Jack White, the creative talent behind rock ‘n rollers the White Stripes, the Saboteurs and the Dead Weather, has questioned the “authenticity” of music legends Bob Dylan and Tom Waits in a special university lecture, given by the 34-year-old singer earlier this week.

The Nashville resident gave a surprise lecture at the Philosophical Society at Dublin’s Trinity College on Sunday 18 October, after being awarded an honorary patronage from the society. Addressing themes such as anxiety and authenticity, the singer questioned the motivations behind some of the most iconic songwriters in America – as well as his own.

“I don’t know if Bob Dylan and Tom Waits are as authentic as I think they are. Perhaps they’re not,” he admitted. “Sometimes you start thinking that maybe Britney Spears or someone like that who’s doing exactly what they want to do in the way that they best know how, is more authentic than any of those people you could mention.”