In a recent (and now infamous) interview for Rolling Stone, Jack White digs deeper into his rivalry with Ohio blues-rock duo the Black Keys, whom he believes ripped off the White Stripes. Though it's obvious to everyone that the two bands are very similar, I don't think Jack White should be worrying about it as much as he seems to be. Here's why...
1. He's More Influential
Part of Jack White's Rolling Stone interview took place at the Nashville headquarters of his label Third Man Records. While plenty of musicians start their own labels (Patrick Carney started his own), Third Man has become more than simply a label for White to release his own music through: it's become a brand. White has even become a brand himself. Whether you like the music or not is one thing, but Third Man and Jack White are undeniably influential forces in indie rock today. The Black Keys aren't nearly as influential in the music business, and have nothing that comes close to the singular vision of Third Man. Patrick Carney's label doesn't even exist anymore.
2. Nobody's Mixing Up The White Stripes with The Black Keys
If the Black Keys had named themselves something like "The White Strypes" and only wore red, black, and white, then Jack White would have a legitimate grievance. Plenty of people would go out and buy a White Strypes album under the assumption that it was a White Stripes album, and they would be getting ripped off. The Black Keys didn't do this, though. Yeah, they're also a blues-rock duo with a color in their name, but nobody's confusing The Black Keys for The White Stripes. Even the music is distinctive: The White Stripes took cues from punk and country as well as blues, and were unafraid to be noisy and ear shredding. The Black Keys, on the other hand, just do blues with distortion, and really nothing else. They've expanded to psychedelic rock recently, but it's not exactly a stretch.
3. There Are People Who Love Both Bands
Even though I've been putting down The Black Keys, I definitely don't dislike them. I just like the White Stripes way more. However, there are plenty of people who love both bands, like my brother. When my brother discovered The Black Keys, he didn't go, "Screw these guys, they're just ripping off the White Stripes!" He went, "Hey, these guys sound like the White Stripes! I love the White Stripes! I'll probably love this band, too!" This rivalry is putting fans of both bands in a tough position, which isn't fair.
4. He's Way More Interesting Than Either of the Black Keys
If I had to choose between spending an evening Jack White, Dan Auerbach, or Patrick Carney, I would choose Jack White in half a second. Yes, he's probably an obnoxious eccentric who might have anger issues, but he seems like the kind of guy who's interested and excited by everything, and would teach you a thousand things in just a few hours. On the other hand, what you get out of an evening with Patrick Carney? Every time he's in the news, he's complaining about something uninteresting, so you'd probably hear some rants about Justin Bieber. I don't even know what Dan Auerbach is supposed to be like. I vaguely remember him saying in an interview that he doesn't like indie rock, so that's a huge deal breaker. Spending some time with Jack White would, at the very least, give me some basic knowledge of carpentry and upholstery.
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