In February 2011, the White Stripes announced they were no longer going to tour or release new music. The decision wasn’t based on “artistic differences” or “health issues”; instead, the decision was “mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way”.
Life After the White Stripes: Solo Success and Retreat From Public Life
In the ensuing years, vocalist-guitarist Jack White cultivated a wildly successful solo career and continued working sporadically with his other bands, the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather. Drummer Meg White, meanwhile, retreated from music, preferring instead to be a private citizen.
Meg’s uneasy relationship with being a public figure during the White Stripes’ active existence persisted. She politely declined to speak for a 2023 Elle story and didn’t attend the White Stripes’ 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Did You Know?
When the duo was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Meg became just the third female drummer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, after Gina Schock of the Go-Go’s and Velvet Underground’s Moe Tucker.
Navigating Anxiety and the Pressures of Stardom
She was notoriously shy, once telling NPR about the advice a teacher gave her: “She wrote in my yearbook to speak softly and carry a big stick, you know? And I took to that heart.”
The White Stripes also canceled tour dates in 2007 due to Meg’s “acute anxiety”, something Jack spoke about candidly and empathetically later. “To go full-speed from a dead-halt is overwhelming, and we had to take a break.”
Confronting Persistent Sexism in Music Criticism
Meg started playing drums in 1997 at Jack’s behest – the first song the duo played together was David Bowie’s Moonage Daydream – skipping formal music lessons in favor of more unvarnished creativity.
This irked people who expected virtuosity. A now-archived 2006 article – Why We Can’t Forget Meg White – And the Sexist Way We Talked About Her – outlined the sexism in exhaustive detail, from Pitchfork calling her drumming “pancake-handed” to a 2007 Pearl Jam message board thread titled “Official Meg White can’t play thread.” (Both jabs are still online.) Long after the White Stripes ceased recording, the negativity persisted. In 2023, a journalist apologized after intense outcry to his offhand comment that “the tragedy of the White Stripes is how great they would’2ve been with a half-decent drummer.”
The Rhythmic Engine Behind Garage Rock Anthems
The observation is especially absurd because the White Stripes were great precisely because of her approach to drumming. Her thumping kickdrum propels The Hardest Button to Button like a thundering metronome; the garage-rock classics Fell In Love With a Girl and Hotel Yorba lift off due to her buoyant, ramshackle playing.
Later-era singles like Icky Thump and Blue Orchid boast a heavier edge thanks in no small part to Meg’s seething, sizzling grooves. “Meg is the best part of this band,” Jack told Rolling Stone in 2005, adding: “When she started to play drums with me, just on a lark, it felt liberating and refreshing.” And, unlike other duos, the White Stripes didn’t hire additional musicians to flesh out their live sound. It was always Meg and Jack against the world – her forceful rhythmic backbone anchoring his wild-hair extroversion, whether a grimy guitar line, a soulful organ, antique piano part or even a lively marimba.
Pro Tip for Music Fans
On the pair’s ominous cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene, her light-touch cymbal hits generate tension for much of the song – until it explodes as she ferociously attacks her entire drumkit, mirroring the moment when the narrator collapses in anguish.
A Lasting Legacy Honored on Their Own Terms
“It will always be us two,” Jack told Rolling Stone in 2005. “I will never do the White Stripes with another drummer. She’ll never do it with another guitarist.” He’s kept his word: when the duo was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jack didn’t perform in Meg’s absence. Instead, Twenty One Pilots whacked through Seven Nation Army, while Olivia Rodrigo and Feist picked through a delicate We’re Going To Be Friends. However, Meg sent a note of gratitude that Jack read; he also noted she helped write and shape the speech he gave. “A lot of punctuation corrections too,” he quipped. “She’s pretty good at that.”
Meg’s iconoclastic music career and drumming skills are finally receiving their due, in no small part because younger fans and musicians aren’t saddled by the same sexist cultural baggage. Speaking to Elle in 2023, Rodrigo noted Meg’s playing and the White Stripes themselves taught her “the value of simplicity in music … that a truly great song doesn’t need to have crazy production or layers of sound. It just needs to move you. You can sense her passion in every song she plays.” But in the end, Meg proved you could be a rock star on your own terms – both during and after your music career.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the White Stripes break up?
In February 2011, the White Stripes announced they were no longer going to tour or release new music, choosing instead “mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way”.
Did Meg White attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction?
No, Meg didn’t attend the White Stripes’ 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, but she sent a note of gratitude that Jack read.
What instruments did Meg White play in the band?
Meg played drums in the White Stripes.
Who are some notable artists influenced by Meg White?
Speaking to Elle in 2023, Olivia Rodrigo noted Meg’s playing and the White Stripes themselves taught her “the value of simplicity in music … that a truly great song doesn’t need to have crazy production or layers of sound.”
Join the Conversation
Share your thoughts.
Keep reading