As one of the most influential guitarists of all time, The Rolling Stones’ songwriting hero Keith Richards has seen many greats rise to prominence. He is also well-positioned to provide his opinions on the validity of their work.
Keith Richards, a typically prickly individual, has never hesitated to criticise the works of his prominent peers. Similar to Lou Reed, his outspoken nature led to clashes with notable figures, making him a British counterpart. Perhaps his most famous spat was with ‘Rocket Man’ singer Elton John. He locked horns in a teeth-gritting manner with him.
To give you an idea of what happened and how vehemently The Rolling Stones axeman can be, it all started in 1988 when Richards described Elton John as a “lovely bloke, but posing”. After John re-wrote ‘Candle in the Wind’ after Princess Diana’s death in 1997, Richards made an offensive comment about his piano-playing counterpart: “An old bitch…his writing is limited to songs about dead blondes.”
However, as a counterbalance to these moments, Richards knows how to compliment other musicians. Bob Dylan is a figure whose brilliance he has discussed numerous times in his later life. However, in typical style, he described the Duluth musician as a sprightly loudmouth in 1966, a year after making the controversial leap of going electric on Bringing It All Back Home. The guitarist stated that he and bandmate Brian Jones couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about the American.
He said, “Whatever these sweet young things who love Dylan say, I bet they don’t understand much of what he’s doing. Brian and I listen to a lot of his albums, and many of his lyrics have no meaning for us. I have nothing against Dylan or Donovan, but I’m sick to the back teeth about the characters who are simply climbing on a craze that think they can make quite a fortune.”
By 2015, however, it appears that Richards had softened his stance slightly, casually mentioning that he considers Dylan a peer. He explained, “Who do I consider my peers? Bob! Bob, I adore Bob. However, you never see him. We occasionally exchange notes. The fact is that Bob’s band has been led by Georgie Recell, the drummer, for the past 15 years. I lent him to Bob for six months in 2001. Bob, I love you. That guy has white-line fever. He works nonstop. “It is unbelievable.”
