Thursday, March 17, 2011

Staff Recommendation #1: "Life" by Keith Richards


"Life" by Keith Richards, with James Fox




Staff Review by B. Kendig

Keith Richards's new autobiography does not disappoint. This 564-page tome, with 32 pages of photographs, is witty, self-deprecating, and, at times, poignant. There is, for instance, the phone call he receives when he's about to go on-stage, with the news that his 3-month-old son, Tara, had just died. Through such memories, we fans get a glimpse into the real Keith, who has always been my favorite Rolling Stone.

He writes a lot about his family and early years. One vignette depicts how he and his aunt would sing "When Will I Be Loved?" together (which also happens to be my favorite Everly Brothers song). Goodness, he and I would have so very much to talk about if ever we sat down for a chat! The book also tells of his first great romance with Ronnie Spector in Detroit, his mercurial relationships with group founder Brian Jones and Mick Jagger, and, of course, Anita Pallenberg, already a movie star in her own right when she met the band -- and his American wife Patti Hansen.

He is unapologetically still the quintessential "bad boy." For any scholar of the Sixties, "Life" is a must-read.

Request "Life" by Keith Richards, with James Fox

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