Growing up I was probably more of a Beatles’ fan than one of the Rolling Stones. Looking back that didn’t make much sense since a lot of the songs I was learning on guitar were from the Stone’s and occasionally they would tour and I would go see them.
It was during those years that my reading habits gravitated towards the Beatles as well. There were plenty of books about the band and some on John Lennon. I read these one after another however, even with the Rolling Stones still making music, I don’t remember reading any books about them.
When the reviews of Keith Richards’ autobiography Life started coming in, I know I had to get a copy. Especially after the Terri Gross interview on Fresh Air. Being a guitar player, I’ve always been intrigued by Keith’s playing and his approach to the guitar. This book didn’t disappoint on that level.
What this book also did was let me go back and listen to some of the Stone’s music with fresh ears. Obviously there was a lot written about Exile on Main Street and as the book chronicles the releases of each album, it made me reflect on where I was at those times.
There have also been a couple new documentaries about the Rolling Stones including Stones in Exile and Martin Scorsese’s Shine A Light. Keith’s book made me go and watch both of those and has me searching on Amazon for some more Exile on Main Street info.
Here’s hoping that Keith and the Rolling Stones still have a few chapters left.
