On his 50th birthday, Jack White becomes ‘reluctant owner’ of first cell phone
Hello Operator! Jack White rung in his 50th birthday with an unexpected gift: his first cell phone.
The Nashville rocker’s wife, Olivia Jean, gifted him the device for his milestone birthday on July 9. White posted a photo gallery on Instagram of him holding the new phone, looking both puzzled and intrigued.
“Well y’all it’s either all over for me now or just the beginning,” White said in the caption. “I am now the reluctant owner of a cellular telephone for the first time in my life!”
“I’ve been saying that my days were numbered for years, can’t listen to my music in my car, can’t park at a parking lot by myself because of QR codes, etc. etc. and I guess Olivia decided to be kind and put me (and all my loved ones) out of my misery!” he continued.
“I thought if I could make it to 50 years old at least without ever having one that I could be proud of myself, and I am.
“Can’t wait to talk to you all soon. My phone number is the square root of all of our combined social interaction times Pi.” -JWIII”
Is Jack White anti-cell phone?
White has been famously cell phoneless for years now.
“I’m an anomaly,” he said a 2019 interview with UK’s Channel 4 News, adding that seeing everyone with their heads turned down and looking at their screens feels “silly.”
“And then you’re like, whatever, that’s their lives,” he said. “Or who knows, maybe this is the way everything is going to be from now on. I have no idea. Nobody really does. Maybe it’ll turn into implants. Probably it’ll turn into a microchip behind our eyeball or whatever.”
In 2018, White banned cell phone use from his live shows to encourage a more authentic experience for fans, asking them to lock away their devices in pouches upon entry to his concerts.
In an interview with Lars Ulrich the same year, White shared the reason behind his decision.
“I really react to the crowd, just like a stand-up comedian would … If I finish a song and go, ‘Ta-da!’, and it’s crickets, I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t know what to do now.’ Am I supposed to play a heavier song, a faster song? Do you want me to play acoustic? Do you want me to leave? I’ll leave!’ ” White said.
“But what I don’t like is, ‘Is that how they really feel, or are they just not even paying attention because they’re not engaged … because they’re texting?’
White said that when people go to the movie theater, symphony and church, they put their phones away and experience the moment.
“And I love the idea of rock concerts being punk as hell and there are no rules. I love that,” he said.
“But I don’t like the idea that I have no idea what to play next. And I need that. Because I’ve walked offstage before like, ‘Man, I don’t know what to do anymore. If this is how it’s going to be from now on, it’s going to be very difficult.”’
Jack White’s 50th birthday serenade from John C. Reilly in Detroit
Beyond White’s unanticipated birthday gift, the Detroit native received another fun birthday surprise on July 9.
Actor John C. Reilly serenaded White, a longtime friend, with his rendition of “Happy Birthday” at a Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park, singing on the mound before the team’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Amused, White watched in a suite with his wife and mother, laughing and shaking his head.
After Reilly left the field, The White Stripes’ song “Seven Nation Army” played over the PA, one of the Tigers’ go-to tunes.
To learn more about Jack White, visit jackwhiteiii.com.
Audrey Gibbs is a music journalist with The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jack White becomes ‘reluctant owner’ of 1st cell phone on 50th birthday
