Lester Cohen/WireImageJack White is trying to make amends for comments he made about the Black Keys, Adele and more music stars.
After telling Rolling Stone the Black Keys were ripping off his sound, and that Adele wouldn't have made it if Amy Winehouse were alive (among other things), White wrote a long post on his website apologizing for what he said.
Saying that he felt "forced" to talk about his "very private opinions," after his "private letters were made public," White added, "There are a lot of things that only people around me can know about or understand, but despite all of that I want to say this: I wish the band the Black Keys all the success that they can get."
"I hope the best for their record label Nonesuch who has such a proud history in music, and in their efforts to bring the Black Keys songs to the world," he continued. "I hope for massive success also for their producer and songwriter Danger Mouse and for the other musicians that their band employs. Lord knows that I can tell you myself how hard it is to get people to pay attention to a two piece band with a plastic guitar, so any attention that the Black Keys can get in this world I wish it for them, and I hope their record stays in the top ten for many months and they have many more successful albums in their career."
He went on to say, "I wish no slight to the talents of Winehouse, Duffy, Lana del Rey, and Adele. All of whom are wonderful performers with amazing voices. I have their records and I hope for more success for them all as the years go on. They deserve all they've gotten. And, I also would love to state that I personally find it inspiring to have powerful, positive female voices speaking out and creating at all times in the mainstream, and all of those singers do just that, so I thank them."
White also brought up Meg White, saying that he's "personally championed" her for 15 years and that he was only trying to explain that it was hard to communicate with her because of their "very different personalities." He originally called her a "hermit" in an interview, saying that he "almost never" talks to her.
"This got blown out of proportion and made into headlines, and somehow I looked like I was picking on her," he continued. "I would never publicly do that to someone I love so dearly."
The rocker has been feuding with the Black Keys for years, according to Rolling Stone, but the situation was amped up when White accused the group of "riding his coattails" in a series of leaked e-mails.
Nevertheless, Black Keys Drummer Patrick Carney seemed to let those comments go, telling Rolling Stone he had sympathy for White considering he made the comments while he was in the midst of a custody battle with ex-wife Karen Elson. "We've all said fu**ed-up sh*t in private, and divorce is hard," Carney said.
Still, Jack continued to rip the Black Keys to the mag, saying, "There are kids at school who dress like everybody else, because they don't know what to do, and there are musicians like that, too. I'll hear TV commercials where the music's ripping off sounds of mine, to the point I think it's me. Half the time, it's the Black Keys. The other half, it's a sound-alike song because they couldn't license one of mine. There's a whole world that's totally fine with the watered-down version of the original."
"Some people will hear that and say 'Oh, Jack White thinks he's the first person to play the blues.' But certain acts open up a market for a certain style. Amy Winehouse: Did she invent white soul? Wearing a beehive? No. But she did something brand new and fresh, altogether as a package, and you see who's in her wake, from the Duffys to the Lana Del Reys," he says. "Adele selling 20 million records? That would not have happened if Amy Winehouse was alive. The White Stripes did the same thing, and in our absence, you're gonna find someone to fill that. And you get a band like the Black Keys, who said they never heard of the White Stripes? Sure."
Jack finished off his apology note by saying, "God bless the Black Keys, Danger Mouse, Adele, Meg White, and anyone else I've spoken about, and thank you for understanding. Good fortune to all of them, and I'm sorry for my statements hurting anyone.