MUSIC
Below: Twain, photographed in 1907 Facing (above): Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts at Turku Airport, Finland in 1965 Facing (below):The cover of Issue 19 of
Beggar’s Banquet
Introducing
under their thumb
“I’d like to welcome President Clinton,” Mick
backstage. I’d tell Keith and Ronnie to break a leg,
fall down, now do ya? I had no idea what it meant,
Jagger tells the VIP crowd. “And I see she’s brought
and then I’d visit them after the show. But that’s
but it was impossible to ignore.
her husband.”
not happening tonight. I finagled my way into the
My sister said it was the Rolling Stones. She
The Rolling Stones are at New York’s Beacon
crowd, and the Stones don’t know I’m here.
showed me their album cover, and they looked
Theatre, and Martin Scorsese’s shooting it for
For me, there’s never been a world without the
pretty tough. Like they could definitely beat up the
a documentary. It’s October 29, 2006, and, after
Stones. They came into existence two months
Monkees. Until recently, my sister had listened
decades of drug busts, paternity suits, funerals,
before I did. But I didn’t hear them until I turned
only to “Build Me Up Buttercup” and “I Think I
divorces, rehabs, and chemotherapy, the Stones
ten. To that point, if you didn’t have a Saturday
Love You.” But somehow, in the summer of ’72, she
can still put out. I mean, damn, these guys are
morning TV show, I didn’t know you. The
switched her allegiance from Keith Partridge to
good. But as my eyes and ears fixate on them at
Monkees, The Beatles, and Jackson 5 were the
Keith Richards. She ditched her ‘45s and bought
the Beacon, my mind wanders to another time
only bands I could name. Life changed in 1972,
some Stones albums. One was shaped like a stop
and place.
when an announcement came from my sister’s
sign. Another had a zipper on it. She pointed to
My eyes see Mick onstage, but my mind sees him
bedroom: Everything seems to be ready . . . Are
the blond- haired guy and said he was dead. She
in his house, blotting the orange juice I spilled
you ready? . . . Sorry for the delay. . . .
said the Stones had been busted for drugs, evicted
on his rug. My ears hear Keith Richards plucking
Is everybody ready?
from hotels, and had played at concerts where
“I’m Free,” but my mind hears him offering me
What followed were the strangest words and
people got murdered. I thought my head would
bourbon on his terrace. And Ronnie Wood? I’m
most violent sounds I’d ever heard: I was born in a
explode. The chaotic stories, violent music, and
peeling potatoes with him in his kitchen. I used
crossfire hurricane! And I howled at my ma in the
wild album covers overwhelmed me. But I craved
to pal around with these guys. And if this were
driving rain! Followed by: I think I bust a button
more.
ten or twenty years ago, I’d have begun my night
on my trousers. . . . You don’t want my trousers to
I borrowed the albums and studied them. They
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