Of course if you are like me and think that Jack White is a diva with a ego that would easily fill an arena, you jump on a story like this one! The Oklahoma University’s paper OU Daily got curious about Jack White’s salary and other demand after his sold-out performance at the university’s McCasland Field House, so they filed a FOIA request and received a document that they published.
At this point, the details just look hilarious and totally harmless:
‘Please not this is a NO BANANA TOUR,’ stipulates the document, ‘(Seriously) We don’t want to see bananas anywhere in the building’.
Seriously? I don’t get it! Is Jack addicted to bananas? Allergic to bananas? What is this fear of this potassium-charged food? It is a bit ridiculous, but White is sure no vegetarian because he asks for ‘a New York strip steak, cooked medium, with steamed vegetables on the side and no sauce,’ after the show, and there is also a recipe for guacamole which is required to be ‘fresh home-made’….
Honestly, there was nothing really outrageous, beside the $80,000 that the University paid for the performance. The outrage came from White’s reaction, as he went on a rant against the student newspaper at the beginning of the concert, visibly pissed off they have used the Freedom of Information Act to get info about him. ‘Once he built up his confidence,’ writes the OU Daily, ‘he gunned for the entire university as well, making fun of its ban on public tobacco use. He also lobbied for taking university philosophy courses and for staying clear of journalism and law degrees.’
So you have it, White doesn’t want you to take journalist classes because you may, one day, reveal that he hates bananas! Have you ever heard something more ridiculous? The student paper answered White in an editorial entitled ‘Setting the record straight about Jack White’, although I don’t think they needed to defend themselves.
‘Journalism must hold public figures accountable. By our university paying White and his band $80,000 to play on campus, he is a public figure. Also, the university officials who booked White were public officials tasked with managing money, some of which comes from students’ fees. We reported the costs so students could see how their money was being spent, who was spending and on whom it was spent,’ the article says and it is totally correct!
‘As for harm, no harm was done to White unless you count his ego. But it’s important to understand that we didn’t publish that information to embarrass White. We published the information because students need to know how their money is being spent — even if it’s being spent on homemade guacamole and aged salami with a sharp knife.’
Well said! No harm was done unless you count White’s gigantic ego… They also say that no organization was able to get a press pass for the concert, so no one was allowed to take a picture, but it got even worse:
‘One photographer who was taking pictures outside the building was approached by security and told to delete the images off the camera’s memory card or give up their camera… The photographer deleted the photos, but the photos were recovered when they got back to the newsroom.’
I really like the rebel spirit of these people and Jack White must totally hate them.
Update: Of course Jack White (or his management) got a little worried about his image, and just posted this answer on White’s website… ‘The incidents with the OU Daily student newspaper reporting the financial terms of the show, the private tour rider information, along with unsolicited photographers from their staff were unfortunate, unprofessional, and very unwelcoming,’ they write after praising the students and the success of the show, and there is even a paragraph about the guacamole! I guess everyone should try this recipe.