Feb
17th
Thu
17th
They depended, for their force, on a body-memory of those early cravings for music they knew only by rumor and innuendo…The early Stones were in a constant huddle, dissecting blues songs in front of the speakers and playing them back for each other and then for their few fans. They thought of themselves, not even as a band, really, but as a way of distributing music the radio never played.
— Dan Chiasson’s review of the Keith Richards’ memoir is good stuff. My favorite sections of the book were the early chapters describing Richards’ childhood and blues apprenticeship during a time when music was still a physical thing that had to be searched for and found in order to be experienced. Mick and Keith’s friendship began after all because Mick had a bunch of records that Keith wanted to hear. To Keith Mick must have been like that kid on the block whom everyone befriended just because he had the newest Nintendo system.
