Playing Favorites

Keith Richards

By Bob on December 5, 2013 2:09 AM

Life by Keith Richards is an amazing tell-all by the man who saw it all, lived it all (barely) and wrote it all down. The 576-page celebrity memoir is a compelling behind-the-scenes look at Richards - his lives (he's had more than a 100 cats,) loves (ditto) and of course, The Rolling Stones.

Readers are treated to just about every intimate detail of the band, from how it got its name (SPOILER ALERT - it has nothing to do with Bob Dylan's song) to groupies, drugs and of course, the music. For a band that once had to tie broken guitar strings together to play a gig the Stones have had spectacular run.

Now, some 50-years later, the band mates are in their sunset years, but Richards says they'll be playing concerts until they die. For Baby Boomers who grew up with them (and really who didn't?) that's a comforting fact.  

Or, I guess you could say, that's Life. 

Keith Richards - FACT or FICTION? 

1) He Snorted His Dead Father's Ashes
TRUE. He really DID snort his dead father's ashes - sort of. He accidentally spilled some on a table and couldn't stand the idea of brushing them off into the trash. Instead, he wiped the dust with his finger and "snorted" the residue as (he calls it) a "tribute".

2) He Had All of His Blood Replaced
FALSE. Just a rumor. He was travelling and a reporter asked where he was going, "To get my blood replaced," he said. Can't a guy make a joke? Apparently not that reporter. It became an urban myth and lingers to this day.

3) He Owns All the Rights to His Songs
FALSE. Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Women, Brown Sugar...all classics and the rights are owned by a former manager who ripped them off early in the Stones' career.

4) He Left Great Britain Because of Drug Charges
FALSE. He left because a repressive tax code was taking up to 98% (not a typo - it really was ninety eight percent) of the Rolling Stones income during their peak earning years.

Here's Keith with Jimmy Fallon

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Playing Favorites is a column where Charlotte and I pull back the curtain on our Boomer lives to show you what we're into these days. It may be a movie we've discovered. A new restaurant. Great food. Interesting drink. A song we can't get out of our heads...it could be anything. It's all about discovery and the stuff that makes us happy. So, step inside our world and let us show you around. Don't mind the dust, the housekeeper comes on Thursday.

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