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Keith Richards: Repeat Offender (Relix Revisited)

Over the years, the Rolling Stones earned the title of greatness, but their status as gentlemen occasionally came into question. It was their taste for pharmaceuticals and other substances which brought them the most grief. The court logs and newspaper police reports from several countries hold the names of various Stones. The saddest chapter of the early days came on July 3, 1969, when Rolling Stones co-founder, Brian Jones- already fired from the band for his erratic behavior- badly addled on drugs, drowned in his swimming pool. Keith still has a great deal of respect for Brian. “Brian was one of those guys who could walk into the studio and pick up an instrument he had never played before, like the marimbas in ‘Under My Thumb’ or the star in ‘Paint It Black.’ He’s remembered every time we play. ‘Time Is On My Side”….the whole basic idea of the sound of the Stones. That’s why were still talking about him. Dead but not forgotten.”

Brian’s death and the ensuring publicity did nothing to improve the Stones’ standing in the eyes of their fans’ parents. Their reputation as the bad boys of rock had originally been fabricated by manager Andrew (“Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?”) Loog Oldham to contrast them with the “squeaky clean” Beatles. That reputation had come to haunt the. Of course, their behavior did nothing to reverse the verdict. The worst hounding came at home. Somehow seen as a threat to the British Crown, they were harassed for years. Eventually the hassles, along with a punitive tax rate, drove them from England in the midst of their most brilliant period, which Keith identifies as: “That whole period around Beggar’s Banquet and through to Exile [On Main Street]. I tend to think now that roll would have kept going. There was no reason why it shouldn’t have. But suddenly, in order to keep the band together, we had to leave England and so, instead of being able to go around the corner, ‘Hey Mick, I’ve got a good riff. Why don’t you come over or I’ll pop over to you or….’ I mean that physical proximity thing which is necessary, for the rest of the 70’s after Exile, we were kind of forced to learn how to live, you know, with everybody separated all over the world. [We had to learn] how to write songs, how to put records together, how to work in a totally new and incredibly large environment, where before, it was always a bunch of guys around the corner. I mean, actually what it did, it actually you more determined to keep it together. ‘They think by kicking us out they can get rid of us…Screw you!’ You know?”

Over the next decade-and-a-half, the Stones continued to maintain that attitude and continued professionally and musically to have their ups, like 1978’s Some Girls, and downs, most notably the December 12, 1985 death of Ian Stewart, who had been with the band from the beginning. Keith remembers him this way: “Well, we’re still working for him. It’s his band really. The first time I went to rehearsal of what turned out to be the Rolling Stones, I walked into this little room on top of a pub in London and it had a piano in it and a horsehair couch sort of burst wide open. The only guy there was Stu and I walked in. He said [gruffly], ‘Who are you?’ I said [meekly], ‘I’m the guitar player…maybe.’ So Stu was a very big part of the band. When we got to record they said, ‘We can’t use him, he doesn’t look right and there’s too many of you.’ And stu, a large man, a large heart- he was a guy: ‘Yeah, I understand. Okay, I’ll drive the bus.’ And he roadied for us. But he still recorded, and in every other respect, was part of the band. Eventually he got back on stage with us anyway.” Through the roller coaster ride, the Stones became as large as their legend and perhaps lost some of their drive in the bargain.

The release of Talk is Cheap, renewed the hope of the faithful. Keith Richards proved that the true feel that captured the hearts and ears of Rolling Stones fans at the very beginning was still alive. He had found a new band, the X-pensive Winos (Waddy Wachtel, Steve Jordan, Ivan Neville, Charlie Drayton, Sarah Dash and Bobby Keys), of which he says: “What makes it fun for me is the fact that I’m playing with such great guys. Actually, to have one great band is a miracle. To have two, hey ‘What did I do right?’ It allows me to do things on a scale that the Stones are so far over the top.” These Winos drive him pretty hard. “I suppose to me the difference between working with the Winos as opposed to the Stones is that musically, let’s say in the studio when I’m putting a song together and we’re working on it, if I stop, the Stones just stop because it’s a habit,” Richards continues. “They’ll wait for me to knock the thing into shape. In the studio with the Winos, if I stop they don’t. They just keep going and look at me. It’s like ‘Pick it up man, pick it up!’ Which is great because nobody kicks me, and I say, ‘Even the kicker needs to be kicked occasionally.’ You know, ‘Oh , that hurt. It felt good.’”

After a Wino tour and live album and video ( Keith Richards and the X-Pensive Winos at the Hollywood Palladium ), a Stones album ( Steel Wheels ), world tour, live album ( Flashpoint ), and IMAX concert film, Keith has picked up right where he left off with his latest album, Main Offender. He and the Winos have struck the right chord again, combining rock, R&B, blues and reggae in their own unique blend, and touring to critical raves. As Keith says, “I found out on the road that the Winos, apart from Burning Spear, are probably one of the best live reggae bands in the world. If they wanted to play it all the time, they could.”

A founding father of the Stones he may be, but Keith’s real life role as a doting dad is one seldom seen by public eyes. At a rehearsal for the Winos tour, his youngest two ran into the hall with cries of, “Daddy! Daddy!” and hugged Daddy’s neck (which they shared with his guitar). Later, when six-year-old Alexandra hurt her thumb, Keith, in the tradition of all parents pained by their children’s hurts, came off the stage, still wearing his wireless guitar, to kiss away the pain. Alexandra continued to sob. As he turned back to the stage, Keith said, with the perfect comic timing, “It’ll take a minute for that to sink in.” Then, sensing a smile lurking in the shallows beneath the tears he spun back and said, “And another thing…” ripping off one of his patented blues guitar riffs which was then echoed by Alexandra’s musical laughter. Main offender indeed.