Keith Richards # um idolo! # By Márcia Schwarz Perel

Everybody is aware of whom Keith Richards is, what his job is, but very few people knew so many peculiarities about this rock star until the release of his autobiography called Life. Keith exposes the truth candidly, has no shame on sharing his darkest private moments and makes the reader fall in love with him, with his sense of humor, passion for family and love for the music.

As a Rolling Stones fan since my early childhood, having my father play his Stones’ vinyl’s every Sunday afternoon, I was always fascinated by Richards. I know have these albums and listen to them still discovering more and more into those lyrics, mesmerizing myself about the “codes” and messages that Jumping Jack Flash or Paint it Black bring to me. I am taking this opportunity to share not what everybody knows about this fascinating persona, but what I found out having the opportunity to read Life, watching interviews and feeding my curiosity about Keith Richards.

Keith Richards is one of the most famous characters that ever came out of the region of Dartford, Kent, England. He started playing around with a guitar at the early age of ten years old. All for fun, of course, since he was a mediocre student and not a popular one either. Descendent of non practicing Jews, Keith found himself lonely as a child e spent most of his time with his Grandfather, a band leader, and calls this man his greatest musical influence.

What is the most relevant matter, when we talk about this rock legend, is his capacity of recently being able to write a biography with complexity and full of details. After years fighting drug and alcohol addictions, Keef ( this is how he’s called by his peers), amazed himself by remembering so many facts with such vivid details.

His autobiography entitled Life, was launched in 2010 and won best biography and best audio biography prizes as well as the Norman Mailer Prize of biographies in 2011. This book is covered with documents, rare facts and truths. Truths that got to offend close people like Mick Jagger, John Lennon but that, on the other hand, shined light and recognition to someone like Paul McCartney.

As far as Mick Jagger is concerned, Keith tells that his band mate is not capable of writing a song or even a melody by himself. If we pay close attention, doesn’t Constant Craving from K.D.Lang have the same melody as the Stones’ hit Anybody Seen My Baby? A little after 1997 when Anybody was written and composed ( Constant Craving was released at around ‘92), Keith relentlessly tried to convince Mick to credit Lang for Anybody Seen My Baby. The legend says, or the autobiography says, that Mick Jagger tends to listen to other artists materials and years later compose something really close or identical to what he had heard years before, without having any clue on his wrong doing. Or at least saying that he does not do it on purpose.

Keith Richard believes that the musical strength of the Beatles comes solely from Paul McCartney. Numerous times in the past, Keith received phone calls from a insecure, stoned and completely lost Lennon. Lennon never knew what to write about and always feared failing. Recently, out of the blue, Keith has a brief encounter with McCartney at a beach in Jamaica. Paul thanked Keith for writing with honesty about Paul doing all the Beatle’s work and John being the only one recognized for it. Interesting enough, Paul McCartney went on a series of interviews for the release of his new album, and denied every single thing that Keith had written about him on his book. Paul claimed that actually the Stones were jealous of the Beatles throughout their career, because all members of the Beatles were good singers and the Stones manage to fail on that., Thank God that Ringo Starr is somewhat quiet when it comes to the press.

Keith Richards is political without wanting to be. He made international news in the 70’s by escaping from the police in a car built exclusively to hide drugs and also made the news when he sent the then Prime Minister of England Tony Blair a note. When England decided to invade Iraq, Keith sent the Prime Minister a note saying: “Keep on Rocking”. People say that this is one of the most prized documents in Tony Blair’s career.

But nowadays, the most Rock ‘n ‘Roll and popular contribution from Keith to the world, is inspiring Johnny Depp on his character Jack Sparrow for the movie saga Pirates of the Caribbean. Keith always had pirate tendencies way before. The plane that carried the Stones around in 1972 was called by the band : “A pirate nation” e it had its own pirate flag. The symbol was none of the less that famous Rolling Stone’s tongue.

Keith Richards lives, until today, a lifestyle full of rock and roll and egocentrism. The only difference now, for fans or rock and roll aficionados, is that Keith renewed and upgraded his perspective in life and music. The new perspective is the conscience about his responsibility for being one of the biggest rock legends still alive; for playing and composing for one of the longest, active and most successful rock band in the world and for … why not, his responsibility of still being in the legion of pirates !!!!

　

Contents from:

Life, by Keith Richards and James Fox

The Rolling Stones Magazine
Images NET

By Márcia Schwarz Perel