Latest news with #WhiteStripes
Buzz Feed
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Jack White Gets His First Cell Phone At Age 50
Jack White has officially entered the 20th century. The musician, who has famously banned cell phones from his shows, announced on Thursday that he is now the owner of a cell phone for the first time ever. 'Well y'all it's either all over for me now or just the beginning,' he shared in an Instagram post on July 10, alongside photos of him holding his new phone. 'I am now the reluctant owner of a cellular telephone for the first time in my life! A lovely 50th birthday present courtesy of my gorgeous and thoughtful wife Mrs. Olivia Jean (who took these photos as well.)' The White Stripes singer shared, 'I've been saying that my days were numbered for years, can't listen to my music in my car, can't park at a parking lot by myself because of QR codes, etc. etc. and I guess Olivia decided to be kind and put me (and all my loved ones) out of my misery!' 'I thought if I could make it to 50 years old at least without ever having one that I could be proud of myself, and I am,' White added. 'Can't wait to talk to you all soon. My phone number is the square root of all of our combined social interaction times Pi.' White has spoken about the weirdness of not owning a phone before, especially when it seems like everyone else on the planet has one. 'I've never owned one, so when I'm out there I'm an anomaly and I'm looking at everybody,' White said in an interview with Channel 4 News in 2019. 'To me, everybody looks silly. And then you're like, 'Whatever, it's their lives,'' he added. 'Who knows? Maybe this is the way everything is going to be from now on. I have no idea and nobody really does.' White was once a part of a group of celebrities who prefer not to use cell phones, which includes Woody Harrelson and Dolly Parton, who like to use a fax machine. Parton once said it would 'take up too much of' her time if she tried to respond to everyone who contacts her. The country music legend said in an interview on The View in 2023, 'So I just say, 'Fax me. Fax me or call me and I'll call you back.'' Jason Kempin / Getty Images
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jack White Gets a Cell Phone 'for the First Time in My Life' as 50th Birthday Gift from Wife Olivia Jean
Jack White received his first-ever cell phone as a 50th birthday gift from his wife, Olivia Jean "I thought if I could make it to 50 years old at least without ever having one that I could be proud of myself, and I am," said the Third Man Records founder White turned 50 on Wednesday, July 9Jack White can now answer your phone calls. The musician and Third Man Records founder celebrated his 50th birthday on Wednesday, July 9 and announced in an Instagram post that his wife, Olivia Jean, marked the occasion by giving him the first-ever cell phone he's owned in his life as a gift. "Well y'all it's either all over for me now or just the beginning," wrote White alongside photos of himself posing with the phone. "I am now the reluctant owner of a cellular telephone for the first time in my life! A lovely 50th birthday present courtesy of my gorgeous and thoughtful wife Mrs. Olivia Jean (who took these photos as well.)" The White Stripes artist continued, "I've been saying that my days were numbered for years, can't listen to my music in my car, can't park at a parking lot by myself because of QR codes, etc. etc. and I guess Olivia decided to be kind and put me (and all my loved ones) out of my misery!" "I thought if I could make it to 50 years old at least without ever having one that I could be proud of myself, and I am," added White. "Can't wait to talk to you all soon. My phone number is the square root of all of our combined social interaction times Pi." The "Seven Nation Army" singer and Jean got both engaged and married on stage during his performance at Detroit's Masonic Temple in April 2022. The couple also celebrated White's birthday by attending a Detroit Tigers game with his mom, Teresa Gillis, at Comerica Park on July 9 — and his friend, actor and musician John C. Reilly, surprised him by performing "Happy Birthday" on the field. In a video of the moment shared to the Detroit Tigers' social media, White appears stunned and slightly embarrassed by the surprise performance. "You might see Jack as a rock star, but he definitely focuses on family. I think that's really cool," Reilly told Tigers commentators Jason Benetti and Andy Dirks. "Something we both share, I think." Reilly previously starred in White's latest music video for "Archbishop Harold Holmes," released in June. Read the original article on People
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jack White gets 50th birthday serenade from John C. Reilly at Detroit Tigers game
Detroit rocker Jack White got to celebrate his 50th birthday Wednesday, July 9, in grand and quirky hometown style: with a rendition of "Happy Birthday to You" from actor friend John C. Reilly at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. Reilly, clad in a Tigers baseball jersey, stepped to the mound ahead of the team's game versus the Tampa Bay Rays. At first, it looked to be your standard ceremonial first pitch by a visiting celebrity. White, a lifelong Tigers fan, sat in a stadium suite with his wife and mom. Then came the moment that clearly surprised White: With a count of "1, 2, 3," Reilly led the crowd in a birthday serenade to his musician pal. The live sing along was followed by "Seven Nation Army" over the PA at Comerica Park, where that White Stripes classic has been a longtime go-to song for the Tigers. Reilly is a Chicago-born comic actor and musician who befriended White years ago through their shared bond as Midwestern-raised Catholics. In 2011, he released a pair of country singles via White's Third Man Records and more recently took a starring role in the music video for "Archbishop Harold Holmes," a hit track from White's "No Name" album. In a follow-up interview July 9 in the Tigers' broadcast booth, Reilly confirmed that the supersized birthday greeting was a surprise for White, who didn't even know his actor friend was at the ballpark. Reilly also noted that his jersey was the same one he wore in the 1999 movie "For Love of the Game," the Kevin Costner film in which Reilly played a fictional Tigers catcher. White, a southwest Detroit native, was born on July 9, 1975. He went on to form the White Stripes and lead a Motor City rock renewal at the turn of the 21st century. Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@
Calgary Herald
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
How Bluesfest became "polyjamorous"
Article content As you may recall, the Sting show was a huge success and a significant turning point. It not only demonstrated that organizers could handle a major international act but also paved the way for a contingent of top-tier acts to appear in subsequent years. Corporate sponsorship increased and attendance grew. Article content Article content Over the years, the stable of superstars booked at the festival expanded to include rapper Kanye West, rockers White Stripes, pop diva Lady Gaga, electro maestro Skrillex, hip-hop mogul Snoop Dogg, hard-rockers KISS and many more. Attendance swelled to 20,000-plus each night. Article content Early in this multi-genre programming approach, festival boss Mark Monahan realized the pop acts sold a level of tickets that helped subsidize the blues content. Article content 'I'm going to do what I have to do to ensure that I can get the blues acts that I want,' Monahan said in a 2003 interview. 'Without the more mainstream, big shows, we would never be at the point where our entertainment budget is at $1.4 million. The big acts make that happen because, realistically, the pure blues audience just isn't big enough to provide that sort of monetary base.' Article content Article content If you ask him now why the organization has kept the Bluesfest name, he will outline the importance of maintaining a widely recognized and highly regarded 31-year-old brand. Article content 'I think we're resigned to the fact that it's 31 years now and and even if it's another 31 years it'll still be a topic of discussion,' Monahan said. 'But yeah, I do think the debate helps promote the festival.' Article content Fair enough, I say. But there are still people like Dalton Holloway, a public servant with a marketing background, who submitted a letter to the editor of the Ottawa Citizen earlier this year, describing the Bluesfest moniker as 'grossly misleading.' Article content 'I think we owe it to the artists, visitors and ourselves to have a moment of honesty,' Holloway wrote. 'It's time to rebrand Ottawa's biggest festival. A name that fully encompasses the diversity of artists and talent that serenades this city.' Article content Article content He didn't have a suggestion, so I dug up a 2024 Reddit thread on the topic in hopes of finding some ideas. The only one I saw was the unimaginative General Music Fest. Yawn. Article content This brings us back to the polyjamorous descriptor. I like it because it reflects how most people listen to music these days. Thanks to the prevalence of streaming services, music fans can check out any style that strikes our fancy at any time. Article content It's a far cry from the pre-Internet age when identities were defined and friendships forged through the type of music one sought out and listened to, whether it was metal or punk or new wave or blues or rock. Friend groups tended to form around specific musical tastes and stick together. (For the record, I was in the blues crowd in high school.)
Ottawa Citizen
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
How Bluesfest became "polyjamorous"
Article content As you may recall, the Sting show was a huge success and a significant turning point. It not only demonstrated that organizers could handle a major international act but also paved the way for a contingent of top-tier acts to appear in subsequent years. Corporate sponsorship increased and attendance grew. Article content Over the years, the stable of superstars booked at the festival expanded to include rapper Kanye West, rockers White Stripes, pop diva Lady Gaga, electro maestro Skrillex, hip-hop mogul Snoop Dogg, hard-rockers KISS and many more. Attendance swelled to 20,000-plus each night. Article content Early in this multi-genre programming approach, festival boss Mark Monahan realized the pop acts sold a level of tickets that helped subsidize the blues content. Article content 'I'm going to do what I have to do to ensure that I can get the blues acts that I want,' Monahan said in a 2003 interview. 'Without the more mainstream, big shows, we would never be at the point where our entertainment budget is at $1.4 million. The big acts make that happen because, realistically, the pure blues audience just isn't big enough to provide that sort of monetary base.' Article content Article content If you ask him now why the organization has kept the Bluesfest name, he will outline the importance of maintaining a widely recognized and highly regarded 31-year-old brand. Article content 'I think we're resigned to the fact that it's 31 years now and and even if it's another 31 years it'll still be a topic of discussion,' Monahan said. 'But yeah, I do think the debate helps promote the festival.' Article content Fair enough, I say. But there are still people like Dalton Holloway, a public servant with a marketing background, who submitted a letter to the editor of the Ottawa Citizen earlier this year, describing the Bluesfest moniker as 'grossly misleading.' Article content 'I think we owe it to the artists, visitors and ourselves to have a moment of honesty,' Holloway wrote. 'It's time to rebrand Ottawa's biggest festival. A name that fully encompasses the diversity of artists and talent that serenades this city.' Article content Article content He didn't have a suggestion, so I dug up a 2024 Reddit thread on the topic in hopes of finding some ideas. The only one I saw was the unimaginative General Music Fest. Yawn. Article content This brings us back to the polyjamorous descriptor. I like it because it reflects how most people listen to music these days. Thanks to the prevalence of streaming services, music fans can check out any style that strikes our fancy at any time. Article content It's a far cry from the pre-Internet age when identities were defined and friendships forged through the type of music one sought out and listened to, whether it was metal or punk or new wave or blues or rock. Friend groups tended to form around specific musical tastes and stick together. (For the record, I was in the blues crowd in high school.)
