On February 2, 2011, The White Stripes announced their retirement from making and performing live music. This news came to me while being on a flight from Columbus to Washington D.C., which is to say, this news came to me in the form of a dozen text messages with links to unsophisticated mobile news sites broadcasting the news far and wide.
When my feet left the ground on that frigid morning, The White Stripes were a going concern. When that Embraer touched down besides the Potomac and taxied up to the gilded walls of Regan International Airport, The White Stripes were no more.
I’ve come to hate flying. I have a primal fear of airplanes, of being in the air, of being at airports, of thinking about travel by aluminum jet. And yet. I would quite like to be on that flight again. Listen to “Fell in Love With a Girl” and dream of seeing Jack and Meg play it together. Unburden Icky Thump of its status as ‘the last album.’ Free myself from the earthly sorrow of something I love but can’t quite have and soar among clouds and guitar riffs in heaven.
Join me this month as I celebrate The White Stripes by re-listening to their studio albums, live records, b-sides, rarities, and Third Man Vault releases. It is a journey I have been on many times, but as is often the case when February 2nd rolls around each year, it is a journey I feel compelled to start over. Come along for the ride (decidedly on the ground, two feet, four wheels, whatever your flavor).
In their announcement, The White Stripes had this to say:
The White Stripes do not belong to Jack and Meg anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”
The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. 14 years later, The White Stripes continue, because we want it to.
