Fellow Michigan rock legend Iggy Pop inducted The White Stripes into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
The punk godfather started out his speech by singing the guitar riff to “Seven Nation Army” just to “get that out of the way.”
He went on to first praise drummer Meg White, saying, “Meg White had the most genuine and charming smile. She played the drums for the benefit of her band. She gave the drum kit a good whack. I think it was Meg’s support that helped launch the rocket of racket that was Jack White.”
Next, he paid homage to Jack White, declaring, “Jack could screech like an owl. He could twang like a hillbilly. But he could also write. I hear the echoes of The Who, The Small Faces, The Beatles… in Jack’s playing. The writing he was capable of was not typical of of the great Detroit bands of the 60s and 70s.”
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After a video tribute, Iggy introduced Jack White, who thanked “Uncle Iggy” upon taking the mic, and mentioned that the reclusive Meg was not in attendance at the ceremony.
“I spoke with Meg White the other day… she’s very grateful to all the folks who supported her through all the years. It really means a lot to her.”
He then said that Meg had wanted him to randomly mention that when they used to walk around together, animals used to stare at them. “Even at the Detroit Zoo, an elephant did the exact same thing one time and she just wanted me to tell you that.”
Jack went on to list a number of music acts that influenced and inspired them, including Loretta Lynn, Fugazi, the Misfits, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, The Strokes, Black Flag, and more.
At the end of his speech, Jack read a poetic story about the band that he had wanted to send to Meg:
“One time, a girl climbed a tree, and in that tree was a boy — her brother, she thought. And the tree looked so glorious and beautiful, but it was just an oak tree.
And these two so loved the world that they brought forth a parade float — one they built in their garage behind the oak tree with their own bare hands. And the boy looked at this giant peppermint on wheels and felt pride — pride that it was produced in the Motor City, just like in the big factories — but it was just in their garage. He looked at the girl — his sister, he thought — and, like the Little Rascals, they said, ‘Let’s put on a show.’
And they paraded this float through the Cass Corridor, standing atop the peppermint pulled by white horses — or maybe it was a red Econoline van. Many of the blocks they traveled were empty, but some had people. And some of those people cheered, some laughed, and some even threw stones. And with their bare hands, the two started to clap and sing and make up songs.
And some people kept watching and swaying and moving. And then one person even smiled. The boy and the girl looked at each other, and they also smiled, and they felt — they both felt — the sin of pride. But they kept on smiling. Smiling from a new freedom, knowing that they had shared and made another person feel something.
And they thought the person smiling at them was a stranger, someone they didn’t even know. But it wasn’t just a stranger — it was God.”
The 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class also includes Soundgarden, Bad Company, OutKast, Cyndi Lauper, Chubby Checker, and Joe Cocker in the performer category. Find our full coverage of the event here.
“Get your hands dirty and drop the screens and get out of your garage.” — Jack White, accepting The White Stripes’ Induction into the Rock & Roll of Fame.
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— Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (@rockhall) November 9, 2025