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A review by morgan_blackledge
Life by Keith Richards
5.0
Keef is surprisingly unpretentious, down to earth, funny, vulnerable and just plain likable. The writing is profound on many levels (seemingly) without trying (at all).
This guy is just fucking cool.
He’s genuinely kind and loyal.
Nearly impossible not to love.
Everyone knows about Keith Richard’s bad boy, junkie persona. And it’s easy to get cynical about it and write it all off as a hollow put on, or pure shtick, or an act (however compelling), particularly at this point.
But after reading this, my mind is completely changed. The persona was apparently authentic in some regards, but also a dodge in others.
The guy is humble, and shy, and didn’t want to be a celebrity.
All he seems to want to do is to make music and be friends with great musicians, regardless of their fame, and completely based on their playing, their touch, their feel, their style, their soul.
He deeply appreciates people and relationships.
He’s loyal to the extreme.
Throughout the book, he makes it clear again and again.
He loves hanging out, making mischief, having fun, getting high, and making friends.
REGARDING THE STONES:
He loves and deeply respects Charlie Watts.
He is solid bro’s with Ronnie Wood.
He literally couldn’t be more indifferent about Bill Wyman.
And his relationship with Mick Jagger is…
Complicated.
He loves Mick, and he also hates him.
But they absolutely need each outer.
Bearing all this in mind, it is clear that, however he feels about his bandmates, good bad or indifferent, he understands that the Rolling Stones are a phenomena that sums up much bigger than the parts.
It is so interesting to hear Keith go through the RS catalog, album by album, and talk about it from the inside out. It’s like a master class on the creative process without the pretense.
It’s COMPLETELY OVERWHELMING how much great fucking music these guys made.
They wrote SO FUCKING MANY great songs.
It’s unreal.
I’m very pleasantly surprised by how good this book is.
I’m leaving the experience of the book much more in love with Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones, and their music than I started.
Amazing life.
Literally magical, wonderful guy.
5/5 stars.
This guy is just fucking cool.
He’s genuinely kind and loyal.
Nearly impossible not to love.
Everyone knows about Keith Richard’s bad boy, junkie persona. And it’s easy to get cynical about it and write it all off as a hollow put on, or pure shtick, or an act (however compelling), particularly at this point.
But after reading this, my mind is completely changed. The persona was apparently authentic in some regards, but also a dodge in others.
The guy is humble, and shy, and didn’t want to be a celebrity.
All he seems to want to do is to make music and be friends with great musicians, regardless of their fame, and completely based on their playing, their touch, their feel, their style, their soul.
He deeply appreciates people and relationships.
He’s loyal to the extreme.
Throughout the book, he makes it clear again and again.
He loves hanging out, making mischief, having fun, getting high, and making friends.
REGARDING THE STONES:
He loves and deeply respects Charlie Watts.
He is solid bro’s with Ronnie Wood.
He literally couldn’t be more indifferent about Bill Wyman.
And his relationship with Mick Jagger is…
Complicated.
He loves Mick, and he also hates him.
But they absolutely need each outer.
Bearing all this in mind, it is clear that, however he feels about his bandmates, good bad or indifferent, he understands that the Rolling Stones are a phenomena that sums up much bigger than the parts.
It is so interesting to hear Keith go through the RS catalog, album by album, and talk about it from the inside out. It’s like a master class on the creative process without the pretense.
It’s COMPLETELY OVERWHELMING how much great fucking music these guys made.
They wrote SO FUCKING MANY great songs.
It’s unreal.
I’m very pleasantly surprised by how good this book is.
I’m leaving the experience of the book much more in love with Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones, and their music than I started.
Amazing life.
Literally magical, wonderful guy.
5/5 stars.