Jack White Reveals Why He Was Selling Candy on an L.A. Street

Jack White. Photo: Third Man Records/Instagram

Last week, Third Man Records’ Instagram account posted a photo of Jack White sitting on a crate, holding a Snickers bar with a kid on an L.A. sidewalk. The caption ”“ “Are you sure the Grammys are tonight? #grammys #redcarpet #jackwhite #fundraising.”  ”“ did little to explain the image.

Now, White tells ROLLING STONE the story behind the photo, which was shot near the L.A. airport. “I was trying to help break up a disagreement between two young salesmen staking a claim for the same spot,” he says. “I tried to get one of them to go in front of Starbucks down the block, but he didn’t think you could sell any candy there.”

Adds White, “Free business advice to youngsters is part of every American’s debt to society.”

White is no stranger to advising kids; Third Man has a program offering school choirs and bands a chance to record at his Nashville studios.

Though White was in L.A. the week of the Grammys, he didn’t appear to attend. “It was dismal for records,” he told fans in an online chat on Third Man Records’ site last month. “My favorite was Yeezus,” he wrote. “”˜New Slaves’ is my favorite song from 2013.”

White also revealed he was wrapping two albums, including his follow-up to 2012’s Blunderbuss. “I’m producing a lot of things, you’ll get to hear them all this year, one after the bloody other!” So far, he has one date on the books ”“ a headlining spot at the Governor’s Ball festival in New York City this June.