The White Stripes premiered their new tour documentary, The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights, at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend and Jack White himself showed up for a press conference with director Emmett Malloy. They talked mostly about the film, which apparently has an amazing final scene involving Meg White crying while Jack consoles her, but a few other interesting bits were also brought to our attention by a friend who attended the presser.
When asked about the Stripes’ infamous one-note show in St. John’s, Newfoundland, White said he was eager to inform the media that the “Guinness Book of World Records has refused this entry as the shortest concert of all time, citing it’s not interesting enough.” Jack was particularly miffed at that criteria, as you could imagine.
Also, Jack made another interesting revelation while cryptically talking about the many records he’s working on at his Nashville studio, Third Man Records: he assembled a group made up solely of “bus drivers from Nashville” and they made an album. The band and album are both called Transit.
I suppose that’s a bit unusual, but keep in mind that one of White’s first bands was The Upholsters, featuring the staff of his pre-Third Man Records venture Third Man Upholstery. Though I suppose the folks at Guinness wouldn’t find that too interesting either.