There was big news today out of Third Man Records. Third Man is releasing Quentin Tarantinoâs eighth film, appropriately dubbed The Hateful Eight, on vinyl. On the surface this is a deal very similar to the Third Manâs release of The Great Gatsby on vinyl. Just a boutique release of a collectable soundtrack which also features a Jack White song. The Great Gatsby featured âLove Is Blindnessâ. The Hateful Eight features the White Stripes classic âApple Blossomâ.
This release is so much cooler than The Great Gatsby release in some very important ways. The most obvious is that Quentin Tarantino is a much better filmmaker than Baz Luhrmann. Mr. Luhrmann made Australia after all. I wasnât able to finish that movie but I still think my psyche may be scarred for life from the awful chunk I was able to sit through. Beyond the merits of these movies, is a much bigger stake. For those of us who have followed Jack White and Quentin Tarantino for years this release seems to portend a possible future collaboration.
Jack has had successful collaborations with Tarantinoâs contemporary, Indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch. Recently Jarmusch credited Jack for getting him interested in music again. Jack and Meg had a segment in Jarmuschâs film Coffee and Cigarettes. Who else had a segment in Coffee and Cigarettes? RZA.
Although, loyal Jack White III fans might turn their nose up at it, RZA successfully collaborated with The Black Keys on the, Tarantino produced Man With The Iron Fist (RZAâs directorial debut). The result, a song called âThe Baddest Man Aliveâ is pretty good. Even before this, Quentin Tarantino enlisted RZA for the Kill Bill soundtrack. Jack has shown how much he liked the Kill Bill soundtrack.  The Raconteurs have been known to play âBang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)â, a song made popular again by Kill Bill.
The 5, 6, 7, 8âs, who were discovered by Quentin Tarantino, and recorded with Third Man Records. The story is that Jack and RZAâs failed attempt to collaborate resulted in Jack using Daru Jones on his solo album and made way for Jack to have time to record Blunderbuss. It isnât clear if any kind of collaboration actually ever happened between Jack and RZA. I have heard internet rumors that it happened at a later date and was never released. We could be approaching a chance a time for these three geniuses to land on the same project.
Why wouldnât Jack and Quentin collaborate? They are natural bedmates. Both have shown a strong affinity for analog technology in their respective mediums. Actually both have spoken of the superiority of film. Jack told The New York Times Magazine of meeting Robert Altman, and he compared Altmanâs love of film to his own love of analog recordings. Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino has been making news with his release of The Hateful Eight on 70 mm film.
Mr. White has long been interested in visual mediums. Making cutting edge videos, directing, acting, and promoting unknown films via Light and Sound Machine.  Jack has been involved in several notable movie projects over the years including Cold Mountain and Quantum Of Solace. In 2013 he was scheduled to score the Johnny Depp vehicle The Lone Ranger. (Jack pulled out of the project due to what is being called scheduling conflicts.) We know he can do instrumentals. You wouldnât be crazy if you were to make the argument that âHigh Ball Stepperâ is the best track on Lazaretto.
Their approach to art is even similar. Jack loves to cover songs from his idols and pay tribute to the greats. His list of covers is longer than many artists (You can vote in our weekly cover contest on Twitter @jackwhitehub.)  Tarantino has made a living directly referencing other films in his dialogue.  It is not just the references, but masterful recreations of mood, costume, and shot composition from great films. Third Man Records has gone back in history and released nearly forgotten music from Paramount Records and most recently some great Jack Wood singles for re-release at Third Man Records Cass Corridor in Detroit. Tarantino has been celebrated for his ability to âfindâ old gems and highlight them for his soundtracks. The Jackie Brown Soundtrack comes to mind. It is full of great funk that sounded new and fresh to me but were brilliantly plucked from 1970s obscurity.
Come on people! We must ask the question. Has Tarantino found his new Mr. White? Jack is already a part of so many bands, why not join A Band Apart?
Opinion piece: Has Tarantino Found The New Mr. White? There was big news today out of Third Man Records. Third Man is releasing Quentin Tarantinoâs eighth film, appropriately dubbedâŚ
