MovieChat Forums > Keith Richards: Under the Influence (2015) Discussion > Keith and drugs

Keith and drugs

posted 9 years ago by ccr1633
11 replies | jump to latest

Richards's reputation as a drug fiend is of course well deserved, but that popular image of him obscures how intelligent he is about the music world. Forget his opinions on the Beatles, George Michael, or punk music. He's always spot on about the industry itself, as well as the root musical forms that inspired most every type of music from the early 20th century onwards. I also find him very sharp on general life matters. He's perceptive, articulate when he wants to be, and has a knack for clarity and cutting through the BS. Many people prefer simplistic views of others, and opt to romanticize Richards for his remarkable ability to survive the drug abuse, reducing him to a rock n' roll caricature and nothing more. He is not to be lumped in with meatheads also especially known for their excess like Axl Rose, David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, etc. He's light years ahead of those guys in brain power. As he states in his "Life" autobiography, he had what seemed to be a more intelligent and controlled approach toward his drug excesses, so far as his ability to function as a musician is concerned. Keith never had a long stretch where his drug habits completely removed him from the music scene, like Clapton for instance, who might never have survived heroin without Pete Townshend coming to his rescue.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (23568926) 9 years ago

Well said, mate. Keith is brilliant. I don't know where people get off feeling superior to the guy who wrote "Gimme Shelter," "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," "Angie," etc. Drug problem? YOU try being ragingly famous from your late teens onward and see how you handle it. I disagree with a few things Keith has said over the years, but I've never, ever heard him say anything flat-out stupid. The fact that he's an endurance-beast and pretty much the world's coolest dude is extra icing. Long live Richards.

[–] JackSparrow92 9 years ago

Hell, the Stones put out their ten year streak of great albums (with one misstep, Black And Blue) during the period when Richards was ON heroin. Not sure many musicians can make THAT claim, nor are there many bands with a streak like that.

I was also impressed with him in this documentary. He's far more well-spoken and insightful than I expected.

(Edited to add) BCHarrison -- great song callout, Gimme Shelter and Can't You Hear Me Knocking are probably the best work the Stones ever did.

[–] ccr1633 9 years ago

I love it when Keith tells the tale of Chuck Berry walking up one day and punching him, calling it one of Chuck Berry's greatest hits.

[–] annseton 9 years ago

Amen. His book blew me away. Glad he's getting his due.

Same Rules Apply

[–] JackSparrow92 8 years ago

Agreed. I just finished it over the holidays. He has a much more encyclopaedic knowledge of music history and theory than I ever realized.

I found it interesting that he largely glossed over the period from 1989 to the present. "Interesting" because it always seemed to me that, after around 1983, the Stones became largely a nostalgia act. Yes, they released new albums, but those weren't nearly as memorable as their previous work. By giving a detailed recounting of his life up to the mid-80s, and then covering the ensuing thirty years in very few pages, Keith seems to be acknowledging that tacitly as well. By that point neither he nor the Stones were trying to be rebels anymore; he'd cleaned up, and was having children with Patti. He'd moved into a new phase of his life.

Thus his treatment of the last thirty years or so in a cursory fashion makes sense. The message I took was "yes, I was a rebel, I was part of an important band that broke ground continuously until the 1980s. Job done; I'll let others take over from there. My story is mostly about the JOURNEY to where I'm at now, not ABOUT where I'm at now."

Great read.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.
-- Klingon proverb

[–] dakoko 8 years ago

I've always had a great respect for Keith despite his human weaknesses.
He's lived! and he drops pearls of wisdom with frequency.

I would never go so far as to glorify drugs, especially heroin, but the creativity he achieved during his most addicted years was gold and among his most prolific songwriting. My Bestie and I joke and credit heroin for being a preservative of sorts, because he really started to show his age only after he cleaned up! (Except for what it did to his teeth.)

I'm so glad he's lived through it all to tell the tale.

[–] JackSparrow92 8 years ago

Tons of great music has been written without heroin. But for Keith, for whatever reason, it worked somehow. It can't be a coincidence that his ten-year smack habit was the ten years in which the Stones released a streak of eight albums of which seven were pure gold.

Perhaps it's about finding what works with you and your own specific body chemistry. Lemmy of Motorhead (R.I.P.) drank a bottle of JD and did speed every day for decades, and cranked out 22 albums over forty years. Most of which were really good.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.
-- Klingon proverb

[–] JackSparrow92 8 years ago

"Could Hemingway have written like that if he was sober? Could Hendrix have played like that if he didn't experiment with hallucinogenics? Well, probably not. I used that one for years and years. But it never occurred to me that all those people are dead!"

-- Joe Walsh

[–] GroovyMovieGuy 8 years ago

Came on here to post the same thing. His profound musical knowledge is unfairly overlooked/dismissed.

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Reading this while smoking may cause lung disease.

[–] bonsai-superstar 8 years ago

Great post and great thread. I had read some books on and seen some movies about the Stones, but they usually focused on their antics (with KR's drug and alcohol (ab)use taking central stage) or Mick Jagger. Keith was usually cast as a simple supporting player. However, his book delivered the true force of his personality (likable, smart, funny) and this doc gives a glimpse of his musical knowledge (he sings, plays guitar, bass, and piano and appreciates and is knowledgable about rock and roll, blues, reggae and country). And, even if you don't agree with 100% of what he says, he's always interesting. It's funny - as a younger guy, he was kind of quiet and less interesting and these recent years have been his best yet (as far as showing the world what he's truly about). The entertainment industry usually throws people away after they hit a certain age, but he has truly moved into legend status.

[–] NutMustardx 7 years ago

I always liked Richards but never knew much about him. His style of guitar playing n his riffs, he's one of the greats no doubt. When he got busted for 2 kilos of smack going into Canada n the queen pardoned him, that was the coolest thing I ever heard. I like the fact he used heroin, it means he's a real human and not a robot like some sheep grazing in the Christian pastures. I heard he snorted his dads ashes and that was hysterical. Only 1 Keith. No one like him. I've watched this show n like him even more now