Jack White is auctioning off his Tesla car after publicly calling out Elon Musk on several occasions in recent months.
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The former White Stripes singer, once an avid Tesla fan, has made his souring feelings towards Musk known over the past year, including hitting out at the SpaceX and Tesla boss for Trump’s return to Twitter, calling it “absolutely disgusting” and “an asshole move” on Musk’s part.
White then quit Twitter, and later mocked Musk’s “free speech” hypocrisy after Kanye West’s Twitter ban.
Now, the musician is auctioning his Tesla along with a selection of other items for a virtual garage sale with his label Third Man, having partnered with Everything But The House. A portion of proceeds will go towards Southwest Detroit’s Clark Park Coalition.
The car listing reads: “Whoa daddy. Ain’t no joke here, what you’re bidding on is Jack White’s personal Tesla model S. He called this car ‘The Green Machine.’ Thought to be the first model S in the state of Tennessee, this car long-served as White’s daily driver.”
It also references the fact that the sound system “figured prominently” in the mixing of The Raconteurs’ 2019 album ‘Help Us Stranger‘, along with other music White worked on during roughly a nine year period in which he used the car.
It goes on: “Original owner. Calming kelly green paint job. Pretty comfortable seats. Leather interior. Batshit crazy fast pedal-to-the-metal speed. No CD player. Does not come with Autopilot capabilities, because that shit is crazy dangerous. A respectable vehicle, classy and environmentally conscious. The right choice.”
Other items in the auction, which started yesterday and runs through to July 30, include a White Stripes-era Framus acoustic guitar used in the ‘We’re Going To Be Friends’ music video, White’s blue Ernie Ball St Vincent guitar used on the ‘Boarding House Reach’ tour, along with various set and studio props.
This isn’t the first time White has hosted an auction with his label, having put items from the label’s archives and his personal collection on sale back in August 2020.
White once called Musk “the Henry Ford of the 21st century”, but has had stronger words for the tech mogul in recent months.
After Trump’s return to Twitter, White addressed Musk and implored him to “be truthful” and “tell it like it is”, adding that “people like [him] and Joe Rogan (who gives platforms to liars like Alex Jones etc.)” are financially incentivised to put their support behind figures spreading hate speech.
When Musk then banned West from Twitter, White wrote in a post: “So Elon, how’s that ‘free speech’ thing working out?”
Earlier this month, White then criticised Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson for meeting “fascist” Trump.
The post Jack White is auctioning off his Tesla following war of words with Elon Musk appeared first on NME.
