White Stripes Publicity Stunt: Jack Gets Married!

Oh, the chatter! It's incredible how many people are talking about this. Everyone from Yahoo to Miss Modernage. I absolutely love it. What's that? You haven't heard? Well, you must have been under a rock! In case you're in the dark here, let me explain.

On June 1st, 2005, Jack White of the White Stripes was wed to Karen Elson, a model from video for "Blue Orchid." The ceremony was officiated by a traditional shaman and held in a canoe at the convergence of the Amazon River, the Rio Negro, and the Solimones River. The couple then had the marriage blessed in a cathedral by a Catholic priest. Meg White, Jack's musical counterpart, served as maid of honor, while the band's manager Ian Montone was the best man. According to the White Stripes' official website, this is the first marriage for both.

Sounds kinda cool, right? Well, let's think about this just a little bit, because there's a lot to think about. First and clearly the most obvious is that the new White Stripes album, Get Behind Me Satan, is being released very soon. Just last week the band suddenly announced tour dates, and now a sudden marriage. All the talk now is about the White Stripes (sorry, Coldplay, you got out-talked). Maybe, just maybe, this is all just a publicity stunt. It's not the least bit out of the question. That's just the tip of the iceberg, however.

Also interesting to note is the fact that Jack's former girlfriend, Renee Zellweger, married country star Kenny Chesney just last week. I just have to say... ew. Now she has to subject herself to country music for the rest of her married life, how ever long that may last. Could it be that Jack is feeling a little lonely? Maybe it's weird to know that your ex has not only moved on, but actually moved forward, too. That can throw you for a loop, maybe even a big enough one to send you getting married to someone you barely know.

But honestly, how do we know these kids haven't known eachother for a while? No one has said anything about that. No one has even said they were dating. Were they? I don't know either. I'd like to know though.

What's even more interesting than anything is the fact that the official statement on their website says that this is the first marriage for both, but if we remember correctly, Jack and Meg were at one time married, rather than brother and sister as Jack had originally claimed. Are they trying to add to the mystery? Are they just trying to make us ask more questions?

The fact is that I don't really care. The only reason I even talked about it is that it's really funny how big of a deal we make these things. Even funnier (and not in the funny "ha ha" sense) is the fact that our first impression is that it's all just a marketing ploy. What's wrong with this world when we think that a marriage is a publicity stunt? I'm not saying I don't think it is. That's just it. I do think it is, and if that's really the case, what has happened to the sanctity of marriage?

Ahhh, so many questions. In the end, this whole thing will blow over in a couple weeks and then they'll get divorced when the next album comes out. They'll need the publicity.

In a related note, you don't need to bother buying the album. Download it below.

In other news...

Poor Brandon Flowers. We hardly ever hear about him anymore. Whatever happened to The Bravery controversy, eh? Such old news. Well, in an attempt to at least scrounge up something on the dude, I bring you an interview from Genre scanned by Arjan at Arjanwrites. Of course, the article covers the same old "are you guys gay" question, which he's not because he's getting hitched if he hasn't already. My favorite part of the interview is when Flowers says, "I use my body on stage to relay the songs to people." So, okay, your totally stiff, robotic movements mean what? Oh yeah. You've got soul but you're not a soldier. I forgot. In related Killers news, the band has turned down the headlining spot at Glastonbury. Hmm... chicken, anyone?

I saw the Killers once with one of my personal favorites, Stellastarr*. Ever since then, I haven't heard anything about them. Today I'm glad to say that they are releasing a new album. When? No idea, but it's coming and that's good enough.

Iron and Wine are coming to Columbus soon, and I think I might go see it. But in the meantime, I will look forward to the upcoming collaboration with Calexico.

This post from prefixblog perfectly describes the new Sufjan Stevens album, Illinois, which you can pre-order at Asthmatic Kitty. They started shipping them today!

Tune in to CD101 online on June 17th for a virtual Gorillaz concert. Yeah, sounds kinda silly to me, too.

Upcoming Tour Dates

6.03 - Tokyo Rose w/ Lux Courageous and Self Against City - High Five
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine w/ Band of Horses - The Newport
6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle? - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (link, mp3)
The Album Leaf - In A Safe Place (link, mp3)
Weezer - Make Believe (link, mp3)
Oasis - Don't Believe The Truth (link, mp3)
British Sea Power - Open Season (link, mp3)