"When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is the great equalizer." -- Keith Richards
Outlaw, hellraiser, and one of rock music's most gifted and influential guitarists, Keith Richards has forged a life that most of us can only imagine--and often envy. Amazingly he's lived to tell about it, and now this rock Icon has given us the definitive rock autobiography.
In Life, the man himself tells about life lived fast and hard in the creative hurricane--from his days as a young boy growing up in a council estate, listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records, to joining forces with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones to form The Rolling Stones.
With characteristic honesty, he reveals all the highs and lows of rock 'n' roll, from the meteoric rise to fame and the notorious drug busts to the women, drinking, and heroin addiction that made him infamous.
In conversation with Anthony DeCurtis, a music journalist, and contributing editor for Rolling Stone, Keith Richards will discuss the storied journey of the Rolling Stones, as well as his passion for books and for history. He will chronicle how he created the revolutionary, high-octane riffs that defined "Jumping Jack Flash," "Gimme Shelter" and "Honky Tonk Woman," his affair with the equally infamous Anita Pallenberg (the mother of three of his children), and the tragic death of Brian Jones. He will also discuss the personal values that have made him a proud, successful father, and a happily married man for more than twenty-five years.
From falling in love with his wife Patti Hansen to his relationship with his "brother," Mick Jagger, we follow Keef on the ultimate road trip we have all longed to know more about-- the story of an unfettered, fearless, on-the-edge life lived to the absolute fullest.
Bio
Anthony DeCurtis
Anthony DeCurtis has written frequently about both Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones in the course of his thirty-year career as a music journalist, most notably for Rolling Stone, where he is a contributing editor. He is the author of In Other Words: Artists Talk About Life and Work and editor of Blues & Chaos: The Music Writing of Robert Palmer. His essay accompanying the Eric Clapton box set "Crossroads" won a Grammy in the "Best Album Notes" category. He holds a Ph.D. in American literature, and teaches in the writing program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Paul Holdengräber
Paul Holdengräber is the Director of LIVE from the NYPL.
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, best-selling author and actor, best known as a founding member of the Rolling Stones. As a guitarist, Richards is known for his innovative rhythm playing and ranked 10th in Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." With songwriting partner and Rolling Stones lead vocalist Mick Jagger, Richards has written and recorded hundreds of songs, fourteen of which are listed by Rolling Stone magazine among the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."
British musical group. Its original members were Mick Jagger (b. 1943), Keith Richards (b. 1943), Brian Jones (1944–69), Bill Wyman (b. 1936), and Charlie Watts (b. 1941). The band was formed in 1962 when Jagger, Richards, and Jones, who had been performing sporadically in a blues band, recruited Wyman and formed their own group. Watts joined the band in 1963. Jagger was the lead vocalist, while Jones and Richards played guitars, Wyman played bass, and Watts played drums. The band's name was adopted from a Muddy Waters song. By 1966 a series of outstanding songs had made the band second in popularity only to the Beatles. Jagger and Richards wrote most of its songs, which are marked by a driving backbeat, biting and satirical lyrics, and simple but expressive instrumental accompaniments. The group reached the height of its popularity with albums such as Beggar's Banquet (1968) and Exile on Main Street (1972). Jones was succeeded by Mick Taylor (b. 1948) in 1969, who was replaced in turn by Ron Wood (b. 1947) in 1976. They continued to perform long after the other classic rock bands of the 1960s disbanded.
arthur "father" mckenzie your a wanker.you write like a 60 year old buffoon.i bet your into boy bands hey? do you still go camping with your dodgy 70 year old next neighbour? are you a musician? i can imagine you now sill got a 80,s hairstyle playing one of them crap keyboards you play like a guitar..does your mother still dress you?
People who offend like you usually have no arguments for their assumptions so you should get more information on what the Stones and Keith Richards have had on music and rock and roll!!
Keith Richards is no cretin (I strongly advise to read his Autobiography) but a witty, smart and pretty humble person who happens to be one of the best guitarists in the world and like or not he and the Stones are legends!!
And he's much better than Prince Charles too...
Almost 8 minutes intro ... moderator talks way too much.
Funny that Keith does not acknowledge Bob Dylan as the creator of the name "Rolling Stones".
I wonder how long Richards and Jagger can be in a room without getting on each other's nerves, or if they really love each other in some way. What an amazing dude and what an amazing life. Gotta respect that amazing talent and personality to move and go with the flow. Awesome! Thanks for doing that wonderful interview.
60+ giggly cretin. Looks and sounds like Prince Charles with a hat on talking to a starstruck buffoon.
Like it or not, Keith Richards is an icon. To tell the truth, I wasn't a big Stones fan when I was young, but once I started playing music professionally, I liked the Stones a lot more. For example, just the drum intro to "Honkey Tonk Women" usually fills a dance floor before any of the other instruments or vocals kick in. This makes for a song that is fun to play, regardless of one's judgement of its musical merits. The crowd loves it, so the band loves it.
Some day, if you are lucky, you will also be 60+, though I doubt you will be well known enough for some random person on the internet to call you names or to make personal remarks about your appearance. And the "buffoon" has every right to be starstruck, as I have no doubt you would be as well, were you to find yourself in the same position, whether you are a Stones fan or not.
I agree. Richards seemed down to earth and chose his words carefully. His slowness in articulation might have had something to do with his thoughtfulness in answering. I was surprised at his sweetness. He is a showman all the way.
What Keith is trying to say is that, in retrospect, drugs were fun to do at the time but the cost was high. Drugs ate his brain and he has difficulty now articulating his thoughts.
Sir, perhaps you can help me. I am interested in knowing how drugs can eat ones brain and still allow them to speak quite clearly. When I listen to Mr.Richards I am impressed with how he can give us insight into the world he lived in, considering he must be so "burned out". I could be wrong but I guess it is possible your hearing and comprehension of what he said were impaired by your cranial/rectal proximity? Again I am no authority, just suggesting you try a new pair of ear buds or headphones before you try to comment further. Peace to you, enjoy the holidays.
member. 
