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White, Page and Edge: three guitarists and the truth

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For White, who instructs an actor playing 'Young Jack' how to kick and stomp his way through the blues, it's all about aggression and attitude. Technology means little to him (it "destroys the truth," he asserts); passion and desperation are everything.

"Why do you even need six strings?" he asks at one point. "Why not three?" In his view, playing guitar is a battle, and one the musician must win at all costs.

Much of the time, White, the youngest of 10 children, seems to have a chip on his shoulder. He takes us to the hardscrabble streets of Detroit, where, growing up, playing an instrument was looked down upon. Hip-hop was the rage and turntables ruled. But White, hellbent on bucking trends, resolutely picked up the guitar for the very reason that it was the most uncool thing in the world a guy could do.

We pay a visit to the upholstery factory where he once worked. There, White learned a trade and formed a musical bond with his then-boss. Detailing the formation of The White Stripes, he explains his desire to strip everything down, music and visuals, to their simplest and most childlike elements. Excess was verboten; minimalist expression was the ticket.

But White's tough-guy veneer disappears during a surprisingly moving sequence in which he puts on a copy of Son House's Grinnin' In Your Face. Getting lost in the track, White's face softens, his eyes dance - a sense of wonder emanates from his entire body. Taking the record off the turntable, he says, "From the first time I heard that, it was my favorite song. Still is."

Of course, the meeting of the three guitar giants is what will attract the most attention to It Might Get Loud, and it doesn't disappoint. There is a hilarious bit in which The Edge instructs Page and White on the correct way to play I Will Follow. Calling out the changes to Page, Edge looks momentarily uncomfortable, as if he's thinking, Who am I to tell Jimmy Page how to play guitar? But within moments, the three sound massive.

Edge and White don't dare pick up their guitars when Page shows the two whippersnappers how he chords Whole Lotta Love. The apprentices sit in awe as the sorcerer lays down the volcanic riff that inspired millions to pick up the instrument. For a fleeting second, Edge and White share sidelong glances, both undoubtedly thinking the same thing: How fucking cool is this?!

The answer: very cool, indeed.

It Might Get Loud will be released by Sony Pictures Classics on 21 August. MusicRadar will have future reports on the movie during the coming months.

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