Fell in Love with a Band: The Story of The White Stripes

by Chris Handyside

With only two members and no bass player the White Stripes certainly seemed like the ultimate makeshift band. So how is it that this enigmatic couple―who publicize themselves as brother and sister though official documents say they're ex-husband-and-wife―became a multi-platinum musical sensation? From their early days as the darlings of Detroit rock scene to their current status as MTV celebs, they've defied expectations every step of the way. How did it happen that the simple idea of staying true to a lo-fi, blues-based sound became a revolutionary idea in the age digital conformity and complex studio production?

Fell in Love with a The Story of the White Stripes is the first biography by a Detroit journalist who has followed their career since the group's inception in 1997. From Meg White's novice attempts at banging the drums to their current incarnation as the face of indie rock. With never before seen photos and exclusive interviews with members of Detroit bands like Blanche and The Von Bondies, Fell in Love with a Band gets to the heart of this enigmatic rock band and for the first time tells the real story of their rise to fame and the power behind their sound.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2004

Reviews

[Shannon Sanderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack and Meg are endlessly fascinating and this only slightly dispells the myth. The burning question about how their relationship works and how they've managed to stay with the band despite being divorced is a subject that it barely talked about. They will always be a mystery I guess. be prepared to have all your White Stripes CDs around cause the minute he writes about a song and its back story you'll want to listen to the album.

[Michael Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fell in Love with a Band: The Story of The White Stripes
By: Chris Handyside
Paperback, 226 pages
ISBN13: 9780312336189

Overall: 3 out of 5 stars

The main reason I read this book and the main reason that it was bumped up to 3 stars is because I am a completely biased White Strips fan. To me, Jack White is a rock god. Other than a handful of people, all living musicians shall bow down before this living legend. Reading the story of Jack's evolution to stardom was extremely entertaining, but admittedly, only because I am such a huge fan. See the thing is, Jack is a product of nothing but extremely hard work and dedication. There is no crazy Hollywood story, no drama, nothing. Jack played, and continues to play, whenever, wherever, however he can. He is a machine, never stopping, and seeking constant improvement.

Jack's dedication seemingly began from birth, as he listened to his older siblings jam out on an almost daily basis. His upbringing played a huge role in who Jack has become. The Detroit home that he was raised in, not only blared out the sounds of his siblings playing, but placed Jack in an environment of isolation. That isolation, from being in the racial and cultural minority, allowed Jack to focus on his own person and not be distracted by the trappings of society. When you listen to Jack play today, despite his huge popularity, you can still hear that boy playing alone with his instrument, oblivious to the world and its judgements. The best part of Fell in Love with a Band was its ability to convey the world in which Jack came from.

It was additionally very cool to find some unknown musical treasures that Jack participated in.

Creativity: 1 out of 5 stars

It certainly does not take much creativity to write a story about a legendary figure. The investigation into Jack's world is told through factual information and from those around Jack and Meg White. The words of Jack and Meg are sorely missing.

Characters: 2 out of 5 stars

Chris Handyside had to do a lot of work to catch up with all of the characters that grew up knowing Jack and Meg, but the inability to get their first hand input was a big hindrance on the complete picture.

Spelling and Grammar: 4 out of 5 stars

Nothing that I noticed, but not like I was blown away by its perfection or eloquence.

Execution: 3 out of 5 stars

If not a fan of The White Stripes to begin with, I believe this would be quite dry and maybe boring. But if a fan, there are some stories that further endear you to both Jack and Meg.

The unbelievable luck that follows Jack, like when there was a manufacturing SNAFU that led to the last minute vinyls being made as red and white swirls, really?!

The love that he and his fans share, like when Jack lost a rare (because cheap and weird) guitar and a fan tracked one down and replaced it for him, giving it as a gift at a concert.

Some stories from Jack and Meg's friends growing up.

All in all, I have to say it again, if you are a fan of The White Stripes, you will enjoy it, if not, probably not.

[The · Rating 4 out of 5]

Above average but not nearly spectacular documentary of how The White Stripes came to be. There are some good quotes and insight into the band from people that knew them and played with them. Yes, you do get some intimate details (Jack's music and life philosophues and eccentricities were the best parts to me) but I'm left wanting quotes from Meg and Jack themselves... though the writing style was kind of fanboy-ish throughout, it stayed flavorful enough... not a book to read unless you want to can stand to hear praise about the band throughout, not critical or objective at all... I had no problem with that part because I think the band is epic.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you can get past the lackluster writing and complete lack of editing, this book offers a great behind-the-scenes look at the early days of the White Stripes.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of The White Stripes I really enjoyed this book. I learned tons of interesting facts about the band and the origins of ideas and songs. As a reader, I found the book somewhat informally written and heavily biased to praising the band (which I had no problem with since I really like The White Stripes). The only part that really got on my nerves was that all the quotes from Jack White were taken from outside sources, such as TV, magazine, or newspaper interviews. There were a lot of direct quotes from close friends and almost family of The White Stripes which, in my opinion, may have helped keep the mystery and secretiveness of the band. Although I didn't finish all of it, I read most of it and had a lot of fun learning about the band.

[Draven_rnf · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was kind of disappointing. It amounts to "look how cool and talented and how they got where they are on their talent alone" type of story. This is fine and some things were quite interesting but it doesn't make for a compelling read. Additionally, the poor writing and numerous errors made it frustrating. I had to read sections several times to really understand what the writer was getting at.

If there's one thing the book succeeds at is making me remember how the White Stripes inspired me to pick up guitar and making me pick it up again. And yes, you will be on a huge White Stripes binge after reading.

[Julie Mickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appealing if you enjoy local music scene backstories as I do. In fact, I was more interested in the "Detroit scene" than in Jack & Meg's particular project. Detroit is a reliably solid music city that's always working, even if the renown of its local produce ebbs and flows. This book could've used another edit; it seemed to have been rushed into print to capitalize on the White Stripes' moment of fame (which, in the music biz, can never be counted on to last). Oh, well, it's OK if band bios aren't great literature, rock 'n' roll's for fun.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. Author had clearly interviewed loads of people nearby but not Jack or Meg. Loads of padding around the basic story. Sometimes got out of sequence due to sticking with a theme rather than chronology. Failed to get to the nub of the band for me. It stops just after Elephant before Icky Thump. I'd be interested in an update.

[Jennifer Friedel]

Great story. Unfortunately, horrible writing. Instead of bad quote after bad quote, some paraphrasing would have helped the book tremendously. Maybe the author didn't trust himself to get it right?

[Slow Culture Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a mild interest for the band as I started reading. I put it down after two sittings only, with more emotions than I expected. This book is written with precision, spoken with tact, respectful to the band members and generous when it comes to anecdotes.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of interesting facts about one of my favorite bands. They are awesome.
The writing of this book was not so awesome though, filled with typos and not polished.
It was OK though, served the purpose of learning more about the band.

[keaten · Rating 3 out of 5]

🎸 rock lives!

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhhh, Jack White. I love you.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book if you need to get behind all of the mysteries about the Stripes.