Jack White went from a cellphone naysayer to an extremely prolific Instagram user who frequently shares music updates, political statements and seemingly random photos of all sorts of strange things. As he begins his No Name album cycle, however, it's becoming clear that some of those seemingly inane photos were actually Easter eggs for his new album and tour.
On April 13, White shared a photo of Mount Rushmore along with a bizarre caption about the rubble at the bottom of the monument, writing that the rocks and dirt should be cleaned up. Since then, he's shared more photos of stones and dirt — including posts on May 19, July 3 and July 20. Those rubble photos were seemingly clarified this week, when he revealed that the album cover was a blue-tinted photo of what appears to be dirt and rocks. (That also perhaps explains the video he posted on July 19 about the etymology of the word "blue.")
The rubble also looks a bit like the coal on Zug Island that White once made a very strange post about.
Speaking of his live performances, the concert poster for his three Georgia shows this week (two in Atlanta and one in Athens) shows a clown wearing a catcher's mask — the exact same photo he posted without explanation back on May 5.
On May 27, meanwhile, he posted a photo of actor Mia Goth in Pearl — and the recently unveiled credits for No Name reveal that she is one of the people the album is dedicated to.
On July 27, White played a benefit show to help Nashville's American Legion Post 82 buy a new PA system. While he was there, he took a photo with his band members all pointing at the number 82. Soon after, he gave No Name an official release date of August 2 (that is, 8/2). Is it possible that the whole benefit show was just a hint about the release date?
There are, presumably, many more hints to be decoded, so keep an eye on all the strange stuff White posted on Instagram over the past few months. See some of the Eager eggs below.
No Name is White's return to old-school punk blues. Read our album review here. It comes out widely tomorrow (August 2).