Keith Richards claims heroin helped him work: I got something out of it

Keith Richards turns 70 years old this December, and I think it’s fair to say that the dude looks every bit his age, and it is truly amazing that he’s (1) still alive; and (2) has been recording and touring as part of the Rolling Stones for 50 years now. Keith is definitely the fiercest rhythm guitarist around, but I still have no earthly idea how the guy is still kicking, and I’m not alone in that sentiment at all.

Well Keith knows how we all feel and thinks it’s pretty funny too. He unironically sat down with Men’s Journal to promote this summer’s enduring Stones tour by talking about his (somewhat continuing) history with drugs and his joy at being a family man with his (second) wife, Pattie Hansen, to whom he’s been married for 30 years. Damn, all of these decades are blowing my mind. Here are some interview excerpts:

Why did he quit drugs? “With the smack, I knew: ‘I’ve got to stop now, or I’m going to go in for hard time.’ The cocaine I quit because I fell on my head! Due to that — no more coke. Actually, my body tells me when to stop . . . the hard way. It’s a knock on the head — OK. It’s no big deal to me, to give things up.”

Heroin allowed him to work? “It was — either stay up or crash out or wake up. It was always to do something. Also, I’ve got to confess, I was very interested in what I could take and what I could do. I looked upon the body as a laboratory — I used to throw in this chemical and then that one to see what would happen; I was intrigued by that. What one would work against another; I’ve got a bit of alchemist in me that way. But all experiments must come to an end.”

Does he feel he’s damaged his body? “I’ve never felt that it affected the way I played one way or another; if I stayed up I got a few more songs out of it. It’s like Churchill said about alcohol, ‘Believe me – I’ve taken a lot more out of alcohol than it’s ever taken out of me!’ And I kind of feel the same way about the dope and stuff. I got something out of it. Might’ve p-ssed off a lot of people!”

He still smokes weed & drinks wine: “I hate all this idea of rehab and giving stuff up because it just means you’re hung up on it. It just means, ‘OK, I’m drinking too much — I’ll cut down.'”

He doesn’t move around the stage much anymore: “I wanted to concentrate on the playing. We obviously hadn’t played onstage for a long time, and I did want to stay close to Charlie Watts, keep the band in tight. It wasn’t from a physical point of view. I wanted to stay centered, I wanted to play well — with me, I never know! As long as I’ve got the band centered then I can play well.”

Does he hit the gym? “The answer is no. My workout is when I work with the guys. If I have a massage, it’s from the old lady. I’ve never been the person to be like, ‘I need a massage,’ somebody who’s like, ‘Oh, that’s nice.’ I mean, I’m pretty limber! Mick is in fantastic shape; Charlie Watts is endlessly relentless. So from the physical point of view — it doesn’t come into it. We’re actually doing a longer show than we’ve ever done! I’ve felt no particular strain.”

He adores his wife: “Thank God for Mrs. Patti Hansen, who has finally got her way and put me on the straight and narrow. I mean the proof is in the pudding: great kids. I’m the one that cooks breakfast. When I’m at home, I’m Daddy to the max.”

Does he wonder why he’s still alive? “I do. Sometimes it makes you wonder, ‘What they got in store for me?’ Ha, ha! Have they got the really big drop?”

[From Men’s Journal]

Well, at least Keith is honest about never working out at the gym. He’s also definitely the exception to the rule as far as heroin use goes because most smack addicts don’t do much except try and figure out the source of their next dose. Then again, Keith had money rolling in and never had to worry about how to afford his very expensive habit. And as they say, the dude has pumped so many foreign substances into his body that he’ll probably outlast the cockroaches. Crazy.

Photos courtesy of WENN

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