Old Rivalries and Everlasting Rock ‘n’ Roll: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
In July, music icon Mick Jagger celebrated his 80th birthday with a wild party in a trendy Chelsea nightclub. His long-time musical partner, Keith Richards, who turns 80 on December 18, was noticeably absent from the festivities. But that didn’t stop Keith from sending his well wishes via Instagram, with a message that read, “Have another good one and give me a call—let me know what it’s like.”
As someone who has closely followed the Rolling Stones over the years, I highly doubt that call ever happened. Mick, now entering his eighth decade, probably doesn’t enjoy talking about his age, and the truth is, Mick and Keith haven’t been close for quite some time. In fact, their relationship has been strictly professional for many years. Just last week, they held a press conference together to announce the upcoming release of their first album of new material in almost two decades, titled “Hackney Diamonds.”
In his autobiography, “Life,” Keith admits that he and Mick are no longer friends due to the toll that fame and time have taken on their relationship. However, he still refers to Mick as “the closest of brothers.” Mick, on the other hand, isn’t so sure about that. According to him, “I actually have a brother… It’s not like being with Keith at all.”
I witnessed the tension between Mick and Keith firsthand backstage at a Rolling Stones concert in Belgium back in the mid-1990s. The band was making their way to meet some local VIPs, and as they walked past me, talking amongst themselves, I noticed that Mick did not utter a word to Keith. When I mentioned this to a member of their entourage, he confirmed my observation, saying, “You know, Andrew, you were probably best friends with people in school that you no longer see. Sometimes people just grow apart. It’s like that with Mick and Keith, except they’re both still in the Stones.”
I began to take notice of photographs of the band, where Mick and Keith would always be standing apart from each other, with either Ron, Charlie, or Bill positioned between them. It became clear to me that their differences were so fundamental that every male baby-boomer could be categorized as either a Mick or a Keith.
The origins of their conflict are said to go all the way back to the filming of “Performance” in 1968. Rumors suggest that Mick’s intimate scenes with Keith’s lover, Anita Pallenberg, went beyond acting. Another source of tension was Mick’s solo career in the 1980s. Keith tried to brush off the success of Mick’s debut solo album, “She’s The Boss,” by saying, “It’s like Mein Kampf. Everybody had a copy, but nobody listened to it.” He believed that Mick thought the Rolling Stones were becoming outdated, and that is the core difference between the two: while they were both at the forefront of modernity in the 1960s, only Mick has actively continued to stay relevant.
Mick has always embraced change and kept up with musical trends. He effortlessly incorporated disco into the Stones’ repertoire and even explored hip-hop with his one-off supergroup, SuperHeavy. Ron Wood had to convince Keith to allow Mick to include a dance number on their latest album. Keith openly admits that he finds hip-hop rhythms boring and has no interest in computers or the internet. He prefers to spend his time reading in his library, which looks like something out of Sherlock Holmes’ 221B Baker Street.
In 1998, Keith suffered a punctured lung while falling from a stepladder in his library, and in 2006, he needed brain surgery after falling out of a tree. These accidents highlight Keith’s old-fashioned nature and aversion to technology. He still communicates by fax and doesn’t even want people to think he’s handling his own social media. Mick, on the other hand, is known for his “Instagram obsession,” constantly posting pictures of himself in glamorous locations and using exclamation marks to convey his excitement.
While Keith wrote his autobiography, Mick prefers to live in the present and doesn’t dwell on the past. He returned the advance for his memoir, explaining, “I think I started it in the ’80s. But I didn’t enjoy reliving my life at the expense of living in the now.” The contrast between these two iconic rock stars represents the choices faced by older individuals in our rapidly changing world—whether to keep up with the times or stay true to their roots.
People like my late father-in-law, who was still recommending new movies in his 80s, are like Micks. Even Donald Trump, with his ageless persona and social media presence, can be seen as a Mick. It’s worth noting that Mick Jagger himself seems larger than life on social media and might even make some millennials feel inadequate with his seemingly perfect life.
Keith, on the other hand, is more of a traditionalist. He famously said, “I’ll find out the hard way” when asked how he would know when it’s time to stop performing. He embodies a sense of resilience and staying true to oneself, despite the passage of time. Figures like David Bowie, Madonna, and Joyce Carol Oates, who continuously reinvented themselves and embraced new ideas, can be seen as Micks in their respective fields.
In the end, Mick and Keith represent a choice that each individual must make as they navigate the complexities of modern life. Whether you choose to keep up with the times or hold steadfast to your own principles, there is something to be admired in both approaches. As for Mick and Keith, their rivalry and diverging paths have only added to the mystique and longevity of the Rolling Stones.
Andrew Martin is the author of “Metropolitain: An Ode to the Paris Metro.”
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