The White Stripes and Why They Rock My Socks Off

Years ago, when I first heard the White Stripes’ breakout hit “Fell in Love with a Girl,” I remember not being impressed. Sure, it was a catchy rock tune with a killer video (remember the legos?), but it was a little rough around the edges for my tastes, I thought Meg White was terribly crude on the drums, and I wrote them off as a one hit wonder. A one-dimensional New York-affected postmodern rock band that would never escape their narrowly defined niche (think The Strokes, The Hives, etc).

I’m not too proud to admit a mistake: The White Stripes kick ass. I would even argue that they are hands down the best band making music right now. I realize that this is a bold assertion and you may need some convincing. Allow me to try.

The White Stripes play rock & roll with an energy, sincerity, and passion that is refreshing in an era defined by trite, studio-enhanced, pretty boy rock (damn you, Nickelback) and trite, studio-enhanced, pretty boy pop (unless you’re bringing sexy back, then I can dig it). They are gritty, they are down home, they are American rock in its purest form: rebellious and anti-establishment to the core. They barrage the senses with blues infused dirty rock, soaring, screeching guitar licks backed by methodical, thumping drum beats. And when they want to they can be simple, they can be sweet. Just when you think your head might explode they hit you with “We’re Going to be Friends,” an acoustic ballad to a childhood sweetheart.

Jack White is most definitely the brains behind the band. I still feel that drummer and ex-wife Meg is merely adequate, but really that is all she needs to be. With Jack providing more than enough musical flair for the both of them, all she really needs to do is provide a beat. And her metronome style does just fine.

Jack, meanwhile, is a rock god; I don’t care what anyone says to the contrary. He is Jimmy Paige and Robert Plant rolled into one. Abashed? Contemptuous? Listen to their recently released “Icky Thump” off the upcoming album of the same name. His innovative guitar riffs channel “Whole Lotta Love” while his vocals remind me of “Immigrant Song.” Even Rolling Stone places him at 17 on their “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

It’s a shame that he was born 40 years too late. If he would have been around in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s he would have been idolized, he would have sold out arenas anywhere he went, he would have partied with Led Zeppelin. That was a time when people connected with music, when rock & roll was relevant. Instead, he’s pushed to the underground, ignored by a generation enamored by vapid pop songs that make catchy ring tones.