Life
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The lead guitarist for The Rolling Stones recounts his life, from a youth obsessed with Chuck Berry to the formation of the Stones and their subsequent stardom, and discusses his problems with drugs, the death of Brian Jones, and his relationship with Mick Jagger.
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Add Age SuitabilityDirtyHarry55 thinks this title is suitable for 18 years and over
mountainmadness thinks this title is suitable for 16 years and over
Summaries
Add a SummaryBiography of the life of Keith Richards and his membership in the Rolling Stones.
A gift from Raymond. Read it over a number of weeks. Skipped over the technical guitar/music parts. Well written - wonder what share of the writing done by Keef and what part by James Fox. But interesting perspective on life with the Rolling Stones. 8/10
Notices
Add a NoticeCoarse Language: A few swears. Uses a lot of English terms which, may very well be swears.
Sexual Content: Nothing in great detail, but there are references to sex.
Other: MANY drug references. This is the main reason I would not let my 14 year old son read this. At times it appears that he glorifies his heroin use due to the fact that he could pretty much control it. Not a good message for impressionable youth to read.
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Add a CommentThis was quite an enjoyable bio (autobio) of a remarkable man who I think is lucky (over and over again) to be around to share his life with us. He is very open about the abuses he put himself under and the joys and difficulties partnering with one of the most famous figures in pop/rock culture history. I finished the book with (even) more admiration for the man and the artist than before. I have been a stones fan for their 50+ years which may have influence this review somewhat.
Book is rather slow and not what I expected. I thought it would focus more on the exploits of the band (you know... sex, drugs and rock and roll). There is an awful lot of technical talk on how he plays different songs. I am into music, but do not play the guitar so I was lost during these references. It was OK. If you are a Stones or Richards fan, read it.
Whether you enjoy this book or not will depend on what you hope to find in it. Personally, I just wanted to know something about Keith Richards, what kind of guy he is. I'm a fan of Stones music, but don't follow celebrity news, so all I remembered about him was the Canadian drug bust decades ago. Some things surprised me - that he's been married 30 years and doesn't sleep around, that he stopped doing drugs decades ago, that he has a bad temper, that he drinks almost constantly. He sounds like a strange mixture of needy and arrogant, as he says his 'mates' and the Stones are his top priorities. The thing is, he seems to have a lot of mates, but really I think it's just a bunch of name-dropping and back-slapping. Doesn't say anything negative about anyone without balancing it by saying he loves them, including Mick. Mick comes off as a jerk. Not the kind of thing I usually read, but it was mildly entertaining, and had some funny stories about his youth.
Turns out Keith is a pirate afterall. That said... for someone that's led a life of such high drama this book is a bit of a slow read. The most interesting sections deal with the music, a very few sparkling insights unfortunately. Also an interesting story about Charlie Watts and Mick. Turns out Charlie is a pirate, too.
Given that the co-author is, arguably, rocknroll's most famous guitarist from, arguably, rocknroll's most famous band, this book is astonishingly bad. When attempting to find ANYTHING about Between The Buttons, I must skim through page after page after page after page after page after page after page of trivia concerning some girlfriend, followed by page after page after page after page of trivia concerning some girlfriend's drug use, followed by page after page after page after page of trivia concerning the effect that said drug use had on said girlfriend's life. I don't care! Only a middle-aged house wife will find this tome interesting.
This autobiography is a straightforward chronology by Richards who shows obvious respect for his family and friends. Surprisingly, it was not that insightful about music.
funny book about the best rock guitar player aside from jimmy page. very cool. still floors me that he lived through all the stuff he put his body though.
Surprising things you didn’t know about Keith Richards: he was an only child, loved being a boy scout, enjoys reading, and now lives in Connecticut with his wife of 29 years, Patti Hansen. Even more surprising, this book won the Norman Mailer Prize for distinguished biography. Appeal Factor: Told in a chatty style, guitarist, Keith tells all, well, nearly all, in this detailed biography about his years with the Rolling Stones. Richards exhibits an impressive memory even while admitting to a past of “checking out” due to excessive partying and drug abuse.
If you have ever been a Stones fan you will enjoy the epic tales of survival and triumph. Keef is a pirate, an outlaw, an anti hero and an endearing and enduring figure. Finishing the book was sad because the crazy tales were coming to an end, it was like saying goodbye to a legendary friend. This book will urge you to break out the old albums and start your on Stones Revival. Thanks Keef!
Who else could glamorize death?