Memo from Mick: Jagger’s Wild Transformation in ‘Performance’ (Movie Teaser, 1970)

By Marcelo Sonaglioni on February 17, 2025

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Rolling Stones on video: Mick Jagger ‘Performance’ movie teaser

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Back in 1970, Performance wasn’t just a film—it was a full-on cultural grenade. Critics fled (a film exec’s wife reportedly puked), and Warner Bros. had a meltdown when they realized they weren’t getting a fun little rock ‘n’ roll flick but a twisted, sex-and-violence-laced trip into madness. Oops.

Mick Jagger, playing the washed-up rock star Turner, embodied the film’s eerie transformation. What started as a gangster-on-the-run story turned into a dark, psychedelic plunge into the decaying ‘60s. As Turner himself puts it, “The only performance that really makes it… is the one that achieves madness.” Well, mission accomplished.

Writer Donald Cammell, who had more than a passing fascination with London’s crime underworld, took authenticity to new levels—casting real gangsters, basing characters on the notorious Kray twins, and even sending word to Ronnie Kray himself for approval. His response? “Does it slag me off, son? No? Well, that’s all right then, innit.” Classic.

The filming, of course, is the stuff of legend. The infamous sex scenes with Jagger, Anita Pallenberg, and Michele Breton? Let’s just say Jagger cheekily refused to deny anything. Even the film lab staff freaked out, literally smashing explicit footage with hammers, afraid they’d be arrested for distributing porn.

Then there was James Fox, who got so deep into his gangster role that he started hanging out with real criminals, altered his entire look, and ended up quitting acting for a decade to find God. Coincidence? Probably not.

Despite all the chaos, Performance left a lasting mark. The film’s soundtrack, featuring Memo from Turner, cemented Jagger’s reputation as rock’s dark prince. Meanwhile, the film aged from a scandalous outcast to a cult classic, now ranked among the top 50 British films ever made.

Jagger himself, always one for understatement, sums it up: “It’s dark, it’s interesting, and it really holds up.” Yeah, Mick, that’s one way to put it.

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