I had heard really good reviews about the autobiography of Keith Richards, so I took the plunge and bought it on audio format as part of a buy one, get one for free deal. It started well, dealing with Keith's childhood and how tough things were growing up in post-war Britain. There are great passages about his parents, his schooldays and the music that influenced him back then, and which still does today. Also, the birth of the Rolling Stones and their very early days is a great read too. However, I found myself becoming completely bored by the endless sections about Keith's drug taking ... as well as the conveyor belt of "chicks" that he, and the rest of the band indulged in while on the road. I know that these things are very "rock and roll" and Keith has a well-deserved reputation for the former, but I found them to be the least interesting thing about him! Luckily these passages are interspersed with titbits about how various songs and albums came into being, and the tricks of the trade he learnt from others about playing the guitar the way he does. The process that Keith and Mick Jagger went through to produce such amazing songs as Jumping Jack Flash, Angie, etc, is fascinating. I wanted more of that and less of the rock and roll lifestyle which started to feel empty and soulless for all those involved or affected by it. One good thing about these sections are that Keith doesn't hold back on listing the casualties of this lifestyle as he goes along, nor about how grim it often is. Keith does quit the drugs (hoorah), but not the epic drinking (boo!), and works hard at his marriage and fatherhood and also trying to keep the Stone's together through some sticky years when the relationship between Mick and the rest of the band were incredibly strained. So then, Life, by Keith Richards, is a no-nonsense, warts and all autobiography in which I think you can really hear the author's voice ... and nowhere is this more true than in the last section of the audio edition where Keith takes over from Johnny Depp to narrate his own story.
My STAR rating: THREE.
Length: 640 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.
The epitome of sex, drugs and rock & roll then? On the subject of autobiographies and my favourite subject, I've read a few written by the cycling greats and many have got tiresome as they have, understandably, gone on to speak of their greatness, however, I am just reading The World of Cycling According to G (Geraint Thomas), again as with Keith's purchased in a 2 for 1, and it's a breath of fresh air. If you ever see him interviewed, he's a funny chap. On the page he's just as hilarious .. I highly recommend it should you fancy learning about what goes on in the pro cycling world :)
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