Jack White of the White Stripes recently sat down with MTV to discuss the radio station which leaked the entirety of their new album. He had called the station and harshly reprimanded the DJ and received a fair bit of criticism from other media outlets.
He explained his side:
When you're famous, you're not allowed to have any kind of reaction unless it's completely positive and saying, 'I love rainbows and stars,' on Entertainment Weekly or 'Entertainment Tonight' or whatever those shows are called,But this radio station -- in this instance -- I was having a private conversation with somebody, and they wanted to exploit it and try to make even more press out of the situation. But that's what usually happens nowadays. … Jack White the singer and songwriter isn't reacting to you; it's the president of Third Man Records -- our record label -- calling you and asking for an explanation. I'm not screaming and yelling at anybody. I'm just saying, 'Who did it? Tell me why you did it.' [They reacted] like I called up and threatened to burn down the building or something. For God's sake."
He goes on to discuss the music climate:
I think it's a shame for generations coming up that everything is 'now, now, now' and that they're getting everything from a mouse click. We have people who get upset that you can only buy a T-shirt at our shows! That's upsetting to people. So it's kinda hard in this age where you get everything instantly to tell people that they have to wait. Let alone if it's the rules. People can't help but rebel against any kind of rules.
The band delivered Icky Thump earlier this week.