'It got really sour in the 80s. I've been the repair man' SPIKE-HAIRED, bright-eyed and tirelessly entertaining, Ronnie Wood replaced Mick Taylor in 1975 and has been part of the superstructure of the Rolling Stones ever since.
He’s added rough-hewn guitar textures and been a crucial part of the glue that’s kept the Jagger- Richards partnership together.
Ron has a powerful attachment to all the tracks on the new hits compilation, GRRR!, partly because he used to see the band when he was still at school.
But he is brutally honest about their most difficult time, the 1980s — “there was a certain amount of hatred floating in the air and it was not good!”
And he still describes himself as “a big fan of the band”, the institution he’s helped sustain, and believes we need the Stones now more than ever.
YOU have just released two new tracks. How does it feel to be back in the same room recording together?
We did one track on a Tuesday, One More Shot, then Doom And Gloom on the Wednesday and on Thursday we were doing overdubs. It would have taken us six months to do that in the old days. We kept it simple, kept it rough and ready, and let nature take its course. The new efficient Rolling Stones are happening!
Why have the Stones lasted so long?
Because we never know what’s coming next. And whenever we get together, lots of time has gone by, so there’s a lot of catching up on news, and the chemistry between us gets ignited again. It’s a bit like an Aga — the little pilot light never goes out but it ain’t half hot in that oven!
What do you think the other three contribute to the Stones? What’s the key element they bring?
Whatever it is I don’t think they’d be able to explain it, especially Charlie — “I don’t know what I do!” — but it works. As regards the two guitars, Keith says “whatever we do in our ancient form of weaving seems to work”. We don’t want to examine it too far otherwise we might overwork it. And Mick adds that magic. It all comes from his harmonica-playing too. When we get back to our roots we can go anywhere.
Did you ever imagine when the offer came that the Stones was a job for life?
Oh yeah. Somebody asked me yesterday, what would I change? Nothing. It’s a continuing adventure. I never thought “I’ll do it till then and then I’ll stop”. This is what I do and will carry on doing.
How envious was every other guitarist you must have known at the time when you got the job in the Stones?
I didn’t think about that. I just thought the chemistry was so right for me — and it seemed right for them — that I didn’t look back. I have tremendous respect for every other guitar player who can play much better than me but they have to live with these guys!
What have you brought to the Stones in the last 37 years?
A bit of humour. It’s a bit like a balm to ease their gaping wounds. There were quite a few gaping wounds that were there when I first came in! And watching the Crossfire Hurricane film I think I came in at the right time. Whatever I did, people seemed to cheer up!
Mick and Keith’s relationship has been described as “a marriage”. What’s your relationship with them?
I’m probably the Foreign Diplomat — or the Cockney Diplomat — that came in to heal the bridge that may be crumbling! I’m the repair man.
If you could have a word today with your 20 year-old self, what would you advise him?
“This looks like a good adventure, Ron, let’s go for it! This looks like a good job!”
Do you think there’s any part of the Stones that’s been misunderstood?
Oh, good question. No, because we never wanted to say anything that took a deep amount of thought. We wanted to make people forget their troubles and lighten up.
I think we’re happy that we make people happy, and when we get together en masse with the crowds our way of giving back is we give our 200 per cent, to try and pay them back for being so dedicated and loving the music. ’Cos I’m a big fan of the band and I wanted to keep this institution going. I think it’s very necessary for these modern, horrible times we live in, these warring times.
It’s an awful world out there. You’ve got to make people happy.
So you must have seen the Stones before you were in the band...
Oh yeah, I was still at school and I used to run home after and go, “Yep, there’s my boys, that’s my band!” My dad used to say, “This is Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones!” when I joined them. He was so proud of me.
Is there a song you couldn’t leave off a greatest hits package as it simply wouldn’t be the Stones without it?
I like the real nitty-gritty stuff like Midnight Rambler, a fantastic opera of a blues. (It’s only on the deluxe edition.)
I’m told that nothing is as good as the sound of 80,000 people applauding. Is live performance addictive?
Yeah. Because when we’re not on the road, we’re like fish out of water and it’s a very awkward feeling to adjust to everyday life. “Live” is what we do and it’s a strange juxtaposition to go home after a concert — “what the hell is going on?” No matter how many years go by between tours, every night at eight o’clock I feel like I should be doing something!
Can you think of any other bands that might make it to 50 years?
No. They’ve all got to try, though. And not argue. Or let personal problems get in the way.
Back in the day ... Rolling Stones
Were there any bands you thought were ever rivals to the Stones?
No.
Did you ever feel the band was defeated? “We can’t get out of this? We’ve come to a dead end?”
No, but I knew at certain times during the history, especially during the Eighties, that it was really sour times and something had to be done. Especially when the main members lose their link. A big conduit. It has to be reconnected. Which is hopefully what I did.
Well, Mick effectively left the group from ’82 to ’87.
Yeah. There was a certain amount of hatred around, floating in the air, and it was not good! And somebody had to go, ‘Come on, what’s it all about? This is ridiculous! You didn’t mean that.’ ‘Well, no, I didn’t but I’m not going to back down if he doesn’t.’ And you’d go, ‘Just f****** get on with it, will you? I’m going to put you two together, now sort it out!’ ‘Right. Oh, it’s all sorted, there was no problem anyway!” Often, with these things, if you look into it there’s not really a problem, just a misunderstanding taken other places by other people.
And presumably Charlie is part of that glue in the relationship too?
Yeah. In a semi-unaware way because he’s not the interfering type. He’ll think, if something’s crumbling, “Okay, it’s crumbled.” He won’t say, “I’ve got to stop this!” Whereas I make a stand and I go, “Come on, this ain’t gonna happen! This has got to stop!”
What do you think teenagers would get out of going to see the Stones for the first time now?
Hopefully they’ll get the same kick I got when I was a teenager. It’s only music, after all. And it’s only a good feeling. And if you can’t get behind a good feeling then there’s something wrong with you. You want to feel good and, if you don’t take drugs, take music. And if you want to get high, go on stage! You don’t need anything else.
What about people who’ve been seeing the Stones for 50 years. What do you think they’re getting from this?
Them too. They come back for more ’cos it’s like a fix. Their grandparents and their kids and their kids’ kids and their kids’ kids’ kids, they all get the same fix hopefully, in different ways.
So what can we expect from these shows in November?
A plethora of “new old” material! We’ve rehearsed 80 songs so far, about 20 of them we’ve never played before so it’s going to be a surprise for us as well. There’s some good old stuff that we’ve uprooted.
Songs you’ve never performed live before? Can you reveal what some of them might be?
I don’t think anything’s a secret. We may have a go at I Wanna Be Your Man, which is a great piece of Stones history. When Lennon and McCartney presented Mick and Keith with an idea back in the Sixties — “Here we’ve got a song for you boys!’ and they go, “Oh, really? We need one, we’ll have a go at it!”
That kind of thing we’re bearing in mind. It’s like people want to know about the Stones’ history — here’s part of it. Whether or not we play it is another thing but we’ve rehearsed it and it’s really good.
Otherwise... little visits to key moments of the blues and rock ’n’ roll, tributes to howlers over the years, great singers, great influences on the band from Chuck Berry to Otis Redding to Little Richard. All the people we love we put into our music somehow.
Is there one song you never get tired of playing?
Yeah, the ever-changing Brown Sugar is fabulous because it’s part of the diet. Every time we play it we always have a little snigger — like “you’d think we’d be fed up with that song by now” — but it always takes on a different form. We just rehearsed it last week again and it’s very intriguing. Keith turns round to me and goes “It’s not a bad song, you know, is it?” and I go, “Actually, you’re right!”
’Cos we’re looking at things more focused as well and these songs are like gifts coming out of the sky. Whether it’s You Can’t Always Get What You Want or something, there’s always a different view and a different way of presenting the song. Hopefully like the original record.
We were playing Street Fighting Man last week and I said to Mick, “Can I hear the original record?” And he went, “No! No referring to the original record!” And I was like “OK, I’ll play it then.”
How will you guarantee value for money at the shows as there’s a bit of controversy about the ticket cost?
We’ve already spent a million on rehearsing in Paris! And the stage is going to be another few million! And the lights! We feel no bad thing about ticket prices. We’ve got to make something. Keith was told “do you realise how much they’re charging for tickets?” and Keith said, “Sounds about right.” You’ve got to treat yourself, haven’t you? I know I would lash out!
What are you planning for the 60th anniversary?
We take it as it comes, really. I’m still getting over the 25th.
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