Jack White criticizes the 'Taylor Swift way' of songwriting — and 13 other rockers who have weighed in on the pop star's artistry

Jack Whitemay have battled a "Seven Nation Army," but does he know the power of overprotective Swifties?

The Detroit rocker seemingly took a shot atTaylor Swiftwhile talking about the nuances of his songwriting in a new interview withThe Guardian. Asked if his songs are "entirely autobiographical," White replied, "not too much," and explained why.

"Now, it's become very popular in the Taylor Swift way of pop singers writing about all of their publicly aired break-ups, which I don't find interesting at all," admitted White, who has fronted several bands including the White Stripes, Raconteurs, and Dead Weather.

"I think it's a little bit boring for me to write about myself," he continued. "Even if I've had a really interesting day, I feel like I've already lived that, I don't need to go through it every time I sing this song. If it's something really painful, I'm not going to put this important, painful thing that I went through out there for some idiot on the internet to stomp all over."

Swift has yet to publicly acknowledge White's remark — but she has spoken up to defend herself in the past. Read about the memorable moment with Blur's Damon Albarn below, as well as the 12 other rockers who have discussed the Grammy winner's unique artistry.

Damon Albarn

In 2022, the British singer was asked his thoughts on modern chart-toppers by theLos Angeles Times. As for Swift, he declared, "She doesn't write her own songs."LAT's tweet with Albarn's quote quickly went viral, making its way to the pop star herself.

"I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this," Swiftreplied on X. "I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging. You don't have to like my songs but it's really f---ed up to try and discredit my writing. WOW."

Albarn swiftlyapologized"unreservedly and unconditionally. The last thing I would want to do is discredit your songwriting."

Liam Gallagher

Another Brit rocker also came to Swift's defense against Albarn.

"Did he not get ran out of f-- -ing town by the Swifters?" the Oasis singer joked toNME. "I think [Taylor's] f---ing cool, man. She does write her songs and I'm sure she's co-wrote with people."

Courtney Love

The Hole frontwoman has never been one to keep her thoughts to herself. In a 2024 interview with theEvening Standard, she was critiquing female pop stars, including Beyonce and Lana Del Rey, when she decided, "Taylor is not important. She might be a safe space for girls, and she's probably the Madonna of now, but she's not interesting as an artist."

Billy Corgan

Love's very ownCelebrity Skinco-writer, Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, has a differing opinion. In the wake of complaints over the length of Swift's 31-songThe Tortured Poet's Department: The Anthology, Corgan questioned the criticism.

"Taylor Swift is one of the most gifted pop artists of all time," Corgan told theIrish Times. "How is it a bad thing that she's releasing more music? I can't follow that... You can go on Spotify and just skip it."

Stevie Nicks

The Fleetwood Mac singer has long admired Swift, dating back to 2010 when Nickspraisedher songwriting and compared it to icons Elton John and Neil Diamond. Thirteen years later, when her bandmate Christine McVie passed away, it was a track from Swift's discography that helped Nicks through her grief.

"Thank you to Taylor Swift for doing a favor for me, and that is, writing a song called 'You're on Your Own, Kid,'" the "Landslide" singersaidduring a concert in Atlanta in May 2023. "That is the sadness of how I feel."

Paul McCartney

The Beatles singer-songwriter has such an admiration for Swift, she inspired him to write "Who Cares," a 2018 song based on her "sisterly" relationship with Swifties.

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The lyrics, McCartney told theBBC, are meant to encourage people to ignore their bullies: "And I was imagining talking to one of these young fans and saying, 'Have you ever been bullied? Do you get bullied?' Then I say, 'Who cares about the idiots? Who cares about all this? Who cares about you? Well… I do."

McCartney's fellow Beatle echoed a similar sentiment in an interview withEsquire. Speaking on the state of music, the drummer mused, "There's a lot of good bands out there, but nobody's doing anything... Taylor Swift is the only one who's doing well. She likes to play by herself. I love her."

Neil Tennant

The Pet Shop Boys frontman paid Swift a backhanded compliment in 2024 while speaking on a music panel forThe Guardian.

"Taylor Swift sort of fascinates me as a phenomenon because she's so popular, and I sort of quite like the whole thing," began Tennant. "But then when I listen to the records… for a phenomenon as big, where are the famous songs? What's Taylor Swift's 'Billie Jean'?"

Paul Stanley

The Eras Tour was attended by an estimated 10 million people — including KISS legend Paul Stanley, who brought his whole family to see Swift at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in August 2023. "PHENOMENAL SHOW BY A PHENOMENAL ARTIST," Stanleytweeted, along with a photo of himself (sans KISS makeup) rocking an Eras Tour T-shirt.

Billie Eilish

Don't expect the "Birds of a Feather" singer to perform a three-hour concert like the Eras Tour any time soon.

"That's literally psychotic," Eilish candidly told fans during a2024 Stationheaddiscussion. "Nobody wants that. You guys don't want that. I don't want that. I don't even want that as a fan. My favorite artist in the world, I'm not trying to hear them for three hours."

Eddie Vedder

The Pearl Jam singer was introduced to Taylor's music by his Swiftie daughters Olivia, 21, and Harper, 17, and he's especially in awe of her 12-album discography.

"She's incredibly prolific," Vedder toldBill Simmonsin 2024. "So she's able to just keep putting out music and putting out music."

The rocker's favorite song, he teased, is a deep cut "that I just think is incredible." He wouldn't reveal which one, but months later, Vedder and Harper performed acoverof "Best Day" at the Ohana Fest.

Bruce Springsteen

One of Swift's early A-list supporters was "The Boss," who noticed that fans were able to connect to her music because "she's speaking to a large part of them very personally," Springsteen toldVarietyin 2017. "As far as craft, [her songs are] really, really well-built and well-made; they're very, very sturdy, and the records are too."

"Dear John," Swift's 2010 track offSpeak Nowwas a big hit with fans — but not with the ex who inspired it.

Mayer, who dated the 19-year-old pop star for three months, toldRolling Stonehe was "humiliated" by the lyrics, which hinted at "dark twisted games" he played during their brief relationship.

"It made me feel terrible," Mayer confessed. "Because I didn't deserve it. I'm pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do."

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Jack White criticizes the 'Taylor Swift way' of songwriting — and 13 other rockers who have weighed in on the pop star's artistry

Jack Whitemay have battled a "Seven Nation Army," but does he know the power of overprotective Swifties? ...

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Quentin Tarantino rips Rosanna Arquette for criticizing his use of N-word in films: 'A decided lack of class'

Quentin Tarantino has responded to Rosanna Arquette after she critiqued his use of the N-word in his films.

Key Points

• "Dear Rosanna, I hope the publicity you're getting...was worth disrespecting me," he said in a statement shared with EW.

• Arquette previously kicked off the tiff by stating that she would not call his use of the racial epithet "art," but "racist and creepy."

Quentin Tarantinohas found himself in another spat with an actor, and he's not trying to lower the heat.

This time it'sRosanna Arquette, who appeared in his classic 1994 crime dramedyPulp Fiction. The actress recently assessed the Cannes winner as a "great film on a lot of levels," buttook issue withTarantino's employment there and elsewhere of the N-word. "It's not art," she reasoned. "It's just racist and creepy."

Tarantino hit back hard on Monday in a statement his publicists shared withEntertainment Weekly.

"Dear Rosanna, I hope the publicity you're getting from 132 different media outlets writing your name and printing your picture was worth disrespecting me and a film I remember quite clearly you were thrilled to be a part of?" he wrote. "Do you feel this way now? Very possibly."

Tarantino then claimed that after he "gave you a job, and you took the money, to trash it for what I suspect is verycynicalreasons, shows a decided lack of class, no less honor."

"There is supposed to be anesprit de corpsbetween artistic colleagues," he said. "But it would appear the objective was accomplished.  Congratulations, Q."

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Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to representatives for Arquette for comment.

Arquette still judgesPulp Fictionas "iconic, a great film on a lot of levels... But personally I am over the use of the N-word — I hate it," she noted in her original interview with U.K. outletThe Times. She added that she "cannot stand" that Tarantino has, in her view, "has been given a hall pass" with respect to the use of the word.

This is far from the first time Tarantino has been criticized for his use of the racial slur in his films. Those who criticize the amount of violence in his films or their liberal use of the N-word should "see something else," he suggested to CNN's Chris Wallace.

In response,The ButlerandThe Paperboydirector Lee Daniels, who is Black, remarked, "Quentin, that's not the right answer... 10 years ago, or 15 years ago, I would have checked it off as artistic." But now, he says the harsh pejorative is "our word. That's my word, and you have no right to say that, and you have no right to feel that way."

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Tarantinofound himself in hot waterwith several other actors in December, when on a podcast he called Paul Dano a "weak, uninteresting guy," and said he didn't care for Owen Wilson or Matthew Lillard. Both Lillard and Dano responded, with theScooby Doostarlikening the experienceof being dragged by Tarantino and then supported by his peers to "living through your own wake."

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Quentin Tarantino rips Rosanna Arquette for criticizing his use of N-word in films: 'A decided lack of class'

Quentin Tarantino has responded to Rosanna Arquette after she critiqued his use of the N-word in his films. Key...

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Savannah Guthrie’s ‘Today’ Show Return Wasn’t What It Seemed — Source

Savannah Guthrie's return to the "Today" show caught everyone's attention a few days ago. While it seemed her colleagues were standing in her support, sources shed light on the brutal reality. For those unversed, the broadcast journalist's mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing at the beginning of February.

Since then, Savannah has been busy with her siblings in finding her mom, seeking help through social media. Last week, shereturnedto the news studio and was captured having an emotional reunion with the staff.

Brutal reality behind Savannah Guthrie's 'Today' show return revealed by sources

Savannah Guthrie's video of her returning to the "Today" show studio went viral. In it, she was hugging her colleagues, who appeared to be teary-eyed. They reportedly showed their support to the co-anchor of the NBC morning show after her mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing last month. During the difficult time, it looked like the 54-year-old's fellow staff members were rooting for her.

However, sources told theDaily Mailabout the brutal reality behind her return to the news studio. "You think 'The Morning Show' is bad? That's nothing. These people will steal your chair while you're still sitting in it," an insider claimed. They highlighted that nobody should allegedly be trusted in the news station, including "hair and makeup people to the producers."

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Furthermore, the outlet revealed that the rising broadcasters at the station were allegedly hoping for good news for them when NBC bosses "held a production meeting." But the higher-ups reportedly announced Savannah's return and asked the staff to pray for her and her family.

Earlier, a spokesperson for "Today" toldPEOPLEabout the journalist's arrival at the studio. "Savannah Guthrie stopped by the studio this morning to be with and thank her Today colleagues," they stated. Furthermore, they mentioned that the date of Savannah's return to work had not been announced yet.

For now, she would likely be with her family and help with the investigation of her mother.

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Savannah Guthrie’s ‘Today’ Show Return Wasn’t What It Seemed — Source

Savannah Guthrie's return to the "Today" show caught everyone's attention a few days ago. While it seemed her colleagues ...

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Judge in Oregon limits federal officers' tear gas use at Portland ICE building protests

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon on Monday restricted federal officers from using tear gas at protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, in response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Oregon on behalf of protesters and freelance journalists.

U.S. District Judge Michael Simon issued the preliminary injunction after a three-day hearing in which the plaintiffs — including a demonstrator known for wearing a chicken costume, a married couple in their 80s and two freelance journalists — testified about having chemical or projectile munitions used against them.

The lawsuit, whose defendants include the Department of Homeland Security, argues that federal officers' use of such munitions is a retaliation against protesters that chills their First Amendment rights.

"Plaintiffs provided numerous videos, which were received in evidence and unambiguously show DHS officers spraying OC Spray directly into the faces of peaceful and nonviolent protesters engaged in, at most, passive resistance and discharging tear gas and firing pepper-ball munitions into crowds of peaceful and nonviolent protestors," Simon wrote, using the term OC Spray to refer to pepper spray.

"Defendants' conduct — physically harming protestors and journalists without prior dispersal warnings — is objectively chilling."

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In previous statements, it said federal officers followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary.

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Simon had previously issued atemporary restraining ordersimilarly limiting federal agents from using chemical munitions during protests at the ICE building. His preliminary injunction is the second in recent days restricting agents' tear gas use at the facility,following that of a federal judgeoverseeing a separate case brought by the residents of anadjacent affordable housing complex.

Federal officers'aggressive crowd-control tacticsare causing concern as demonstrators in cities across the country have protested the immigration enforcement surge spearheaded by President Donald Trump's administration.

In his Monday order, Simon limited federal agents from using chemical or projectile munitions such as pepper balls and tear gas unless someone poses an imminent threat of physical harm. He also ordered agents not to fire munitions at the head, neck or torso "unless the officer is legally justified in using deadly force against that person."

Additionally, officers cannot use pepper spray against a group in an indiscriminate way that would affect bystanders; they must only target people who are engaging in violent unlawful conduct or actively resisting arrest, or use it "as reasonably necessary in a defensive capacity," Simon wrote. He specified that trespassing, refusing to move and refusing to obey an order to disperse are acts of passive, not active, resistance.

Simon also granted provisional class certification, which means his order covers a broader group of all those who have peacefully protested or reported on demonstrations at the ICE building in recent months.

The preliminary injunction will remain in effect while the lawsuit proceeds.

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Judge in Oregon limits federal officers' tear gas use at Portland ICE building protests

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon on Monday restricted federal officers from using tear gas at protests at ...

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Family sues ChatGPT-maker OpenAI over school shooting in Canada

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The parents of a girl critically wounded in a school shooting in Canada alleged in a civil lawsuit Monday thatChatGPT-maker OpenAIknew the shooter was planning a mass attack.

OpenAI has said it considered but didn't alert police about the activities of the person who months later committed one of Canada'sworst school shootingsin Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, on Feb. 10.

OpenAI came forward to police afterJesse Van Roostselaar killedeight people and then herself last month, saying the attacker's ChatGPT account had been closed but that she evaded the ban by having a second account.

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The legal claim filed in the British Columbia Supreme Court alleged that OpenAI had "specific knowledge of the shooter utilizing ChatGPT to plan a mass casualty event like the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting."

The lawsuit said OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT was used by the shooter as a trusted confidante, collaborator and ally, and it behaves willingly to assist users such as the shooter to plan a mass casualty event.

A spokeswoman from OpenAI didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the lawsuit.

The lawsuit said that as a result of the company's conduct Maya Gebala was shot three times at close range, with one bullet hitting her head, another her neck and the third grazing her cheek. It said she has a catastrophic brain injury that will leave her with permanent cognitive and physical disabilities.

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Family sues ChatGPT-maker OpenAI over school shooting in Canada

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The parents of a girl critically wounded in a school shooting in Canada alleged in a c...

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Video appears to show U.S. Tomahawk missile hitting the area of the deadly school strike in Iran

Newly surfaced video adds toevidence that the United States likely struck a school in Iran, killing more than 170 people, including scores of children.

The video, geolocated by NBC News, shows what experts say appears to be an American Tomahawk missile hitting a compound belonging to Iran'sIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corpsnext to theShajareh Tayyebeh elementary schoolwhere witnesses said children were trapped under the rubble and "people were pulling out children's arms and legs. People were pulling out severed heads."

NBC News has tried to contact the person who shot the video for further comment about the strikes, which the individual recorded Feb. 28 in the southern town of Minab. The person has not responded.

Published Sunday by Iran's semiofficial Mehr News Agency, the video was first geolocated by theonline research group Bellingcat, which said a Tomahawk — an American-made, long-range cruise missile — was used in the attack near a compound that was once home to a Revolutionary Guard military facility.

Several munitions experts agreed with that analysis, including N.R. Jenzen-Jones, the director of arms intelligence firm Armament Research Services.

The video "appears to show a Tomahawk missile," he said in an email Sunday. "This would indicate a U.S. strike," he said, adding that the U.S. was the only party in the war known to have Tomahawk missiles.

Jeffrey Lewis, the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, also said in an interview Monday that he thought "the munition that is visible in that video is clearly a Tomahawk."

"It's long, cylindrical. It has a set of wings. And really no other country in this conflict has a munition that looks like that," he said. He added that it was "incredibly accurate" because it had digital scene matching built in. There will be "an onboard photograph of the thing that it's supposed to hit, and Tomahawk will look, it will match, and then it will strike," he said.

It is "rare that a Tomahawk misfires" but the U.S. does "have a history" of making targeting errors, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, a Bronze Star winner who served for 21 years, said Monday. "Everybody does."

"If you just have a satellite image, it's just a building and so if you misidentify what's in the building because of other intelligence, then that can lead to improper targeting," added Davis, now a senior fellow and military expert at Defense Priorities, a Washington-based think tank.

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The Pentagon has said it is still investigating the strike, while the Israeli military has maintained it is not aware of any connection between its operations in Iran and the school strike.

Trump on Saturday, told reporters onboard Air Force One that the U.S. was not responsible for the bombing, saying: "In my opinion, based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran."

U.S. Central Command did not comment on the latest video. The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.

But the Defense Department has acknowledged the use of Tomahawk missiles in the war. On the day of the strike on the school, the Defense Visual Information Distribution Servicepublished a photo and video onlineof the USS Spruance, firing a Tomahawk land attack missile. It published a similar picture March 3.

The Spruance, an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided-missile destroyer, is part of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group.

Iranian officials said that more than 170 people, mostly children, were killed in the strike near the school. NBC News has not been able to independently verify the death toll of the attack.

The attack came hours after the U.S. and Israel launched multiple air and missile strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparking retaliatory attacks by the Islamic Republic on many of its Middle Eastern neighbors including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and several Gulf states.

Trump administration officials told members of Congress in a closed-door meeting last week that the U.S. had been targeting the area where the school was struck, two U.S. officials told NBC News last week. The administration officials also said their military partner, Israel, was not responsible for the school's bombing.

And a map published online by the Defense Department highlighting strikes on Iran over the first 100 hours of the military operation appeared to show that the area of Minab had been targeted.

"It is increasingly clear that the U.S. military was responsible for the deadly attack," Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, said in a text message Monday, adding that it was "hit by a precision weapon, not an errant attack."

If an error was made, he said, it raises "urgent questions regarding why U.S. intelligence was so shoddy that it treated the school as no different from the adjacent military facility."

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March 09, 2026

Video appears to show U.S. Tomahawk missile hitting the area of the deadly school strike in Iran

Newly surfaced video adds toevidence that the United States likely struck a school in Iran, killing more than 170 people,...

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Andy Cohen Shares Details of Robert Cosby Jr.'s 'Rapturous' Memorial Service and Which Housewives Supported Mary Cosby

Mary Cosbywas surrounded by love as she honored her late sonRobert Cosby Jr.over the weekend.

During the latest episode of SiriusXM'sRadio Andy Live,Andy Cohenshared details about Robert Jr.'s memorial service, which took place on Saturday, March 7,The 23-year-old died on Feb. 23following a struggle with drug addiction. While Cohen, 57, said he did not attend, he revealed that other members of the Bravo universe showed up to supportThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake Citystar.

"I had so many things to do with the kids this weekend, a lot of commitments, which is why I actually was not able to go to Robert Jr'.s service on Saturday in Salt Lake City," Cohen said, referring to his two children, Ben, 7, and Lucy, 3. "I got a full report, though, and I hear it was an absolutely incredible ceremony."

Cohen said that theRHOSLCcast and the show's production team were present. While the upcoming cast of season 8 has not been revealed, season 7 included Lisa Barlow, Heather Gay, Meredith Marks, Bronwyn Newport, Whitney Rose, Angie Katsanevas and Britani Bateman.

Cohen shared thatThe Real Housewives of AtlantaalumsCynthia BaileyandShereé Whitfield, along withThe Real Housewives of Beverly HillsstarKyle Richards,attended as well.

"I love it that they went," Cohen added. "I think that is so kind. They are real ones, those three."

"I hear that the service was so uplifting and so moving and absolutely, kind of, rapturous," he continued. "And Mary was on one, I mean, in a spiritual way. She was spiritually on one, let me say that."

Among those who spoke at the service was Robert Jr.'s father,Robert Cosby Sr., who delivered a speech that Cohen claimed "was unbelievable," according to Richards.

Robert Jr. opened up about hisstruggle with drug addictionand suicidal ideation in an emotional conversation with Mary, 53, during a season 5 episode ofRHOSLC,which aired in November 2024.

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On Monday, Feb. 25,authorities responded to a possible overdoseafter receiving a call regarding a 23-year-old male who was "not conscious" and "not breathing." Dispatch audio further revealed that Robert Jr. was given one dose of Narcan, an over-the-counter nasal spray used to reverse life-threatening opioid overdoses, as he was in a "full arrest/medical emergency."

Two days after their son's death, Mary and Robert Cosby Sr. said in a statement shared with PEOPLE: "Our beloved son Robert Jr.has been called home to the Lord."

"Though our hearts ache, we take comfort in God's promise and in knowing he is finally at peace," their statement continued. "We are grateful for your prayers and trust in the Lord to carry us through this time of sorrow."

Cohen appeared emotional as he addressed the news during the Thursday, Feb. 26, episode ofWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where he said, "Before we go, I want to send all my love and heartfelt condolences to Mary Cosby and her family after news broke yesterday about the tragic passing of Mary's son Robert Jr."

"This devastatingly sad news is every parent's worst nightmare. My heart breaks for Mary. I will always appreciate getting a small window into the unconditional love between Mary and Robert Jr.," he added.

"Mary, you did such a good job," Cohen noted, going on to praise the mother and son for opening up about Robert Jr.'smental healthanddrug addictiononRHOSLC."I know their bravery and their vulnerability in sharing their story has helped and will continue to help countless people who are struggling. Rest in peace Robert Jr. and thanks."

On March 4, PEOPLE reported that cameras began rolling on season 8 without Mary.Production was originally scheduled to beginthe week of Robert Jr.'s death, but was halted following the devastating news.

PEOPLE learned cameras did not film Robert Jr.'s memorial service.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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byGreen Magazine

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Andy Cohen Shares Details of Robert Cosby Jr.'s 'Rapturous' Memorial Service and Which Housewives Supported Mary Cosby

Mary Cosbywas surrounded by love as she honored her late sonRobert Cosby Jr.over the weekend. During the lates...

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