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Rolling Stones quotes: Keith Richards Explains Why New Technology is Ruining Music
If there is one man completely unbothered by Silicon Valley’s latest breakthrough, it is rock’s ultimate analog survivor. While the rest of the music world eagerly embraced pristine digital production, auto-tune, and pocket-sized supercomputers, Keith Richards made it his personal mission to treat modern tech with absolute suspicion. The Rolling Stones guitarist has never hidden his disdain for synthetic sounds and sterile gadgets, preferring the warm hum of a tube amp and a beaten-up Fender over any touchscreen interface. It is a wonderfully stubborn worldview where progress is overrated and real rock-and-roll lives or dies by raw human friction.
“The only new technology that interests me is when it sort of throws me back sound-wise. And I can think, ‘Wow, that means I can go onstage and sound like Scotty Moore now and again!’ “
For Keith Richards, the appeal of new technology doesn’t lie in shiny gadgets or futuristic sounds—it’s all about time travel. Not literal, of course, but sonic. Keith’s curiosity is piqued when modern tech lets him tap into the sounds of the past. As he put it, “The only new technology that interests me is when it sort of throws me back sound-wise.” He’s not looking to reinvent the wheel but to fine-tune it until it hums like a vintage guitar amp. What excites him isn’t innovation for innovation’s sake—it’s that moment when a new tool opens a portal to an older sound.
Old Soul, New Tools
While other artists may chase trends or lean into the latest plug-ins and presets, Keith sees tech through a different lens. It’s a tool—not the star of the show. He isn’t chasing futuristic tones or robotic effects. Instead, he wants gear that brings him closer to the raw, expressive sound of early rock ‘n’ roll.
A Soundtrack from the Past
For someone like Keith, who came of age listening to the likes of Scotty Moore, tech isn’t about escaping the past—it’s about reconnecting with it. Whether it’s an amp modeler that mimics a ‘50s setup or a pedal that adds that perfect slapback echo, if it sounds like history, it’s music to his ears. In the end, Richards doesn’t resist technology—he just wants it to come with a little dust and soul.
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Stones Data on Substack
