White Stripes Rock Hall Induction: Rodrigo & Pop Pay Tribute
Jack White dedicated the White Stripes’ induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to his former bandmate, Meg White, who was absent from the ceremony. “I spoke wiht Meg White the other day; she said she’s very sorry she couldn’t make it tonight, but she’s very grateful for the folks who have supported her throughout all the years, it really means a lot to her tonight,” he said.
Jack thanked the White Stripes’ musical heroes, and also named other iconic duos in pop culture: Leiber and Stoller, Siegel and Shuster, and Abbott and Costello.”I myself have been in a lot of bands that you’ve probably never heard of,” he said. “But for some reason, people especially connected with this one two-piece duo project that I was in called the White Stripes.We don’t know why these things happen, but when they do, it’s the moast lovely thing you can have as an artist or musician when people are responding and sharing with you.”
“To young artists, I want to say, get your hands dirty and drop the screens and get out in your garage or your little room and get obsessed,” he added. “Get obsessed with something, get passionate. We all want to share in what you might create.”
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Olivia Rodrigo, who was born just two months before the White Stripes released Elephant in April 2003, has long praised the group, saying she grew up listening to the album and especially “The Hardest Button to Button.”
“Meg’s drums really shine on that one, and from there I dove into all their other incredible albums and became a massive fan,” Rodrigo told Elle in 2023.”Meg’s drumming and the White Stripes in general [provided] a huge lesson to me on the value of simplicity in music.They taught me that a truly great song doesn’t need to have crazy production or layers of sound.It just needs to move you.”