TIME IS ON OUR SIDE

The 1960s




We are bound to change. In a way it is already happening, but the changes will be natural. We consider ourselves a flexible group, and as we change, so will our music. In this respect we resemble a jazz group.

   - Mick Jagger, August 1963



I want to stay in show business. Write songs, too. And maybe go into management. I could handle money alright. That wouldn't worry me. Remember I spent two years at the London School of Economics and I passed all my exams. I think of going back at times but I don't suppose I ever will. I know this won't last. I give the Stones another two years. I'm saving for the future. I bank all my song royalties for a start.

   - Mick Jagger, June 1964


Who's to say (how long we'll last)? On our present strength I think we can count on earning big money for at least another two years, even if something new comes in. But if there's nothing new on its way then we can literally go on indefinitely. One thing, though, I wouldn't want to struggle along if the group really lost popularity. There would be no point.

   - Keith Richards, June 1964


There's a lot of things that hold this band together... It dominates our families' lives. I've played in other bands before but nothing quite as fanatical as this one has been. Don't know what the future will be like, but up until now it's been the band. Joke isn't it?

 - Charlie Watts, 1964


I'm dreading (old age). There are very few old people who are happy. When their minds stop thinking about the present and the future and stay wrapped in the past, they are awfully dull. I don't want old dears saying, How old do you think I am? 48? No, I'm 78 and I've got all your records! Then I think it's time they should grow up!

- Mick Jagger, 1966


Future? Know something? I never even think about it. Today's what counts. Ambitions? Things are fine now. But I want to keep on writing songs with Mick. It's a good partnership, I think - we never seem to be short of ideas.

- Keith Richards, 1966


I've worked out that I'd be 50 in 1984 (sic). I'd be dead! Horrible isn't it. Halfway to a hundred. Ugh! I can see myself coming onstage in my black, windowed, invalid carriage with a stick. Then I turn around, wiggle my bottom at the audience and say something like Now here's an old song you might remember called "Satisfaction".

- Mick Jagger, 1966


No, I don't really like doing world tours. I'd rather tour here (Britain) than anywhere else. But we haven't been international all that long and we've just finished touring for the first time. So many kids write in from South Africa and they're disappointed we don't go there.

- Mick Jagger, 1966, on whether the Stones' future
is in round-the-world tours


Oh, Gawd! I hope I'll be an actor. And I could still be making occasional records... It's very unlikely (the Rolling Stones will still be going). But we've been going four years now and that was very unlikely.

- Mick Jagger, 1966, on where he sees himself in 10 years


Well I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be here in Hawaii, everybody. (Jokingly) It's really WONDERFUL, the best audience we've ever had... here... and this is our last concert... EVER.

     - Mick Jagger, 1966, onstage in Hawaii, July 28, 1966


I suppose so. I don't think that far ahead. How can you tell what you'll be doing in the future?

- Mick Jagger, January 1967, on whether he will
still be singing with the band in 1968


(W)e shall never tour America again. It is very hard work and one bring-down after another. Every place you go there is a barrage of criticism and eventually you just start lashing out.

- Mick Jagger, April 1967


Yes we will perform live again but we are still completing our next LP.

- Mick Jagger, August 1967


(The Rolling Stones playing live again) could happen - but it's such a drag now. It's all right leaping about the stage when you're 20 but when you get to 25-26 it gets a bit embarrassing. Mick feels that he is old enough to get into something new now. I know Charlie couldn't care less but if Mick and Keith suddenly decided on something I suppose we would do it. The other trouble is that the people we play to now are not really our audience. Our fans have got married and turned into a record buying public rather than one which goes to stage shows. If they came now they would bring their husbands or something. We'd just get the curious and the kids brought by their Mums and Dads and it wouldn't really be the fans to whom we owe so much.

- Bill Wyman, August 1967


I'm trying to think of some nice place we can play. We'd really like to play outside. But it's how to present it. We don't want to do an Albert Hall thing again, but it would be nice to play somewhee we could do all our records with me jumping about and all of us playing and make it a proper show. Something like Monterey would be great, but you just can't rely on the weather in Britain.

- Mick Jagger, August 1967


(We'd like to do) giant world tour. We want to do something really different, visiting everywhere we can. Not even a concert tour, in the real sense of the word, something far more exciting.

- Mick Jagger, December 1967


We are hoping to make several live appearances shortly from our wheelchairs. In fact, I think you can safely say that live appearances are a thing of the future.

- Mick Jagger, February 1968


I'd like to do (stage performances), but the thought of going onstage and playing Satisfaction, Paint It Black, Jumpin' Jack Flash and six others just doesn't appeal to me.

- Mick Jagger, June 1968


We've got this album with ten groovy numbers, all of which we're dying to play live. All we want is for someone to give us the opportunity to play somewhere. It could all work out very groovy.

- Mick Jagger, September 1968


More than anything in the world at present, I would like to do some live appearances. But I don't think the others do. I mean they wouldn't mind but they've got to be kicked to do them... I think it would give me a buzz to do some now. I don't want to do ten weeks touring the States and staying in grotty hotels but I would like to do seven or eight major cities around the world.

- Mick Jagger, March 1969


(Age) is more a state of mind than anything else. I don't think I shall live to a very old age anyway. I've always had that feeling, but if you can stop your body falling apart you've won half the battle. I believe in that adage, You are what you eat. If you eat a colossal amount of potatoes, you end up looking like one. All lumpy and knobbly-kneed. I'm not a vegetarian or anything, but I prefer fish to meat and I don't drink milk or eat a lot of starchy foods.

- Mick Jagger, March 1969


I don't want to go back to the womb (playing clubs). The new band isn't going to be like early Stones. The thing is to go on doing something new.

- Mick Jagger, June 1969, on
the Rolling Stones with Mick Taylor

We've got Hyde Park, and more in the autumn. We've promised ourselves a quick flip round the world... (We'd like to play in Britain again, p)laces like Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool. But we couldn't stand those old cinemas. We'd really like to hear of places, especially outdoor ones. We want do to lots of outdoors concerts. But I'd hate to do an open air concert in Manchester, what with the air they have up there.
- Mick Jagger, early July 1969


The future? I don't think about it. (Laughs) We all have our visions of playing in our wheelchairs. For the immediate future I want to keep the Stones playing, because if I don't all the work of the last few months will be blown.

- Keith Richards, July 1969


(I)n all the future gigs, we want to keep the audiences as small as possible. We'd rather play four shows of 5000 each, than one mammoth 50 000 sort of number. We're playing at Madison Square Gardens in new York, but it will be a reduced audience - we're not going to allow them to sell all the seats... After the coming U.S. tour, I think we'll do some concerts in Europe. I'd very much like to do Prague - if we can get in there.

- Keith Richards, October 1969


I don't know where to live. England is so small-town. They'll send me away eventually. And they tax you blind. I think I'd like to live in France and travel, live in different places different times...But I've got to find a place to live, got to think about the future, because obviously I can't do THIS forever. (Rolls his eyes) I mean, we're so OLD - Bill's 33!...

- Mick Jagger, on tour, November 1969


I read something that said all that's left for the Stones now is to die before they're thirty, and I thought it was terrible, I was very upset, and then I remembered Bill's over thirty, so that's all right.

- Shirley Watts, November 1969


Doesn't matter if you're 68 and bald. If you can do it, there's somebody who can dig it, but if you're a rock and roller you've got to be on the stage. A rock and roller doesn't exist unlesss he's on the stage.

- Keith Richards, December 1969


Yeah, we aim to stay on the streets. We dug doing this tour, actually, more than the others.

- Mick Jagger, December 1969

 


On to the 1970s

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