2019
So watch me, watch me rebound
Keith Richards (Mid-January 2019): The holiday period and cutting down drinking It's always been an exhausting time for me, December, because it's just one long party. By January 1, you're knackered. And that's a good way to start a new year, right? I'm drying out now! I've knocked the hard stuff on the head. I have a little wine with meals, and a Guinness or a beer or two, but otherwise... no. It's like heroin - the experiment is over. Mind you, if I meet you in a bar and you say, Do you want to a drink? - he he he - I wouldn't turn it down! I'm not a puritan in these matters. It's just that it's not on the daily menu any more. |
Ron Wood & Keith Richards (January 2019): The current state of the Stones' album-in-progress Ron: It's gradually moving forward... The thing is the songs are taking their own shape. We're trying to get the Jagger/Richards thing to flow normally again (laughs). And so whatever they're doing, let them resume and we'll carry on. Me and Charlie will get our call-up papers and say OK we're ready, let's go and cut the songs. Keith: Sometimes it’s not as much writing as listening to what’s been written and figuring it out, and honing and all kinds of stuff... (laughs) It’s very boring. It’s like a carpentry shop. |
Keith Richards & Ron Wood (Mid-to-late January 2019): The Stones heading back to the studio Keith: We're in the studio in a couple of weeks, the whole kit and caboodle. The Stones with Don Was producing, in L.A. We'll have it done this year, at some point. We'll put down as much as we can for a week or so, and then we're on the road. So we'll see what happens after that. At the moment the Stones are going into the studio next week and so I'm preparing for that, for a few days, to see what we've got. 'Cause we've been working away for - over the year Mick and I have been together several times. And a big sound that we've put together, quite an accumulation of stuff, so we're going to take it in the studio with the best of the boys and see what happens. This weekend, we're off to sessions. We're recording for 10 days or so. We're going into the studio next week. Mick and I have been busy this year, trying to knock some interesting stuff together. We're doing what we feel we're good at, and in order to be heard. I don't think there should be any time limit on that. Ron: We're getting ready for recording in L.A. in about a week's time, and then getting ready to tour. |
Keith Richards (Mid-January 2019): The Glimmer Twins in 2019 You know, Mick and I, the way we've reacted to things over the years, we've both been very critical of each other. But at the same time, here we are. I just spoke to him yesterday, talking to him about a song we're about to record, and so it goes on. It's an overriding love. |
Mick Jagger (February 27, 2019): Porte Rouge Melanie had the idea to do the ballet and she’s choreographing it and she chose the songs to be honest. We discussed a few alternatives – but she really chose them. Part of my job is to make sure that they all run together smoothly, do the links and the edits so they work together. So they flow nicely and the highs and lows go together and the keys work going from one song to the next–that sort of thing. (…) We added bits of sound effects for the ballet but I mean it’s all music that’s already quite well-known songs. |
Keith Richards (March 2019): Album progress, Charlie and Mick We’re working on the album. We’ve got the first bits done and I’m looking forward to getting back in after this tour. Charlie Watts is playing his arse off!... He’s absolutely amazing. It’s indescribable to find a drummer like Charlie Watts, exceptionally brilliant. I can never praise Charlie enough and I can praise Mick Jagger 99% of the time. Mick knows what I mean and he’ll say the same about me. Things happen between Mick and me because it’s just two guys working together. You only hear about the odd bust-up. I love the man 99% of the time. |
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards & Ron Wood (March 30, 2019): Postponing the tour Mick: I’m so sorry to all our fans in America & Canada with tickets. I really hate letting you down like this. I’m devastated for having to postpone the tour but I will be working very hard to be back on stage as soon as I can. Once again, huge apologies to everyone. Keith: A big disappointment for everyone but things need to be taken care of and we will see you soon. Mick, we are always there for you! Ron: We’ll miss you over the next few weeks, but we’re looking forward to seeing you all again very soon. Here’s to Mick - thanks for your supportive messages it means so much to us. |
Ron Wood (Late April 2019): Cheering Mick up Sally and I went on a break to the Caribbean with Keith and Patti and sent him videos of us playing and singing get well songs on the guitar. That cracked him up. We're all so pleased that he’s doing well. |
Don Was (Late April 2019): The next Stones album I can’t really describe the album because we haven’t made the choices yet. Keith and Mick have been writing together, it’s all original material and it’s really good. |
Keith Richards (June 2019): Mick's surgery (Mick) went through it very easily. He’s in great shape — rocking. As I say, it seemed to be no problem at all really... I don’t think (it's been a wake-up call for us) (laughs). It was just, Oh, Mick will be better. We’ll just wait around because there was no doubt that we’d soon pick it up. It just had to be done. So we did it. |
Keith Richards (June 2019): Rehearsing We’re rehearsing, going through it all, we’re doing maintenance (laughs). It’s coming along very well. It’s cool yeah. We’re making a few changes. We’re trying to come up with some lesser known favourites, Stones things, so that’s been interesting. Some of them I haven’t heard in 20 years. |
Mick Jagger (June 10, 2019): Road and life balance I don’t do it all the time, (like) twelve months a year. When you’re young, that’s what you do. (Today I) spend three or four months on the road in a year and that seems to be quite a good balance. |
Ron Wood (June 2019): Mick's reactions to suggestions for the set list He’ll be quite honest. He’ll say, Actually, no, that won’t work here, or We played it here too many times. Or he may just go, Yeah, we’ll give it a run, so you never quite know what to expect, but you always get a reason why we won’t perform something. I’ll look at the set list (during soundchecks) and go, Hey, Mick, we just rehearsed this! He doesn’t answer — it’s like a tease. But then three weeks later, boom, it’s in the set. That’s what keeps you on your toes. |
Don Was (Early July 2019): The Stones album-in-progress We probably have 40 (tracks), and depending on the 10 we choose to finish, the character of the album will be determined. Right now it can go any way. There's some really good stuff in there, and there's a sense that making a good album is not good enough, it's got to be great. |
Mick Jagger (September 7, 2019): Different kinds of performances (I)f you make a mistake on the stage, if you fall over, you don’t get a retake. If you fall over in the film, it’s fine. It’s a different part of your brain that is activated in acting, which I do very rarely. I enjoy doing it. As an actor your role and part is to put on a mask. You may want to put on several masks. Or you may want to take some of them off and reveal some of yourself. As a writer you want to create lots of illusions and lots of characters. I guess that’s some kind of mask. |
Mick Jagger (September 7, 2019): Loss of civility in politics We are going through a very strange time at the minute. And when you live at a strange time you know it’s a strange time but you don’t know what’s going to happen. Values are different.There’s more polarization and less civilit... I’m not sure I was always against civility, but when you see it now the incivility of political life which we see in so many countries including my own, especially this last week— and in other countries, particularly the U.S.— when you see this, it’s a bit of a sea change from what you were used to. I don’t mean that manners are everything. But the combination of all these things, where it’s going to lead us, is polarization, rudeness and lying. |
Ron Wood (Late 2019): State of the Rolling Stones' next album (The work) is ongoing. Taking on shape. Many different flavours. Very diverse... It's going to be great. Once we've decided what tracks we're going to use. |
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