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Rolling Stones quotes: Keith Richards on Mick Jagger (1981)
KEITH ON MICK: ROCK & ROLL BROMANCE Back in 1981, Keith Richards dropped one of his most brutally honest — and hilarious — takes on Mick Jagger. Forget sugarcoated friendship clichés; for Keith, it’s all about surviving the fights, the “bitching,” and still sticking around. Calling Mick “my wife” says it all: a messy, loud, but unbreakable bond that fuels the Rolling Stones. It’s friendship, Stones-style — chaotic, real, and built to last way beyond the spotlight.
“It’s a true friendship when you can bash somebody over the head and not be told, ‘You’re not my friend anymore.’ That’s a true friendship. You put up with each other’s bitching… He’s my wife. And he’ll say the same thing about me”
In 1981 Keith Richards summed up his bond with Mick Jagger in the kind of raw, humorous honesty only the Stones could deliver. To Keith, real friendship wasn’t about politeness or smooth sailing — it was about surviving the storms. “It’s a true friendship when you can bash somebody over the head and not be told, ‘You’re not my friend anymore.’” That line captures the essence: two men constantly colliding, yet never breaking apart. Their relationship has always been more than music; it’s been about endurance, grit, and the kind of messy loyalty that keeps legends alive.
Beyond the Stage
What makes Keith’s words so striking is how unfiltered they are. He didn’t wrap their bond in sentimentality — instead, he described it like a marriage full of fights, reconciliations, and unspoken understanding. Calling Jagger “my wife” wasn’t just a joke; it was Keith’s way of acknowledging the depth and inevitability of their connection. They could clash, argue, or “bitch” about anything, but underneath it all sat an unshakable respect. That’s the secret ingredient behind the Rolling Stones’ staying power: a partnership tested by time, egos, and excess, yet always circling back to the music.
The Truest Friendship
The brilliance of Keith’s quote lies in its brutal simplicity. Friendship, in his view, isn’t fragile — it’s battle-hardened. You don’t measure it by how often you agree, but by how much you can endure together. With Jagger, the bond was never about being easy; it was about being real. And in that raw, imperfect dynamic, they built not just a band but a cultural force that refuses to fade. Keith’s 1981 reflection is more than a quip — it’s a rock & roll definition of loyalty, lived loud and without apologies.
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