Life
PG found a copy of Life, the autobiography of Keith Richards, at the Chamblee library. It is due back today. Whatever virtues this book may have, it is not worth an overdue fine.
The first chapter is about a bust. During the 1975 tour, Keith and Ron Wood go to a diner in backwoods Arkansas. They stay in the men’s room for forty minutes, and someone calls the cops. The vehicle is pulled over, and the crew is busted. With the help of a politically connected lawyer, they get out of jail, and the tour continues.
Keith is not a very nice man. When the stones are in France, making “Exile on Main Street”, Keith goes into town with his bodyguards, and gets into fights. He says when you see trouble starting, to be sure to land the first blow.
This is when he cops some pure heroin, and learns to mix it himself. The formula is 97 parts cut, to 3 parts smack. If you go 96 to 4, you might die. There are lots of drug stories in this book. Keith finally quits sometime in the late seventies, about when Mick is the darling of Studio 54. Mick and Keith are sometimes pals, sometimes enemies, but always counting the money as it rains in. The music industry is corrupt and cutthroat, and Keith fits right in.
The ghost writer is James Fox, and he does a good job of channeling Keith. The copyright is assigned to something called “Mindless Records”. The bonus cd was stolen by someone at the library. The pictures are safe for work. Pictures for today are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”. This is written like David Foster Wallace. This book does not include the meaning of life.
Chamblee54 
I do love vintage photographs – a story in each one.
What an interesting book report (: I like the little detail about the cd being stolen. It made me laugh for some reason…
Sooo maybe wordpress didn’t post my comment?!? I don’t know so I’ll say again that this piece is very interesting (:
Both comments got posted. Maybe WP knew I made up the part about the bonus CD.
Great book review. I’m with you regarding the character of some of these “players”.
That poor Watermelon Queen in those short shorts. And 3 grapefruits so cheap? Great pictures. Interesting piece. I love the comment that it’s not worth an overdue fine: I know this feeling exactly.
so some of it is made up. Richards is lucky to be living. I saw a news story about his son. One of those sons raise dad.
Yikes, the life that guy has lived. It’s a miracle he’s alive.