The Rolling Stones defined the rock and roll lifestyle for over sixty years. You likely know the lips logo and the riff to "Satisfaction." However, their history involves fleeing tax collectors and hiring biker gangs for security. Keith Richards wrote their biggest hit while sleeping. Furthermore, their drummer once punched the lead singer for being disrespectful. Let’s explore the life of the Glimmer Twins and their band.
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones named themselves after a Muddy Waters song. Brian Jones spotted a Muddy Waters LP lying on the floor during a phone call with a promoter. He panicked when asked for a band name and simply read “Rollin’ Stone” off the tracklist.
Keith Richards wrote the riff for “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” in his sleep. He woke up the next morning to find a cassette tape with two minutes of guitar playing and forty minutes of his own snoring. He had absolutely no memory of hitting the record button.
An art student designed their famous tongue and lips logo for just £50. John Pasche created the iconic image in 1970 after Mick Jagger visited his degree show. Contrary to popular belief, Andy Warhol had nothing to do with the specific design of the logo.
Their manager kicked pianist Ian Stewart out of the lineup because he looked “too normal.” Andrew Loog Oldham believed Stewart’s square jaw did not fit the band’s rebellious image. Remarkably, Stewart stayed on as their road manager and piano player for decades anyway.
The Hells Angels provided security for the disastrous Altamont Free Concert in exchange for $500 worth of beer. The biker gang beat fans with pool cues and eventually stabbed an audience member to death in front of the stage. This tragedy effectively ended the “Peace and Love” era of the 1960s.
They recorded their masterpiece Exile on Main St. in a humid, ventilateless basement in France. The band fled the UK to avoid paying a 93 percent tax rate on high earners. They set up a makeshift studio in Keith Richards’ rented villa, which had served as a local Gestapo headquarters during the war.
Charlie Watts once punched Mick Jagger in the face for calling him “my drummer.” Jagger called Watts’ hotel room in the middle of the night and demanded, “Where’s my drummer?” Watts shaved, put on a full suit, walked down the hall, punched Jagger, and said, “Don’t ever call me your drummer again. You’re my singer.”
Keith Richards completely invented the rumor that he swapped his blood in Switzerland. He told journalists he underwent a total blood transfusion to clean drugs out of his system just to see if they would print it. The press believed the lie for years.
The Rolling Stones shelved their Rock and Roll Circus movie for 28 years because they felt The Who upstaged them. They filmed the concert special in 1968 but refused to release it until 1996. They believed their own tired performance looked weak next to The Who’s explosive energy.
The zipper on the Sticky Fingers album cover destroyed the vinyl records inside. Andy Warhol designed the cover with a working metal zipper. However, the weight of the zipper scratched the songs “Sister Morphine” and “Brown Sugar” during shipping.
Keith Richards actually snorted a small portion of his father’s ashes. He clarified later that some ashes blew onto the table when he opened the urn, so he swept them up into a line of cocaine. He claimed his dad wouldn’t have cared about the strange tribute.
They performed for roughly 1.5 million people on Copacabana Beach in 2006. The free concert in Rio de Janeiro required a custom bridge just so the band could get from their hotel to the stage safely. It stands as one of the largest rock concerts in human history.
Brian Jones could play almost any instrument he touched within thirty minutes. He added the sitar to “Paint It Black” and the marimba to “Under My Thumb.” His musical versatility defined the band’s unique sound in the mid-60s before his untimely death.
Bill Wyman married an 18-year-old when he was 52 years old. The relationship caused a massive scandal in the British press because they began dating when she was only 13. To make matters more confusing, his son later married her mother.
Angelina Jolie appeared in the music video for “Anybody Seen My Baby?” in 1997. She played a stripper who leaves the club to wander the streets of New York. This role came just before she became a global superstar.
