Sunday 18 March 2012

Is Britain still a country for two old rockers called Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and a band called 'The Rolling Stones' ?

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are both 69 this year, Ronnie Wood is 65, Charlie Watts is 71 and Bill Whyman 76, which gives them a collective age of 350 years. That being the case, I was interested to read an article in 'The Daily Mail' this week was entitled :

Why Mick Jagger still can't forgive Keith Richards for that (very personal) little insult in his biography

It made the following points, that :
* the 'Rolling Stones' have their 50th anniversary this year but will not be ready to tour,  Keith hopes that they might manage it in 2013 and there are 'tentative plans' to get together in New York to work on new material , however, nobody is sure whether Mick will show up.

* some claim that a money-spinning world tour is on hold because of fears that Keith’s health is too poor to withstand the rigours of touring after he almost died in 2006 after falling out of a tree and suffering a brain haemorrhage.

In addition, Mick and Keith :

*  now have relations which are 'positively arctic' and sources say that the animosity between them could finish the 'Stones' for good with one source saying : ‘They are trying very hard to put across the image that they are all pals and that it is forgotten, but it is still a completely dysfunctional and broken relationship.’

*   apparently, can only just bear to share a room, don’t speak and have barely done so in 20 years with one source saying : ‘They are incredibly petty with each other, and gripe over small things continuously. Keith gets really annoyed that Mick always goes on stage last for instance. It winds him up terribly, and has done for years and calls Mick, ‘Miss Jagger,’ and ‘Her Ladyship’ and for years has mocked his distinctive dancing and prancing.'


* have an 'elephant in the room', in the shape of what Keith said about Mick’s 'membrum virile'' in his autobiography,'Life' in 2010, accusing his old friend of having a ‘tiny todger’ and going on to claim he had enjoyed an affair with Mick’s girlfriend Marianne Faithfull in 1960.

*  met at primary school in Dartford in 1951, have weathered drugs busts, scandals and band members coming and going, but their relationship has always been tense and in the 70's, obvious cracks began to appear when Keith felt Mick had sold out on rock music and Mick, felt that Keith, deeply addicted to heroin, was out of control.

* had a truce, effected by Ronnie Wood in 1987 but Keith just couldn’t resist winding up Mick, said he was vain and belonged in panto, criticised his womanising and last year, dismissed his solo album 'Goddess In The Doorway' as ‘Dog s**t In The Doorway’.

So where does all this leave them?
Ronnie Wood hopes it will all come good.
Charlie Watts has long been the peacemaker in the group but now refuses to intervene in the bickering.

Someone who has spoken to the band in the past few weeks said : "Mick likes to make money, and Keith likes to play. And they do both believe they are the greatest band on earth and should go out with a bang."

Keith said in 2010: "We’ve had our beefs but, hey, who hasn’t?"

P.S. 'Independent.ie' suggesting that they will get together :
http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/the-rolling-stones-mick-jagger-and-keith-richards-bury-the-hatchet-3052856.html
P.P.S.
The boys and 'Satisfaction', 47 years ago in 1965 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyM-j_49nk0

and my posting for Mick's birthday in 2010 :
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/britain-is-country-which-says-happy_26.html







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