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Rock journalist Lester Bangs on the Rolling Stones future (1973)
BANGS DOUBTS THE STONES In ’73 legendary rock critic Lester Bangs didn’t hold back: he thought the Rolling Stones were doomed. He mocked the idea they’d last decades, joking that picturing them rocking on for 20 or 30 years was just “stupid.” Bangs probably expected them to crash hard under their own wild lifestyle, burning out in classic rock ’n’ roll fashion before the decade ended. Spoiler alert: the Stones had other plans.
“The Rolling Stones lasting 20, 30 years -what a stupid idea that would be. Nobody lasts that long”
Lester Bangs on the Rolling Stones’ Future: A Hilariously Off-Target Prediction
Back in 1973, rock journalist Lester Bangs—never one to hold back his opinions—scoffed at the idea that the Rolling Stones had any real longevity left. “The Rolling Stones lasting 20, 30 years—what a stupid idea that would be…” he quipped, likely imagining the band burning out in a blaze of excess before the decade was over.
Still Standing: Why the Stones’ Longevity Once Seemed Unthinkable
To be fair, the logic wasn’t entirely flawed. By the early ’70s, the Stones had already defied expectations, surviving drug busts, lineup changes, and the chaos of Altamont. Rock wasn’t exactly built for long-term careers, and most bands from their early years had either imploded, faded into irrelevance, or become nostalgia acts. The idea that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards would still be trading licks and snide remarks half a century later? Completely laughable—at least to Bangs.
Of course, the Stones had other plans. As the years rolled on, they not only continued making music but cemented themselves as the most enduring band in rock history. They outlived Bangs himself, who tragically passed away in 1982, by decades. They outlasted trends, disco, punk, grunge, and even entire musical revolutions. They played stadiums bigger than Bangs ever could have imagined, headlined major festivals well into their seventies, and still weren’t done.
If Bangs could see them now, strutting on stage with the same rebellious energy he dismissed back in ’73, he might have had to eat his words. Or, knowing him, he’d double down and call it a freak of nature. Either way, the joke’s on him—because the “stupid idea” of the Stones lasting 20, 30 years? It turned into 60. And counting.
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