03/01/2026
Third Man Records Wooden Podium. Seen pictured here in 2013 when Jack White was given Nashville’s Inaugural Music City Ambassador Award by then Mayor, Karl Dean.
Notes from Third Man Records Archivist Ben Blackwell:
It can be hard to believe that there was a time (the year 2010 to be exact) when we would say “Hey, we’re gonna auction off some old Raconteurs go karts from the ‘Steady, As She Goes’ music video…you know what we need…some big old fascist looking podium!” And like it ain’t no thang, we’d tap our core crew of carpenters, and like in two days…we’d have that badass podium. Is that real life? Or is that just fantasy? Anyway, Third Man has clearly progressed beyond the traditional 14 year period where a record label has near-daily needs for a podium as we crest into phase two (the pulpit years), which is obviously followed by dais days, then the rostrum generation and, if we’re lucky, the soapbox century. Fingers-crossed. Podium is featured prominently in the promotional “Tear Down This Wall Mr. White” video used to announce the expansion of the Third Man Nashville storefront in 2013. Also used by then-mayor of Nashville Karl Dean (the real friggin’ mayor!) to award Jack White with the inaugural Music City Ambassador award in 2013. Pretty good career for a podium…just sayin’.
