We could have probably guessed that Jack White wouldn't be a fan of Lady Gaga — after all, White is generally regarded as a retro rock purist, while Gaga is a glitzy and futurist pop star. Sure enough, the former White Stripes frontman has now seemingly blasted the pop singer in a new interview.
Speaking with Esquire, White accused Gaga of writing fluffy, trivial music. He said, "I don't think she lives it because it's all artifice. It's all image with no meaning behind it. You can't sink your teeth into it. It's a sound bite. It's very of this age, because that's what people want. They want a Twitter line, a jpeg, an MP3."
These are harsh words, but this is hardly the first time that Gaga has been targeted by her fellow artists. In the past she's been insulted by Die Antwoord, Rufus Wainwright, M.I.A., and Eminem, among others. Such is the price of being one of the world's most famous celebrities.
Elsewhere in the Esquire article, Jack White trashed Twitter and celebrity culture. Luckily they didn't get him started on some of his other pet peeves like Guinness World Records and hip motherfuckers.
UPDATE: In a quick response to this story, Jack White has released the following statement, explaining that he meant no real harm towards Gaga and his words were taken out of context.
I'd like to address the recent tabloidesque drama baiting by the press in regards to Lady Gaga. I never said anything about her music, or questioned the authenticity of her songs in any way. I was in a conversation about the drawbacks of image for the sake of image, and that it is popular nowadays to not question an image in front of you, but only to label it as "cool" or "weird" quickly and dispose of it. I don't like my comments about Lady Gaga's presentation being changed into some sort of negative critique of her music. If you're going to try to cause drama, at least get the quotes right. I think journalists should also be held accountable for what they say. Especially publications like the NME who put whatever words they feel like between two quotation marks and play it off as a quote. Maybe somebody with more lawyers can take them to task, but I'll just use the Internet and Twitter instead. I also think that kind of tabloid drama encourages artists to not express their opinions in the press, and instead give polite soundbites that don't stimulate thought about creativity and the consumption of art in its many guises.
Peace to Lady Gaga and I fully congratulate and compliment her on her championing of gay rights issues and the momentum it's given to help create change.
Thank you.
Jack White
III
Speaking with Esquire, White accused Gaga of writing fluffy, trivial music. He said, "I don't think she lives it because it's all artifice. It's all image with no meaning behind it. You can't sink your teeth into it. It's a sound bite. It's very of this age, because that's what people want. They want a Twitter line, a jpeg, an MP3."
These are harsh words, but this is hardly the first time that Gaga has been targeted by her fellow artists. In the past she's been insulted by Die Antwoord, Rufus Wainwright, M.I.A., and Eminem, among others. Such is the price of being one of the world's most famous celebrities.
Elsewhere in the Esquire article, Jack White trashed Twitter and celebrity culture. Luckily they didn't get him started on some of his other pet peeves like Guinness World Records and hip motherfuckers.
UPDATE: In a quick response to this story, Jack White has released the following statement, explaining that he meant no real harm towards Gaga and his words were taken out of context.
I'd like to address the recent tabloidesque drama baiting by the press in regards to Lady Gaga. I never said anything about her music, or questioned the authenticity of her songs in any way. I was in a conversation about the drawbacks of image for the sake of image, and that it is popular nowadays to not question an image in front of you, but only to label it as "cool" or "weird" quickly and dispose of it. I don't like my comments about Lady Gaga's presentation being changed into some sort of negative critique of her music. If you're going to try to cause drama, at least get the quotes right. I think journalists should also be held accountable for what they say. Especially publications like the NME who put whatever words they feel like between two quotation marks and play it off as a quote. Maybe somebody with more lawyers can take them to task, but I'll just use the Internet and Twitter instead. I also think that kind of tabloid drama encourages artists to not express their opinions in the press, and instead give polite soundbites that don't stimulate thought about creativity and the consumption of art in its many guises.
Peace to Lady Gaga and I fully congratulate and compliment her on her championing of gay rights issues and the momentum it's given to help create change.
Thank you.
Jack White
III
