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from ten years of junkiedom and nearly being done in by “getting caught.” The ring gave him a sense of being grounded, its skull and bones acting as a continuous visual memo: Always be mindful of your mortality. Time and emotions are not to be wasted; the moment should be seized. “Beneath the surface, we are all no more than bones.” Like Keith, we should repeat this to ourselves when the inner evil twin preens, or when we’re feeling of lesser value than others. Keep the mortality of others in mind. No one is going to be around forever—no ruler or co-worker or ass-hole three seats down on the subway. It goes for the people who are giving you a hard time and for the people that you are giving a hard time.

The skull ring holds the same talismanic power of any religious symbol worn on a chain and used to ward off evil, keep one in line with God, or help a person remain devoted to an oath. And right alongside that skull, there’s the handcuff bracelet, a reminder that prison is just a heartbeat away, that liberty and freedom can be lost in a moment and should never be taken for granted. And along with this, don’t forget about life and freedom’s evil twins, death and incarceration, who walk in their shadow.

And then, of course … there’s the Keith Richards hair …

There are differing reports on the meaning of all that stuff in there (a Chinese coin, a Maltese cross, some beads, some feathers, some leather strings … a few unidentifiable objects). Some say that his kids and friends just tie things up in there when he’s passed out. Another explanation, which seems the most Keith, is that these trinkets are picked up on his travels, and that putting them on his head is a way of connecting to the world as a place greater than one’s self, a metaphorical higher power like the Rolling Stones multiplied by a million that he can keep near him at all times. What lies on the body closest to the head or the heart is the closest to your inner being. Keith is not content with just having skin. He picks up pieces from the world and keeps them as a part of him.

It’s the same with the scarves, which are sometimes gifts from fans or thrown onstage. He takes them in as tokens of the affection from the outside world and incorporates them into his everyday wardrobe. Items of flourish around the neck, feathers, and hair trinkets are also traditionally the talismans of the warrior— particularly the American Indian warrior—that give strength on the battlefield. You can see that in any picture of Sitting Bull (to whom, by the way, Keith has taken on a spooky similarity in some of the later photos).

Keith’s hair has always been armor (spiked like a weapon, full of metal). It’s also always taken on the purpose of a philosopher’s wig. Look at the timeline of the great philosophers, and 80 percent of the time you’re going to see big hair as an accessory of the great mind. Just look at the lineup: Spinoza, Leibniz, Descartes, Locke, Schopenhauer, Einstein. Big hair, big hair, big hair.

And Keith has added one other philosopher accessory to the big hair—the head shmata, originated by Plato (again, go to those history books—he’s wearing it!), which was reprised in later years by David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and George Berkeley.

Over the years, in true Keith fashion, many aspects of the armor didn’t stay put within Keith alone. He extended it, blended it to work with his bandmates. Maybe they’ve left him alone with the head shmata and hair trinkets, but some of that outlaw armor has been spread out and shared, especially by his very own version of Mini-Me, or Keith Richards Jr., aka Ron Wood. Now, when you see the Stones coming in a pack—with long Max Miller coats, leathered faces, dark glasses, crow haircuts—it’s like a posse of outlaws, and you’d better get out of the way.

Unless you want to join them.

All you need to add is the final defining characteristic, the swagger (just summon the image of a panther walking down the gritty sidewalk of a city), and you’re in.

So what does all of this assessment of the Keith Richards style have to do