for the director to sit in, so he can only kind of guess what they're filming. So I think he was kind of barking out orders in general. Like film Jack's face, or, film Meg's face, or, film Meg's hand. But they were just guessing where they were.And I think there was some kind of light thing too. I could see from the balcony whether the Super 8 camera was on or not from the red light on top. (laughs) It was really funny. He had to line them all up on a computer, and work out where it landed in the show. Sometimes there were big spaces, depending on how long it took someone to load a new cartridge. Then they could only use another angle. Really interesting.
OMM: But not convenient.
The White Stripes
Detroit, Michigan, United States (1997 – 2011)
The White Stripes were an alternative rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan, United States. They disbanded in 2011. The group consisted of songwriter Jack White (vocals, piano/keyboards, guitar) and Meg White (drums, vocals).
After releasing several singles and three albums within the Detroit independent music underground, The White Stripes rose to prominence in 2002, as part of the garage rock revival scene. Their successful albums White Blood Cellsand Elephant drew them attention from a large variety of media outlets in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The White Stripes used a low-fidelity, do-it-yourself approach to writing and recording. Their music features a melding ofpunk and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The duo is also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which features a simple color scheme of red, white, and black.
After releasing several singles and three albums within the Detroit independent music underground, The White Stripes rose to prominence in 2002, as part of the garage rock revival scene. Their successful albums White Blood Cellsand Elephant drew them attention from a large variety of media outlets in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The White Stripes used a low-fidelity, do-it-yourself approach to writing and recording. Their music features a melding ofpunk and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The duo is also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which features a simple color scheme of red, white, and black.
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