A white van carrying Dead Weather showed up around noon. Alison Mosshart emerged first, in sunglasses, tossing her cigarette on the pavement while White lagged behind, ignoring autograph requests and trying his best to look discreet with his head down. First impression? The guy’s head is massive. He’s also jacked.
Jack White gets slagged pretty often for having too many things going on (being in 387 bands, producing records, appearing in films, etc). But seeing him bashing away behind a kit in a dingy place like this was definitely something special. It was a chance to see him in his former element. He played drums in high school bands. Behind a drum kit, he’s able to control his signature dynamic outbursts more than ever.
Up at the Third Man Records pop-up store, White did not work the register. Matt Pinfield did.
The Third Man store’s design is bright, with shooting-target wallpaper and a giant black-and-yellow record label logo emblazoned on the back wall. The selection is small, with lots of Stripes seven inches and other Third Man Records releases. There are some rare items, including two White Stripes Lomo cameras (one named “Jack,” the other “Meg”) that were leftover from a previous tour (just under $200). Also in stock is the second pressing of the White Stripes early single “Let’s Shake Hands” off Italy Records ($100). The coolest item? A $125 creepy glow-in-the-dark print by Rob Jones. Seemed a little overpriced, especially after seeing Jack White in a bar. For free.