History Music / KeithRichards

* HeAlsoDid: He actually played bass on a number of Rolling Stones songs, most notably "Sympathy for the Devil" (you can actually see him laying down the bass part in the Creator/JeanLucGodard film of the same title). He also played bass in the {{Supergroup}} The Dirty Mac from ''The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus'', but since Music/EricClapton and Music/JohnLennon also were in the group, ''someone'' had to play bass.

Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is the rhythm guitarist and a founding member of Music/TheRollingStones, one of the best known members along with Music/BrianJones and Music/MickJagger, and first became famous with them along with Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts during the BritishInvasion. His inspirations have long included Music/ChuckBerry, Jimmy Reed, Scotty Moore (Music/ElvisPresley's guitarist) and Music/BoDiddley. His style is (predictably) a standard blues rock feel, emphasizing chords and rhythm over 'fastest-gun-in-the-west style.'

* BadAss: Doesn't back down from anything. Once during a concert, a man jumped on stage and rushed towards Richards and Mick Jagger. Richards stopped playing, knocked the guy out cold by smashing him in the face with his guitar, then resumed playing ''at the exact place in the song where he would've been had he not stopped for a moment.'' Afterwards, Richards went and bailed the man out of jail and said the Rolling Stones wouldn't press charges, because he's also a nice guy.

Unfortunately, despite his talent, he is most remembered for his [[AddledAddict amazing amounts of drug intakes]], and other 'misquotations' from his long career. He once famously responded to an interviewer asking him what the strangest thing he had ever snorted was by saying 'my father, [[AshesToCrashes his ashes ground up and snorted]].' This article had to be changed by his management, since it stated incorrectly that he ground his father's ashes up [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne 'like cocaine']] when in truth it was [[NoExceptYes 'with cocaine']]. Also, they incorrectly stated that he listened to Music/{{Motorhead}}, not Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart.

-->--'''Creator/DenisLeary'''

Richards was been made even more famous by Creator/JohnnyDepp, who based the movement of the character Jack Sparrow off Keith Richards. Richards then appeared in the third and fourth ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movie as Jack Sparrow's father, complete with his wife's ShrunkenHead.

* CelebrityCameo: He plays Jack Sparrow's father in the ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' franchise.

Magazine/RollingStone recognizes him as the third greatest guitarist of all time on their list of [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone100GreatestGuitaristsOfAllTime 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time]].

* SmokingIsCool: Still smokes as a chimney at age 70 and looks bad-ass while doing it.

* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: The amount of drugs this guy has taken in his life. Also during a Rolling Stones concert in Sacramento, California, in September 1965, before performing the song "The Last Time", Richards noted his microphone was pointing away from him. To put it in the right direction, he smashed his guitar against the microphone, causing it to give him an electric shock, which rendered him unconscious for seven minutes. Luckily, Bill Wyman rushed to his aid in time to get the guitar away from his body (the shock had melted away three of its strings). Later on, in 2006, he concussed himself after falling off a coconut tree while on holiday in Fiji, only to be nursed back to health in NewZealand. He later offered his gratitude to the surgeons in New Zealand who operated on him, saying that "[[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/video.cfm?c_id=1501119&gal_cid=1501119&gallery_id=139548 I left half my brain there]]".

!!Studio and Live Discography:

'''Keith Richards''' (born 18 December 1943) is the rhythm guitarist and a founding member of Music/TheRollingStones, one of the best known members along with Music/BrianJones and Music/MickJagger, and first became famous with them along with Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts during the BritishInvasion. His inspirations have long included Music/ChuckBerry, Jimmy Reed, Scotty Moore (Music/ElvisPresley's guitarist) and Music/BoDiddley. His style is (predictably) a standard blues rock feel, emphasizing chords and rhythm over 'fastest-gun-in-the-west style.'

Magazine/RollingStone has listed him as number 3 on their list of [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone100GreatestGuitaristsOfAllTime 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time]].

* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: The amount of drugs this guy has taken in his life. Also during a Rolling Stones concert in Sacramento, California, in September 1965, before performing the song "The Last Time", Richards noted his microphone was pointing away from him. To put it in the right direction, he smashed his guitar against the microphone, causing it to give him an electric shock, which rendered him unconscious for seven minutes. Luckily, Bill Wyman rushed to his aid in time to get the guitar away from his body (the shock had melted away three of its strings). Later on, in 2006, he concussed himself after falling off a coconut tree while on holiday in Fiji, only to be nursed back to health in NewZealand. He later offered his gratitude to the surgeons in New Zealand who operated on him, saying that "I left half my brain there".

* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: The amount of drugs this guy has taken in his life. Also during a Rolling Stones concert in Sacramento, California, in September 1965, before performing the song "The Last Time", Richards noted his microphone was pointing away from him. To put it in the right direction, he smashed his guitar against the microphone, causing it to give him an electric shock, which rendered him unconscious for seven minutes. Luckily, Bill Wyman rushed to his aid in time to get the guitar away from his body (the shock had melted away three of its strings).

Recently, Richards has been made even more famous by Creator/JohnnyDepp, who based the movement of the character Jack Sparrow off Keith Richards. Richards then appeared in the third and fourth ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movie as Jack Sparrow's father, complete with his wife's ShrunkenHead.

->"''Keith Richards'' said that kids should not do drugs; Keith, we ''can't'' do any more drugs, because ''you already fucking did them all!'' There's none left; we have to wait until you die and smoke your ashes! Jesus Christ! Talk about the pot and the fucking kettle!"
->--'''Creator/DenisLeary'''

Recently, Richards has been made even more famous by Creator/JohnnyDepp, who based the movement of the character Jack Sparrow off Keith Richards. Richards then appeared in the third and fourth ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movie as Jack Sparrow's father, complete with his wife's shrunken head.

Unfortunately, despite his talent, he is most remembered for his [[AddledAddict amazing amounts of drug intakes]], and other 'misquotations' from his long career. He once famously responded to an interviewer asking him what the strangest thing he had ever snorted was by saying 'my father, [[AshesToCrashes his ashes ground up and snorted]].' This article had to be changed by his management, since it stated incorrectly that he ground his father's ashes up [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne 'like cocaine']] when in truth it was [[NoExceptYes 'with cocaine']]. Also, they incorrectly stated that he listened to Music/{{Motorhead}}, not [Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart.

* ChristmasSongs: "Run Rudolph Run"

* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: The amount of drugs this guy has taken in his life. Also during a Rolling Stones concert in Sacramento, California, in September 1965, before performing the song "The Last Time", Richards noted his microphone was pointing away from him. To put it in the right direction, he smashed his guitar against the mic, causing it to give him an electric shock, which rendered him unconscious for seven minutes. Luckily Bill Wyman rushed to his aid in time to get the guitar away from his body (the shock had melted away three of its strings).
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: In his autobiography ''Life'', he says that he formed the side project X-Pensive Winos in the 80's for several reasons: the Stones were on an indefinite hiatus, Keith wanted to get back on the road, and he still had a lot of bills to pay. Later on, he specifically notes he enjoys the royalties that one of the Winos' songs gets from its inclusion in an episode of ''Series/TheSopranos''. He also talks at length about the fact that the Stones barely broke even in their early years due to a heavily-unfair record company contract, and that their renegotiation of their contract in the early 80's allowed them to get much more royalties than normal, which is why they officially licence all their own products (for big paychecks).
* PopCulturalOsmosis: After Jagger Richards is the most famous member of the Stones. But he is perhaps more iconic as an apparently immortal junkie than he is as a guitar legend.
* SmokingIsCool: Still smokes as a chimney at age 70 and looks badass while doing it.

* MemeticBadass: Should World War III happen, and the world be engulfed in nuclear fire, only two living things would remain in the aftermath: cockroaches, and Keith Richards.

* FatalMethodActing: Richards, in a Rolling Stones concert in Sacramento, California, in September 1965. Before performing the song "The Last Time", Richards noted his microphone was pointing away from him. To put it in the right direction, he smashed his guitar against the mic, causing it to give him an electric shock, which rendered him unconscious for seven minutes. Luckily Bill Wyman rushed to his aid in time to get the guitar away from his body (the shock had melted away three of its strings).

* MememticBadass: Should World War 3 happen, and the world be engulfed in nuclear fire, only two living things would remain in the aftermath: cockroaches, and Keith Richards.
* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: The amount of drugs this guy has taken in his life.

* CoolOldGuy: He is over 70 now, did every possible drug in the world and still plays the meanest licks on stage.

* EpicRocking: His guitar work during "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" from ''Music/StickyFingers'', 7:14 long, is a good example.

* UrbanLegend: Supposedly, Keith is able to cheat death because every few years, he gets a full blood transfusion at a clinic in Switzerland. Keith said he told this to the customs officer in London as a joke, and the guy bought it. The same goes for the story that he alledgedly snorted his father's ashes along with some coke.

Unfortunately, despite his talent, he is most remembered for his amazing amounts of drug intakes, and other 'misquotations' from his long career. He once famously responded to an interviewer asking him what the strangest thing he had ever snorted was by saying 'my father, [[AshesToCrashes his ashes ground up and snorted]].' This article had to be changed by his management, since it stated incorrectly that he ground his father's ashes up [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne 'like cocaine']] when in truth it was [[NoExceptYes 'with cocaine']]. Also, they incorrectly stated that he listened to Music/{{Motorhead}}, not {{Mozart}}.

* SoloSideProject: Basically Keith's entire solo career. For him, the Stones have always been his number one priority.

* UrbanLegend: Supposedly, Keith is able to cheat death because every few years, he gets a full blood transfusion at a clinic in Switzerland. Keith said he told this to the customs officer in London as a joke, and the guy bought it.