Discussions
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Kim F
Keith was a boy scout...who knew?! And he's been electrocuted a few times...that may have a little something to do with why he is the way he is..a little something, that is! ;-)
posted 2 years ago.
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Joyce B
Haha! Yes it may Kim...or perhaps it accounts for his fantastic immune system?
Actually, that was another surprise to me, that he seemed like a highly technical person (that's why he keeps getting electrocuted). I guess you have to be when dealing with all the equipment, but still, I never thought of him that way.posted 2 years ago.
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Joyce B
Keith contradictions: I'm about 80 pages into this book and so far, I've noticed a couple of things that fly in the face of all the preconceived notions I've had about Keith, the iconic rock and roll superstar. One is, when speaking of his mother he says, "How I miss her so." Another is, when talking about the ending of compulsory military service in the UK, he jokes that he'd surely have made it to General. He then cites the way he could whip his boyscout troop and the unmotivated Xpensive Winos into shape. Somehow, I never pictured Keith as an army General... Have any of Keith's revelations caused you to look at him differently? Did anything about him in this book surprise you?
posted 2 years ago.
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Kim F
So many surprises!! I never knew he was so close to his mum, that is so touching. Yeah, Keith as an Army General, too funny! I like when he talks about his first love and how he really wasn't into shagging anybody at the beginning of The Stones, how he was more into perfecting his art, so to speak.
posted 2 years ago.
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Carol G
As to the question of whether I (the reader) had any Keith revelations causing me to look at him differently. The answer is YES. I just finished the book as well as listening and reading some interviews. Some of the big relevations are: He is still alive, although he was number one on the list of rock stars to die this year for many years. He finally dropped down to #10 on the list this year. I found Keith (even though he had a co-author) to be inordinately articulate and fascintating. He is an avid reader, loyal to friends, and in many ways very humble. I was listening to the audiobook (around 23 hours worth) and at times I had to stop, google Keith Richards images, and look and be reminded that this was the same wild looking, strung out nut case. Then I'd go back to listening. I never realized the amount of song writing he did and of the love songs he passed along to others since he didn't think that they were proper Stones material. He is quite sentimental. After awhile I'd hit a part in the book where I would have to shake my head and go this guy is not grounded in reality or 'is he really proud of that?'. When I got to those parts, I had to remind myself that we are talking about Keith Richards, he may be engaging, but he is still Keith Richards. I highly recommend the book. 23 hours of audio book listening is a lot, but well worth it.
posted 2 years ago.
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Joyce B
Carol...you hit the nail on the head: "articulate and well read." Who would have guessed that these words could be applied to Our Keith? Another person on another board called him "intellectual and erudite." Surprising indeed. And yet, like you said, still crazy and guilty of all the misconduct we've come to love him for. Yes, sentimental, loyal and humble too. I'm sure that many people, like myself, love him even more after reading this.
And thanks for the heads up on the audio version. I think I'll have to bite the bullet and get that as well. (or at least ask Santa for it!)posted 2 years ago.
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Bob B
I think what struck me most about this book is Keith's intelligence and depth. The stereotypical view of Keith is the drugged out, barely literate, way out rock and roller with one foot in the grave. Keith's autobiography gives us a musician of sensitivity and thought, one who gratefully acknowledges his roots and who is frank with us about his life and relationships. The late Jim Morrison used to talk about our Apollonian and Dionysian sides and this same sense comes across from Life. I found it a bit long but nonetheless a really interesting book.
posted 2 years ago.
