What would Keith Richards do_ - Jessica Pallington West [9]
On family: “If you get a chance at it, try it out, because it’s one of the most special things that you’ll get on the face of this earth. It gives you that final missing link of what life’s about. ”
On friends: “The only way to find whether a guy’s worth anything is to take a risk. Sometimes friends let you down, sometimes they don’t. But you take the risk, otherwise you get nothing at all.”
19. SPEAK UP. HONESTY IS MEDICINAL.
Can you believe some of those things Keith says about Mick to the press?
And what about what Mick says about Keith?
And what Keith says about Ronnie? And what Ronnie says about Keith?
And what Charlie says about Mick?
Maybe not everyone can get away with it—but somehow for the Stones, it works. A bunch of bitches letting it all out. It’s something to emulate.
It’s better to get it out than to keep it in.
There’s a rule here, though, with what you let and don’t let out. Ever notice that for all the band members’ going on about each other publicly, they don’t give each other’s secrets away? What they are letting out publicly is just a matter of opinion. It’s petty stuff. Making fun of the evil twin’s seriously embarrassing spandex jumpsuits, choosing to arrive onstage via the cringe-worthy choice of a cherry picker, or all that When-is-he-going-to-stop? Peter Pan prancing around. Or ripping on the girlfriends, who provide conversation as scintillating as talking to an open window. Or making fun of the evil twin’s pretentions in politics. What is underneath is always kept quiet and honored. Notice that confidences are kept. Nobody’s ratting anybody else out. Follow this rule. As it’s often been said by those who know the man: “You don’t break a promise to Keith.” And you can be sure it works in the reverse. You can talk, you can vent, you can have a big mouth, but know the ethical limits, always. Walk over those lines and you’re walking into “You fucked with Keith?” territory, and there’s no darker woods than that.
20. TALISMANS HAVE POWER.
Going outside your front door can be like going into a battlefield, especially if you haven’t called your parole officer. But you don’t even have to pass the front door to be in the combat zone. We all need to feel protected—and protection can be found in simple bits and pieces. It can be something as elemental as a ring that reminds you of courage, or the scent of a perfume that calms you. A yellow rubber band with a message printed on it. A key hanging on a string hidden under your shirt. A tattoo that no one can see. How about a bit of metal and leather tied up in your hair?
Get a look at Keith: With all those trinkets and feathers in his hair, he’s like a warrior adorned. There’s strength to be found in all those things painted and pasted onto the body. It’s an arsenal. There’s power in what they remind us of or distract us from. They’ve existed through the centuries for a reason. Don’t shy away from them. Get your own collection. Make use.
21. ACCEPT MAX MILLER INTO YOUR LIFE.
(OR: IT’S ALL A FUCKING JOKE. LAUGH.)
“It’s great to be here. It’s great to be anywhere.”—Max Miller
Before you accept the metaphorical concept of the Rolling Stones as a higher power and overlord, know that Max Miller is their prophet.
It may come as a surprise, but the prince of darkness has taken a good part of his philosophy, and some of his best one-liners, from Miller, a flamboyant British music hall performer of the 1920s through the 1950s. That line, “It’s great to be here … great to be anywhere,” was a Miller staple, and it’s how Keith routinely greets the audience.
Miller may not be as well-known today as he was back in his day, but he lives on in Keith Richards.