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Jack White explains his cell phone ban as an "interesting art experiment"

Former White Stripes frontman and current solo artist Jack White has spoken to Metallica's Lars Ulrich about his ban on phones at gigs, describing it as an “interesting art experiment”.

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Back in January, White banned fans from using phones during his shows, describing it as a “100% human experience”. Now, White has sat down with Ulrich on Beats 1 to explain his rationale, calling the ban an “interesting art experiment” that would have been “funny” had gig-goers gotten mad and demanded their money back.

“I really react to the crowd, just like a stand-up comedian would,” White says in his interview. “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!' 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?'”

“When you go to a movie theatre, a symphony, church, whatever – there are all these moments in life where people put those away and engage,” White continues “And I love the idea of rock concerts being punk as hell and there are no rules. I love that. 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’.”

You can listen to the Beats 1 interview below:

What are your thoughts on using phones at shows? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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