In a letter entitled “For God Sakes,” Jack White is scolding “journalists and other people looking for drama or a diva.” He states he was inspired to write the letter, so he could respond to a recent spurt of articles centered around his leaked tour rider. Specifically, White is addressing the hubbub about a guacamole recipe listed on the touring demands, and the statement that there can not be any bananas backstage. He also asks modern journalists to question their tactics, but says he fully supports freedom of speech.

As for the guacamole incident of 2015, White says the detailed recipe listed on his rider, is his “hilarious tour manager’s inside joke with local promoters.” Concerning the banana-ban, White explains that someone on his crew is allergic to the fruit, and he admonished journalists for not doing more research or fact-checking to discover these facts.

While White addressed very specific claims in his letter, he also makes his general distaste for the lack of follow-through and story choices certain journalists and members of the media make. Here’s an excerpt from the letter left verbatim. In the letter, White states that his mistakes help prove that he supports the first amendment and "free communication" in general.

“first off, this is none of your business, but i have no specific demands in my dressing room. i know i could ask for lots of things but i actually dont ask for ANYTHING. i take with me what i need, and that aint much. anything on the rider is for the band and the crew. this "guacamole recipe" is my hilarious tour managers inside joke with the local promoters, it’s his recipe, not mine. it’s just something to break up the boredom, seeing who can make it best. though i wouldn’t know because i’ve never had it”

 

White goes on to add, "Never in my 20 years of playing shows has my contract and tour rider been published in the paper that I recall. Do you know why we don't do that or want that? A hundred articles about bananas, free speech, and guacamole is why; it’s because people dont 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."

He continues, "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 thier 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."

Stories about White's rider first started after The Oklahoma Daily published it in an article about how much his performance at Oklahoma University was costing the school. White addressed the OU piece at the end of the letter by saying, “I know it’s a fun thing for people to try to turn me into a jerk and a diva, but in this case it’s pretty ridiculous and has almost nothing to do with me. My relationship with the fans at [the Oklahoma University] show and how we got to a new place together through music remains intact and I’d love to do it again with them. I think that’s everything. Can I go back to making music now? No? Ok. Crochet it is.”

We can't wait for White's crocheting techniques and patterns to hit the web.

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