Five White Stripes Facts That We Should Respect About Jack And Meg White

Personal relationships can significantly impact the dynamics of a rock band. Bands are often formed by persons who share a common love for music, but professional relationships can turn into romantic ones in time. When this happens, it’s crucial to maintain two types of relationships simultaneously to avoid risking your career and continue making the same quality of music. This isn’t as easy as it sounds — for instance, Fleetwood Mac suffered greatly from the issues between Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

Looking through The White Stripes‘ career, Jack and Meg White seemed to handle both being bandmates and lovers pretty well. Over the years, the two maintained a partnership that contributed to the band’s success despite their personal issues. Besides, they were able to preserve the White Stripes’ legacy at all costs. Even after their divorce, the band continued to make successful efforts. But how? Here are five reasons White Stripes survived the iconic duo’s separation.

1. Publicly Pretending To Be Siblings Despite Being A Couple

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From the beginning of the White Stripes’ career, Jack and Meg White established specific motifs to keep the focus on their work. One of them was pretending they were siblings. Jack claimed that he and Meg were the youngest of ten, and they decided to form a band when Meg went to the attic of their parents’ house and sat behind Jack’s drum kit to play.

Many of their fans believed them for a long time, and the two kept repeating the same story over and over again. However, there were some rumors that Jack and Meg White were actually husband and wife. It was not until 2001, a year after the couple’s divorce, that the proof of their marriage emerged. Still, they continued to insist that they were siblings.

In a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone, Jack White explained the reason behind this decision:

“When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, ‘Oh, I see…’ When they’re brother and sister, you go, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’ You care more about the music, not the relationship—whether they’re trying to save their relationship by being in a band.”

So, Jack and Meg White wanted fans to focus on their music rather than them being in a relationship. The two didn’t want to make headlines with rumors or controversies about their marriage or whether they were trying to save their relationship by being in White Stripes.

2. Using Only Red, White, And Black As Their Fashion Aesthetic

So, the White Stripes carefully created an image of themselves. Another thing they did to achieve this was using red, black, and white on everything related to the band, from their clothing to their album art. According to Jack White, their color choice had a significant meaning: white represented innocence, red was anger and passion, and black was the absence of these notions. He believed that this was the most powerful color combination of all time.

Here is what Jack White said about the White Stripes’ color scheme:

“The White Stripes’ colors were always red, white, and black. It came from peppermint candy. I also think they are the most powerful color combination of all time, from a Coca-Cola can to a Nazi banner. Those colors strike chords with people. In Japan, they are honorable colors. When you see a bride in a white gown, you immediately see the innocence in that. Red is anger and passion. It is also sexual. And black is the absence of all that.”

In another statement, Jack White argued that their excessive use of red, white, and black was to distract the audience from the fact that they were young, white musicians playing black music. So, again, their intention was to make the audience focus on their music rather than other things. This was a successful approach as it worked in time, but there were concerns about the duo’s way of representing themselves in the beginning.

Back when they first emerged in the scene, many were doubtful about their representation. V2 Label’s president Andy Gershon was reluctant to sign them, while various magazines claimed they would be unsuccessful. However, Jack and Meg proved them wrong by creating a unique image that contributed to the band’s legacy and longevity. Now, this color combination is identified with the iconic duo.

3. Their Debut Being The Best White Stripes Album

The White Stripes emerged on the music scene by releasing two singles, ‘Let’s Shake Hands’ and ‘Lafayette Blues,’ in 1998. The following year, they signed with Sympathy for the Record Industry and released a single titled ‘The Big Three Killed My Baby.’ Soon after, their debut album, ‘The White Stripes,’ hit the record stores. Produced by Jack and dedicated to Mississippi Delta blues musician Son House, the album was a huge success after its release.

Receiving generally positive reviews from music critics, ‘The White Stripes’ proved that the Detroit music scene could come up with an album that reached beyond its limits. Looking back at the album’s release in 2003, Jack White argued that they didn’t release any effort that topped ‘The White Stripes.’ He stated that their debut was the rawest, most powerful, and most Detroit-sounding album in their catalog.

Jack White said the following about ‘The White Stripes’:

“I still feel we’ve never topped our first album. It’s the most raw, powerful, and Detroit-sounding record we’ve made.”

So, it’s safe to assume that the idea of topping their first album kept Jack and Meg focused on their work. They had the ambition to push their boundaries and release a new effort that might make them feel like they did a better album.

4. Meg’s Convincing Jack To Continue After Their Divorce

A year after the release of their successful debut, Jack and Meg divorced. While the actual reason for their separation is unknown, the two still wanted to continue working together as a band. As it turns out, Jack didn’t think they would continue as The White Stripes at first. Therefore, he asked Dave Buick and his nephew Ben Blackwell to perform with him for a show the band was scheduled to perform soon after their divorce.

On the day of that performance, Meg showed up and convinced Jack to continue as White Stripes. In June of that year, the band released ‘De Stijl,’ the album they recorded on an 8-track analog tape in Jack’s living room. ‘De Stijl’ was considered a cult classic among their releases and displayed the simplicity of the band’s sound before their breakthrough. 2002’s ‘White Blood Cells’ made the White Stripes one of the most acclaimed bands of that year. So, Meg’s convincing Jack led to tremendous success for the duo.

5. Maintaining A Professional Relationship Without Any Feud Until The Band’s Hiatus

After their divorce, Meg and Jack focused on their work in the White Stripes and maintained a professional relationship. Thanks to their dedication to producing good quality music for the fans and keeping their personal lives out of the public eye, the band rose to fame and made a breakthrough despite the pair’s separation. They kept making music together in the following years and released three more albums. Although Jack had relationships with other women while working with Meg, this didn’t result in any issues between them.

Due to Meg’s acute anxiety, the White Stripes canceled their tour in 2007. Later, the band went on a hiatus from late 2007 to early 2011. Their 2009 performance during the final episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien ended up being their last show as a band. Although Jack later updated fans by saying a new album might be underway, they didn’t make any releases after 2007’s ‘Icky Thump.’

It later turned out that Meg White lacked the enthusiasm to record any new material as White Stripes. Jack White told Rolling Stone in 2014 that the sessions would result in outstanding recordings, but Meg wouldn’t react positively. He said he would get excited to see what they just recorded, but Meg would silently sit in the corner. So, it seems she was pretty underwhelmed at that point.

Here is what Jack White recalled about their final sessions with Meg White:

“She viewed me that way of ‘Oh, big deal; you did it, so what?‘ Almost every single moment of the White Stripes was like that. We’d be working in the studio, and something amazing would happen: I’m like, ‘Damn, we just broke into a new world right there!’ And Meg’s sitting in silence.“

So, Jack and Meg White wanted to preserve what was beautiful and special for the White Stripes by deciding to split the band at the right time. Therefore, they didn’t think of reuniting the White Stripes again. Still, it seems it took so much effort for the two to create and preserve a legacy at all costs, even after they decided to go separate ways.