by Alexandra Pollard Contributor

Tags: The Black Keys, Jack White 

Jack White accuses The Black Keys of 'ripping off' The White Stripes

Singer reignited feud with the band in a new interview

 

Jack White accuses The Black Keys of 'ripping off' The White Stripes Photo:

Jack White has reignited his public feud with The Black Keys, accusing them of "ripping off" his own band The White Stripes.

White's feud with the band began when TMZ leaked a series of private emails he had sent to his estranged wife, in which he expressed concern that his children were at the same school as Dan Auerbach's.

In the emails, White referred to Auerbach as an "asshole", and said: "He gets yet another free rein to follow me around and copy me and push himself into my world."

Auerbach's bandmate Patrick Carney in turn called White an "asshole", but insisted: "I don't hold grudges, man. I really don't. We've all said fucked-up shit in private, and divorce is hard."

In a new interview with Rolling Stone though, White appears to be more than willing to publicly criticise The Black Keys too. He said: "There are kids at school who dress like everybody else, because they don't know what to do, and there are musicians like that, too.

"I'll hear TV commercials where the music's ripping off sounds of mine, to the point I think it's me. Half the time, it's The Black Keys. The other half, it's a sound-alike song because they couldn't license one of mine."

Watch the official video for The White Stripes 'Seven Nation Army' below

He added: There's a whole world that's totally fine with the watered-down version of the original. Some people will hear that and say 'Oh, Jack White thinks he's the first person to play the blues.' But certain acts open up a market for a certain style."

White went on to say: "Adele selling 20 million records? That would not have happened if Amy Winehouse was alive. The White Stripes did the same thing, and in our absence, you're gonna find someone to fill that. And you get a band like The Black Keys, who said they never heard of The White Stripes? Sure."

Both The Black Keys and The White Stripes are set to appear at this year's Glastonbury Festival.


Alexandra Pollard

Contributor

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