Thanks to the two-piece garage blues format that The Black Keys and The White Stripes share, comparisons between the two bands have been around for years, and have never been particularly surprising. What was surprising however, was frontman Jack White's quite uncalled for criticism of Auerbach in particular. In an email that came to light during his custody battle with ex-wife Karen Elson, he was quoted as calling Auerbach "an a**hole who gets free reign to follow me around and copy me". Pretty harsh words, considering the two musicians had never met. White also complained about unoriginal music that he believes copies his style so closely that he sometimes thinks he's hearing himself. "Half the time, it's The Black Keys." He did eventually apologise for his diss, but not before The Keys had had a chance to respond. Both Auerbach and Carney took it in their stride, stating that they "don't hold grudges, man."
