Jack White, who will play Radio City solo tonight, dishes to The Post on his kids, cellphones and female musicians. (
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Ahead of Jack White’s shows at Radio City Music Hall tonight and tomorrow night (in support of his debut solo album “Blunderbuss”), the former White Stripe talks about family, phones and always going with the flow.
On people thinking that “Blunderbuss” is about his relationship with ex-wife Karen Elson:
“I honestly do not like to write about myself because it’s far too boring and too embarrassing for people around me. I’m not sure I could expose them in that way. I could go to the zoo and write a whole album about every animal I see there — song by song. This song is about a lion, this is about a giraffe, this is a chimpanzee, and people would probably still think it’s about me! There’s no escaping that. I have to let people think whatever they want.”
On his kids, Scarlett, 6, and Henry, 5:
“I hope they don’t get into playing music when they’re older. If you’re Charlie Chaplin’s son, I think it’s a good idea to pick something else rather than comedy to devote your life to. But they do love music — it comes from both me and Karen. Henry’s favorite band is Mazzy Star — he’s a softie! Scarlett likes the Ramones a lot. She asked me the other day if they were beatniks! I said, ‘No, they’re punk rockers.’ ”
On banning cellphones at shows:
“All musicians can’t stand looking out from the stage and seeing a thousand blue rectangles staring back at you. No one likes it — you can ask anyone. And we’ve realized that the fans hate it, too. They hate being made to watch the show through these gadgets, so we’re asking people not to do it. Technology has to be respected. It’s not like I hate cellphones. It would be rude of me to be checking my e-mails while I’m talking to you. I should respect you and the technology we have. There’s a time and a place for it.”
On working with an all-female band:
“Sometimes, I think I prefer working with women because a lot of the ego is deflated and it’s more about what we’re trying to accomplish. With a girl, you might give them some musical direction about a key change or something and they’ll say, ‘OK, no problem, got it.’ But then you’ll say the same thing to a guy and they’ll give you this raised eyebrow look, as though they’re saying, ‘Are you telling me what to do?’ And then you have to respond by saying, ‘Is that cool?’ I don’t have time for all that!”
On being impulsive:
“You hear the word overproduced a lot in the music world which suggests that something was over-thought and it would have been more interesting if you’d just left it simple. That’s a rule that can apply to life. There’s a beauty in that. I’ve got friends who are very indecisive and they hem and haw for weeks. I think it would be better to make your decision within a couple of seconds. Even if you make the wrong decision, at least you didn’t sap all your energy by worrying and over thinking things.”