Photo: Still
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Keith Richards has shared details of his friendship with Chuck Berry. In the interview, Richards talks about being punched in the face by Berry after playing his guitar, what it was like to live with him for a short period of time, and about his respect for the rock 'n roll legend.
Berry, who passed away last month aged 90, has been remembered by many from the rock 'n roll hall of fame. Widely thought as the creator of rock 'n roll, tributes left by Little Richard, Joan Jett, and Joe Perry have all called him an ‘idol’.
Richards tribute joins the praises, saying, “Chuck was the granddaddy of us all.”
Speaking to journalist Patrick Doyle for the Rolling Stone, Richards said, “Even if you're a rock guitarist who wouldn't name him as your main influence, your main influence is probably still influenced by Chuck Berry.”
In the interview, Richards also opened up about a number of his chance meetings with Chuck Berry, including one incident backstage at one of Berry’s shows.
"We saw him play in New York somewhere, and afterward I was backstage in his dressing room, where his guitar was lying in its case. I wanted to look, out of professional interest, and as I'm just plucking the strings, Chuck walked in and gave me this wallop to the frickin' left eye," Richards said. "But I realized I was in the wrong. If I walked into my dressing room and saw somebody fiddling with my ax, it would be perfectly all right to sock 'em, you know? I just got caught."
Richards also talked a little about Berry’s character, saying: “He was a little prickly, but at the same time there was a very warm guy underneath that he wasn't that willing to display. There were other times between us when we're sitting around and rehearsing, and going, 'Man, you know, between us we got that shit down" – and there would be a beautiful, different feeling.”
It’s obvious that Richards was deeply inspired by Berry, and that his meetings with the man touched him deeply.
“When the Stones were playing clubs, it was basically Chuck and the blues – which, to me, is not that different! We loved to play 'Around and Around'. Chuck's music is interesting to play because it's not as simple as it looks – and it's also a matter of how interesting you can make it. The swing beat he used gave a different flavour. That's the meaning of the roll in rock & roll: It bounced.”
Finishing the interview, Richards talked about his feelings hearing about Berry’s death. "I kind of got the strange feeling that I remembered when Buddy Holly died. I was in school, and this whisper started to go around the classroom. The whole class gave this collective gasp of horror," he said. "This was that same blow to the gut. It hit me harder than I expected."
