This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. Partly that is because of the subject matter, since I have been a long time Stones fan and recognize that Keith is the backbone of the band. But his autobiography approaches that subject matter in a particular way I found most compelling.
My wife is a writer by trade, and is now making her way through the book, too. We have talked about what is it that makes the style in which this book was written so compelling? I think it is a combination of a willingness to tell the story with brutal honesty, but in a style that is kind of like Keith is talking to you as a fan and friend. For a man of such accomplishments, he seems much less egotistical than someone else in his position would likely be. That I think reflects who Keith is as a person, but the net effect is that the book's writing style fits like a comfortable and well worn leather jacket.
A couple of points I want to make, some made and some not by others here include:
The best part of the book is where Keith talks about the experience of playing music to an audience, and how that has been a large part of his motivation to be who he was and is for all those years. You have to read those parts for yourself, but I found them wonderful and quite revealing as to what makes Keith tick.
The photographs were quite well chosen to complement the narrative. The effect of the choices made give the impression that much work and thought went into this part of the book's production.
Keith somehow succeeded in giving honest opinions about those he encountered along the way in a way that was not catty or overdone. Again, honesty was the hallmark. Particular subjects included:
Gram Parsons. Keith has written before about his personal views on one of his best friends and also the ways unknown to many in which Parsons so hugely influenced music. He expounds on those thoughts here. I had hoped for a better explanation of what happened when Parsons left Nellcote, after which Keith and Gram did not encounter each other again leading up to Parsons's death. But I think the real explanation can be found in the recent bio on him, which was basically that Parsons wore out his welcome way overdoing it on drugs. In short Keith's partial exception to the honest approach I guess was done in honoring Parson's memory.
John Lennon; The Beatles. Keith cites Lennon along with Parsons as the two people he encountered who he felt had the most similar approach to and feelings about music as him. Another slight criticism of the book, though, is that although Keith includes some rather amusing and revealing recollections of Lennon, I didn't see much about why he felt so kindred to Lennon's music. He does talk at various points about the dynamic relation between the two bands, to informative effect. Circling back to more recent encounters with Paul McCartney was also amusing and somehow felt just right.
Chuck Berry. The nature of his complex view of Berry, a complex man for sure, were not surprising to me since knowing of Keith's difficulties putting on the show honoring Berry back in the eighties. But Life does put in Keith's own words his views of Berry who, after all, was a particularly huge influence on Keith and the rest of the Stones.
The Other Stones. Not surprising to anyone who has followed this band over the years, but they certainly have included people with quite distinct personalities! Accordingly Keith lays out his own different views of them and their interactions over the years. Jones certainly was a tragic figure, but again with honesty as the hallmark Keith also points out that there was much that was dysfunctional about the man. My theory as to why Keith does not talk all that much about Wyman is that to this day I don't think Keith really understands Bill. In particular Keith does not understand Bill's decision to retire, and I think that made him hesitant to theorize more about Bill. Charlie and Mick Taylor come in for relatively more praise, although on a personal level Keith seems to have concluded that Taylor was not exactly Mr. Personality. Not much is offered here on Taylor's decision to leave the Stones, or what I view as the worst career move in the history of rock music. Others have talked about his views of Jagger and Ron Wood, so I will leave off discussing them.
The Women in his life. As noted by Maureen Dowd and others, Keith despite being the iconic rocker, arguably the coolest guy who ever lived, seems to have had a very decent and honest way of relating to the various important women his life. He somehow has a bit of the knight errant in him, which I guess can fit with the pirate and druggie. In him it seems to.
Other aspects of note include Keef's Guitar Workshop discussions, which as a guitarist myself I found amusing and informative, and I don't think a lay person would or should feel otherwise. He doesn't talk too much about technical aspects, such as choosing amps and types of guitars - just enough I think to not bore the non musician, while revealing some of the essentials, like how he sought the sound of certain periods, particularly the Jumping Jack Flash and the Beggar's Banquet sound, as well as recording Exile.
It was Hard Work! Keith makes clear that much of understanding him and his life involves that he was intensely driven to make the music, and to an almost superhuman extent. The countless hours in the studio, the difficulties in pulling things together, the way he and Jagger wrote the songs, are all laid out here. And love of the music itself drips off the narrative all along.
Drugs. Honesty again is the hallmark. Somehow Keith lets you know how much he did without apology, bragging, glamorizing, or encouragement of others to do the same. How did he pull that off? He does.
As others have noted, autobiographies are different than biographies, and as a biography this is less than complete. But as an expression of how Keith felt about his life and times, and his involvement in those events and the long period leading up to the present is such that Life is a good argument (if unintentionally so) for saying that Keith was himself the main circuit cable running through those times, this book is an immense success. I finished the book thinking, I hope Keith writes something else, again, soon.
Thanks, Keef.
Life
4.5 | 7,672 ratings
Price: 30.7
Last update: 03-28-2025
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