The Licks You Have To Follow

I don't need to hear Bill to go through a song.
I need to hear Keith to go through a song.
I know Bill will be playing what I'm playing anyway.
I need to hear Keith because it's all there: the time,
the chord changes, and all the licks you have to follow.

In the words of the great Charlie Watts, Keith is a man to
look to, listen to, a lick to follow.

Not because Keith dictates, but because he is naturally leading you - himself, the band - in the direction of the right timing, feeling his way through the subtle changes in precision, in chords, sounds and presence.

It's always been said that Keith is the soul of the Stones, the backbone of a band you never leave - except in a coffin (though Bill eventually did make it out without dying first).

Perhaps it's the soulful genourosity, the inner demons confronted, that's letting Keith include people around him, making room for others to be themselves, to bring out what's "in here" ["pointing to the heart"]. In any sense it shows us the importance of letting a strong human force in - if we're to have any chance at evolving - in business,
art, in the dark corners of our mind and heart.

This world is full of Bills (in all respect), who we don't need to hear in order to create the space and trust to be who we are, to contribute with our own unique tune.

Dare To Become What You Are

Life is a wild animal. You hope to deal with it when it leaps at you.

In Keith's words it's all about dealing-with-it.

Be it inner deamons or outer shit of others dragging you down. Deal with it! And it's like fears, when truly confronted, they leave.

As is turns out, Keith is said to be the guitarist with the green thumb, the gardener, at home growing lemons like "hand grenades."

I always planted things. I used to grow weed, but I was never there for the harvest, ya' know?

Regardless of his absentees, Keith knows the value of letting (good) stuff grow, let it vent, let it bleed and let it give life to lilltle new buds - passing it on, ya know!

The idea of only venting positivity - or the new quest seen by managers to only deal with "happy" employees, who hides what they truly need to vent in order to function creatively - is thus plain mad in itself!

Soul Survivor

Had a Sunday plan to hang at the local library, not been there in years,
wanted to borrow an old and wellread version of Simone de Beauvoir's
All Men Are Mortal.

Keith of course is the big reader, the librarian.

And he's said to have extraordinary knowledge of
certain topics, a close feel of what he's read and
digested, a contrbutor as he spins his own tails on
the books he's spent time wth.

But instead of a visit to the library, I got caught up in
reading the classic UNCUT magazine's Keith Richards
60 year birthday special Soul Survivor.

Sure. What do you need to know? Keith answeers the interviewer in the open manner of his, sounding sincerly human and unafraid to speak from the heart. Indeed a "mortal man", as all of us, but
Keith doesn't seem to mind at all.

The aura of You can't accuse me of anything I haven't already confessed to is
libarating in itself, and certainly inspiring to pick up on in ones own way.
But being real isn't always as easy as faking it, then again who'd want to fake
anything in this life?

The Ultimate "Consumer Relationship"

How challenging can it be to follow Johnny Lang or the goddamn Spin Doctors?

So ask the Rolling Stones Liberation Front in a "fan protest" posted on 

ClassicRock Magazine. And this is before any Stones tour announcement 

has even been made, though it is of course eagerly anticipated with the 

50th anniversary and all.

In "six demands" to the Stones' way of touring, the protesters want to see a 

stripped down, "original" Stones line-up, the bare bones, no fuzz, fair ticket 

prices and no idiot celebs giving VIP services. For starters. 

A dedication like this is rare. It's a seldom passion for a sound, for a feel to it

and a history with it, honorering the Stones' importance in every line of the 

"protest" - however premature with no new tour officially announced yet :-)

The Prince of Dartford

I never stopped believing in your smile...

Celebrating Keith's birthday by feeling my heartstrings tightening...thanks!

A Style Finds You

You don't find a style...a style finds you, Keith has said.

And I was reminded of his words as I stumbled upon StyleLikeU
and got seduced to stay by the byline "Freedom of expression 
through personal style".

Always one to find true personal style fascinating, I often struggle
with the implied vanity of spending time on looking like myself.
That in contrast to me taking the time to be in touch with myself,
knowing and trusting myself, getting wiser on what makes me
a unique person.

As the young designer Yara Flinn points out:

It's nice to wear clothes that draw attention but if they say more 
about you than you are saying about you, it's pointless.

Some Girls

I really do hate seeing Keith in drag. Of whatever kind.

Luckily it looks like he hates it too. The man is the pure essence of

masculinity to me: Strong, kind, witty and charming. And with that
all encompassing presence in every riff left in him.

Keith is not "some girl" who's name you can't remember. He's not

about to blend in with the masses or bow down to a grinding
numbness.

As it's been said about Keith:

The man is a fully achieved realisation of the idea of the man.