Golden oldies The Rolling Stones were the pick of 2023’s senior stars, topping charts around the world with Hackney Diamonds. It was their first album of original material in 17 years at a time in their careers when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are both 80 years young.
The Dartford boys embark on a world tour in 2024 with UK dates expected to be announced very soon, so who better to reflect on a whirlwind comeback than the indestructible Keef himself!
Because of Covid and the death of Charlie Watts, Hackney Diamonds wasn’t easy to record. How did you get it out?
READ MORE: Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney put aside decades-old feud to record new music
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Keith Richards: “With a big firecracker (laughs)! No, let’s say that Mick and I have quite a few things in stock and there’s always a moment that arrives when we say to ourselves, ‘Let’s make a record, for better or for worse, Blitzkrieg!’ And so, we felt the need to make the album, despite not having a real concept. We went for it, we said to ourselves that we were going to start it in one place, finish it in another… We shouldn’t forget that we are in this privileged situation, without any deadline – we finally imposed one on ourselves and this is the result.”
(Image: Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
What is the songwriting process like?
KR: “Usually Mick and I each start in our corner, then we meet again. This time it was Jamaica, just before the Russians started to mess around. We crafted a few tracks with (drummer) Steve Jordan. Then, we toured in Europe and, in the process, we decided to record. It was important to get started after a series of concerts because the group is sharp, it plays well. The idea was to capture the very essence of The Rolling Stones. I noticed that when a group has not found itself in front of an audience for some time it can play fine in the studio, but sometimes lacks that essential thing – which is energy. That’s how it happened and we kept our fingers crossed.”
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
You worked with the young Andrew Watt, who’s worked with Ozzy Osbourne and Iggy Pop…
KR: “Yes, he does the Grand Duke Tour (laughs)! He is fantastic, he’s a great guy, he was the perfect guy for this project.
“Andrew has a sense of organisation, great energy and impetuosity to bring a project to fruition. You know, The Rolling Stones in the studio, they play, they play… but this time, it had an experimental side and I hope it worked, my ears tell me yes.”
What’s the link between Hackney and the Rolling Stones?
KR: “I would say London. The city’s neighbourhoods are very different, which perhaps escapes those who don’t live there. Hackney Diamonds is because when we were looking for a title, we thought of Smash ’N Grab but Hackney Diamonds is a London expression that encompasses a bit of everything happening on Saturday night, all that broken glass.”
(Image: Getty Images)
With each new album, with each new tour, people ask will The Rolling Stones continue?
KR “Well, yes, still being here means that when we get up in the morning, we can ask ourselves how we are doing to be able to make the day. Well, I do what I do, what I know how to do. To tell the truth, I never think about this question, except when a journalist asks me…”
Paul McCartney said he continues for the pleasure of being in front of the public.
KR: “Yes, that’s a good reason. In fact we are vampires, we feed on the energy of these people in front of us.”
Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Bill Wyman, Lady Gaga are on the LP, how did you get them all?
KR: “The truth is, none of this
was planned. Well, the sessions in London with Charlie and Bill go back at least two years… I think Lady Gaga and Stevie found each other on the record because they worked with Andrew, but above all, when we was in Los Angeles, everyone was there and so were they!
“They passed by to see us and that’s how these things are done. They find themselves on a song or two. It was great working with Stevie again (he opened for The Rolling Stones on their tour of America in 1972) and Lady Gaga is super talented.”
(Image: Getty Images)
What’s your relationship with Mick Jagger like?
KR: “Oh, I’m used to that question (laughs). We work pretty well together and it’s been going on for 60 years! Is he like a brother to me? I’m an only child, but I think we can say that.
“Sometimes we don’t agree, but Mick isn’t me. There are people only interested in our disagreements but don’t care to know that for five, 10 or even 15 years, everything has been fine between us. We are like brothers in public, but sometimes we argue and then it’s over.”
On stage, you seem closer than ever…
KR: “Well yes, as I just said, he’s my brother, I can’t be closer to anyone than I am to him… It clashes sometimes because we don’t have the same ideas about everything, but that’s also what brothers are for, right?”
You once told Jimmy Fallon that you don’t remember much of your career, yet Life – your autobiography – was a hit. Would it have worked even better if you had a better memory?
KR: “There’s no doubt about it! On the other hand, if I had to remember everything, I would be completely crazy!”
James Fox, with whom you wrote your autobiography, says that when you spoke to him, you strummed your guitar. Did it help with your memory?
KR: “Maybe, indeed, those muscles and those finger movements are the translation of what is happening in my head. At the same time, man, no one knows anything about my brain, and I still less than the others (laughs). But hey, I trust each of the parts of my body, even the smallest ones.”
(Image: Michael Ochs Archives)
What do you think of musicians who use artificial intelligence?
KR: “It’s very simple – either we play with toys or we are real. I chose my side a long time ago.”
The Stones helped define 20th century culture, what do you think will define the 21st?
KR: “As I often say, I am not Nostradamus… We have a very long way to go, I can’t say much more than that.”
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