Karen Elson leads support for Meg White after drumming criticism: ‘Keep my ex-husband’s ex-wife name out your mouth’

Karen Elson has joined the band of musicians jumping in to defend Meg White after the former drummer was criticised by a reporter on Twitter.

This week, a tweet from political journalist Lachlan Markay surfaced in which he claimed that The White Stripes would have been a better band with “a half decent drummer”.

“Yeah, yeah I’ve heard all the ‘but it’s a carefully crafted sound mannnn!’ takes. I’m sorry Meg White was terrible and no band is better for having s***ty percussion,” Markay wrote.

The reporter’s sentiment has been widely rebutted by the music industry. Elson, who was married to Meg’s ex-husband and bandmate Jack White between 2005 and 2013, tweeted: “Not only is Meg White a fantastic drummer, Jack also said the White Stripes would be nothing without her.

“To the journalist who dissed her, keep my ex husband’s ex wife name out of your f***ing mouth. (Please and Thank You).”

In response to The Independent’s request for comment, Markay pointed to his Twitter thread in which he apologised for the tweet.

“By now you’ve probably seen an ill-advised (and since-deleted) tweet I sent out yesterday about the White Stripes and Meg White. It was an over-the-top take on TWS and White as a drummer, and was, let’s face it, just truly awful in every way. Petty, obnoxious, just plain wrong,” he wrote.

“... To Meg White: I am sorry. Really. And to women in the music business generally, who I think are disproportionately subject to this sort of shit, I am sorry to have fed that as well. I’m really going to try to be more thoughtful in the future, both on here and off.”

Jack and Meg were married between 1996 and 2000. They originally portrayed themselves as siblings until public records revealed that they were partners.

Grammy-winning artist Questlove also responded to Markay on Twitter, writing: “I try to leave ‘troll views’ alone but this right here is out of line af. Actually what is wrong w music is people choking the life out of music like an Instagram filter – trying to reach a high of music perfection that doesn’t even serve the song (or music).”

He added in another tweet: “This is why I walk that Dilla path and play like a drunken sloppy af amateur because them flaws is the human element in music that is missing. Real film >>>>>>> IG filter photo.”

It’s not the first time Meg has received criticism for her drumming style, which has been described as “primal”.

In a 2002 interview, she said: “I appreciate other kinds of drummers who play differently, but it’s not my style or what works for this band. I get [criticism] sometimes, and I go through periods where it really bothers me. But then I think about it, and I realize that this is what is really needed for this band. And I just try to have as much fun with it as possible.”

The White Stripes disbanded in 2011. Meg, who suffers from acute anxiety describes herself as “very shy” and keeps a low public profile.