Bitch wrote on Feb 20
th, 2011 at 11:49am:
When I first found out Bill was quitting I was fvcking furious and mad, how dare he fvck up the band? There are other ways to travel as Gazza pointed out, the QEII ships from NY to London and it only takes 11 days or so, trains and cars, hell some bands use tour busses! They could of accomodated Bills travel requests if he asked for his own bus or mini-bus! It was the end of the road for Bill and used flying as his way out. SO when they brought in Darryl I thought oh no, this is gonna suck big time, he'll change up everything and in a way he did. But now after seeing him, hearing him and getting to know him, I like him alot and I think the Stones made a good choice. Darryl can never be a Stone because he isnt British anyway he is a hired hand who can be replaced! PS Bill can still tour with The Stones in Europe or at least in some cities London, Paris, etc if he wanted to. Fact is he said he didnt want to tour anymore, but then with The Rhythym Kings he tours anyway so it isnt the touring that he quit, it was the Stones. I'm still mad about it! I have no right to be mad, of course, it's his fvcking life and he can do as he damn well chooses.
He fucked up the band less than certain other members have done in recent years when performing while shitfaced to fans who have paid a lot of money to see them.
There's nothing worse than staying in a band when you feel your time has passed and it doesnt motivate you anymore. Keith finally saw his way of thinking and respected his decision.
It wasnt
just a fear of flying. He had spent a lot of 1989-90 on the road at a time when the new wife he had married in a blaze of publicity had developed a serious wasting illness, and he had been unable to spend hardly any time with her. His father also died when the band were in Tokyo. Add that to the fact that he was a lot older than the rest of them, wasn't into the music anymore and was probably the biggest outsider in the whole band and its amazing he lasted as long as he did.
I actually respect him for quitting when he did. It would have been so easy to go through the motions and rake in millions. He has other interests, re-married and has three young daughters - if anything, he seems more content than the rest of them. I've never got the impression he's regretted his decision for a second.