Morphing the Blues: The White Stripes and the Strange Relevance of Detroit | 
| Author: Martin Roach
Publisher: Chrome Dreams
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 1668433
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 0.7
ISBN: 1842402307
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.421660922
UPC: 823564408019
EAN: 9781842402306
ASIN: 1842402307
Publication Date: April 1, 2004
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Book Description
The history of the White Stripes and how Detroit's music scene fostered their development is explored for the first time in this intriguing band historiography. Full-length biographies of both band members track their success from their early days in Detroit to worldwide fame and recognition. Key interviews with people close to the band describe their critical and commercial rise to the top. A close look at the Detroit music scene that also spawned music giants Eminem, Iggy Pop, and Kid Rock links the success of the White Stripes to their hometown's unique musical legacy.
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| Customer Reviews:
 As much a history of Detroit music as a White Stripes bio July 26, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Even if you are not a fan of the White Stripes, "Morphing the
Blues: The White Stripes and the Strange Relevance of Detroit" is
fascinating in its depiction of Detroit and the history of the
local music scene. There is, as the author puts it, "... a third,
equally influential player in the Stripes story - the city of
Detroit." The first chapter is basically a background history of
Detroit. I love the line, "The birthplace of the White Stripes is a
tough town." Chapter 2 tracks Jack White's young life and his
discovery of the blues, especially guitarist Son House. Jack's
first encounter with Son House was the recording of 'Grinning In
Your Face.' "There was truth in that record," professes White. "I
realised that less can be more. Why get a bass player? Why add more
stuff when it is already truthful."
There are basic lessons in Detroit rock and roll starting with
Motown, the MC5, Iggy and the Stooges as well as White's admiration
for Mick Collins and the Gories (a band without a bass player).
Discussed are Jim Diamond and Ghetto Recorders, the Go and Matt
Smith, Italy Records and the importance of the Gold Dollar to the
Detroit music scene in the '90s. There is a strange, but
interesting analysis of the Detroit scene: Detroit's poverty and
working class structure made the local music scene close knit.
Because Detroit is "slow to become technologically savvy," it meant
the live concert scene was vital, that "word of mouth is more
important than reading a review on the web." And I liked Roach's
review of the song "Big 3 Killed My Baby" analyzing the
relationship between blues, the city of Detroit's decay and renewal
cycle, and the music of the White Stripes. As for the band itself:
"Bands in Detroit are extra-willing to make cartoons of
themselves," quotes Surge Joebat of the Wildbunch. "They [White
Stripes] were just another weirdo band in Detroit, one out of a
hundred weirdo bands. Everybody was doing something different. It
was a much less orthodox scene."
As a fan of both Kitty Wells and Loretta Lynn, the book
foreshadows White's work with Lynn. The book ends with the MTV
Video Awards, the Grammys, Jack White's relationship with Renee
Zellwegger on the set of "Cold Mountain" and a car crash in which
his hand is injuried and the author wonders if this is the end of
White's career (it's not).
The book has its flaws. Roach is in dire need of a proofreader
with his run-on sentences, clumsy stream-of-conscienceness
phrasing, frequent repetitions and misspellings (Ann Arbour
indeed). He's cranked out dozens of books on rock musicians and the
book reads like it was written by someone who whips them off. The
book ends rather abruptly, but then where does an author end a book
about a living artist? I was thankful it missed the whole Jack
White vs. Jason Stollsteimer ordeal; in fact hardly any ink is
given to the Von Bondies besides being part of the Detroit garage
rock revival and that Marcie Bolen once dated Jack White.
Throughout the book there is a reverant sense that everything Jack
White does and touches is gold.
However, it is because of Roach's book I have a newfound respect
for Jack White's craft and what he has done for the Detroit music
community. There are several chapters that review in-depth each
White Stripes album individually, citing themes, origins and
musical references. This detailed examination had me listening and
thinking about the White Stripes' music differently, re-examining a
band I had dismissed because I'm old enough to recognise most of
White's music references and frankly I've heard it all before. Now
instead of thinking of the White Stripes as punk-rock retreads, I
can hear a blues-roots musician with a back-to-basics esthetic in
which less is more.
 Who's Bio is this again? June 26, 2004
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is much like that of the DVD, Candy Coloured Stripes... Unauthorized and Uninteresting.The author comes off as trying to cash in on the success of the a music group. The book is unauthorized and therefore there are no interviews with Jack or Meg hence... everything you get is either heresay or just not related to the Stripes at all. Many of the book's chapters focus on the history of Detroit and the history of many Detriot rock bands... those bands of course have interviews and a full length detailed bios on them. Again, as a lover of the Stripes, I love reading about them. However, I found myself getting more and more frustrated as this book went on and less and less entertained or informed about the subject matter for which I shelled out the money for this paperback.
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