It’s official: The White Stripes have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place on Saturday in Los Angeles, honoring Jack and Meg White for their indelible, decade-long impact on music.
As expected, Meg White did not attend the ceremony. She has completely left the music industry and public life since the White Stripes broke up in 2011. Thankfully, a handful of artists were on hand to help fill the void left by this essential artist—one of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time.
The White Stripes were inducted into the Rock Hall by fellow Motor City rock icon Iggy Pop. Taking the stage, Pop led the crowd through a chant of “Seven Nation Army.” Holding his speech in his hands, he joked, “Let me see if I can read this shit.”
Pop described the duo as “a 21st century Adam and Eve, who had started a rock & roll band,” and praised Meg’s drumming ability, saying it was her support that launched “the rocket of racket that was Jack White.”
Next, Jack White took the podium to deliver his induction speech, thanking “Uncle Iggy.” Standing in a red suit and white tie, he revealed that he had been talking with Meg about the honor, and that she had made “punctuation and corrections” to his speech.
“I spoke with Meg White the other day; she said she’s very sorry she couldn’t make it tonight, but she’s very grateful for the folks who have supported her throughout all the years. It really means a lot to her tonight,” Jack said.
He thanked the White Stripes’ musical heroes and also named other iconic duos in pop culture: Leiber and Stoller, Siegel and Shuster, and Abbott and Costello.
“I myself have been in a lot of bands that you’ve probably never heard of,” he said. “But for some reason, people especially connected with this one two-piece duo project that I was in called the White Stripes. We don’t know why these things happen, but when they do, it’s the most beautiful thing you can have as an artist or musician when people are responding and sharing with you.”
To young artists, Jack added a message of encouragement: “Get your hands dirty and drop the screens and get out in your garage or your little room and get obsessed. Get obsessed with something, get passionate. We all want to share in what you might create.”
In a related note, artist Rodrigo—born just two months before the White Stripes released *Elephant* in April 2003—has long praised the group. She has said she grew up listening to the album, especially enjoying the track “The Hardest Button to Button.”
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/white-stripes-olivia-rodrigo-iggy-pop-rock-hall-induction-1235461138/
