Life by Keith Richards
Keith Richards, guitarist and songwriter of The Rolling Stones, can now add author to his list of accomplishments. His story is captivating and every Stones fan and rock and roll lover will be hard-pressed to put it down. Years of traveling, playing music, drug addiction and fame makes for a fascinating story and he’s quite happy to tell you all about it. Life is a captivating story. It’s a wonder he’s still alive and has the wherewithal to tell it.
The book starts with a narrow escape from an Arkansas diner. It’s 1975, a time of riots, civil unrest, sexual and Cultural Revolution. Nixon was President, Arkansas was attempting to ban rock and roll and the Rolling Stones were considered the most dangerous band in the world.
Richards, Ron Woods and two friends stop at a diner while en route to Dallas. Because they were in the restroom forty minutes (getting high takes time after all) the staff called the police who were waiting for them as they pulled away. They were detained and eventually freed but there were more court cases to come.
Richards was surrounded by music and music lovers in childhood. In school he was part of a choir, winning trophies at a competition held at Westminster Abbey. Ironically, he was left back in school because of the classes he was excused from for choir practice. And so a rebel was born.
Richards details how he bonded with Mick Jagger, a neighbor who also loved music. The band got their name from the first track of The Best of Muddy Waters, “Rollin’ Stone.”
The book, rich with details, reads very authentically. It’s at times funny and frequently insightful. He talks freely about the sometimes cruel business aspect of the music industry, touring for three years with only ten days off and how Jagger’s LVS (lead vocalist syndrome) put a wedge between them. He explains how the stadium tours are where the real profits are, not song royalties and the humanitarian service groupies provide. Richards tells up close and personal details of the Stones and himself. He almost lost a hand while on safari in Africa and gives the secret of making excellent bangers and mash, a British favorite.
What is consistent is Richards’s undying love for music. “I could kick smack. I couldn’t kick music.” (Richards page 57). He is a living legend and an extraordinary musician.
Life inspires a greater respect for what it takes to get to the top and stay there.
