Keith Richards has just become a great-grandfather. “It’s true! It’s true!” he says excitedly during a video call from somewhere deep inside the Hit Factory—the New York studio the Rolling Stones first used 46 years ago while making Emotional Rescue. “It’s been a couple of weeks. It’s new to me. But I’m a fantastic granddad,” he confides. “As for great-grandfathering… I try to let them hang out with me as long as possible, then I hand them back. I’ve been doing a lot of grandfathering lately. I’ve got three or four new ones, you know. When I say new, I mean… two or three years old. Or four. Or one, or maybe five.”
Wait, that sounds a bit vague. He shrugs and lets out a wheezy chuckle. “I lose track, you know.”
It almost feels like a legal requirement to note how unlikely all this would have once seemed. There was a time when most people thought Richards probably wouldn’t live to see the end of the year, let alone the birth of his great-granddaughter—given the chemical and alcoholic havoc he kept inflicting on himself. Yet here he is, 82 years old, healthy and hearty, having outlived some of those who predicted his early death, welcoming the arrival of his wonderfully named great-granddaughter, Luna Richards-Von Bismarck.
“I tended to listen to my body just before it screamed for help,” he says about his longevity. “I mean, I wasn’t far from the end of the runway before I screamed for help. But you tend to slow down if you want to keep going; you pace yourself.” He quit smoking cigarettes six years ago. “Suddenly, after all these years of smoking—because, you know, a man smokes—I was sitting around with this silly thing in my mouth thinking: how childish. That’s what put me off more than anything, although I still smoke a lot of weed.” He says he’s not drinking this week, “but otherwise, yeah, in moderation.” Another wheezy chuckle. “So, yeah, it’s only a ton of heroin a day now.”
What’s more, there’s a new Rolling Stones album to promote—another situation that would have once seemed pretty unlikely. The last time I met Richards was in 2015. He’d just released a solo album called Crosseyed Heart, but spent a good part of our conversation telling me he didn’t want to make a solo album and had no desire to be a solo artist. He was “only doing it to keep my hand in” because the Rolling Stones were “in hibernation.” He was so unhappy about this that he told his bandmates he was going to retire, trying to shake them up—”punching them in the back of the head,” as he put it. When I asked what ambitions he might still have, he talked a little wistfully about maybe making one more Rolling Stones album.
In fact, they’ve made three more: Blue & Lonesome in 2016, an unexpected return-to-basics collection of blues covers; then Hackney Diamonds in 2023, an album of original songs released a couple of years after drummer Charlie Watts died. Now, not even three years later, there’s Foreign Tongues. Some of it predates Watts’s death, including the surprisingly tender Richards-sung track “Some of Us,” which he says dates back about 20 years but was “cherrypicked from the can” by producer Andrew Watt. Other songs were recorded in a more recent month-long burst of activity in London. A track called “Ringing Hollow,” which Mick Jagger has described as a “love letter to America,” actually seems to be a critique of the US under Trump’s second term: “There’s always a scoundrel trying to whip up the crowd…”There’s always some king trying to grab the crown… Lady Liberty doesn’t look so great when she’s frowning.
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The surviving Stones… (from left) Richards, Ronnie Wood and Mick Jagger, 2023. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters
“Mick’s been really productive lately,” Richards says. “That’s one reason this album came out so fast—because he won’t stop. And the momentum from Hackney Diamonds was so strong that this album basically follows right after. I just let it keep going. We had enough material if we wanted to push further, so Mick and I gave each other that usual knowing look and said, ‘Yeah, let’s keep pushing.’”
He credits Watt—35 years old and currently the go-to producer for rock royalty, as shown by his recent work with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Iggy Pop, and Michael Stipe—with being “a breath of fresh air and a kick in the pants. He knows his stuff musically and technically, and he doesn’t put up with any nonsense—he just gets on with it. So I found him really easy to work with. He’s a bit impulsive sometimes, but so what?”
When you say he doesn’t put up with nonsense, has he ever had to give you a talking-to? He narrows his eyes: “No. But he might have given someone else a talking-to.”
“AI is killing me. Do I fear for the future of music? I fear for the future of everything.”
Actually, Richards says, there isn’t much of that nonsense to deal with anymore. For years, it seemed like there was plenty: Rolling Stones albums were often made in a very tense atmosphere, usually because of disagreements between Richards and Jagger. “I’ve known Mick, I think, roughly since preschool—so let’s say about age four,” Richards says. “And when you’ve known someone that long, you always say, ‘Listen to me, boy, I’ve known you since you were four…’ And that seems to have an effect.”
But these days, the Jagger/Richards relationship seems less prone to what Richards calls “jousting.” It even accommodates his famously dismissive attitude toward Jagger’s solo career, including collaborations with artists like Skepta or Tame Impala, which Richards recently described as “drifting off into the modern world.”
“No, there’s not as much jousting. He’s broken his sword, he’s broken his lance. It’s another thing Mick and I gave up, probably because of age. Or at least he hasn’t come at me for a while, so I assume we have. But you never know—I could be off my horse with my shield up, and he could stab me in the eye with…” he says, trailing off into another wheezy laugh.
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‘He hasn’t come at me for a while’ … on stage with Jagger in 1997. Photograph: Brian Rasic/Getty Images
In the past, part of the problem was Jagger’s desire to stay modern clashing with his songwriting partner’s strong traditionalism. Even though the Stones are digitally de-aged in their latest music video, and Jagger still “drifts off” to work with contemporary pop stars while cheerfully documenting his life on Instagram, Richards has “had it up to here with technology.” And as for celebrity culture, don’t get him started: “Even my grandchildren,” he scowls, “aren’t quite that clueless.” He mourns the loss of the cassette tape—“If it weren’t for a cassette, there wouldn’t have been ‘Satisfaction,’ because I got the riff in my sleep, hit record, and then the next day played it back, and it was ‘Satisfaction’ in a very raw form”—and seems unable to say the word “synthesisers” without adding “damn” before it. Needless to say, our video call was set up by an assistant.Richards says his daily relationship with technology basically comes down to “an electric kettle and that’s about it, pal.”
“Chuck Berry punched me once, back in the 60s. I was just taking a look at his guitar and was about to touch it.”
“I stick to the old ways, like my dad would have said. I’ve seen records go from being made on two-track tapes stuck to the wall, to suddenly eight tracks, then 16, 24, then digital—and it hasn’t really helped the music at all. But it’s something you live with. Personally, I think the world would be better off without the damn phone. AI is killing me, you know. Do I fear for the future of music? I fear for the future of everything. Nobody really knows what it does, so now we all just wait and see.”
In fact, Foreign Tongues does a pretty great job of blending the two conflicting impulses at the heart of the Rolling Stones. On one hand, there are tracks that feel like a 21st-century reboot of the disco-era Stones from “Miss You” and “Emotional Rescue,” a cover of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good,” and an unexpected guest appearance from the Cure’s Robert Smith—about which Richards cheerfully admits total ignorance. “How did it happen? Don’t know. I wasn’t there. Andrew said, ‘Do you mind if I put in so-and-so?’ And I said, ‘No, man, if it’s a piece that’s necessary, do it.’ So that’s how he got slipped in.”
On the other hand, it features a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Beautiful Delilah,” played, as Richards notes, “more like an old acoustic blues, as if it was made 30 or 40 years before Chuck did it.” That closes the album pretty much where the Stones started in 1963: their debut single was a cover of Berry’s “Come On,” and Richards has always said Berry was his early inspiration.
“There’s something about those early records of his,” he says. “They have an ease about them and a kind of sophistication, especially in the lyrics, which always made me think that rock’n’roll didn’t have to be the way everyone used to see it”—meaning it wasn’t just trash for teenagers. “I loved how natural he was when he played, the way he moved—his whole body became part of the guitar. He made me focus on what was possible for me at the time, which got my mother to buy me an electric guitar. I just felt a natural connection to him, even though he was a stubborn old cuss.” He laughs.
“He punched me once, years ago, in the 60s, I think. We were in his dressing room, I was looking at his guitar and was just about to touch it, and he said, ‘Nobody touches it!’ And bam! Quite right, Chuck! I would have done the same. I’ve never had to, but then I’ve never caught anyone doing that.”
As with the cover of Muddy Waters’ “Rollin’ Stone” on Hackney Diamonds, “Beautiful Delilah” comes at the end of the album—as if someone somewhere is thinking this might be the band’s final album and wants to end things neatly. But Richards disagrees: “I wouldn’t say it was intentional.”
Oh, come on, you’ve been in the Rolling Stones for 64 years. You must sometimes think…
“This could be the last time? I wrote that, mate! No, I think it might cross your mind occasionally—you’d be an idiot not to. But it’s not something you dwell on. By now, I’m fully set on my path, and I’m just going to see where it goes.”
Still, he says, he’s been thinking more about the past recently.”Suddenly you turn around and think, ‘Christ, I’m 82.’ It’s a long time to look back on. But it’s fascinating, especially now with the whole great-grandkids thing. They give you another mirror to look into, showing where you come from. I don’t know—is that what they call maturing?” He lets out another wheezy chuckle. “God forbid,” he says. Foreign Tongues is released on 10 July via Polydor/Capitol.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the quote and context provided covering Keith Richards life at 82 his health philosophy and his dynamic with Mick Jagger
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What does Keith Richards mean by listening to my body before it started screaming for help
He means hes learned to recognize early signs of fatigue or pain and rest before he gets seriously ill or injured Its a hardwon lesson from decades of pushing his body to its limits
2 Is Keith Richards actually healthy at 82
Yes surprisingly so He credits quitting hard drugs staying active on stage and this new listening to my body approach He still drinks wine and smokes but hes slowed down enough to avoid major health crises
3 Does Keith Richards still talk to Mick Jagger
Yes they talk and work together Their rivalry is famous but its more like a bickering old married couple They still make music and tour with The Rolling Stones
4 What is the ongoing rivalry between Keith and Mick about
It mostly comes down to control and ego Keith thinks Mick is too much of a businessman and wants to be the boss Mick thinks Keith is too chaotic They also disagree on setlists and how much to tour
5 Is Keith Richards a greatgrandfather
Yes He has five grandchildren and one greatgrandchild He says being a greatgrandfather is a big part of why he wants to stay healthy
IntermediateLevel Questions
6 How did Keith Richards lifestyle change from his wild years to now
He stopped using heroin and cocaine in the 1980s He still drinks red wine and smokes cigarettes but he doesnt party all night He prioritizes sleep eats simpler food and takes breaks during tours instead of going nonstop
7 Whats a specific example of him listening to his body
In recent years he has canceled or postponed shows when he had a bad cold or a strained back In his 20s he would have played through it with the help of drugs Now he rests for a day instead of risking a threemonth recovery
