What Would Keith Richards Do

What is a wiseman? What is a prophet? Someone with a strange, unflappable demeanor. Someone who speaks in cryptic koans, words whose meanings take years to unravel. Someone who has confronted death, God, sin, and the immortal soul. Someone unfit for this world, but too brilliant to depart it. Someone--in short--like Keith Richards. Here, at last, the wisdom of this indefatigable man is recorded and set forth. These are his visionary words: "I would rather be a legend than a dead legend." Or "Whatever side I take, I know well that I will be blamed." And--indeed--"I've never had a problem with drugs, only with policemen." Not merely a compendium of wisdom, this book is also a complete guide to the inner workings of a complex and inspired belief system, and the life of a man sanctified by fame. What Would Keith Richards Do reminds us to learn from our mistakes, let our instincts lead us, and above all, do what Keith has done better than anyone--survive.

The long-awaited autobiography of Keith Richards, guitarist, songwriter, singer, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. With The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the songs that roused the world, and he lived the original rock and roll life. Now, at last, the man himself tells his story of life in the crossfire hurricane. Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records, learning guitar and forming a band with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones. The Rolling Stones's first fame and the notorious drug busts that led to his enduring image as an outlaw folk hero. Creating immortal riffs like the ones in "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Honky Tonk Women." His relationship with Anita Pallenberg and the death of Brian Jones. Tax exile in France, wildfire tours of the U.S., isolation and addiction. Falling in love with Patti Hansen. Estrangement from Jagger and subsequent reconciliation. Marriage, family, solo albums and Xpensive Winos, and the road that goes on forever. With his trademark disarming honesty, Keith Richard brings us the story of a life we have all longed to know more of, unfettered, fearless, and true.

An inspiring, acclaimed picture book about family and music that details the electric moment with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones first picked up a guitar, illustrated by his daughter, Theodora Richards. Long before there was a band, there was a boy: a young Keith Richards, who was introduced to the joy of music through his beloved granddad, Theodore Augustus Dupree, affectionately known as "Gus," who was in a jazz big band and is the namesake of Keith's daughter, Theodora Dupree Richards. Gus & Me offers a rare and intimate look into the childhood of the legendary Keith Richards through this poignant and inspiring story that is lovingly illustrated with Theodora Richards's exquisite pen-and-ink collages. This unique autobiographical picture book honors the special bond between a grandfather and grandson and celebrates the artistic talents of the Richards family through the generations. It also includes selected photographs from the Richards family collection.

Depicts the life and experiences of Keith Richards and portrays his musical career as a guitarist in the Rolling Stones rock band.

A compilation of quotations from Keith Richards which gives the reader an insight into his life, loves and music. Rhythm guitarist with The Rolling Stones for over 30 years, he is also famous in his own right as a solo artist.

In his own words-from rock's most legendary bad boy. Rock 'n' roll legend and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has quite a few things to say: about Mick Jagger, the Stones, sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and life itself. Sample these nuggets of wit and wisdom chipped from the tablets of Stone: On etiquette: "I've never turned blue in someone else's bathroom. I consider that the height of bad manners." On Mick Jagger: "My aim is always to try to introduce a bit of levity into his life." On the police: "There was a knock on our dressing-room door. Our manager shouted, 'Keith! Ron! The Police are here!' Oh, man, we panicked, flushed everything down the john. Then the door opened and it was Stewart Copeland and Sting." On family: "My father. I snorted my father. He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow." On dental care: "Miraculously, due to abstinence and prayer, my teeth grew back."

Tony Sanchez worked for Keith Richards for eight years buying drugs, running errands and orchestrating cheap thrills. He records unforgettable accounts of the Stones' perilous misadventures racing cars along the Cote d'Azur; murder at Altamont; nights with the Beatles at the Stones-owned nightclub Vesuvio, and more.

For half a century he has been the heart and soul of the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band. A riff master of the highest order, his direct, incisive and catchy licks have energized such timeless rock anthems as "Satisfaction," "Start Me Up," "Brown Sugar," "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Honky Tonk Women." A disciple of such great guitarists and proto-rockers as Scotty Moore, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters, Keith Richards has forged a personal vocabulary on the instrument that has influenced generations of aspiring rockers. And as the song-writing partner of lifelong friend and frequent foe Mick Jagger, he formed an indelible team that has secured a spot in the Songwriters' Hall of Fame. The personal life of this larger-than-life rock star and bona fide guitar hero has been plagued by heroin addiction and excessive recreational drug use, which transformed his one-time baby face into a grizzled visage that bears the scars of a road warrior's life. And yet, he is still here. The ultimate rock 'n' roll survivor, Keith Richards is still rocking and rolling after all these years. AUTHOR: Bill Milkowski is a New York-based freelance writer who has contributed to several publications since the 1970s, including Down Beat, Jazz Times, Jazziz, Bass Player, Guitar Player, Modern Drummer, Absolute Sound, Jazzthing (Germany), Guitar Club (Italy) and Guitar (Japan). He is also the author of JACO: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius, Swing It! An Annotated History of Jive, Rockers, Jazzbos & Visionaries, and Legends of Jazz (Edizioni White Star, 2010). Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he began his career in music journalism, Milkowski relocated to New York City in 1980. He moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1993, returning to New York in 1997 and settling in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan, where he currently lives. Milkowski was named Writer of the Year in 2004 by the Jazz Journalists Association. An avid guitar hobbyist, he is also the proud father of a 16-year-old daughter, Sophia Vincenza Milkowski. ILLUSTRATIONS: 140 colour photographs