TIME IS ON OUR SIDE

The 2020s



My brain stopped telling me: You’re getting older around 30. I remember my 40th birthday, my 50th, milestones, but even then I was like: I’m not 40… 72? Forget about it!
- Ron Wood, February 2020

 

The larger point, really, is — in the short, medium, and long term — how is everyone that performs live going to function in the future? We don’t know. In Europe, we’ve had small-scale concerts. We’ve had socially-distanced concerts. You can see (concerts) starting in some parts of the world — New Zealand, Australia and so on. But… as far as the U.S. is concerned, we don’t really know what the future holds. So many people are out of work, losing money. Is it ever going to be the same again? Will it be always different? We just don’t know at the moment.

We might be playing to very few people. Even though we might be lucky enough to have sold tickets, we might not be able to play to them all at once.
- Mick Jagger, August 2020, on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic

 

Let’s hope so. And I hope to celebrate with as many of us as possible. Look on the bright side - one has to do that, you know?... I hope we’re all there, man. It’s something to look forward to.
- Keith Richards, August 2020, asked if the Stones will celebrate their 60th anniversary onstage in 2022

 

This year I’m turning 77 for Chrissake. I know it, I don’t give a shit. I’m very proud of it. And I’m still trying to know myself a bit better. But things change as you know, as you go on. Nothing’s static.
- Keith Richards, September 2020

 

It’s a big guess (when we perform again), isn’t it? I think people are hoping that in some countries… each country is going to be slightly different... Maybe in England, at the end of the summer, beginning of the autumn might be good?

Definitely (we’ll do it if we have the opportunity). In a way, we kind of have to ‘cause we’d (laughs) signed up we were going to do an American tour, you know, last year, and we sold the tickets… And I don’t think we can do that exact tour because it won’t be the exact time. But I think we’re pretty much committed to having to do something like that. So I think… things will be somewhere near normal by the end of the summer. Let’s hope anyway.
- Mick Jagger, April 2021
 
 
I’ve been asked that question since I was 31. And your answer is the same. I don’t know. I mean, anything could happen. You know, if things are good next year and everyone’s feeling good about touring, I’m sure we’ll do shows. I’m just trying to concentrate on this tour now.
- Mick Jagger, September 2021, asked if the current tour will be the last


I got a feeling that we’re just tickling the surface here. We’re seeing another unexploded mine. It’s got a lot of time on it.
- Ron Wood, September 2021

 

Who can wrap their head around 60 fucking years (laughs)? It all seems impossible that it's been that long.
- Keith Richards, March 2022


If I did that, I wouldn't come up with an answer and then I'd be always thinking about it, you know? Tomorrow? No. July the 5th, 2025? (Laughs) I'll find out the hard way.
- Keith Richards, March 2022, asked if he ever asks himself how long he can do it


I'm not planning it to be the last tour. I love being on tour.
- Mick Jagger, April 2022, about the upcoming European tour


Rock & roll, or any kind of pop music honestly, isn’t supposed to be done when you’re in your seventies. It wasn’t designed for that. Doing anything high-energy at this age is really pushing it. But that makes it even more challenging. So it’s, like, OK, we’ve got to fucking do this right, but it’s got to be as full-on as possible.
- Mick Jagger, May 2022


We already had some stuff cut with Charlie. It should be coming next year.
- Keith Richards, May 2022, on the next Stones album



We're working now to finish off the studio album that we've been working on for years... We're finishing off in L.A. in a couple of weeks' time... And you will be seeing us live again next year, hopefully, too.
- Ron Wood, October 2022


They’re both big numbers. One’s more than the other one.
- Mick Jagger, August 2023, asked about 80 feeling different than 70


You can have a posthumous business now, can’t you? You can have a posthumous tour. The technology has really moved on since the ABBA thing...
- Mick Jagger, August 2023, asked about the Rolling Stones' business outliving him



What the fuck am I doing? I’m 80 (sic) years old and playing rock & roll (laughs)... I don’t think about age or anything at all.
- Keith Richards, August-September 2023



Getting old is new territory. As long as I can hang and play, personally I feel like I'm 40 or 50. But let's not push our luck, right? Mick and I are both very physically strong. But I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I'd feel differently about my age if I woke up in the morning, and my leg fell off. Whoops! Something's wrong here! Otherwise, it's not something that's on my mind.
- Keith Richards, August-September 2023


People have been saying that for 40 years (laughs). That is one of the weird things like, What the hell are you doing here at this age? And the only answer is This is what I do.
- Keith Richards, August-September 2023, asked if Hackney Diamonds is the last Rolling Stones album


I don’t think it’s the last Rolling Stones album. We’ve got almost three-quarters through the next one.
- Mick Jagger, August-September 2023


Without anybody croaking or breaking a leg in the next year, I wouldn’t be surprised at all (if we toured).

- Keith Richards, August-September 2023


We plan to keep working. I know we're going to work next year.

- Keith Richards, August-September 2023


As you get older you lose a lot of friends. And not only friends. It’s pretty weird because -  OK they’re not friends of yours necessarily but there are people that have been in your life whether they’re musicians or that you've admired or actors or wherever they are but lots of people of your age group, or generation you might said, have all gone. Which is why I think I think I've got a lot of friends that (laughs) aren't in my age group. I don’t just want to hang out with younger people but a lot of the people in my generation are no longer here to hang out with what am I going to do?... (I)it doesn’t get easier at all. There’s a lot of people around your age, they’re dying all the time. I don’t have any friends older than me, only one. Apart from the band, all my friends are much younger.

- Mick Jagger, September 2023


So far, I have no real problem with getting old. There are some horrific things that you can see in the future, but you’ve got to get there. I’m getting along with the idea of being 80, and still walking, still talking. I find (ageing) a fascinating process. But then if you didn’t, you might as well commit suicide.”

- Keith Richards, September 2023


We just are pioneers in a way that no one's done 60 years of rock and roll, ever.
- Ron Wood, September 2023


How long can you really do it? It’s like asking: how long can someone go on playing (cricket) for England? Not long, is usually the answer. I do think about it. But I write all the time. You’ve just got to keep writing, and now everyone (in the band) can see they can record quite easily.
- Mick Jagger, September 2023


We're all in good fettle. We're not looking at each other and saying, time's up... Of course it's going to end some time, but there's no particular rush. We're having great fun doing this.

- Keith Richards, October 2023


















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