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Myths and truths about the Rolling Stones

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In "Eso no estaba en mi libro de los Rolling Stones" journalist Mariano Muniesa reviews the most curious and unknown details of the longest-running band of all time. "What has kept the Rolling Stones alive has been the road, the live shows," he tells LOC

Mick Jagger, of the Rolling Stones.
Mick Jagger, of the Rolling Stones.AP

Throughout their over 60-year career, the Rolling Stones embody both mythical and typical rock band characteristics. The former is due to their musical prowess, artistic value, and above all, the transcendence of their legacy. The latter is attributed to the humanity implicit in their entire history. A history often idolized by fans and demonized by detractors. A story that, on a personal level, could be that of any rock band, or even a group of friends.

It is precisely the human value, one that is far from the legend and closer to the earthly, that journalist Mariano Muniesa emphasizes in Eso no estaba en mi libro de los Rolling Stones (Almuzara, 2024). In this essay, the host of the program Rock Star unravels all the mysteries and clarifies many of the myths surrounding the British band. He co-writes it with the legendary broadcaster Mariskal Romero, the only Spanish journalist who interviewed Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts individually.

To do justice to the band, this book balances the private life and public image of the longest-running rock group of all time. "What has kept the Rolling Stones alive has been the road, the live shows. They continue to function and have continued to do so for so many years because they never left the stage. Mick Jagger once said this, and I think he was right. But I am convinced that the Beatles began to decline the day they decided not to perform anymore and not to play live again," Muniesa tells LOC.

His book has the same starting point as the Rolling Stones themselves: Dartford. The birthplace of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. "When I went to see the Stones in London in 2022, I took the opportunity to go to Dartford and I was struck by the fact that there were very few things that remembered the Stones. There is a plaque at the station reminding that Keith and Mick met on platform three and another at the house where Keith Richards lived, but little else," he explains. "It contrasts greatly with Liverpool, where there is a Beatles memory on every corner."

Unlike the Beatles, the Rolling Stones do not live in the past. Their constant evolution and nomadic nature make their origins synonymous with beginnings. Never with roots. "The term rolling stone refers to a stone that rolls and gathers no moss, that does not take root. The Rolling Stones are people who have always lived and will live on the road. Because they do not know how to live any other way. That is the spirit of the wanderers, the marginalized, the nomads, and also of the gypsies."

According to the journalist, beyond Ronnie Wood, the gypsy member of the band, the group has always connected with the Roma people and has been influenced by their essence. "Keith Richards has sympathized a lot with the gypsy world, has gone to flamenco clubs, and has recognized flamenco guitarists. Also memorable is the play Mick Jagger had with Camarón de la Isla in London."

As with anything marginal or transgressive, the Rolling Stones were vilified by the cultural hegemony of their days. They were labeled as satanic, violent, and drug addicts. The latter was the only accusation that had some truth. Although the band never promoted drug use, regardless of the addictions of some of its members. "When talking about drugs in the Stones, we must mainly mention Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. Because Mick Jagger only flirted with cocaine or joints, but never got hooked on anything."

However, Mick Jagger has often been stereotyped in the cliché of unrestrained sex, drugs, and rock and roll. This needs clarification. Mick is a womanizer, but not as much as it has been said. He has had conflicts with Richards, with whom he has argued over women and differed artistically on several occasions, but they are great friends who care deeply for each other.

Throughout his life, the singer has been the subject of rumors in times when it was difficult to refute them. Like the claim that David Bowie and Mick Jagger had a night of love. "Although Bowie is bisexual, he has said many times that he was not attracted to Mick. The famous episode where they are in bed was explained by Angela Bowie, David's wife. She says that when she returned after a few days away, she entered a room that reeked of alcohol and where the furniture was all over the place. She realized that David and Mick were extremely drunk and when they got home, they were so out of it that they stumbled over the furniture and collapsed on the bed. They were fully clothed, and David hadn't even taken off his boots."

Those who believe this legend often add that the song Angie is dedicated by Mick to Bowie's wife, whom he was also in love with. "The people who spread that myth forget that Angie is the name of Keith Richards' eldest daughter. And Angie was born in '72, a year before the famous encounter between Mick Jagger and David Bowie, which led to speculation about whether they were lovers or not."

In the book, Muniesa unravels many more myths. While most are implausible, others have turned out to have more truth than the journalist expected. This was the case with Keith Richards' father's ashes. Yes, those that according to urban legend he snorted in a night of drunken revelry as a form of posthumous Oedipal revenge against his father.

"There were so many versions that in the end it was difficult, but I discovered what he himself said in an interview. Keith mentioned that he spilled some of the ashes from the container of his father. Then he said, 'I wasn't going to throw them on the floor, so I snorted them. They were my father's ashes, a man I respected and loved.' He didn't want to discard them and he snorted them. But it wasn't the entire ashes (just a bit of dust), and he didn't do it out of anger towards his father during a drunken spree," he concludes.