The Red Death at 02.11

2:17 PM, February 2nd, 2011.
BEEP.
I looked down at my phone to see who the text message was from.
It was from Daniel, my boyfriend.
Baby, the White Stripes ended :( No more records or tours.
My heart dropped in my chest like I had been hit in the gut with something heavy.
pls tell me ur kidding was my hurried response.
I never got to see them :,(
Once he assured me that there had been a press release on the site, I proceeded to try and wrap my head around the news. A band who had been together for 13+ years, a band who every track they touched was pure gold, a band I had idolized for as long as I could remember having good taste in music, was now over. Finished. With seemingly no reason at all for it.

Daniel and I grieved by getting Peppermint White Mochas at Starbucks, and listening to nothing but the Stripes til late into the evening. We sat there like a couple of mourners at a funeral reception, smiling and brushing tears off our glistening cheeks every now and then as we'd comment on a particular song, or asking the music "Why did it have to end this way?" as surges of anger and pain made their way into the growing lumps in our throats.

The press release statement can be found on their official site for quite some time, I imagine, but in case they take it down, it read exactly as follows:

"The White Stripes would like to announce that today, February 2nd, 2011, their band has officially ended and will make no further new recordings or perform live.
The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue, nor any
health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health.

It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve What is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way.

Meg and Jack want to thank every one of their fans and admirers for the incredible
support they have given throughout the 13 plus years of the White Stripes’ intense and incredible career.

Third Man Records will continue to put out unreleased live and studio recordings from
The White Stripes in their Vault Subscription record club, as well as through regular
channels.

Both Meg and Jack hope this decision isn’t met with sorrow by their fans but that it is seen as a positive move done out of respect for the art and music that the band has created. It is also done with the utmost respect to those fans who’ve shared in those creations, with their feelings considered greatly.

With that in mind the band have this to say:

“The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack 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.”

Sincerely,
Meg and Jack White
The White Stripes "


The quote in the statement brought tears to my eyes. Their journey has been an extremely successful one. God knows Jack has enough talent and enough going on with his other projects -namely The Dead Weather and Raconteurs- to keep him more than occupied. And I hear Meg is pursuing modeling. I also know that she suffers severe anxiety and I can't imagine the strain there would be between she and Jack with them previously being married, now that they are with new people.

I can only conclude that they decided to part ways before they really left on "bad terms", while the integrity of what The White Stripes stood for was almost entirely in tact. I don't blame them for it, the band had a nice, long run, however, I wish they would have come out with a "farewell tour" or at least toured recently before they just wrapped it all up without a fair warning. I feel that that was an unfair move to the fans.

I will never forgive myself for not being able to see them live, and I know my boyfriend shares my sentiments. He had been so close to seeing them a few years back, when they canceled out just before walking on stage due to Meg's anxiety.

The death of The White Stripes is, in my opinion, arguably comparable to our generation's Beatles breakup. They were a highly influential band, and really made an impact on me musically as well as artistically. They were on the cutting edge in innumerable ways, and had a huge cult following, as I assume they always will. I will never stop being a fan, and I can only imagine they will continue to rise in popularity as the years pass. I wish they'd come back and say it was all a joke, but the way I see it, what good would it have been for them to stay together if this was the underlying sentiments they shared about their band? Everything happens for a reason, we will all miss them dearly and I wish both Jack and Meg the best of luck in all their future endeavors <3


On a lighter note, all I can say now is that I wish I would have gotten ahold of more merch in the past, because eBay prices are soaring, and it will all be way harder to come by for the next several months at least. In retrospect, when we visited the Third Man Records Pop Up Store in Austin last year for SXSW, I should have bought up all I could. Some to sell, more to keep.
Holga camera set, Jack edition.


USB drives.


-s.Vixen