The history of the White Stripes and how Detroit's music scene fostered their development is explored for the first time in this intriguing band historiography. Full-length biographies of both band members track their success from their early days in Detroit to worldwide fame and recognition. Key interviews with people close to the band describe their critical and commercial rise to the top. A close look at the Detroit music scene that also spawned music giants Eminem, Iggy Pop, and Kid Rock links the success of the White Stripes to their hometown's unique musical legacy.
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About the Author
Martin Roach has written more than 10 band biographies, including Blur: The Whole Story, More Maximum Eminem, and This Is It: The First Biography of the Strokes. He has been interviewed on BBC TV and BBC Radio.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Who's Bio is this again?,
By
This review is from: Morphing the Blues: The White Stripes and the Strange Relevance of Detroit (Paperback)
This book is much like that of the DVD, Candy Coloured Stripes... Unauthorized and Uninteresting.The author comes off as trying to cash in on the success of the a music group. The book is unauthorized and therefore there are no interviews with Jack or Meg hence... everything you get is either heresay or just not related to the Stripes at all. Many of the book's chapters focus on the history of Detroit and the history of many Detriot rock bands... those bands of course have interviews and a full length detailed bios on them. Again, as a lover of the Stripes, I love reading about them. However, I found myself getting more and more frustrated as this book went on and less and less entertained or informed about the subject matter for which I shelled out the money for this paperback.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
As much a history of Detroit music as a White Stripes bio,
By
This review is from: Morphing the Blues: The White Stripes and the Strange Relevance of Detroit (Paperback)
Even if you are not a fan of the White Stripes, "Morphing the
Blues: The White Stripes and the Strange Relevance of Detroit" is fascinating in its depiction of Detroit and the history of the local music scene. There is, as the author puts it, "... a third, equally influential player in the Stripes story - the city of Detroit." The first chapter is basically a background history of Detroit. I love the line, "The birthplace of the White Stripes is a tough town." Chapter 2 tracks Jack White's young life and his discovery of the blues, especially guitarist Son House. Jack's first encounter with Son House was the recording of 'Grinning In Your Face.' "There was truth in that record," professes White. "I realised that less can be more. Why get a bass player? Why add more stuff when it is already truthful." There are basic lessons in Detroit rock and roll starting with Motown, the MC5, Iggy and the Stooges as well as White's admiration for Mick Collins and the Gories (a band without a bass player). Discussed are Jim Diamond and Ghetto Recorders, the Go and Matt Smith, Italy Records and the importance of the Gold Dollar to the Detroit music scene in the '90s. There is a strange, but interesting analysis of the Detroit scene: Detroit's poverty and working class structure made the local music scene close knit. Because Detroit is "slow to become technologically savvy," it meant the live concert scene was vital, that "word of mouth is more important than reading a review on the web." And I liked Roach's review of the song "Big 3 Killed My Baby" analyzing the relationship between blues, the city of Detroit's decay and renewal cycle, and the music of the White Stripes. As for the band itself: "Bands in Detroit are extra-willing to make cartoons of themselves," quotes Surge Joebat of the Wildbunch. "They [White Stripes] were just another weirdo band in Detroit, one out of a hundred weirdo bands. Everybody was doing something different. It was a much less orthodox scene." As a fan of both Kitty Wells and Loretta Lynn, the book foreshadows White's work with Lynn. The book ends with the MTV Video Awards, the Grammys, Jack White's relationship with Renee Zellwegger on the set of "Cold Mountain" and a car crash in which his hand is injuried and the author wonders if this is the end of White's career (it's not). The book has its flaws. Roach is in dire need of a proofreader with his run-on sentences, clumsy stream-of-conscienceness phrasing, frequent repetitions and misspellings (Ann Arbour indeed). He's cranked out dozens of books on rock musicians and the book reads like it was written by someone who whips them off. The book ends rather abruptly, but then where does an author end a book about a living artist? I was thankful it missed the whole Jack White vs. Jason Stollsteimer ordeal; in fact hardly any ink is given to the Von Bondies besides being part of the Detroit garage rock revival and that Marcie Bolen once dated Jack White. Throughout the book there is a reverant sense that everything Jack White does and touches is gold. However, it is because of Roach's book I have a newfound respect for Jack White's craft and what he has done for the Detroit music community. There are several chapters that review in-depth each White Stripes album individually, citing themes, origins and musical references. This detailed examination had me listening and thinking about the White Stripes' music differently, re-examining a band I had dismissed because I'm old enough to recognise most of White's music references and frankly I've heard it all before. Now instead of thinking of the White Stripes as punk-rock retreads, I can hear a blues-roots musician with a back-to-basics esthetic in which less is more.
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