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SPECIAL COLLECTORSCOLLECTORS EDITION Keith Richards The Ultimate Guide to His Music & Legend WENNER MEDIA SPECIALS Display until October 8, 2015 $12.99 Keith Richards Special Collectors Edition Introduction Keith Comes Clean Page 6 As he released his first solo album, Richards joked about his reputation The Exile Speaks and vented his anger at Mick Jagger. By Anthony DeCurtis As the Stones made a masterpiece Page 56 in France, Keith opened up like few rock stars could. By Robert Greenfield Dancing With Mr. D Page 8 After 40 years with the Stones, Keith sounded of on drugs, Keith Meets the death and why he’ll write all of our epitaphs. Mounties By David Fricke When Keith was busted in Toronto Page 64 in 1977, the fate of the Stones was put in doubt. By Chet Flippo The 20 Page 26 Greatest Songs From Stones classics to obscure solo Love Wears gems, a definitive guide to Keith’s finest moments. a White Stetson Page 72 On the heels of Tattoo You, Keith talked love, money and fallen stars. By Kurt Loder Keith’s Guitar Page 34 Secrets On his childhood heroes, the art Tales of Keith of the intro and the lifelong search Amazing moments of excess, for the lost chord. abandon and infinite good luck By Patrick Doyle from a life well lived. Page 82 Page 42 Sympathy A Pirate Looks at 44 for the Devil In 1987, Keith took time to reflect on Tom Waits, Mike Campbell, Billy one of rock & roll’s great legacies. Gibbons, Joan Jett and others pay By Kurt Loder tribute to Keith Richards. Page 50 Page 88 4 | KEITH RICHARDS | COLLECTORS EDITION Introduction n 1971, as the rolling stones prepared to record Exile on Main Street in an airless basement in the South of France, Keith Rich- ards sat for perhaps the greatest interview of his life. Over several days, he talked to Roll- ing Stone’s Robert Greenfield about every- thing from his school days to his most famous riIf to the tragedy at Altamont. At 27, Richards had al- ready experienced a lifetime’s worth of amazing highs and incredible turmoil. “Who says you’ve got to live three- score and 10 years?” he said. “Everybody can’t make 70.” Well, here we are 44 years later, and Keith isn’t just still with the man’s legend, recounting his 20 wildest adventures, from us. At 71, he’s a rock & roll force of nature, a guitar legend, his ’77 drug bust in Toronto to his brief stint as a “nanny” a pirate and a gentleman. He has survived his own mythic in Australia to that time he claimed to snort dear old Dad’s penchant for the high life, as well as several arrests, a hand- ashes. Of course, no one would care about any of this if it ful of near-death experiences and, most important, 50 years weren’t for the music. Which is why we’ve paid tribute with a of love and war with his “wife” (his term) Mick Jagger. “Hey, list of Richards’ 20 greatest songs – his best Stones lead vo- I’ve been there – the white light at the end of the tunnel – cals, plus solo cuts – and told the stories behind them. three or four times,” he told Rolling Stone’s David Fricke Richards’ classic rifs – “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” in 2002. “But when it doesn’t happen, and you’re back in – “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Brown Sugar,” “Start Me Up” and that’s a shock.” many, many more – are among the most indelible in rock his- Richards’ reputation as a permanently soused wild man tory. He’s also a brilliant songwriter, an underrated bandlead- mumbling and stumbling through life is deeply misleading er and an unflashy technical innovator on his instrument. – in truth, he’s a whip-smart raconteur who’s endlessly quot- “What Chuck [Berry] is to Keith, Keith is to me,” writes Nils able. The interviews in this book, which span more than 40 Lofgren of the E Street Band, in a section of tributes that also years, prove as much. Keith on his legendary booze and drugs includes kind words from Tom Waits, Buddy Guy, Joan Jett, intake: “Intoxication? I’m polytoxic.” Keith on flower power: Billy Gibbons and others. Lofgren could be speaking for thou- “You paid a fair amount of lip service to it. But I am quite sands of players. proud that I never did go and kiss the maharishi’s goddamn We love Keith Richards because he’s a rock & roll original feet.” Keith on not getting laid during the Stones’ first U.S. who’s always lived by his own code. “Whatever it was I did,” tour: “We noticed a distinct lack of crumpet.” Keith on ru- he told Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone in 1988, “no mors of his immortality: “All right, if matter how stupid or flamboyant or irresponsible it may have Still Smokin’ you want to believe it – I will write all seemed from the outside – and I can understand it appear- Richards photographed for RS in 1988. of your epitaphs.” ing like that – to me it’s always been very important to know “I will write all of your Like Richards himself in these in- what I’m made of, and what I’m capable of doing.” What can epitaphs,” he later said. terviews, we’ve had a bit of fun with we say? Keith contains multitudes. KEITH RICHARDS | COLLECTORS EDITION | 7 Keith Meets the Mounties When Keith was busted in Toronto in 1977, it put the future of the Stones in doubt BY CHET FLIPPO Excerpted from RS 238, May 5th, 1977 y cab is cruising through the winding entrance of the Harbour Castle Hilton in Toronto, temporary home for the Rolling Stones, and I have no idea what to expect. All I know is what I’ve read (and written myself): Keith Richards has been bust- ed again; his bust – right here at the Harbour Castle – happened just days after his common-law wife, Anita Pallenberg, was ar- Mrested by Mounties at the airport; and there is serious talk that the Stones have had it. I know the Stones are here to record two nights of shows at El Mocambo Tavern to com- plete a live album. But now with the busts, the Stones are once again in chaos. I’d been with them before, in 1975 on their Tour of the Americas, and there had been speculation then that the end was near. I’ll have to face Mick Jagger with what has become a tired question: 26 | KEITH RICHARDS | COLLECTORS EDITION On tour in 1975 KEITH RICHARDS | COLLECTORS EDITION | 00 Could this be the last time? Perhaps for the first time, he’ll have peace in Brampton released Keith on a $1,000 no-deposit to give the question serious thought, and an answer. bail. He didn’t have to post a cent. But first there was the Stones hierarchy – aides, attorneys, That did not please the Mounties. They had charged him security and the two men I would run up against most fre- with possession with intent to trafc – a serious charge that can quently in Toronto: Paul Wasserman, number one among rock draw seven years to life in prison. High vs. low bail for Keith & roll press agents, who is often paid to keep his clients out of Richards, Rolling Stone, became an issue. the press. And manager Peter Rudge, a dapper but hyper Brit- While the band went on with all-night rehearsals at rented on, known for pulling the unexpected. Rudge has been trying studios, action picked up at the Harbour Castle. The lobby was to keep the activities of the Rolling Stones in Toronto a secret. suddenly populated with plainclothes Mounties, groupies and After I check in to the Harbour Castle, I slip into the lobby reporters. The Stones’ own beefy security force flew in. – which is packed with local journalists and patrolled by I leave Bill Carter at the Quayside and go of in search of Mounties – and run into Bill Carter. He is a tough lawyer Wasserman, the press agent, to see what he is not allowed to tell out of Little Rock, Arkansas, who is now the Stones’ very ef- me. When he opens the door to 3016, he sighs. “Why didn’t you ficient American attorney and chief of tour security. I know call me from New York? I could have told you that you weren’t him from the ’75 tour. We retire to a corner of the Quayside allowed to come.” bar to talk. “I’d rather hear it in person,” I say. “So – the Stones will play Not 10 minutes later, Peter Rudge walks by, sees me and El Mocambo. Now, is it tonight?” turns pale. Later, he comes over to shake hands – gingerly. “I He sighs heavily. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t get in anyway. forbade American press, you know,” he says. “Also, we knew No press. And you can’t talk to the Stones either.” you were coming. Why do you think you couldn’t get a room “Thanks a lot,“ I say on my way out. “I’ll keep you posted on on our floor?” I am stuck on the seventh floor, while the Stones what’s happening.” entourage is scattered between 29 and 34. “Thanks. By the way, they won’t be there tonight. There’s a party here which you are not invited to. If you mention any of this to Peter, I’ll deny having said it.” I’ll have to face Mick I decide to check out El Mocambo with a local reporter.

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