Mick Jagger discusses Keith Richards' 'character'

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Keith Richards, 78, reflected on how he dealt with the admiration and fame of being a rock star in the BBC documentary My Life As A Rolling Stone. The guitarist revealed that he would have liked to make music and remain anonymous, keeping out of the limelight.

Knowing it wasn’t possible to conceal his identity whilst being a member of the Rolling Stones, Keith revealed that he had to learn how to put himself out there and perform.

Speaking on how he coped with the mass fame in the 60s and 70s, he said: “I guess my refuge was heroin.

“It was drugs, and there I stayed as long as I could.”

Viewers were informed that it wasn’t until the 70s that Keith’s addiction started to threaten the future of the band.

He continued: “Everybody’s got a different metabolism, a different way of dealing with that amount of adoration.

“I just felt that as long as I kept myself to myself, there was no reason for them to make any big fuss about it.”

The BBC documentary touched upon what happened in the late winter of 1977 when Keith was due to perform in Toronto with the rest of the band.

Whilst he was there, the star was charged by the Canadian authorities.

Jane Rose, Keith’s manager, said that the incident was terrifying as he realised that he could potentially be facing 20 years in prison.

Speaking about that period of his life, Keith commented: “I think the reason I was taking it was how to deal with fame and pressure, it’s one way to run away.

“I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody, but there again it’s a personal choice.

“It’s a rough old world and sometimes you need something to blank it out, it probably ain’t worth the ride.”

The rock’n’roll legend revealed the incident that happened in Canada was the moment he realised he was jeopardising the band.

It was at that time, Keith decided to get his life back on track.

In another episode of My Life as a Rolling Stone, fans got to see the instalment focus on the lead singer of the band, Mick Jagger.

During the segment, the star revealed that despite working closely with the band, it didn’t feel like being part of a family.

Mick said: ”The thing about bands is that it’s a collection of individuals as a band and they say ‘You’re just like brothers, you’re just like a family.’

“It’s not like a family at all.

 “I actually have a brother, I know what it’s like to have a brother and it’s not like being with Keith (Richards) at all.

“It’s friendship, it’s friendship and working together.”

My Life As A Rolling Stone is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

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