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.
