First let me confess that I was no fan of the Rolling Stones before reading this book. The only person I had heard of was Mick Jagger and in spite of that, I often confused him with Steven Tyler or Jim Morrisson. Of course I had little idea who Jim Morrisson was either. Coincidentally, my blog title shares the name of a famous American (alternative) rock band (what’s more strange, I share a similar sounding name with the lead vocalist of that band) But the only rock I used to listen to was Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, U2 and a little bit of Metallica. And half of these bands are not even considered pure Rock bands. Having said that, I had earlier watched a documentary on the Rolling Stones – about a concert they had done somewhere in Brazil (The 2006 Copacabana Beach concert). The documentary was quite interesting and had introduced me to the lives of these famous rock stars. But that was around 4-5 years ago and the memory of the same faded quickly. That was in short my knowledge on the Rolling Stones.
Some time ago I came across this book. Some review described the Rolling Stones as the original bad boys of rock. And the cover picture definitely drew me to it. Keith Richards is one of the founding members of the Rolling Stones and their lead guitarist. In the book Life, Keith Richards has laid bare his journey through the 60s and 70s in quite some detail. He has not kept back anything – right from his affairs & one-night stands to his drug-taking habit and the subsequent busts. The book itself starts with a drug bust, during their ’75 US tour.
‘Life‘ will be very interesting for someone interested in music – specifically guitar playing. I couldn’t understand all of the terms Keith uses while describing the techniques he learnt from others, but I could feel the passion the guy has for guitar playing and for making music. Keith gives specific and useful tips for the newbie guitarist as is explained beautifully in the following quote from the book.
I firmly believe if you want to be a guitar player, you better start on acoustic and then graduate to electric. Don’t think you’re going to be Townshend or Hendrix just because you can go wee wee wah wah, and all the electronic tricks of the trade. First you’ve got to know that fucker. And you go to bed with it. If there’s no babe around, you sleep with it. She’s just the right shape.
It is difficult to imagine that a rock band which was formed in the 70s is still together and still considered to be one of the best ever. The energy which these guys have is extraordinary. For people over 60 to be still rocking the stage with their “antics” is inspiring. About the same he says,
Give me some energy and I’ll give you back double. It’s almost like some enormous dynamo or generator. It’s indescribable. I start to rely on it; I use their energy to keep myself going. If the place was empty, I wouldn’t be able to do it. Mick does about ten miles, I do about five miles with a guitar around my neck, every show. We couldn’t do that without their energy, we just wouldn’t even dream of it. And they make us want to give our best.
Keith reveals that their have been ups and downs with the band and specifically with Mick Jagger, the lead vocalist of the Rolling Stones. He describes how he felt – in the 80s that Mick was planning to go solo (unsuccessfully according to Keith) and how he comes back to the Rolling Stones. Keith Richards certainly doesn’t shy away from letting his opinion known about people who have been in his life.
The language which Keith Richards uses is also conversational. I learnt later that he may not have actually written the book himself (obviously) but would have recorded his memoirs which were then transcribed by someone.
Keith also acknowledges the people who inspired him, the earlier jazz and blues players who indirectly gave birth to a whole new genre of music. He, along with Mick Jagger, would listen to records of these players again and again, trying to figure out how the chords were played, how the music was made. That dedication is inspiring and uncommon. He also describes how he once stayed up for 9 days without any sleep (fueled by drugs of course).
Although, the Rolling Stones are a British band, they have stayed out of UK for most of their life. This has been due to various reasons – including tax and laws. Even now they live in different countries meeting up once in a while to share their ideas. Although their albums and concerts have reduced due to obvious reasons, there are still rumours of them touring again. They have been to India once – in Bangalore where they played in the pouring rain. Talk about a fitting welcome.
Some of you may be put off by the amount of drugs this fellow has done and the casual description of the same. But the 60s and 70s were a time in the West when drugs were much more common (or at least talked about openly than now) and what is more inspiring is that according to Keith, he has been off drugs for over 30 years now! And that the cat remembers all his adventures from the decades past.
All in all, this book is a very interesting account on the lives of one of the most influential rock bands on the planet today. It candidly shows you the the ups and downs even these people face, the insecurities they have, and the wisdom they accumulate and share. You get to go through Life indeed only once and the goal is to make the most of it lest you regret when you are sitting in the old man’s chair and reflecting on what you have done – or not done – till now.
Goodbye, ruby tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still Im gonna miss you.
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