“He’s a humongous influence”: the musician Jack White calls a father
Jack White is an example of an artist who makes music because it is a natural impulse. When you consider the amount of work he has done as a solo artist and in bands such as The White Stripes and Dead Weather, all of which have their own distinct style and sound, it is hard to deny that his talent and versatility are unlike those of many modern performers.
His attitude towards music and his exciting embrace of it means that he is respected worldwide and is capable of filling out arenas everywhere he goes as people get excited about seeing him play tracks from his healthy back catalogue. With such a varied and respected style, it’s not a surprise to hear that White has a plethora of influences; however, there is one in particular he holds in high regard.
During an interview, White talked about how he was keen on learning how to weld and asked Bob Dylan for some advice, knowing that his fellow musician frequently makes metal gates and fences. White said Dylan was very helpful in providing a crash course on the art. The interviewer then asked if Dylan influenced White in his music, to which the musician quickly confirmed he did.
“Oh, all the time, yeah,” he said, recalling the number of times that he has thought about Bob Dylan’s music whenever he’s been writing his own. “He’s a humongous influence on me. He’s a father of mine, really; I look at him like that. He’s a mentor, a father and always will be. I’ve been very, very connected to him since a young age, what he does and how he does it.”
You can hear Dylan’s influence in a lot of White’s music. In tracks like ‘Three Women’ and ‘Love Interruption’, there is a narrative element contained within White’s lyricism. He manages to create a whole landscape with his words that talk about obsession and compulsion, using similar descriptive techniques that Dylan uses in his music.
White isn’t the only person who has used the term “father” when describing Bob Dylan either. It seems that the singer’s authority over the music he made and the mentor role he has assumed for so many artists means that the paternal element of his image persists for a number of artists.
Bruce Springsteen once described Bob Dylan as the “Father of my country” as he recalled the first time he heard his music. “I was very influenced by Dylan,” he said. I always say he’s the father of my country. He initially provided me with a picture of a country that I recognised—one that feels real, feels like the truth.”
Dylan’s influence on music, particularly in his lyrics, is still very much present in modern music, as his unrelenting honesty, rhythm, and humour continue to inspire artists new and old.
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