An ode toThe White Stripes and The Vignettes

So as everyone heard the white stripes have announced they are no longer a band. I first heard/saw the white stripes on the MTV music video awards in 2001 when I was 16. 
It was absolutely astounding. 
They played a medley of 'Fell in love with a Girl', 'Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground' and 'I think I smell a Rat'.  I spent weeks on Napster downloading those songs, and it wasn't until the following year that I got the album White Blood Cells. 
Never had rock and roll grabbed me in this way before.  I started realising my old friends that listened to hip hop were dicks, and the weird chicks who hung out at the bottom of the school were awesome. 
I dyed my hair black to be more like Jack White.  I started really listening to music and trying to find more that grabbed me in such a powerful and sincere way.  My life became devoted to rock and roll. 

I followed the White Stripes devoutly, discovering their earlier albums 'The White Stripes' and 'De Stijl' were equally powerful, and loved everything they did after with 'Elephant', 'Get Behind Me Satan', and 'Icky Thump' (though enjoying each release less and less). I bought live dvds and biographies, any magazine with their picture on it, b-sides and vinyls. I was smitten.

Now the evolution onto The Vignettes.
Shortly after leaving school, and the release of Elephant, I came to another realisation; I didn't just want to listen to rock and roll, I wanted to make it.  I went to my musician uncle Stuey, who gave me my first guitar and guitar lesson at 19.  By then I was uncovering everything from Led Zeppelin to the Von Bondies (who i saw live and met that same year) and started my very first band 'The Vinettes', named after our mutual love of The Vines, who also instigated my love of rock and roll.  The Vinettes only played 1 gig (which we have on film), and then disbanded.  We were a three piece with all of us rotating instruments, and the line up always one guitar, drums and vocals. 2 girls and a guy.  That format seems to have stuck with me ever since.  When I moved to Sydney I managed to get my friend Nay to move with me to start the band again with my girl Katie on drums, and the new name, 'The Vignettes'.  I got the name from a NIN interview about the film clip 'closer' where trent said, "The vignettes in the video made me enjoy the song again".  Amazing.
Nay ended up leaving and we were stuck with gigs booked as a 2 piece.  We followed through and had a reasonable career, getting played on Triple J with 3 songs, Wild, The Rich and Could've Been from our 1st EP, getting to play Come Together and Playground Weekender festivals, and building a reasonable fan base around sydney.   We released 2 EPs (Out of Home, On our Own) and 1 album (DIY/FU - vinyl only)
As a 2 piece though, we never escaped the stigma of being a cheap version of The White Stripes.  Similarities came from our simple playing styles (which came from having barely learned our instruments), having a guy guitarist and female drummer; and our song writing structure, which was just generic rock style.  Really our intent was to imitate bands like DFA 1979, Wolfmother, Muse and numerous others, but that never really broke through.  Eventually we came to loath the white stripes for the constant comparisons and jokes about our playing styles when we never even tried to sound like them.
Finally, realising we could take this format no further with the equipment we had and the song styles we loved, we left The Vignettes behind to indulge in new endeavors; going back to the line up of 2 girls, 1 guy with Bang! Bang! Rock n Roll. 
The White Stripes musical journey has ended along with The Vignettes, and somehow that seems very appropriate.
Goodbye White Stripes, you will always have a place in my heart, and my record collection.

Goodbye The Vignettes, and for everyone who ever saw or heard us, FUCK YOU IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE IT!