From The Basement: The White Stripes Performance.

Written by: Caitlin Troutman

It may be difficult now to remember that, at one time, what The White Stripes were doing was exciting and perplexing, that they seemed to become one of the biggest bands in the world, almost in spite of themselves. Today one cannot go to a sporting event without the crowd stomping along to the opening riff of “Seven Nation Army,” while "We're Going To Be Friends" is the unofficial soundtrack of twee indie romance (I mean, it hasn’t been in a Michael Cera movie, but doesn’t it feel like it has?). The band’s influence is woven into much of popular rock music today, to a point that that influence may be taken for granted. One fan called Jack White the “indie rock Johnny Appleseed” of the aughts.

As the world was experimenting with parasocial relationships on a new level -- paparazzi paid exorbitant amounts for sleeping on young women’s yards, and the early days of Myspace, which allowed people to quickly and easily perform for one another -- The White Stripes constructed public personas that kept themselves at once the object of public speculation and as private -- even shy -- individuals, artists focused solely on the art. They had a strict color scheme, a preoccupation with the number three and, most notoriously, teased the world by claiming they were siblings, when in fact they were a divorced couple, an origin story perhaps as notorious as their music is successful.

The band blew up at a technological tipping point, a moment when people still watched MTV for music videos and artist interviews, when analogue sales were high and rock journalists could make good money, but on the precipice of a world that would unabashedly share music and personality for free, with previously inconceivable speed. 

The cover art of White Blood Cells, the band’s critically acclaimed, certified platinum album, shows the Whites cornered by shadowy figures, pointing cameras at the duo. The title of the album itself is a reference to the Whites feeling that they are forced to be on the defensive. In an interview with Spin, Jack White remarked that he resented having to buy a cell phone. On 2003’s Elephant, he opted to use an eight track recorder and other old school gear. Their private desires seemed at odds with mainstream success, but that didn’t stop them from doing the magazine shoots, from becoming successful.

The band’s sound was simple but explosive, textured music that filled every corner of a room. In some ways, the band bridged this turning point in the industry while attempting to hold themselves apart from it. They became iconic parts of the garage rock revival alongside the Strokes and the Black Keys, bands that are often seen as either having breathed new life into familiar forms or as blatant ripoffs of their forebears. The White Stripes’ foundation is based on layers and layers of contradictions.

From the Basement, which was recorded at London’s Maida Vale Studios in 2005 but released in full for the first time last week, on the tail of their greatest hits collection, is a reminder of the power the band wielded when they performed. The duo plays songs from 2005’s Get Behind Me Satan, plus a Captain Beefheart cover, to cameras and a sparse number of Men In Black-type individuals in coordinated outfits. There are no segues between songs, no host or narration. The show is propelled by the artists and the music. During the set, Jack White is affable, smiling, while Meg White drums with her trademark coy and stoic manner. Both perform energetically, wholeheartedly. 

In my opinion, there are few things more rock and roll than being unafraid to look excited or even a little dorky when getting into the music, so long as the music is good. All the red and black in the studio feels a little hokey now, as do their ensembles (I went to a nerd camp when I was in middle school, and many of the boys there dressed like 2005 Jack White, complete with the pencil thin mustache). Despite the 2005 style, the raw talent and musicality is astonishing. Their performance in From the Basement has value not just for nostalgia, but because of the music itself, which I’m happy to report has aged better than the aesthetic. 

Jack and Meg White are both mesmerizing performers who carry a casual but enthusiastic air, who bring the joy and work of the music to the forefront of the show (and Meg White does this all while speaking as if she is charged by the word). It makes sense why they fascinated the public and inspired speculation for so long. The word that comes to mind when I see their palpable chemistry as they perform is ‘sweet,’ two people who complement each other well and are able to explain one another to the outside world, something that should come only with intimacy and trust. 

As the duo begins playing “Forever for Her (Is Over for Me),” which was originally titled “I Blew It,” the camera zooms in on Meg White’s face as a tear slides down her cheek. Throughout the song, her immersion in the music is total, her eyebrows knit together, her timing impeccable. It’s hard to not read into this performance against the backdrop of lyrics like “And if I knew what to do, then I'd do it/ But the point that I have, I'll get to it/And forever for her is over for me.” She drums and rolls her neck, embracing the song totally, sharing what feels private with unabashed openness. 

Then again, maybe she had something in her eye.

From the Basement feels like a look inside something that has been obscured, like wiping fog from a window and to get a better view outside, although a pane of glass remains. It’s a reminder of how The White Stripes became a household name. It’s also not really revealing at all, a contradiction that is totally in line with The White Stripes ethos.

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SOURCES

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/aug/07/broadcasting.uknews

The White Stripes’ music owes its sound to its predecessors, blues artists and Black musicians who have not received deserved credit for their contributions to rock music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNaascI47tg 

https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsTalkMusic/comments/2j524g/lets_talk_the_white_stripes_influence_on_music/

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/claudiarosenbaum/downfall-of-the-paparazzi;  https://www.vulture.com/article/essay-britney-spears-discourse-pop-history.html

https://mashable.com/2006/07/11/myspace-americas-number-one/

https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/the-sweet-twist-of-success/Content?oid=2171234

https://www.thecut.com/2020/03/i-think-about-the-white-stripes-brother-sister-a-lot.html

https://www.vulture.com/2012/02/portlandia-recap-cat-nap.html

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190531-napster-turns-20-how-it-changed-the-music-industry

https://www.worldcat.org/title/spin/oclc/970690651

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/elephant-2-117445/

https://genius.com/The-white-stripes-forever-for-her-is-over-for-me-lyrics