Everyone knows about The Black Keys-Jack White feud and how they hate each other’s guts. Is anyone taking side? Auerbach or White? Well this new campaign may be a good argument to pick your guy, and based on this, I pick the Black Keys: they have just donated their song ‘Howlin’ For You’ to a PETA campaign! Now remember Jack White has a huge taxidermy collection at home, he has a zebra head, two gazelles, an eland, a kudu, a giant white elk… and he even bought an elephant head!! And that’s totally wrong in my book even though these things are antics and these animals were not recently killed, but the fact that he encouraged this kind of transaction is totally awful! Anyway, I am sure that PETA is not going to ask him to participate into anything anytime soon with such background, while the Black Keys’ song is the soundtrack for a new ad campaign promoting animal adoption, featuring Fred Willard, celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Raven.
And the song works very well, showing people playing with cute animals and ending with the line ‘Someone’s howlin’ for you at your local shelter.’ There is a long list of musicians who have contributed to PETA campaign, Paul McCartney had a giant billboard over the PETA building here in Los Angeles when he played at the Dodger Stadium last summer, but PETA got everyone from Dolly Parton to Chrissie Hynde, Loretta Lynn, Death Cab for Cutie, Eddie Vedder, Pink, Emmylou Harris, Rise Against, Russell Simmons, Iggy Pop, Shirley Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, Trent Reznor, and of course Morrissey!
The Black Keys have sued companies in the past for using their songs in advertising without their consent, so the fact that they chose an animal cause for their first consenting ad, is a very good point for them…Take that Jack White!