And it was a very, very fruitful and great relationship between the Stones and The Beatles. It was very, very friendly.
Another thing to do with the blues is how they were recorded. They were done on the quick, and some of that stuff was made on wire, not even tape, let alone digital.
Everybody’s got a different way of telling a story – and has different stories to tell.
Everyone talks about rock these days; the problem is they forget about the roll.
Good music comes out of people playing together, knowing what they want to do and going for it. You have to sweat over it and bug it to death. You can’t do it by pushing buttons and watching a TV screen.
Hey, we just enjoy it. I think we think we’re getting the hang of this thing, you know?
I achieved everything I wanted to achieve by being in the Rolling Stones and making records.
I don’t trust doctors. It’s not to say there ain’t some good ones, but on a general level, no, I wouldn’t trust ’em at all.
I have no idea what the audience makes of me.
I look for ambiguity when I’m writing because life is ambiguous.
I mean some doctor told me I had six months to live and I went to their funeral.
I mean, give me a guitar, give me a piano, give me a broom and string, I wouldn’t get bored anywhere.
I never thought I was wasted, but I probably was.
I only get ill when I give up drugs.
I’ve always been suspicious of TV, I’ve always found music and video to be an unhappy marriage.
I’ve never had a problem with drugs. I’ve had problems with the police.
I’ve never had my hair cut by anybody, I do it all myself.
If you don’t know the blues… there’s no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music.
If you say I’m great, thank you very much. But I know what I am. I could be better, man, you know?
If you’re going to kick authority in the teeth, you might as well use both feet.
It’s an addiction… and addiction is something I should know something about.
It’s good to be anywhere.
It’s great to be here. It’s great to be anywhere.
Let me be clear about this. I don’t have a drug problem. I have a police problem.
Rock and Roll: Music for the neck downwards.
Songwriting’s a weird game.
The Beatles were basically a vocal band.
The only things Mick and I disagree about is the band, the music and what we do.
The Stones in a club is still the ultimate rush.
There’s no substitute for live work to keep a band together.
This is the rock ‘n’ roll life, and you had to invent it as you went along. There was no textbook to say how you operate this machinery.
To make a rock’n’roll record, technology is the least important thing.
To me, as long as we’ve known each other, I’ve always thought Mick’s most brilliant thing was that he could work in an area two foot square and give a very exciting performance.
To me, my biggest fear is getting a big head, and that is when I get the hammer. Because it’s very easy in this game to believe you’re something special.
When I listen to what I did under the influence – 10 years of work – I don’t think it either enhanced or impaired me. It didn’t have that much to do with it.
When you’re supported by millions all over the world, you can either go nuts, or try to feed off the goodwill.
Yes, I’ve been trepanned. That’s quite an interesting experience, especially for my brain surgeon, who saw my thoughts flying around in my brain.
You didn’t know whether Chuck Berry was black or white – it was not a concern.
You don’t start to play your guitar thinking you’re going to be running an organization that will maybe generate millions.
You get onstage and make other people feel happy. Make them feel good.
You have the sun, you have the moon, you have the air that you breathe – and you have the Rolling Stones!
You know, the BBC had not been particularly generous in its deliverance of blues and esoteric kinds of music.
You’ve got the sun, you’ve got the moon, and you’ve got the Rolling Stones.
