White Stripes And The Sound Of Mutant Blues

In the past few years, Detroit siblings Jack and Meg White have in conjunction with a stream of similar-minded bands, revitalised rock music. Their sound is raw, stripped right back – back to the primal fury and alienation of bluesmen like Son House and protopunks The Stooges and the MC5. In the Stripes’ hard knocks hometown of Detroit, an entire scene has emerged – rudimentary, primordial garage rock championed by legendary names such as Mick ‘Dirtbombs’ Collins, Jack White’s own Third Man Records, Electric Six and producer Jim Diamond. Over in Brooklyn meanwhile, loft parties are all the rage – illegal happenings put on in abandoned buildings, fuelled by vodka stills and loud music, featuring names such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars and Oneida. Writer Everett True has already covered much of this music in his own underground rock magazine Careless Talk Costs Lives. Now he goes public with his passion, delving deep into the lives of the personalities who make up the scenes – the countless hours touring, the celebrity girlfriends, the parties, the power and the people.