A new, somewhat unexpected voice has jumped into the debate over Meg White’s drumming skills after a reporter derided her contributions to The White Stripes‘ sound. Karen Elson, the English singer-songwriter who shares two children with Meg’s ex-bandmate (and ex-husband) Jack White, chimed in to defend her fellow musician, evoking the now-infamous words uttered by Will Smith when he stood up for Jada Pinkett Smith at last year’s controversial Oscars ceremony — albeit, very politely, as befits a native of the UK.
“Not only is Meg White a fantastic drummer, Jack also said the White Stripes would be nothing without her,” Elson wrote on Twitter, as a response one fan’s tweet praising Meg. “To the journalist who dissed her, keep my ex husband’s ex wife name out of your f*cking mouth. (Please and Thank You)”
Not only is Meg White a fantastic drummer, Jack also said the White Stripes would be nothing without her. To the journalist who dissed her, keep my ex husband’s ex wife name out of your f*cking mouth.
(Please and Thank You) https://t.co/qnnxgT3Rxh— Karen Elson (@KarenElson_) March 14, 2023
Meg, whose simple backline work often anchored Jack’s… let’s just say “aggressive” guitaring, also received support from fellow drummer Questlove of The Roots, who made it a point to counter the original tweet’s accusation of “sh*tty percussion” with his own expert opinion. “Actually what is wrong w music is people choking the life out of music like an Instagram filter—trying to reach a high of music perfection that doesn’t even serve the song (or music),” he wrote. This is why I walk that Dilla path and play like a drunken sloppy af amateur because them flaws is the human element in music that is missing. Real film >>>>>>> IG filter photo.”