The White Stripes
"The Big Three Killed My Baby" b/w "Red Bowling Ball Ruth"
scum stats: original SFTRI pressing was 500 on red vinyl (I think), a shit ton on black, TMR version is 150 copies on tri-color and a shit ton on black
Week one of living in a world of three little girls crawling around this house has me generally optimistic about how the next 18 years of my life will play out. While some folks response to my having a three month paternity leave is "wow...no work!" it hardly plays out that way.
It should come as a surprise to no one that running a record label is FAR less work than wrangling a 5 year old, a 2 year old, and a newborn. Three months paternity leave is three months deep in the trenches. School pick-up and drop-off, pediatrician visits, ballet class, coordinating mattress deliveries, hanging on the telephone with customer service, runs to the pharmacy, grabbing carryout food, play time activities director, homework assassin, second string burper, furniture assemblyman, sleepy time therapist are all things I've tackled in the week since Navy Eleanor was born.
I just try and GET SHIT DONE as much as I can when I'm here. Don't let tasks pile up. Smile every once in awhile.
Woke up this morning to a dead battery in my car. Let my mother-in-law borrow it to run to the grocery store the other day, but had to back it out of the driveway because she felt uncomfortable doing so herself. It was raining, I turned on the headlights and she never turned them off. Ugh.
Usually this is something I would let fester, Uber in to work for a couple of days before finding the time and energy to address it. But on leave, I waste NO time.
Battery wouldn't jump and the most complicated thing I can do re: car maintenance is replacing a dead battery. So I am on top of this. I pull out my sorry excuse for a tool box, disconnect the terminals, throw the dead, ten-year-old battery in the back of my wife's car and ramble on down to Autozone to get a replacement. $140 something later I'm back in business. There's still some alert lights pinged on the dash, but hell, I really just drive this thing to work and back. I can wait those out.
So as I type here with fingers still greasy from the transplant, I can't help but think of how much the early existence of the White Stripes was tied to car troubles. "The Big Three Killed My Baby" was not tongue-in-cheek, it was a frustrationary tale firmly rooted in real life. The Third Man Upholstery van had no windshield wipers and woudn't start if it was rainy. But Jack figured out some way to wrap tinfoil around SOMETHING under the hood to get that sucker humming. I never did figure out what that was. Pretty sure that van only went out of town once, to Chicago in '98, for Two Star Tabernacle opening for Jeff Tweedy at Lounge Ax and then two days later the Stripes opening for the Sadies and the Waco Brothers. Jack and Meg sat in the two front seats and since there were none in the back (it WAS a delivery van) I sat on a bean bag. So dangerous. Oh yeah, there was no radio! We had to use a boom box on that trip (listening to demos by Poopy Time) but most of the time in that vehicle it was just the low hum of the wheels on the road. Meditational silence.
A two day tour in January 2000 was side-tracked as Meg's Ford Escort just stopped moving on I-94 right outside of Chicago. Had to cancel the gig in Youngstown, OH that night. Yes, the White Stripes did tour dates in a FORD ESCORT. Well, one date. Then the car died.
The first "official" vehicle of the band was a maroon van used starting around spring/summer of 2000. It ran well most of that tour, but something went haywire in Los Angeles. I'm pretty sure a large portion of the profits from that tour went to the $800 worth of repairs in Denver to fix the incorrect work done by the crew in LA.
So much uncertainty, so much resignation to the fact that the mechanic could say "you need a johnson rod" and ultimately having to be beholden to them and whether or not they decided to screw you that day. Cars still seem overwhelming to me, but I'm not as scared of them as I used to be.
"The Big Three Killed My Baby" was originally written for Andre Williams to sing with Two Star Tabernacle and we released the fruits of those sessions back in the Vault however long ago. But to me, it was always perfect when Jack and Meg tackled it. The b-side to their version was originally supposed to be "Stop Breakin' Down" and was pitched as an "anti-automotive" single. But "Red Bowling Ball Ruth", the song "inspired" by AC/DC's "Have a Drink On Me" seemed to be more appropriate here. Song title came from a bowling ball that was kicking around Jack's house at the time that was inscriped "Ruth" and was red. It may have come from the burned out East Warren lanes, but I digress.
The typeface on this single was originally set to be something different, but the designers (Andy and Patti Claydon) found out that it was $500 to use it, so they just ripped it off free-hand, or so I was told. The logo on the original SFTRI edition was a re-appropriation of the Tucker Automobile logo, and instead of it's slogan "The Symbol of Safety" it was labeled "The Symbol of Sympathy."
The huge photograph of a motor on the cover was something left over from a photo shoot or film shoot that Jack had worked on as a production assistant and years after he'd moved out of his Ferdinand house, I found the "insert your money here" tag underneath the rug in that room.
Whomever tells the best story here regarding car breakdown, car repair or anything in the car realm gets a tri-color version of this record. Cool? Cool. Back to diapers for me.
our car broke down when our first girl, Neeka, was born. While mama and the baby are in the hospital and me going back and forth everyday, one day the car breaks down…no repairing possible(to expensive for an old car). You can understand that this was not a good moment for shit like that. So being father for the first time I feel like the time had come, for the first time in my life, to spend some serious money on a decent car (still second hand though because babies tend to cost money also, especially first ones). Anyway I start looking and I find a nice car with a trusted dealer, go test the car & everything seems to be fine. Good car for a nice price. I put some presure on the salesman to get the car ready as fast as possible so I could pick up my partner & my daughter in time from the hospital. But when I had to go get the car it didn’t even get out of the dealers garage, it broke down to!And I had just tested it! On board computer had crashed…I was not happy! They helped us out and let us use another car untill ours was fixed so mamma and daughter got home in time, but I didn’ get the secure and trustworthy car I was going for, and because it broke down several times afterwards to. So far for expensive modern cars with onboard computers.Anyway we now drive a VW transporter van and they have a reputation of lasting a long time so we’ll see what car troubles lie ahead
Congratulations to you and your family, Ben. Parenthood is the hardest job you’ll ever love…
I remember my surprise when my best friend Mark turned up on my driveway in his mum’s sporty Fiat one rainy Saturday in October. Mark had only passed his test two days before and I was surprised his mother had let two teenagers borrow the car to travel the 70+ miles to Europe’s largest travelling fair in Hull. We arrived in Hull unscathed but Europe’s largest travelling fair proved somewhat elusive to us first time visitors to find (esp.in pre internet times). We found a city centre car park, stopped for lunch and made enquiries with the locals before setting off confident of our destination. Mark’s lack of driving skills became apparent when he tried to reverse out of the parking place and collided with a car in the next bay. Our driver’s window literally dropped into the door and Mark chose that moment to tell me his mum actually had no idea he’d taken her car. We gave up after an hour of not finding a mechanic and came up with the story on the 90 min rain soaked journey home that we’d decided to take his mum’s car to the nearby automatic car wash as a thank you for her help in getting him through his test. Rather than grief for returning the car broken and soaking wet we instead soaked up the praise of how we’d tried to do a good thing but had been shocked when for some reason the car wash broke the window and flooded the vehicle. We’d have got away with it too, had his dad not taken the car for repairs, and the window now retrieved hadn’t still been emblazened with the Hull City Centre pay and display sticker with time and date still firmly attached. I’m going to see Jack in concert in Hull in just over a fortnight. On the train.
You Said = Ben Alton sorry I don’t post much.
Congrats on the new edition. Instead of the car story of which I have a few I am going to leave you a couple Dad on maternity leave cautionary tales.
Guard the phone. When taking the last three months of leave, (we get twelve here in Canada), with our first born daughter I was in the basement playroom with her. I thought we were having a cute game of peek a boo where she was outside the playroom closing the door then reopening it with a peek and a smile. This happened a few times until one time the door did not reopen for a few minutes so I wondered what happened. I open the door to find out that I had been outsmarted by an 11 month old and she had gone upstairs. To do what?Found out about 10-15 mins later after I had brought her back down to the playroom then heard a knock at the door. Went up the stairs to find a police officer at the door. Puzzled I ask what can I help him with. Did you call 911 Sir he asks? No I reply. Is there anyone else in the house? Just my 11 month old daughter. Do you have 911 on a preset speed dial Sir? Yes I do officer. Can you go check your phone Sir. Sure enough there it is active with a 911 operator awaiting a reply from me. The peek a-boo disappearing act was to go play with the phone. Oh the shame of being outsmarted by an 11 month old then being told so by an Officer of the Law – we recommend you do not keep 911 on speed dial Sir it is only three numbers you can dial it quick and not have your kid dial it by accident having it on speed dial. Have a nice day Sir. Lesson learned. Baby Safety Devices do not guarantee safety.
Serving time on Mat leave number two with my son I was secure in the notion that all safety measures were securely in place. Cupboard latches – check, Toilet latches – check, plastic plug ins for electrical outlets not in use – check, plastic box covers for electrical boxes with items plugged in – check. Safe and Sound – or so I thought. Needing to use the bathroom I left my son crawling in the hall just outside the door only to come out of the bathroom and see him down the hall holding on to the electrical cord coming out of one of those safety box covers. As he is holding it with both hands spread apart he opens his mouth and starts to move in on the space left between for a good chew on the cord. NO BOY! STOP! I’m sure I outpaced the fastest of sprinters record times in getting down that hall to grab him before he could bite down. I’m sure I could have used a heart check for myself after. Safety not guaranteed I guess. Man these kids are tough on poor old Dad.
Good luck in the trenches. I had my hands full with two I don’t even want to think about what it must be like to have a third in the mix. Sorry to say that I did not get to help Jack and Meg with their car repair bills as I did not get to see The White Stripes live and my only means of new music at the time was trading old CD’s at a New / Used music shop for new Cd’s as that money was paying for formula and diapers. Have no fear though because along with the tough times good times lie ahead. My daughter is now 14. She loves music and art. We have had great father daughter time the past few years with trips to see Pearl Jam, Beck, U2, Bon Jovi, Coldplay, (Dixie Chicks and Katy Perry with her mother), and our first trip to Third Man records In Detroit Rock City this past summer as well as seeing Jack for the first time in June and soon again in November and we have loved every minute of it. The struggle is worth it! All the best to you and your family and enjoy the ride.
On the way to Chicago from Detroit on New Years Eve for New Years Eve celebrations and a blizzard hits in Indiana and just before the southern tip of Lake Michigan. All four tires of the Civic that we’re driving in are bald like beachside inflatable tubes. The roads get so bad that we are shifting left and right while traveling in a straight line. The wind is pushing the car sideways and there is absolutely no grip to keep us from drifting. Authorities end up closing I-94 and direct us onto 2-lane side roads with huge ditches on either side. As we crawl in a line back to the freeway, we pass at least 4 cars that have gone off the road and end up over the hood in drifts of snow but we press on because it makes more sense than turning back. Eventually, we make it to Chicago and spend the night in a dive bar (can’t remember the name) watching the ball drop. The temperature drops too, down to -20 with the windchill after we are walking back to the apartment. We spent New Year’s Day sitting in a Walmart for 4 hours while all four tires get replaced, hungover and watching local news on a TV that cuts out every 15 seconds. But then I made it to Dave’s Records downtown and picked up some Charles Bradley and Cramps live show from CBGB, so I guess it was worth it.
When I was 7 years old, me and my family went on a trip to Amsterdam. As it is a busy city, we parked in a near by town and got the train there. However, when we returned to this small town some 10 hours later, we could not for the life of us remember where we had parked our car. With it being pitch black and, for a 7 year old, very late at night, I became incredibly panicked and started asking complete strangers where they had seen our car, forgetting that 1. They had no idea what it looked like and 2. Were Dutch and therefore probably had no idea what I was saying. Being a 7 year old, all sense of rational and logic was non-excitant so I thought we would be stuck in this strange place forever. After a good hour (although for me, what felt like an eternity) had past, we did the car, resulting in us making a return back to the UK after all. This is probably a very boring story but it is one that I was traumatised by for a good few months after!
My Dad had been with me for every car purchase. My first when I was 16 was a big ol car. He wanted me to drive a tank. It was a 1985 Lincoln Continental Mark VII. A few years later, a 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse and finally a 2004 Toyota Matrix which I still drive to this day and is a wonderful, reliable little car that’s biggest cost has been routine maintenance. No problems. I would buy another in a heartbeat.
My Dad passed away 7/22/2015. I had driven up to East Texas to be with my Mom and family. My car sat in their driveway, untouched while we mourned. I spent a little less than a week there and when it came time to go home, I packed the car, gave my Momma one last hug, got in and turned the key and silence. Not a single sound. Completely dead. Nothing like this had ever happened with this car. I was floored.
Had to have the car towed into town. $2k and 5 days later, I could finally drive back home. It was so odd because that car had never given me any trouble. And my Dad did pass in the driveway. Other odd things happened during those days after like my brother felt a touch on his back while he was smoking outside on the driveway late at night.
Haven’t had any issues with the car in the two years since. I’m not saying his spirit threw open the hood and pulled wires but I always thought it was a very odd coincidence so maybe I am. Just wish he would of broke something cheaper! And it was really nice to spend more time with my Mom. ?
I was in my parent’s suburban with a goat and a cocker spaniel, driving to the Emergency Vet. There’s a backstory to this, but the only really important things to know are:
1. The goat was named Gilbert and he was exactly like a large pet dog, but with horns.
2. He’d been stung by lots of yellow jackets.
3. I brought the dog (Ginger) because my 19-year-old mind believed it would keep Gilbert calmer in the car.
We’re en route for a total of 40 minutes getting from my parents farm to the vet in town. All kinds of “farm things” happened in that suburban during this ride, but that’s another kind of story. We arrive safely, and the vet checks out the goat. He gives him two shots and sends us on our way. He says he’ll bill my parents – ha! Smart move Vet, I had five bucks and a Subway Club card.
I pull out of the parking lot and I as I drive down the road I hear a weird noise and the car seems different. I turn around and go back to the vet’s with the somber knowledge that I have a flat tire, and a goat, and a dog. I had no idea how to change a tire, even though my stepdad made all five of us girls practice this specific skill in the driveway prior to taking us to get our licenses.
Luckily the vet hasn’t left the office, and he helps me change the tire, and by helps, I mean he does it. All of this, after hours on a Sunday! We made it home not much worse for wear, but our victory was short lived. My parents were furious with me about transporting the goat in their suburban, and they weren’t terribly happy with having to buy two new suburban tires. They also protested the emergency vet bill, but only ceremoniously. They really loved that goat.
1998 – on the way to the 1998 93XFest in Somerset, WI driving my ‘91 Mercury Sable with a couple of friends. Our main objective for this endeavor was to see Tool perform live. I don’t believe I’ve been to a festival at this location since, but back then traffic from the Twin Cities would back up into Stillwater, MN, eleven miles out from the venue. Needless to say, my vehicle decided to start overheating a few miles away. I pulled into a country driveway, with the engine smoking and somehow talked the homeowner into letting me keep my car at his house until I could pick it up later. We thumbed a ride into town and we were able to catch Reverend Maynard and his cohorts (along with whatever other bands were playing the festival that year) – my car troubles at least forgotten for a few hours that day. My friends were able to catch a ride back to the cities, while I had to find a phone to call my parents to figure out what to do next. I ended up walking the few miles back to the car, where I was able to thank the homeowner for his graciousness, wait for my dad to arrive – at which point he followed me home in the dead of a cold night, in case my car started to overheat again. As always, thanks for the insight and much love from our family to your growing one. May you get some sleep in the near future!