Keith Richards Talks ‘Some Girls,’ Rolling Stones’ 50th Anniversary + More
Ian Gavan, Getty Images
With the Rolling Stones getting ready to release a remastered and expanded edition of their 1978 album ‘Some Girls’ next week, Stones guitarist and all-around rock raconteur Keith Richards is in a reflective mood — as evidenced by his recent interview with Spinner, which found him talking about his experiences during the original sessions, what fans can expect from the band’s 50th anniversary next year, and a whole lot more.
The question on everyone’s mind, of course, is whether or not the band will tour to celebrate reaching the half-century mark, and Richards sounds as eager as ever to hit the road and crank up the amps. He’s organizing jam sessions with bandmates Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts in London next month, and when asked if his longtime foil Mick Jagger was invited, he responded, “Of course. I mean, everybody’s welcome. I was going to ask Bill Wyman to come by too. And Mick Taylor. The whole lot. They’re all Stones, you know? Why not?”
That comment reflects the expansive mood Spinner found Richards in — he was characteristically open throughout the interview, except when asked about his drinking, and punctuated many of his comments with laughter. Asked what he wants to do for the Stones’ 50th anniversary, he responded simply, “I want to pull it off. That, at the moment, is my task.” When the interviewer commented that getting the band together at this point must be a “logistical nightmare,” he continued, “Well, we’ll find out. I usually find that logistical nightmares can always be overcome if everyone wants to get together.”
Richards looked back warmly on the ‘Some Girls’ sessions, saying the record’s stripped-down sound came from “a deliberate idea of Mick and I to strip the band back down to basics.” Reminiscing about Ronnie Wood’s earliest days with the band, he said, “It was the first full album that I was doing with Ronnie, so we were all feeling our way in that respect. We were just getting into each other’s way of playing on this stuff.” Laughing, he continued, “I remember it as a load of fun, but I’m sure some other people might have other ideas.”
To read more of Richards’ lengthy interview — which also touches on his experiences hanging out with former President Clinton and his life as a Mailer Award-winning author — follow this link!
