Even though I'm 35 and a great lover of music (all my work experience is in the logistical side of music and film), especially 60's rock, I only got into the Stones about 10 years ago, and then only because of a great interview I read in Spin magazine with Keith. Before that I'd bought into the media creation of The Stones vs. The Beatles and was only prepared to give the Beatles the time of day.
In 1996 I was in Paris and, after a hellacious 3 hours of sun and rain and fainting girls, I managed to get tickets for their performance at the Olympia, a small club they hadn't played since '66. Never having been to a Stones show I didn't know quite what to expect, especially since I was in France and most of my French is forgotten. Happy just to be in the club I stood at the back and watched the opening French rock group get booed mercilessly.
Then the Stones came on... I've watched a lot of footage of Beatles concerts and that and wasn't totally caught off guard, but it's one thing to watch it on TV. It's quite another to be caught up in it. There was a mini-riot of pushing, shoving, and French insults, as people jockeyed for position and I found myself riding a wave of bodies pushing to the front. I rode the wave. There I was about 3 feet from the stage watching the Stones. It was a blast!
Somewhere in the middle of the show, to my dismay, Keith started in on this bullshit "look at me, I'm a rock star" dance that was just too embarassing to be believed. Before he got too carried away our eyes met. It was like we had this telepathic conversation. He must have registered the shock on my face cause he sort of looked at me and went "Stupid, huh?" and I just sort of went "Yeah." And mid-jiggle he just stopped and got down to the business at hand. It was beautiful.
If I was a skeptic before that clinched it for me, Keith Richards is for real. In that split-second he confirmed he was a true rootsman and no amount of flash would ever intefere with his ability to distinguish the real from the bullshit. God bless Keith Richards!