Keith Richards: Fruit of the Loon!

United Kingdom | | 07 August 2003

Rolling Stones legend 'Keef' Richards has revealed why their current world tour is so special for the band and fans alike, and what's in store for us when they invade Britain at the end of the month!

In an interview with NME, Richards comments on the innovative concept of playing three differently-sized venues in each city:

"I started to call it the Fruit Of The Loom Tour - y'know, large, medium and small.... And, as we left Boston, we were on the plane and everyone was going, 'Hey man, three great shows', and I said, 'No, there's one show, it's just in three parts'".

He goes on, "We played close on 60 songs in Boston and Chicago, rather than the same old... It's so much better for the band and, apparently, it's a lot better for the audience too. "

... and can't resist a teasing dig at Jagger, "I'd push for it more quite honestly but Mick's a bit of a conservative!"

So what can us fans expect from the different venues?

Keef explains, "All little rooms are very different whereas all football stadiums and arenas are pretty much the same. Small rooms have a character totally unique to themselves and that's what's interesting. You can throw out songs that you wouldn't necessarily attempt in the stadiums..."

But he doesn't let it go to his head: "Crazy! The charge of energy in the crowd when we play it! Up there, you feel like a God. when you come off, you feel like a wet rag."

Still, for a bunch of old blokes, the band are tighter than ever: "On this tour, I think the band have amazed themselves. We're really enjoying playing, mainly because we've kept this band together, as a unit, for a long time. It just seems to keep coming back with more resilience. The horn players are just tremendous. Bobby Keys, bless his heart, when he keeps his teeth in! He blew them out the other night. As he says, 'Chiclets all over the place!'."

But it's not ONLY Rock N' Roll: "People forget that I'm not just that thing on stage. I've brought up a lot of family. My daughter, Angela, is here with her old man. I've got two grandkids. I've been mum for years. You wouldn't believe the other side of my life, man. 'You're babysitting'. 'OK darling'."

In the interview, which you can see on www.nme.com, Richards also reminisces on the golden old days, when the band "had a totally perverse, anti-promotional attitude". Strange, but true!