Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!
Rolling Stones Quotes:Keith Richards about the Stones being ‘not a nostalgia band’ (1997)
“Nobody in the band ever talks about the band’s longevity amongst themselves or puts their finger on it. I think some of it is just what you do, and if you don’t do it, you go nuts, and the other is how far can it go, you know. We still feel we’re getting better and we have things to offer you know, and we ain’t The Beach Boys, some nostalgia band, you know what I mean. There’s plenty of nostalgia, obviously, after all these years involved, but I mean we don’t rely on it alone. I mean our main joy is to make new songs – nostalgia (laughs) in a way it’s ah… and nobody wants to get off the bus, because it’s still going, you know. It’s very difficult, you hurt yourself getting off buses when they’re moving. Do not alight while moving.”
Rolling Stones in 1997: Refusing the Nostalgia Trap
For a band that’s been around since the early ‘60s, the Rolling Stones have spent decades dodging the dreaded “nostalgia act” label. And let’s be real—Mick, Keith, and company could easily coast on their past glories, rolling out Satisfaction, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, and Start Me Up on autopilot for eternity. But that’s never been their style.
Unlike so many of their peers who faded into legacy tours and greatest-hits cash grabs, the Stones keep moving forward. Sure, they still play the classics (because, let’s face it, people would riot if they didn’t), but they also insist on putting out new material, proving they’re more than just a living jukebox. But their last albums show they’ve still got the fire, whether they’re tearing through raw blues covers or crafting fresh anthems that actually hold up.
Live and Kicking: Stones Outpace the Young Guns
Then there’s their live show—louder, wilder, and more high-energy than bands half their age. Mick Jagger isn’t just strutting; he’s sprinting, leaping, and working the crowd like a man possessed. Keith and Ronnie keep the riffs sharp, and the band still plays with a looseness and grit that most rockers lost ages ago.
Nostalgia band? Please. The Rolling Stones are still here, still writing, still evolving—and still proving why they’re the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band to walk the planet.
Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!
