Only been around since 1997, but had a significant impact on music. Clearly Jack White is the more talented of the duo and we should not expect him to disappear from the music industry. His ex-wife (claimed sibling), Meg, on the other hand will probably disappear into obscurity.
I also love the grammar debate that goes on in the comments section of the linked article. Could have lifted it straight from the SDMB.
It was always a solo act anyway. The drummer is utterly expendable and wasn’t even that good.
…on HuffPo.
Well, yeah. He’s in about six other bands and since he’s been devoting most of his energy toward those projects, I guess this was kind of a formality. I was never a huge White Stripes fan - some of their stuff is excellent, other times the shtick got in the way of the music for me - but their best stuff is very good.
[Modding]I merged the threads started by Omar Little and WordMan.[/Modding]
I shoot videos of the School of Rock and I can say, with complete honesty, that I know many pre-teens who are much, much more talented drummers than Meg White.
If I wasn’t married I would have a place she could hide.
I once heard Meg White’s drumming style described as “Hey cool, who left these drums here?” 
Talent or near-complete lack thereof notwithstanding, Meg White’s drumming accompanied the guitar perfectly. I think a more talented drummer would have actually detracted from the band.
I whole-heartedly agree with the last sentence. She’s actually not a terrible drummer at all, in the context of a garage-rock band, and I tend to be pretty picky about my drummers. She’s not technically proficient, but there is an undeniably musicality and swagger to her playing, and the raw energy of her parts–she hits those drums hard–counterpointed by Jack White’s agressive and sometimes disjointed approach to the guitar balance each other perfectly. When I hear his work with, say, the Raconteurs, I just feel it doesn’t have the same energy.
Now, I’m not a big Stripes follower, but I did see them once in concert (with the Flaming Lips) and was absolutely blown away by their stage presence and just how much music and energy two people could fill a concert venue with. I mean, simply incredible the way they both filled up the room, and Meg’s drumming really was 50% of that equation. Not just literally, but musically.
I’m not qualified to talk about the greatness or otherwise of Meg’s drumming. But, holy fuck, what a great band the pair of them were. Absolutely awesome live, too.
Agree. If people doubt, then “Blackpool Lights”?
This is all that matters to me.
Reminds me of when Wings broke up.
I remember Jack White describing it about as much from the beginning.
I seem to remember an interview - possibly in It Might Get Loud - where he described her style as “petulant”. I thought that was pretty apt.
“Groundbreaking rock duo”?!?
Three punctuation marks for that one, huh?
You must disagree like a motherfucker, but not quite enough to say anything about it.
Man, with all the hate for Meg, you’d think this was a “Family Guy” thread…
I don’t hate her, I just think she was a very mediocre drummer. Honestly, I don’t think would have passed an audition for any of the bands I was in. I find her very simplistic and amateurish.
For situations like this I recommend the… interrobang‽
“Simplistic” and “amateurish” are reasonable adjectives for her drumming style. But, as I said above, the “naive” approach works perfectly for that band and that dirty blues-rock-meets-punk-sensibility garage sound. Having somebody like Jimmy Chamberlain or Stuart Copeland or a Jeff Porcaro-type behind that would, IMHO, completely changed the vibe, and not for the better.
I’m not trying to make excuses for her–she’s not on my Top 10 drummer list or anything, but I honestly believe her musical contribution helped define the sound of the White Stripes as much as Jack White’s guitar.
Also, in terms of image (and there’s nothing wrong with rock music with a bit of theatre–I kind of miss some of the theatrics that used to be more part-and-parcel of a rock concert), there’s just something to be said for that man-woman dynamic, and that image of an attractive woman rockin’ out and rockin’ hard behind the drum kit. Most of my comments and admiration of the White Stripes is the music, but the image and theatre were also a big contributor to their success.