White. (AP)
Third Man Records
In a post on his record label’s website Sunday, Jack White called out journalists and “other people looking for drama” for reporting on the flap that stemmed from a student newspaper’s decision to publish his tour rider.
The post, titled “For God Sakes!”, explains that the list of specific demands made in the rider are for the band and crew. He adds that including a guacamole recipe in the contract was actually an “inside joke with local promoters” to see who could make it the best.
though i wouldn’t know because i’ve never had it. i can’t even make kool aid let alone cook any real food enough to have a “recipe.” sorry, i don’t have that talent.
The story started in late January, when the University of Oklahoma’s The Oklahoma Daily used an open records request to obtain a copy of Jack White’s contract with the university, which included a rider detailing the tour’s food preferences. The requests included a prohibition on bananas (“this is a NO BANANA TOUR.”) and an exacting guacamole recipe (“We want it chunky.”)
In the post, White also turns his attention to perceived flaws in coverage of the controversy, saying that reporters went with the spoiled rock star story without fully understanding how concert tours work:
a hundred articles about bananas, free speech, and guacamole is why; it’s because people don’t understand what a rider is or what the terms of a contract are. they’re out of their element, and you can’t blame them for it. and people who write about that know this. people WANT a rider to be a list of demands that a diva insists occur lest he or she refuse to play a note of music.
but in reality, it’s just some food and drinks backstage for the hundred workers and guests who have to live in a concrete bunker for 15 hours. some people bring their own living rooms on tour, some people ask for a huge spread. who cares? what you’re looking for is someone throwing a tantrum because they didn’t get their brown m and m’s, sorry to disappoint.
In his post, White says he is disappointed, not upset at the student journalists, who are “young and have learned their lesson about truth and ethics.”
all they have to do is google this to know that it’s not worth it. look for real problems instead next time. look for the truth, not fake drama. i got pissed during my show and berated the crowd? no. sorry, didn’t happen. i made jokes about the paper publishing that info, so which of us is thin skinned? they have freedom of speech but i don’t? at my show? ok.
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