Saying Meg White is a bad drummer is akin to saying Basquiat is a bad painter. Art is expression, and Meg is incredibly expressive. Meg is absolutely iconic.
@ThePedophileExposingHunterfound the insecure guy going around, spreading his bullshit. Go on, keep on being miserable. You'll never achieve anything with this boring attitude. Take a good look into the mirror once and see.
@@stonaraptor8196 1: you liked our own comment 2: that's kind of the point, man. Jack White said it himself, her drumming is like a little kid beating the hell out of a drumset, caveman style. 3: The drumtrack was never supposed to be seperated, because it only works together with Jack's guitar and voice and whatever other instrument he plays. You could say "oh, but Jack's guitar and voice work with any other drummer". Yeah,I agree. They do. BUT he has never been as successful as he was together with Meg. It just works. Her playing inspired Jack and that inspiration isn't there for him anymore and quite frankly it shows on all of his post-TWS records. TL;DR: you're stupid /j
@@meif6302 Eating chips definitely doesn't sound good. Not for the eater who hears a full load of crunch nearby their ears 😂 and for the people who are listening to a person smacking their lips and chewing on something crunchy. Atleast I wouldn't say so 🤷🏿♂️
The most important thing about meg is the live shows, No set list, jack will stop halfway through one song to play something else and she has to just figure it out by reading his face. Nobody could do meg's job. She is the most underrated drummer of all time
That free flowing ability and confidence to be spontaneous and rock steady at the same time is what it's all about, no matter what the technical demands of what you're playing.
You can really see how incredible she is at reading what Jack is doing on the Blackpool concert. Even when Jack was going to all fucking places on Death Letter she was right there with him.
This criticism reminds me of the criticism of Ringo with the Beatles. Ringo’s drumming only did what the songs needed, no more, no less. I think Meg is similar in that way. Great video.
With Ringo, it depends on the track. My problem is that his drumming sometimes comes off as boring. Like in "I want you (she's so heavy)", I always felt that his drumming lacked the intensity that the track seemed to be going for, at least until the end of it.
@@shadez123 George Martin fucked him over and turned him down a lot listen to the white album remixes from 2019 they turned ringo up and he almost hits as hard as bonzo on some tracks. Also don’t diss the guy, come together alone is a genius drum track.
I wouldn't say "how Jack wanted her to sound", I would say it's more like Meg sounded the only way she knew how to sound and... it worked for what the two did together.
This is the third video by Polyphonic on The White Stripes. The first has a red thumbnail. The second has a white thumbnail. The third has a black thumbnail. Polyphonic is the secret third member of The White Stripes.
Meg got shit in constantly when the White Strips were active - I think that's part of the reason why she left the band...other than you know, being in a band with your exhusband, who is an eccentric person....I wonder if Jack would act in character while on tour and would emotionally deny Meg.
the praising in this video doesn't make much sense. don't wanna sound overcritical or rude but she's really not a great drummer or a great singer like the video claims (she hardly keeps her tempo and literally sings out of tune). but the thing is: who cares?? she was never supposed to be "great" because that was never the point. I love The White Stripes, people seem to forget that they were a garage/punk rock band, not prog/jazzy/classical rock or something like that. and I truly believe that's the beauty of their sound. god, everything is raw and sloppy, including Jack's guitar(!), the arrangements/production and even the quality of the recordings. I wouldn't say that she's a "great drummer" because she simply isn't... but well she's the drummer of a great band. that's a subtle distinction (and there's nothing wrong with that!)
@@turkeyleg201 I think her drumming serves the songs pretty well. idk but perhaps a more complex drumming would require more complex arrangements, with bass, more guitars etc or maybe it wouldn't. all of Jack's could've been White Stripes songs, all of his guitar parts have the simplistic/minimalistic approach but the production make them sound different. The White Stripes is my favorite project of his, and Meg's drumming definitely has something to do with it!
pedro tavares considering that Jack White has access to better drummers and he hasn't made music that was as good as the White Strips, proves that Meg is a great drummer because she brought the best out of Jack. Now just's solo stuff is just Jack Shite.
The White Stripes would’ve sucked with a more technical drummer. So much of what they were about was breaking rock and roll down to its core components and her drums were the most important piece in that puzzle. It’s why Jack White’s solo stuff is so different, even live takes of White Stripes tunes he’s done with his current live band feel ‘wrong’ to me without Meg’s sound. Also so much of the White Stripes is focusing on timbres and Meg White has such a distinct way of hitting the drums that even with the same kit it wouldn’t sound as gnarly. Her presence and her drumming is so important to that band.
She does the right thing for the song. That's all that matters. It's not about the musician's ego, it's about the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. A lot of people probably think Ringo is a so-so drummer as well.
As the saying goes "ringo isn't even the best drummers in the beatles" as the members said in interviews, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the best in history, drumming isn't about the complexity or speed, it's about how you hold the whole band together while pulling everyone along and allowing them to feel the rythmn in a song
in a society that idealizes individual prowess, it's very common for supportive work to be undervalued. rhythm section players who stick to the part (which runs so deep in traditional music the world over) are often criminally underrated by people who expect technical wizardry as a standard for competence... and it extends to film with supporting actors getting little recognition, the continuing degradation of stay-home parents, and just generally downplaying anyone and everything in reverse correlation with their proximity to the spotlight...
@@Mystic_Apollo And if you look at all the great drummers out there, how many of them have as many (hugely popular) songs where you can just hear the drums and know what it is even if you weren't told who the band was? And I don't mean just some short catchy riff bit, but the just the song being played. Ringo has quite a few. That's one of the things that makes drummers with far better technical chops respect him.
When I was in college, I had the chance to see them on the "Elephant" tour when it hit Lowell, MA and it was awesome. Jack was fantastic but Meg's drumming was just crazy. She stepped out then sang "In the Cold, Cold Night" and it would be safe to say everyone swooned while she sang. She was great and I hope she can enjoy some of her success away from the limelight.
"Rag and Bone" is one of the most ridiculously fun songs they ever did. "I saw some stuff in your yard, are you gonna give it to us?" "Naaaaaaw Meg, don't be ruuuude..."
If you can identify a drummer when you hear them play, then that drummer has succeeded. Most of us work all of our lives to find our own unique sound on the instrument. Cheers to Meg.
Many articles have been written about Meg's emotional contribution to the band, her tethering influence on Jack, keeping him grounded, keeping him true to the solid center that Meg provides. Jack is a multi-instrumentalist (in fact, drums are his primary instrument). Without Meg, without Jack's desire to keep Meg's persona and influence central to The White Stripes, Jack's project would have just filled out into the clever, all-over-the-map polyglot of musical exploration he indulged in since then -- very interesting to listen to, but not nearly as. . . . well, not nearly as hard-hitting as the Stripes were.
Yeah I 100% agree. The white stripes have a simplicity that hits harder than any of Jacks other bands do. Meg kept Jack grounded and forced him to make more focused music. All of his stuff since then has been too overly complicated for my tastes. Jack is an incredible musician, but without meg i think he gets lost in the weeds.
Most regular people like simplicity, extremely complicated music is the artist trying to outdo themselves or flex on other musicians. Simpler melodies and drums hit harder with normies. That won't change. Technical musicians always have a niche following.
You tell how much influence she has once Seven Nation Army became a world wide anthem to anyone. Similar to We Will Rock you,everyone gets behind the drum beat by stomping your feet gets any crowd riled up cheering and singing
Ever since I was 9, I remember being fascinated with White Stripes. At that moment, I couldn't realize, why I love their album covers so much, what makes Jack White sound so unique and especially, I couldn't wrap my head around the whole feeling of the band. Years later, after watching probably every White Stripes show available online, I got it. It was Meg. Like, for a long time I thought "Man, I wanna be like Jack White", but, to be honest, now I think "Man, I'm more like Meg" and that's awesome. She never wanted to take away the spotlight from Jack, never tried to break her natural behaviour and just was having a fun time playing with Jack and being herself. That's something, that is almost nonpresent in music industry.
In the late 90s and 2000s i heard a lot of people dismissing Meg White. However in recent years i feel like more people recognize her as the great Drummer and musician she is. It makes me happy :) Great Video, as always.
Before Jack had a decade to make a mountain of less interesting music after the end of the White Stripes, some speculated about what he would be capable of without her "primitivism."
I didn't really know much of them back then (I was a kid/teen, through most of their career) but since I've been looking into music and bands she's almost always mentioned in a positive light.
Lol, I don’t love everything jack does either but his newer stuff is only “less interesting” to people whose don’t know shit about music and have an emotional connection to his less-sophisticated work. It’s fine to enjoy simplicity but it sure isn’t your place to make silly assertions about music you’re clueless about.
I have seen endless people say she's a bad drummer. I don't listen to White Stripes but I'm guessing 95% of those calling her bad don't know jack shit about drumming (I don't either but that's why I don't comment on drummers).
I'd love to hang around your crowd. Yours must be the most intelligent and artistic crowd in the world. The rest of us are surrounded by Meg-haters - the stupidest dumbshits ever. : (
For starters the name of the band comes after her last name. Plus, even when they were not a couple Jack worshiped her in a loving way and thanked her contribution constantly.
Every drummer who started drumming after 2003 owes their entire career to Meg White. The first song just about every drummer learns is Seven Nation Army. Meg White essentially made the step off point for basically every drummer to ever exist from now on. As a drummer myself, I, and others of my craft, are forever in debt to Meg. Thank you, Meg White.
I've never understood the allure of any of his music. His voice is...weird, I guess you might say, and the lyrics are just gibberish half the time. Still, I've heard worse.
White Stripes were more punk rock/blues. Jack White in his solo career seems to be going for more of a country angle. But he's not really the stereotypical country singer.
Anyone who hates Meg White, I point them to the White Stripes' Glastonbury 2005 set. She not only uses that playfulness and simplicity to create an awesome sound like you see, but she has a near telepathic connection with Jack. In fact, in that one set, she very clearly *leads* Jack through one of their best live performances ever.
The main ethical purpose of the white stripes project was the reinterpretation in a contemporary key of the primitive rawness which characterized punk and blues back in the days. Meg White was just perfect to take on this challenge with, she is the personification of this type of research. Everything about her makes her perfect for this. Her personality, her childness as Jack would say, her drum style. She is the ultimate punk drummer. A Moe Tucker of our time.
Saying Meg is bad is like saying Jack played a sour note. Dumfuk judgmental perfectionists are boring and so pre Covid. Hey guys YOU AND YOUR RULES ARE IRRELEVANT. and so is your playing. Please quit and get out of the way. You're cluttering the bandwidth of our souls..
Nice post. Moe Tucker's contribution to the VU sound is as great as Meg's to the WS sound. Amazingly primal percussionists who DRIVE the music forward. Now I feel like playing Playin' Possum.
I love her style and that she owns it. She's so confident in the way that she plays that you get it. It's crazy how well it worked-lightning in a bottle.
I remember as a kid, being genuinely surprised about all the criticism Meg received online. Her drum beats were simple but so powerful and distinct. I remember being little and smacking my hands on the car seat infront of me to the drum beat of Hardest Button to Button. Meg, technical or not is just as iconic and powerful as Jack. Simple is not bad and technical is not good. Emotion, passion, and context are everything in music.
I’ve always been such a strong advocate for meg she inspires me so much I’ve written school papers on her. I’m a teenage girl that is very quiet and reserved and it feels like everyone always sees that as a negative like they always want me to change and Meg white showed me that no I don’t have to change and can still b successful
I have always wondered why Meg keeps getting singled out for doing what so many other drummers have gotten praise for. I always felt her drumming was deliberately simple so as to create more impact and thought of it as the tool of her medium, in the way only animation can convey certain feelings. Thank you for doing this piece!
She's a woman. There's not enough well-known female drummers to begin with and she's not as technically skilled. She's an easy target for certain people.
@@Aster_Risk As much as I hate it, that certainly plays a big role. It's less common these days, but women in bands have always tended to be criticized more than men. Here's hoping listeners can move passed that in the future and just base their opinions on how the music itself sounds.
Technically a bank account can’t be full,it’s totally open ended so there is no point at which the account is at a level at which it can’t be added to. A bank account can be massive,or stacked, or even loaded. But....it can’t be full. It’s a limitless thing unlike a box or can that has finite room.
@@pawnhearts8785 Later: In defense of Fred Durst... ok maybe not but honestly Limp Bizkit can have some pretty good instrumentals, Fred's voice just ruins it
If Meg was actually a bad drummer she wouldn’t be able to even keep a steady beat. The people who stigmatize simplicity in music must only be aware of the Dream Theater school of instrumental masturbation.
@@killergoose7643 but she can't keep a steady beat. Just watch any live performance. Legit a key part of her "simple" style includes a tempo rollercoaster
I enjoyed it as well. I hope Polyphonic will sell some of the art and design he did for this video. I especially loved the different styles of Meg all lined up together.
You know back in the day when a young musician would come along and blow everyone away with a totally unique sound and/technique, they were almost always instantly crowned the best ever. Well, in my book, Meg is the greatest drummer I have ever heard. She didn't have to learn beats or copy anyone else, the beat came out of her raw and unedited in the same way solos came out of Jimi and the blues came out of B.B.
When I was in high school I got into a drum class mostly because Meg White was for me an inspiration. At that point in my life I didn't know about many female drummers so yep, she inspired me to get into that class. I didn't become a drummer, I ended up going only to a couple of classes because our teacher was more focused on jazz (which it's amazing, don't get me wrong) meanwhile I wanted to learn more rock songs. She has a special place in my heart and I'm still hopeful that in the future I'll get myself an electric drum kit and teach myself some White Stripes songs just for fun.
Totally agree- i never really appreciated charlie watts until i saw the stones live last summer. there is so much going on with mick and keith it kinda makes sense his low key style.
The Who did have different drummers and we're different. Personally I've always thought Moon beens overrated,his fills too busy. Kenny Jones was good but didn't have that explosive power of Moon. After the reunion tours started they had some passable sidemen . The best was when they had Ringo's son behind the kit, he was the better than Moon and the whole lot .
bored312 so what she couldn’t drum like Neil Peart, many can’t, it’s not something to be ashamed of, cos Neil Peart was a very good drummer, a drummer doesn’t have to be highly skilled or super technical, tho if you can do something and you can do it well, go with, Meg had her own style and she clearly wasn’t trying to be Neil Peart
I wasn't trying to offend in saying Meg can't play like Neil Peart. This comment made it seem like it was an artistic choice she made, to not play as well as Neil Peart.
To me, Meg White's very primitive style of drumming always reminded me of Maureen Tucker from The Velvet Underground, another terribly underrated female drummer whose style was a major key of the sound of a legendary band
@Random Hajile I don't know what Lenny Kravitz is doing these days but I saw him in the 90s in concert with an African-American female drummer and she stole the show! Beat the hell out of them drums and rocked (BURNT) the house down!!
I'm a self taught drummer and emotion within drums, being able to play slower, knowing what sound works with a fill....speed and crazy technique isn't important. If ya booty wants to shake, it works! Period. Mad respect!
She’s a “bad drummer” like Ringo Starr is a “bad drummer”, she sits in the song, punctuating the song, and that’s what makes them so great, and in relevance to this video, what makes Meg so great.
im not so technical yet but if it wasnt for someone like meg i probably would of given up but the fact that she makes simplicity sound great keeps me going
Personally, to make great music and to be a great band, it's about how well all the individual pieces, instruments, and members come together, not a simple sum of adding the 10th best guitarist ever, the 5th best bassist ever, etc. like it's a Pokemon team. Technical ability matters to make more complex and intricate music perhaps but something phenomenal is more likely to come from cohesion and the sum being greater than the parts.
Yes that's very often the case. How many so called "supergroups" full of well known musicians came and died slowly out because most of them sucked tremendously. Music is rarely about technical abilities. It's about emotions. For me it's way more important what you can achieve as a songwriter than as a musician per se. You can suck hard as a musician but if you write good songs I will probably still be able to enjoy your work. But if your songs are utter shit it doesn't matter to me if your the next Mozart. Your songs just suck even if they are performed in technical perfection.
The white stripes were one of the bands I heard at the right time. I was sick of it all and hearing the grungy guitar with the heavy drums spoke to me so clearly and I could relate to it
This topic reminds me of a guy I knew who said Keith Moon was “over-rated” and to prove his point he tried showing me the “imperfections” in Keith’s isolated drum track in Who Are You. I just shook my head and told him he shouldn’t call himself a fan of rock ever again!
Even as an unapologetic fan of progressive rock and progressive metal I still loved Meg. My favorite drummers are the Neil Perts and Danny Carey's of the world, but that should never prevent you from appreciating a different style.
I think being a prog fan makes you more open-minded. My husband listens to prog, noise, math rock, and loves Meg (and a ton of all female or female fronted bands). He's also a drummer himself.
People tend to forget, the blues, was extremely simplistic, white stripes wasn't about extreme technicalities, jack solely wanted to have simplicity, i hate the fact everyone has a go at meg for being a "bad" drummer, when that wasn't even what the white stripes were going for? It's convoluted and silly.
Jack White's solo career, even with his third solo album band that had less members, proves how vital meg white was. It proves how she was the gateway to jack white's best solos and improvs.
Can I just say, how amazingly freaking awesome this video looks? Watching you since last big White Stripes video (that is sadly enough, vanished), and man oh man, your skills have definitely improved. P.S: Little Room sequence is just simply "wow", by the way.
I am glad to see all the love Meg is getting. Jack is one of my favorite artists, but I always knew that Meg's drumming played a huge role in the sound of the White Stripes; that unique sound is why I loved The White Stripes.
As a drummer I’ve always defended Meg. She is perfect. Just like how Lars is a “shitty” drummer but that made their songs so much cooler because it doesn’t sound quantized and there are insane rests and timings at certain times.
The Laughing Hyenas were an epic band from Detroit late 80’s early 90’s. There was a fake brother-sister situation in that band. That’s where the White Stripes got it from
As a very very very hardcore White Stripes fan: You nailed every single thing about their whole philosophy, aesthetic and sound. You explained simply what took me years to really grasp why I love their music so much. Pretty nice.
Ever since I heard "Fell in love with a girl" I noticed her strange drumming style. It didn't sound like anyone else at the time and I think that's what originally drew me into the band.
I've always had a huge crush on her. She's fantastic. We already have our Portnoys, Bonhams, and Manginis. As a guitar player, I can see why this vision excited Jack so much. It's pure, raw and honest, as music always should be
You know, when rock purists worship Bonham and deride Meg White, I don’t understand it. His technical chops, at least as demonstrated through their music, were better than hers, but not by much, and his strength always came from his power and groove, which Meg White has in spades.
@@goji7273 but not by much? Man, any live rendition of Moby Dick is enough proof of it and if Meg had power and groove in spades, Bonham had it in nuclear levels.
Emi Grant Yeah, that’s fair. I guess a more accurate statement would have been that, on most Zeppelin songs, the technical proficiency wasn’t what shone or what people still worship to this day.
What do these people mean "Meg is just along for the ride?" She is INTEGRAL to the band, and I feel that when Jack sings WS songs at modern concerts, it feels a little somber without her.
He's the most overrated musician of all time, and that's coming from a drummer, he is amazing but I'm so sick of hearing he's the best, it's all subjective but my god I hate neil peart. It's like when people say Hendrix is the best guitarist of all time. It just isn't true. Maybe it is for the people who say it but these people tend to not respect other peoples opinions. So if you think he's the best, then he is, to you. And fair play to you for that. I'm just tired of hearing it because to me, he's not even worth listening to because his band fucking sucks
@@TundraMouse Sounds to me like you just don't like Rush, which is fair. That said, you only need to listen to one of their songs to appreciate their technicality and musicianship that has garnered them such status. To not be aware of it at the very least does come off as ignorant to a degree.
@@TundraMouse This is exactly why it's not entirely fair to think Meg sucks. We're all trying to get something different from music. Neil is just not your guy. I'm not a fan either despite recognizing his technical abilities.
Thank you for this. Meg White has been a wonderful person and a great part of the White Stripes. I appreciate that you are defending her, as she should get the support she deserves. And I really hope that she's doing well, wherever she is and in whatever she's doing.
She never missed a beat, nor dropped a stick. Plus, although "simple" in terms variations of patterns, she would often play perfectly off beat from Jack's melodies, and even off beat from herself, she would keep the time steady and the feeling off kilter. This would add drama and a sense of uneasiness, because the way she played violated the internal metronome we all have. She made choices of when and where to hit that the "best drummers" would never, or could never, make. She literally marched to the beat of her own drum.
@@graysonherbert4604 That's not what he means. Yes, her timing isn't solid. It doesn't matter. I've played drums for over 30 years and she would choose beat placements that "proper drummers" would never even think to. It wasn't a timing issue. She'd just throw a bass drum beat or snare hit in where you would never expect it. And it sounded amazing. It doesn't matter if she was "trying" to do it or not. She did it. And it's totally unique.
@@doublestrokeroll No, I understand what he means. I just don't think it's true. There is a such thing as breaking rules artistically, but I don't see any sign that Meg even knows the rules. From my perspective, Meg makes a lot of mistakes because she isn't a good drummer then fans of the band try to read creative genius into it. I have listened to some of their music and I generally enjoy it. I'm not just hating on them, but you can make good music even you aren't a good drummer. I think the primary fallacy that people have is that they make good music, thus Meg must actually be a good drummer. That isn't necessarily true though. You can have a member in your band that isn't good at their instrument, but make good music anyway, and I think The White Stripes is a great example of that.
@@graysonherbert4604 Again though, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that she isn't a technically proficient drummer. I don't think anyone, including the original poster her is suggesting she's a genius "creatively". Simply that she makes choices that are not common but still work. Whether she does that consciously or not doesn't matter. As a drummer of 30+ years, I know what she's doing even if she couldn't explain it, and it's totally interesting in my opinion. And it makes her "good" because creativity is as much a part of music as technique. Of course this is all subjective anyway. Even technique. I can show you technically amazing drummers that I think are boring and uninteresting because musically they've done nothing that I like.
@@doublestrokeroll It sounds like we generally agree on the fundamentals, we just interpret her playing differently. I do however 100% agree on the technical skill. I have watched some death metal drummers, and it is crazy impressive, but it's really rhythmically boring. I listen to prog metal because I love hearing the weird rhythms and creative rule breaking. I think the difference I see between the unusual rhythms in prog metal and Meg is that in prog it is intentional, while Meg's seems accidental to me. I think that makes a difference, but it may not for everyone.
Her simplistic, bombastic drums left enough space for Jack to have really dense guitar and vocal parts where he uses a ton of effects and dynamics to fill the space. Whether she knew it or not, Jack built the entire sound of the band around Meg's drums. At least that's what I hear. Because Meg is self taught, she basically, unknowingly reduced the modern rock drums to their essential elements. I've never been a major Jack white/white stripes fan, but I totally see why she was an endless source of inspiration for Jack's sound. Very punk rock.
The beauty of the Stripes is that, from a more sophisticated musical perspective, their sound wasn't supposed to work. No one expected the elements to fit together like they did. If you listened to them separately, it'd be hard to put it together in a coherent way. It's like the Flaming Moe from The Simpsons. Jack White is the hodgepodge of liquors and cough syrup that comprises the drink itself, and Meg White is the fire that unleashes the inexplicable taste that gets people hooked.
I liked the simplistic "archetypal" vein you tapped into. Super interesting. I think you're right, speaking as someone who had them tap into something primal in me in my teens when they were new
Jack White's solo stuff is great and all. But having seen them in small pubs and headlining massive festivals I always found my eyes being drawn to Meg. Seeing her almost lost in the music was magnetic
Same goes with all the drummers for the Ramones. They didn't utilize a technical drumming method, but instead they had a basic & powerful signature formula that got the job done.
If you ever needed proof of Meg's greatness, watch Jack White's solo performances of White Stripes songs. His live drummer is Carla Azar, and she's technically talented as fuck. But her style just doesn't mesh as well with White Stripes songs
Great video. Most people don't realize that playing Meg's drum lines can be easy but composing drum lines like Meg is a job that you cant learn at a music school
Let me say it clearly: I LOVE The White Stripes. Period. That means I love and respect them both as great musicians. Jack's guitar is mind-blowing and Meg's drumming really gets it there every time: raw, simple, and yet, fantastic, powerful and beautiful. God bless Meg and Jack.
Yeah, I'm on board with the rest of this video, but this part is just wrong. He actually was terrible and allegedly they unplugged his bass during live shows sometimes.
Yeah... that did NOT help defend meg in any way. Sid was exactly what started to kill punk: just an image made to sell records ( that’s what pop is for )
Frankly it's press like Polyphonic that initiated the "Meg is a bad drummer" trope...not virtuoso musicians. They love a good controversy, that music press.
Wait, so they're not actually siblings? I really never knew about that hahahah. Meg just did what she needed to do in the songs, and no one else could do it like she did.
They actually formed the band when they were married, then got divorced before they became popular. Interesting fact. Jack took Megs last name. Megs birth name is White-Jacks isn’t. You could say Meg literally gave The White Stripes their name.
@@TH3F4LC0Nx You can look on their wikipedia pages. Jack is from southwest Detroit and Meg is from Grosse Pointe. Most sibling don't grow up 15 miles apart.
I never considered her like that "a bad drummer" as far as I know she isn't the best out there but she did her best and that's what matters. No one's perfect. Her drumming was really good!
Saying Meg White is a bad drummer is akin to saying Basquiat is a bad painter. Art is expression, and Meg is incredibly expressive. Meg is absolutely iconic.
Good drummer for shitty music. Check!
@ThePedophileExposingHunterfound the insecure guy going around, spreading his bullshit. Go on, keep on being miserable. You'll never achieve anything with this boring attitude. Take a good look into the mirror once and see.
@@petegrusky2715 found the other one
Lol ok bro. Isolate her drum track. Sounds like a little kid after playing the drums for a few months of practice.
@@stonaraptor8196
1: you liked our own comment
2: that's kind of the point, man. Jack White said it himself, her drumming is like a little kid beating the hell out of a drumset, caveman style.
3: The drumtrack was never supposed to be seperated, because it only works together with Jack's guitar and voice and whatever other instrument he plays. You could say "oh, but Jack's guitar and voice work with any other drummer". Yeah,I agree. They do. BUT he has never been as successful as he was together with Meg. It just works. Her playing inspired Jack and that inspiration isn't there for him anymore and quite frankly it shows on all of his post-TWS records.
TL;DR: you're stupid /j
Let's have a toast for Meg White 🥂
"Does it sound good? Does it feel good? Then it's music!" - James Brown
Raise a toast to Saint Meg White
I get your point but according to that quote eating crisps is music, and I think we agree that that isn't true...
@@meif6302 Eating chips definitely doesn't sound good.
Not for the eater who hears a full load of crunch nearby their ears 😂 and for the people who are listening to a person smacking their lips and chewing on something crunchy.
Atleast I wouldn't say so 🤷🏿♂️
@@meif6302 That has to be the dumbest argument ever lol
@@meif6302 I'm not sure? If crisps aren't music then what about celery? I thought that was Paul Mc Cartneys greatest moment!
The most important thing about meg is the live shows,
No set list, jack will stop halfway through one song to play something else and she has to just figure it out by reading his face. Nobody could do meg's job. She is the most underrated drummer of all time
That free flowing ability and confidence to be spontaneous and rock steady at the same time is what it's all about, no matter what the technical demands of what you're playing.
You can really see how incredible she is at reading what Jack is doing on the Blackpool concert. Even when Jack was going to all fucking places on Death Letter she was right there with him.
On top of that she has horrible anxiety playing live. Keeping up with Jack on stage while dealing with that is nothing short of incredible.
Thousands of drummers could do what she did. Why do people who know jack shit about music say this kinda stuff?
@@yeeehawwdy2638 THANK YOU! 🍻 my 9 year old could keep all that time 🤦♂️ so Fukin mind boggling how much everyone sucks this band off 🤯😂
This criticism reminds me of the criticism of Ringo with the Beatles. Ringo’s drumming only did what the songs needed, no more, no less. I think Meg is similar in that way. Great video.
I have never heard an accomplished drummer diss Ringo Starr or Meg White, so that’s speaks for something.
@@cremetangerine82 I've been a drummer for over 2 and a half months.......they both suck. So now you've heard it.
With Ringo, it depends on the track. My problem is that his drumming sometimes comes off as boring. Like in "I want you (she's so heavy)", I always felt that his drumming lacked the intensity that the track seemed to be going for, at least until the end of it.
@@shadez123
Ringo has to keep time on a song that changes quite a bit, so that may hamper going as intense at the first half of the song.
@@shadez123 George Martin fucked him over and turned him down a lot listen to the white album remixes from 2019 they turned ringo up and he almost hits as hard as bonzo on some tracks. Also don’t diss the guy, come together alone is a genius drum track.
She needs no defense. She sounded exactly the way she and Jack wanted her to.
I came to write the same thing 😂
Dang....
I wouldn't say "how Jack wanted her to sound", I would say it's more like Meg sounded the only way she knew how to sound and... it worked for what the two did together.
I agree with Thom and C.S. Meg was perfect for Jack at that time. All the rest of this explanation presented here is somewhat contrived.
The Way He Needed Her To
This is the third video by Polyphonic on The White Stripes.
The first has a red thumbnail.
The second has a white thumbnail.
The third has a black thumbnail.
Polyphonic is the secret third member of The White Stripes.
The Third Stripe!
Jesus Christ.......
I think he likes the white stripes...
You got a reaction, didn't you?
no
I didn’t realize meg white needed defending ._.
She’s a perfect drummer for the white stripes
Meg got shit in constantly when the White Strips were active - I think that's part of the reason why she left the band...other than you know, being in a band with your exhusband, who is an eccentric person....I wonder if Jack would act in character while on tour and would emotionally deny Meg.
the praising in this video doesn't make much sense. don't wanna sound overcritical or rude but she's really not a great drummer or a great singer like the video claims (she hardly keeps her tempo and literally sings out of tune).
but the thing is: who cares?? she was never supposed to be "great" because that was never the point. I love The White Stripes, people seem to forget that they were a garage/punk rock band, not prog/jazzy/classical rock or something like that. and I truly believe that's the beauty of their sound. god, everything is raw and sloppy, including Jack's guitar(!), the arrangements/production and even the quality of the recordings.
I wouldn't say that she's a "great drummer" because she simply isn't... but well she's the drummer of a great band. that's a subtle distinction (and there's nothing wrong with that!)
Yeah but it he a lot cooler if she was a skilled drummer. But she’s ight so that’s cool I guess
@@turkeyleg201 I think her drumming serves the songs pretty well. idk but perhaps a more complex drumming would require more complex arrangements, with bass, more guitars etc or maybe it wouldn't. all of Jack's could've been White Stripes songs, all of his guitar parts have the simplistic/minimalistic approach but the production make them sound different.
The White Stripes is my favorite project of his, and Meg's drumming definitely has something to do with it!
pedro tavares considering that Jack White has access to better drummers and he hasn't made music that was as good as the White Strips, proves that Meg is a great drummer because she brought the best out of Jack. Now just's solo stuff is just Jack Shite.
Her drumming wasn't technical. But that band didn't need that. Her drumming was essential to their sound and that is saying enough.
Shes like charlie watts
Grizzlo ....Well said.
Aye ti that.
She was the right drummer for that band. She was never off the beat. A more proficient drummer would have been wrong for the WS.
david tingley *She was never on the beat
Meg is a punk drummer icon....very unique style....she's one of those drummers that bad drummers call bad, and that good drummers respect..
The White Stripes would’ve sucked with a more technical drummer. So much of what they were about was breaking rock and roll down to its core components and her drums were the most important piece in that puzzle. It’s why Jack White’s solo stuff is so different, even live takes of White Stripes tunes he’s done with his current live band feel ‘wrong’ to me without Meg’s sound.
Also so much of the White Stripes is focusing on timbres and Meg White has such a distinct way of hitting the drums that even with the same kit it wouldn’t sound as gnarly. Her presence and her drumming is so important to that band.
She does the right thing for the song. That's all that matters. It's not about the musician's ego, it's about the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. A lot of people probably think Ringo is a so-so drummer as well.
Well Ringo IS a mediocre drummer but he was reliable and had perfect timing and that was what they needed: not the very best. It’s ok.
@@jamescarter3196 Far from mediocre. Don't confuse speed with skill. Most of the great drummers out there disagree with you as well.
As the saying goes "ringo isn't even the best drummers in the beatles" as the members said in interviews, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the best in history, drumming isn't about the complexity or speed, it's about how you hold the whole band together while pulling everyone along and allowing them to feel the rythmn in a song
in a society that idealizes individual prowess, it's very common for supportive work to be undervalued. rhythm section players who stick to the part (which runs so deep in traditional music the world over) are often criminally underrated by people who expect technical wizardry as a standard for competence... and it extends to film with supporting actors getting little recognition, the continuing degradation of stay-home parents, and just generally downplaying anyone and everything in reverse correlation with their proximity to the spotlight...
@@Mystic_Apollo And if you look at all the great drummers out there, how many of them have as many (hugely popular) songs where you can just hear the drums and know what it is even if you weren't told who the band was? And I don't mean just some short catchy riff bit, but the just the song being played. Ringo has quite a few. That's one of the things that makes drummers with far better technical chops respect him.
When I was in college, I had the chance to see them on the "Elephant" tour when it hit Lowell, MA and it was awesome. Jack was fantastic but Meg's drumming was just crazy. She stepped out then sang "In the Cold, Cold Night" and it would be safe to say everyone swooned while she sang. She was great and I hope she can enjoy some of her success away from the limelight.
Lovely ❤ I hope so, hope she is happy and healthy.
I saw the White Stripes in Boston on their last tour. Her drumming was amazing, and she also sang “In the Cold, Cold Night”.
"Rag and Bone" is one of the most ridiculously fun songs they ever did. "I saw some stuff in your yard, are you gonna give it to us?" "Naaaaaaw Meg, don't be ruuuude..."
We’ll give it a *home*
If you can identify a drummer when you hear them play, then that drummer has succeeded. Most of us work all of our lives to find our own unique sound on the instrument. Cheers to Meg.
Many articles have been written about Meg's emotional contribution to the band, her tethering influence on Jack, keeping him grounded, keeping him true to the solid center that Meg provides. Jack is a multi-instrumentalist (in fact, drums are his primary instrument). Without Meg, without Jack's desire to keep Meg's persona and influence central to The White Stripes, Jack's project would have just filled out into the clever, all-over-the-map polyglot of musical exploration he indulged in since then -- very interesting to listen to, but not nearly as. . . . well, not nearly as hard-hitting as the Stripes were.
Love this, so well said.
Agreed! His solo stuff is quite good (especially from a songwriter's perspective)... But it just. Isn't the White Stripes
Yeah I 100% agree. The white stripes have a simplicity that hits harder than any of Jacks other bands do. Meg kept Jack grounded and forced him to make more focused music. All of his stuff since then has been too overly complicated for my tastes. Jack is an incredible musician, but without meg i think he gets lost in the weeds.
Most regular people like simplicity, extremely complicated music is the artist trying to outdo themselves or flex on other musicians. Simpler melodies and drums hit harder with normies. That won't change. Technical musicians always have a niche following.
Honestly prefer him in stripes. He needs tight structure to fight against
You tell how much influence she has once Seven Nation Army became a world wide anthem to anyone. Similar to We Will Rock you,everyone gets behind the drum beat by stomping your feet gets any crowd riled up cheering and singing
Ever since I was 9, I remember being fascinated with White Stripes. At that moment, I couldn't realize, why I love their album covers so much, what makes Jack White sound so unique and especially, I couldn't wrap my head around the whole feeling of the band. Years later, after watching probably every White Stripes show available online, I got it. It was Meg. Like, for a long time I thought "Man, I wanna be like Jack White", but, to be honest, now I think "Man, I'm more like Meg" and that's awesome. She never wanted to take away the spotlight from Jack, never tried to break her natural behaviour and just was having a fun time playing with Jack and being herself. That's something, that is almost nonpresent in music industry.
well said
You should probably check out "It might get loud" documentary, mate.
@@jasonsea6110 I assume that falls under "every White Stripes show available online"
In the late 90s and 2000s i heard a lot of people dismissing Meg White. However in recent years i feel like more people recognize her as the great Drummer and musician she is. It makes me happy :) Great Video, as always.
Before Jack had a decade to make a mountain of less interesting music after the end of the White Stripes, some speculated about what he would be capable of without her "primitivism."
I didn't really know much of them back then (I was a kid/teen, through most of their career) but since I've been looking into music and bands she's almost always mentioned in a positive light.
Lol, I don’t love everything jack does either but his newer stuff is only “less interesting” to people whose don’t know shit about music and have an emotional connection to his less-sophisticated work. It’s fine to enjoy simplicity but it sure isn’t your place to make silly assertions about music you’re clueless about.
@@jamescarter3196 That's a pretty condescending reply, stranger.
@@jamescarter3196 Jack White's Meg-less music definitely sucks way more than his Meg-filled music.
"the liberation of limiting yourself"
Now that's a great quote!
Oh yeah. And she follows Jack's temperamental time like a frickin atomic clock.
Meg White's individuality and primal drumming was what made her stand out as a drummer during her time in The White Stripes.
I didn't realize anyone considered her "bad." She was crucial to the sound, and the sound was great.
People talked a lot of shit about her at the time when the White Stiles were competing with nu-metal bands on the radio.
I confess I was one of those people. But really, how can you not make fun of her when she can't hold a tempo on the literally simplest rock beat ever?
I have seen endless people say she's a bad drummer. I don't listen to White Stripes but I'm guessing 95% of those calling her bad don't know jack shit about drumming (I don't either but that's why I don't comment on drummers).
@@chopsuey-- except she can hold a beat. She has incredible rhyme, especially in the way she has to work with Jack.
I'd love to hang around your crowd.
Yours must be the most intelligent and artistic crowd in the world.
The rest of us are surrounded by Meg-haters - the stupidest dumbshits ever. : (
For starters the name of the band comes after her last name. Plus, even when they were not a couple Jack worshiped her in a loving way and thanked her contribution constantly.
Every drummer who started drumming after 2003 owes their entire career to Meg White. The first song just about every drummer learns is Seven Nation Army. Meg White essentially made the step off point for basically every drummer to ever exist from now on. As a drummer myself, I, and others of my craft, are forever in debt to Meg. Thank you, Meg White.
Watching them live, she brought serious energy to the show. I wish they never broke up and he just did his other stuff as side projects.
I'm personally not a big fan of Jack Whites solo career. I do like the White Stripes though which makes me think Meg had a lot of creative input.
I've never understood the allure of any of his music. His voice is...weird, I guess you might say, and the lyrics are just gibberish half the time. Still, I've heard worse.
@@TH3F4LC0Nx I think that may rather be the point lmao
Same I only like the White Stripes
Interesting. I’m a HUGE JW fan - love the Stripes, solo work, Racs, Dead Weather...all of it.
White Stripes were more punk rock/blues. Jack White in his solo career seems to be going for more of a country angle. But he's not really the stereotypical country singer.
Anyone who hates Meg White, I point them to the White Stripes' Glastonbury 2005 set. She not only uses that playfulness and simplicity to create an awesome sound like you see, but she has a near telepathic connection with Jack. In fact, in that one set, she very clearly *leads* Jack through one of their best live performances ever.
I remember watching that set live on the BBC. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen, and I wasn't even there.
The main ethical purpose of the white stripes project was the reinterpretation in a contemporary key of the primitive rawness which characterized punk and blues back in the days. Meg White was just perfect to take on this challenge with, she is the personification of this type of research. Everything about her makes her perfect for this. Her personality, her childness as Jack would say, her drum style. She is the ultimate punk drummer. A Moe Tucker of our time.
brilliant synthesis Matteo.
@@henrydorsett6076 thanks man. Glad you liked it and agreed with me :)
Saying Meg is bad is like saying Jack played a sour note. Dumfuk judgmental perfectionists are boring and so pre Covid. Hey guys YOU AND YOUR RULES ARE IRRELEVANT. and so is your playing. Please quit and get out of the way. You're cluttering the bandwidth of our souls..
Nice post. Moe Tucker's contribution to the VU sound is as great as Meg's to the WS sound. Amazingly primal percussionists who DRIVE the music forward. Now I feel like playing Playin' Possum.
Why do you say Meg is a punk drummer? Otherwise I agreed with everything else you say.
I love her style and that she owns it. She's so confident in the way that she plays that you get it. It's crazy how well it worked-lightning in a bottle.
I remember as a kid, being genuinely surprised about all the criticism Meg received online. Her drum beats were simple but so powerful and distinct. I remember being little and smacking my hands on the car seat infront of me to the drum beat of Hardest Button to Button. Meg, technical or not is just as iconic and powerful as Jack. Simple is not bad and technical is not good. Emotion, passion, and context are everything in music.
In The Cold, Cold Night is my favorite White Stripes song. I wish she sang more often.
Agreed.
Same
Death letter live
I’ve always been such a strong advocate for meg she inspires me so much I’ve written school papers on her. I’m a teenage girl that is very quiet and reserved and it feels like everyone always sees that as a negative like they always want me to change and Meg white showed me that no I don’t have to change and can still b successful
I have always wondered why Meg keeps getting singled out for doing what so many other drummers have gotten praise for. I always felt her drumming was deliberately simple so as to create more impact and thought of it as the tool of her medium, in the way only animation can convey certain feelings. Thank you for doing this piece!
She's a woman. There's not enough well-known female drummers to begin with and she's not as technically skilled. She's an easy target for certain people.
@@Aster_Risk As much as I hate it, that certainly plays a big role. It's less common these days, but women in bands have always tended to be criticized more than men. Here's hoping listeners can move passed that in the future and just base their opinions on how the music itself sounds.
Meg White doesn’t need ‘defence ’. She made music history and has a full bank account.
Very good point, succinctly made 😂
Yeah but where did she disappear to??
@@Star-he5bj Who cares? Apart from creepy stalkers...
Technically a bank account can’t be full,it’s totally open ended so there is no point at which the account is at a level at which it can’t be added to. A bank account can be massive,or stacked, or even loaded. But....it can’t be full. It’s a limitless thing unlike a box or can that has finite room.
@@rapman5363 don’t be a douche. You know what I’m trying or say.
Her drumming was perfect for the band and she’s a stunningly gorgeous human being. Love her.
I’ve always defended her lol. She is NOWHERE close to a “bad drummer” she has a very distinctive style that makes me like her.
@@pawnhearts8785 Later: In defense of Fred Durst... ok maybe not but honestly Limp Bizkit can have some pretty good instrumentals, Fred's voice just ruins it
If Meg was actually a bad drummer she wouldn’t be able to even keep a steady beat. The people who stigmatize simplicity in music must only be aware of the Dream Theater school of instrumental masturbation.
@@Vitorio582 I relistened to Nookie the other day and was kind of impressed by the jazz guitar technique I never noticed as a kid.
@@killergoose7643 but she can't keep a steady beat. Just watch any live performance. Legit a key part of her "simple" style includes a tempo rollercoaster
@@dylyjay It sounds good to me
Jack took Meg’s name when they got married
That says it all really
Well, not really. It kind of gave him a showbizzy name.
Bryan Cordova shutup
@@MrDirtclodfight What? He's not wrong. The Gillis Stripes doesn't have the same ring to it.
@@saintelsewhere6513 Don't make me r/woosh you, my guy.
@@emigrant1510 I'm guessing if he had married someone without a show biz name, he would've come up with another band name, you know? 😉
I adore the art and designs in this video! They’re really eye catching and flow really nicely, and perfectly fit the White Stripes’ vibe
I enjoyed it as well. I hope Polyphonic will sell some of the art and design he did for this video. I especially loved the different styles of Meg all lined up together.
You know back in the day when a young musician would come along and blow everyone away with a totally unique sound and/technique, they were almost always instantly crowned the best ever. Well, in my book, Meg is the greatest drummer I have ever heard. She didn't have to learn beats or copy anyone else, the beat came out of her raw and unedited in the same way solos came out of Jimi and the blues came out of B.B.
That doorbell beat gets stuck in my head for weeks at a time. God dammit that’s good.
When I was in high school I got into a drum class mostly because Meg White was for me an inspiration.
At that point in my life I didn't know about many female drummers so yep, she inspired me to get into that class.
I didn't become a drummer, I ended up going only to a couple of classes because our teacher was more focused on jazz (which it's amazing, don't get me wrong) meanwhile I wanted to learn more rock songs.
She has a special place in my heart and I'm still hopeful that in the future I'll get myself an electric drum kit and teach myself some White Stripes songs just for fun.
I hope you do learn some White Stripes songs someday! (Now is the perfect time if your only excuse has been not having time to get around to it)
Do it, anyone can learn an instrument and it's never too late, if it's something you wanna try, give it a try
@@TundraMouse dependin how lazy yarr 😏😉
So, go for it. Nothing to lose, and music's meant to be fun.
Same! I started lessons because of her too! I taught myself every one of my favourite songs and played them way too loud (oh my poor family)
A good drummer is one that fits in the music. The Who would be very different without Keith moon and same with meg white
No, I don’t think The Who would sound the same with Meg.
😄
Totally agree- i never really appreciated charlie watts until i saw the stones live last summer. there is so much going on with mick and keith it kinda makes sense his low key style.
Exactly! Slash is a great guitarist, but you wouldn’t put him in Death cab For Cutie. Different people work with different styles.
yeah but put keith moon in the white stripes and tell him to hit quarter notes all day and he could do it, he would just be bored
The Who did have different drummers and we're different. Personally I've always thought Moon beens overrated,his fills too busy. Kenny Jones was good but didn't have that explosive power of Moon. After the reunion tours started they had some passable sidemen . The best was when they had Ringo's son behind the kit, he was the better than Moon and the whole lot .
Maybe she doesn’t have to play like she’s Neil Peart because that wouldn’t work with the song
She’s good. But she’s not the brilliant minimalist that is: Jamie Cook from Arctic Monkeys
Good thing she didn't have to play like Neil Peart, because she can't.
bored312 so what she couldn’t drum like Neil Peart, many can’t, it’s not something to be ashamed of, cos Neil Peart was a very good drummer, a drummer doesn’t have to be highly skilled or super technical, tho if you can do something and you can do it well, go with, Meg had her own style and she clearly wasn’t trying to be Neil Peart
@@bored312 neither could ringo starr, and he was key of the greatest band of all time. technical talent =/= good music
I wasn't trying to offend in saying Meg can't play like Neil Peart. This comment made it seem like it was an artistic choice she made, to not play as well as Neil Peart.
"...and thats the beauty of Meg" well I realized I really missed Meg...
Her drumming was so distinctive and just worked with Jacks guitar playing, it was all raw and fresh sounding!! Megs timing is so spot on!
To me, Meg White's very primitive style of drumming always reminded me of Maureen Tucker from The Velvet Underground, another terribly underrated female drummer whose style was a major key of the sound of a legendary band
Ha!!! Yes! I just wrote a comment saying the same thing!
Then I saw your comment - hell yes, brother! You 100% on the money!
@Random Hajile I don't know what Lenny Kravitz is doing these days but I saw him in the 90s in concert with an African-American female drummer and she stole the show! Beat the hell out of them drums and rocked (BURNT) the house down!!
If I wasn’t a drummer, I wouldn’t have paid her any mind. Crazy underrated
If you want underrated and restrained. Check out Jaime Cook from Arctic Monkeys
Pawn Hearts are you kidding me? My brother showed me fluorescent adolescent when I was in 2nd grade and it blew my mind
You're both crazy haha
Up there with Ringo, Keith Moon, John Bonham, Neil Peart, Lars Ulrich, Dave Grohl, and Phil Collins. She's that good.
@@liammcnicholas918 she's really not but ok
me: sees a polyphonic video
also me:Lets take a closer look.
Your documentary and editing skills are exceptional.
I'm a self taught drummer and emotion within drums, being able to play slower, knowing what sound works with a fill....speed and crazy technique isn't important. If ya booty wants to shake, it works! Period. Mad respect!
She’s a “bad drummer” like Ringo Starr is a “bad drummer”, she sits in the song, punctuating the song, and that’s what makes them so great, and in relevance to this video, what makes Meg so great.
This is exactly what I was going to comment. She fits the sound perfectly, as Ringo Starr did.
Just like how people call Jaime Cook a “bad guitarist” because he messes up a little and doesn’t do the solos like Alex
I get the analogy but Ringo is so much better than her it’s ridiculous. They are not actually comparable. Ringo had a phenomenal sense of time.
@xentakis
Ringo makes most modern metronomes sound sloppy. That’s how good he was. Human metronome indeed
But did she write a song about an octopus?
im not so technical yet but if it wasnt for someone like meg i probably would of given up but the fact that she makes simplicity sound great keeps me going
Personally, to make great music and to be a great band, it's about how well all the individual pieces, instruments, and members come together, not a simple sum of adding the 10th best guitarist ever, the 5th best bassist ever, etc. like it's a Pokemon team. Technical ability matters to make more complex and intricate music perhaps but something phenomenal is more likely to come from cohesion and the sum being greater than the parts.
very well put!!
Yes that's very often the case.
How many so called "supergroups" full of well known musicians came and died slowly out because most of them sucked tremendously. Music is rarely about technical abilities. It's about emotions. For me it's way more important what you can achieve as a songwriter than as a musician per se. You can suck hard as a musician but if you write good songs I will probably still be able to enjoy your work. But if your songs are utter shit it doesn't matter to me if your the next Mozart. Your songs just suck even if they are performed in technical perfection.
The white stripes were one of the bands I heard at the right time. I was sick of it all and hearing the grungy guitar with the heavy drums spoke to me so clearly and I could relate to it
This topic reminds me of a guy I knew who said Keith Moon was “over-rated” and to prove his point he tried showing me the “imperfections” in Keith’s isolated drum track in Who Are You.
I just shook my head and told him he shouldn’t call himself a fan of rock ever again!
Even as an unapologetic fan of progressive rock and progressive metal I still loved Meg. My favorite drummers are the Neil Perts and Danny Carey's of the world, but that should never prevent you from appreciating a different style.
I think being a prog fan makes you more open-minded. My husband listens to prog, noise, math rock, and loves Meg (and a ton of all female or female fronted bands). He's also a drummer himself.
Mo Tucker is the obvious parallel and forerunner. I was surprised she was not mentioned in the video.
People tend to forget, the blues, was extremely simplistic, white stripes wasn't about extreme technicalities, jack solely wanted to have simplicity, i hate the fact everyone has a go at meg for being a "bad" drummer, when that wasn't even what the white stripes were going for? It's convoluted and silly.
I heard fell in love with a girl walking around a mall in 2003. I immediately fell in love with their music and never looked back!
Jack White's solo career, even with his third solo album band that had less members, proves how vital meg white was. It proves how she was the gateway to jack white's best solos and improvs.
no defense needed. only cavemen "experts" have a problem with her drumming and she could care less lol. black math forever!!
It’s clear she could care less based on her drumming.
I defend her since she was married to Jack white and influenced him. You can hear the difference once they are no longer together.
Considering he took her name and the way jack talks about her, she influenced him in ways we’ll never know
@@jacktowers7533 👍🤭😄
Can I just say, how amazingly freaking awesome this video looks? Watching you since last big White Stripes video (that is sadly enough, vanished), and man oh man, your skills have definitely improved.
P.S: Little Room sequence is just simply "wow", by the way.
I am glad to see all the love Meg is getting. Jack is one of my favorite artists, but I always knew that Meg's drumming played a huge role in the sound of the White Stripes; that unique sound is why I loved The White Stripes.
Saying that Meg White is a "bad drummer" for playing simple, is like saying Danny Elfman is a bad composer for using to many tritones.
Haha, I followed you on that haha
As a drummer I’ve always defended Meg. She is perfect. Just like how Lars is a “shitty” drummer but that made their songs so much cooler because it doesn’t sound quantized and there are insane rests and timings at certain times.
The Laughing Hyenas were an epic band from Detroit late 80’s early 90’s. There was a fake brother-sister situation in that band. That’s where the White Stripes got it from
No words on Catch Hell Blues? Insanely good what Meg achieves with so little.
She was BY FAR my favorite part of the White Stripes.
As a very very very hardcore White Stripes fan: You nailed every single thing about their whole philosophy, aesthetic and sound. You explained simply what took me years to really grasp why I love their music so much. Pretty nice.
I mean, when you're in a duo and one of you is doing whacky shit, the other one has to keep the shape and order of the song
Exactly. She's the straight man of the comedy duo.
Sounds like an actual couple lol
Ever since I heard "Fell in love with a girl" I noticed her strange drumming style. It didn't sound like anyone else at the time and I think that's what originally drew me into the band.
I've always had a huge crush on her. She's fantastic. We already have our Portnoys, Bonhams, and Manginis. As a guitar player, I can see why this vision excited Jack so much. It's pure, raw and honest, as music always should be
You know, when rock purists worship Bonham and deride Meg White, I don’t understand it. His technical chops, at least as demonstrated through their music, were better than hers, but not by much, and his strength always came from his power and groove, which Meg White has in spades.
Have you heard the song “Meg White” by Ray LaMontagne? If not, you’d probably enjoy it :)
@@goji7273 but not by much? Man, any live rendition of Moby Dick is enough proof of it and if Meg had power and groove in spades, Bonham had it in nuclear levels.
Emi Grant Yeah, that’s fair. I guess a more accurate statement would have been that, on most Zeppelin songs, the technical proficiency wasn’t what shone or what people still worship to this day.
@@goji7273 That I can agree with.
What do these people mean "Meg is just along for the ride?" She is INTEGRAL to the band, and I feel that when Jack sings WS songs at modern concerts, it feels a little somber without her.
THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP FOR MEG WHITE! I ALWAYS LOVE HER DRUMMING!
WE ALL MISS YOU, MEG!
THANKS FOR THE VIDEO!
Did anyone realize that this video only consists Red, Black and White color pattern.
*off-white
semiotics innit..kinda..neuro ocular resonance on them cones...errr 🤪
@@really.not.important no
Blue and pink at 1:39
Even the youtube bars are red and white
I love the White Stripes. Meg definetely needs more recognition for the essence she brought to the band
She might not have the skills of Neil Peart or John Bonham but she has a distinctive style and that’s why I respect her as a drummer.
Who does?
He's the most overrated musician of all time, and that's coming from a drummer, he is amazing but I'm so sick of hearing he's the best, it's all subjective but my god I hate neil peart. It's like when people say Hendrix is the best guitarist of all time. It just isn't true. Maybe it is for the people who say it but these people tend to not respect other peoples opinions.
So if you think he's the best, then he is, to you. And fair play to you for that. I'm just tired of hearing it because to me, he's not even worth listening to because his band fucking sucks
@@TundraMouse Sounds to me like you just don't like Rush, which is fair. That said, you only need to listen to one of their songs to appreciate their technicality and musicianship that has garnered them such status. To not be aware of it at the very least does come off as ignorant to a degree.
@@TundraMouse This is exactly why it's not entirely fair to think Meg sucks. We're all trying to get something different from music. Neil is just not your guy. I'm not a fan either despite recognizing his technical abilities.
she was the heartbeat of the band for sure.
whoever did the graphics for this video, HUGE kudos
Thank you for this. Meg White has been a wonderful person and a great part of the White Stripes. I appreciate that you are defending her, as she should get the support she deserves. And I really hope that she's doing well, wherever she is and in whatever she's doing.
I love her voice in In the Cold, Cold Night. I wish she gets to release a solo album (with guests, of course) someday.
She never missed a beat, nor dropped a stick.
Plus, although "simple" in terms variations of patterns, she would often play perfectly off beat from Jack's melodies, and even off beat from herself, she would keep the time steady and the feeling off kilter. This would add drama and a sense of uneasiness, because the way she played violated the internal metronome we all have. She made choices of when and where to hit that the "best drummers" would never, or could never, make. She literally marched to the beat of her own drum.
I think you are seriously overthinking it. I'm pretty sure she just has bad timing.
@@graysonherbert4604 That's not what he means. Yes, her timing isn't solid. It doesn't matter. I've played drums for over 30 years and she would choose beat placements that "proper drummers" would never even think to. It wasn't a timing issue. She'd just throw a bass drum beat or snare hit in where you would never expect it. And it sounded amazing. It doesn't matter if she was "trying" to do it or not. She did it. And it's totally unique.
@@doublestrokeroll No, I understand what he means. I just don't think it's true. There is a such thing as breaking rules artistically, but I don't see any sign that Meg even knows the rules. From my perspective, Meg makes a lot of mistakes because she isn't a good drummer then fans of the band try to read creative genius into it. I have listened to some of their music and I generally enjoy it. I'm not just hating on them, but you can make good music even you aren't a good drummer. I think the primary fallacy that people have is that they make good music, thus Meg must actually be a good drummer. That isn't necessarily true though. You can have a member in your band that isn't good at their instrument, but make good music anyway, and I think The White Stripes is a great example of that.
@@graysonherbert4604 Again though, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that she isn't a technically proficient drummer. I don't think anyone, including the original poster her is suggesting she's a genius "creatively". Simply that she makes choices that are not common but still work. Whether she does that consciously or not doesn't matter. As a drummer of 30+ years, I know what she's doing even if she couldn't explain it, and it's totally interesting in my opinion. And it makes her "good" because creativity is as much a part of music as technique.
Of course this is all subjective anyway. Even technique. I can show you technically amazing drummers that I think are boring and uninteresting because musically they've done nothing that I like.
@@doublestrokeroll It sounds like we generally agree on the fundamentals, we just interpret her playing differently. I do however 100% agree on the technical skill. I have watched some death metal drummers, and it is crazy impressive, but it's really rhythmically boring. I listen to prog metal because I love hearing the weird rhythms and creative rule breaking. I think the difference I see between the unusual rhythms in prog metal and Meg is that in prog it is intentional, while Meg's seems accidental to me. I think that makes a difference, but it may not for everyone.
Thanks for putting Meg in the place she belongs. Gorgeous animation btw.
Her simplistic, bombastic drums left enough space for Jack to have really dense guitar and vocal parts where he uses a ton of effects and dynamics to fill the space. Whether she knew it or not, Jack built the entire sound of the band around Meg's drums. At least that's what I hear. Because Meg is self taught, she basically, unknowingly reduced the modern rock drums to their essential elements. I've never been a major Jack white/white stripes fan, but I totally see why she was an endless source of inspiration for Jack's sound. Very punk rock.
The beauty of the Stripes is that, from a more sophisticated musical perspective, their sound wasn't supposed to work. No one expected the elements to fit together like they did. If you listened to them separately, it'd be hard to put it together in a coherent way. It's like the Flaming Moe from The Simpsons. Jack White is the hodgepodge of liquors and cough syrup that comprises the drink itself, and Meg White is the fire that unleashes the inexplicable taste that gets people hooked.
That's the most beautiful metaphor I've ever read
I've found there's a Simpsons metaphor for almost everything.
Omg I love this lol
I liked the simplistic "archetypal" vein you tapped into. Super interesting. I think you're right, speaking as someone who had them tap into something primal in me in my teens when they were new
I don’t have anything insightful to say, I’m just so pleased you posted this! I love Meg’s drumming style and I miss the White Stripes so much.
Jack White's solo stuff is great and all. But having seen them in small pubs and headlining massive festivals I always found my eyes being drawn to Meg. Seeing her almost lost in the music was magnetic
The best I can say is Meg's drumming doesn't distract from what Jack is doing.
There is no need for fancy frills around his lines.
"Not a technical drummer" wasn't that what they said about Ringo?
She's a blue-collar drummer, so to speak. She can't do any technical prowess, but she just does her job, which is playing drums.
A proletarian percussionist
Same goes with all the drummers for the Ramones. They didn't utilize a technical drumming method, but instead they had a basic & powerful signature formula that got the job done.
@@orion2116 r/usernamechecksout
@@robpalmer9051 lol. Marky is an absolute beast of a drummer. As good as any pop punk drummer that followed in his footsteps.
@@xwhite2020 playin a 16th note 4/4 beat at 200bpm is no easy feat. marky and tommy got down to business.
If you ever needed proof of Meg's greatness, watch Jack White's solo performances of White Stripes songs. His live drummer is Carla Azar, and she's technically talented as fuck. But her style just doesn't mesh as well with White Stripes songs
Great video. Most people don't realize that playing Meg's drum lines can be easy but composing drum lines like Meg is a job that you cant learn at a music school
Let me say it clearly: I LOVE The White Stripes. Period. That means I love and respect them both as great musicians. Jack's guitar is mind-blowing and Meg's drumming really gets it there every time: raw, simple, and yet, fantastic, powerful and beautiful. God bless Meg and Jack.
"Sid Vicious is a great musician"
Excuse me whaaaat?????
Yeah, I'm on board with the rest of this video, but this part is just wrong. He actually was terrible and allegedly they unplugged his bass during live shows sometimes.
Yeah... that did NOT help defend meg in any way. Sid was exactly what started to kill punk: just an image made to sell records ( that’s what pop is for )
@@miken.4693 So right! Thank you, sir! :)
Sid Vicious could barely even play bass most of the time.
Frankly it's press like Polyphonic that initiated the "Meg is a bad drummer" trope...not virtuoso musicians. They love a good controversy, that music press.
Wait, so they're not actually siblings? I really never knew about that hahahah. Meg just did what she needed to do in the songs, and no one else could do it like she did.
I really, really hope they aren't siblings, otherwise that band was weirder than I thought! XD
They actually formed the band when they were married, then got divorced before they became popular.
Interesting fact. Jack took Megs last name. Megs birth name is White-Jacks isn’t. You could say Meg literally gave The White Stripes their name.
@@notreallyadog9646 that's very interesting! I hope she doesn't feel mad about it lol
I remember thinking they were siblings early on in their career only to see them live and share a passionate kiss on stage and think, “what the fuck?”
@@TH3F4LC0Nx You can look on their wikipedia pages. Jack is from southwest Detroit and Meg is from Grosse Pointe. Most sibling don't grow up 15 miles apart.
I never considered her like that "a bad drummer" as far as I know she isn't the best out there but she did her best and that's what matters. No one's perfect. Her drumming was really good!
the simplicity of her drumming made their sound great. the whole thing was genius.
Some people forget that not the only was Meg a drummer but has a very beautiful voice and sang solo on several songs.