Got my copy of UNCUT.
Good stuff.
Coupla interesting Keith quotes, who's never hesitant to say exactly what's on his mind.
His candor may or may not be ascribed to the "brownish-gold, fizzy drink in his cup." The author notes "Whatever's in that cup, it packs a wallop. His eyes blur and refocus as he swallows."
KR: "You've got to realise I wasn't considered to be any more outrageous than anybody else in the band," he says on the subject of his drug use.
"At this time Mick was taking
everything. Charlie Watts was hitting the brandy like a motherfucker. The least of our concerns was what we ingested. These sorts of questions [about drugs] are predicated on what came a few years later, when I
did become...I mean, I had no doubt about myself, but y'know...I would play the game. 'Oh, you want
that Keith Richards? I'll give you the baddest mother you've ever seen.'"
UNCUT: According to comments made by Mick Jagger over the years,
Exile was in sore need of salvaging when they left France, amounting to little more than 'grungy backing tracks'. Jagger has frequently intimated that he supervised it's rescue in LA, taking charge of the overdubs and pulling rabbits out of the hat. Put this version to Keith Richards and you get an interesting reaction.
KR: '"Grungy backing tracks?!' he splutters. "Listen, if you believe Mick, you'll believe anything. Once again this is the difference between Mick and me. His recollection is quite honestly bullshit. The only things we did in LA were things like, y'know 'We need three chicks to sing back-up on "Let It Loose".' Or we need a fiddle player. I mean, just extras. You see, the reason Mick says that is because he doesn't think his vocals are loud enough. But lead vocalists
never think their vocals are loud enough."
"I would never take Mick's recollection of anything seriously. If Mick says that we just took a load of 'grungy' stuff out of France, and really made the record in LA, that's bullshit. This is why Mick can never write a book. He can't remember anything. I mean, he once, many years ago, was going to write a book. And all I got was a load of phone-calls. 'What were we doing on August 14th...?' Because he doesn't remember a thing! Especially the nuances. He's going to spin you a yarn. He doesn't feel he's under any obligation to tell you the truth."