Keith Richards: Under the Influence is a good enough excuse to spend time with the ever genial Keith Richards. Keith is not just a rock icon and a medical marvel, he’s a great raconteur – ever genial, with an omnipresent cigarette-hacking chuckle.
Keith drops many a nugget while relating his own musical journey and much about American music of which he is a devotee:
- About meeting Muddy Waters at Chess Records.
- That he considers himself a better bass player than a guitar player.
- How the intro licks to Street Fighting Man were recorded when only he and Charlie Watts came early to a recording session to mess around.
- How his bass line with Charlie’s drumming sped up the pace to Sympathy with the Devil from a lament to really rockin’.
- “I’m no longer a pop star and I don’t want to be one”.
- A sharp observation that White “rock” can seem like a march, and “I prefer the ‘roll'”.
- His period of not working with Mick Jagger in 1985-89 was “World War III”.
- And there’s a VERY funny Johnny Cash-in-a-hotel-room story.
Here’s challenge – try to spell out Keith’s raspy chuckle. It’s something like “Huh-whey-whey-heh-heh”.
Keith Richards: Under the Influence has the feel of an infomercial for Richards’ book and newest solo album. But, no matter, it’s time well spent. Keith Richards: Under the Influence is available to stream from Netflix Instant.