Many fans of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards wonder how he's managed to survive the last half-century of raucous rock and roll behavior and drug use. This suspicion is only intensified after reading Life, his 2011 autobiography.
Richards has always been just who he is, leaving the facades for others and choosing instead to just be himself. His open honestly is evident in Life, when he discusses not only the tunes made famous by his legendary band but the men behind them. Keith writes about his past addictions at length, and the isolation both his drug use and the band's fame brought. The book even includes many pictures from Keith's personal collection. These are available as a PDF download with the audiobook version on Life.
Richards talks about the early days of the Rolling Stones, when the band did a lot more listening than playing. He, along with vocalist Mick Jagger and fellow guitarist Brian Jones, would sit for hours dissecting and digesting records by Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. From there, they developed their own sound, and formed a band to play the music the y loved.
Jagger and Richards soon found they worked well together as a songwriting team, and the Rolling Stones were born. He offers a look at their rise to fame and all of the events of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s that contributed to their legendary status.
Richards wrote Life with help from journalist James Fox. Fox is best known for his book about an infamous 1941 murder in Kenya called White Mischief. His other works include Five Sisters: The Langhornes of Virginia. He has also worked as a reporter for London's Sunday Times.
The Life audiobook is narrated by Johnny Depp and Joe Hurley.
"I leaned my phone on the back of the chopsaw while doing carpentry, played the book in my car hoping for bad traffic, shared with family. The Keith book kept me company - out of body experience drifting through the history of rock and roll, the albums and the women, drug busts, life and death, glory and hardships. I recommend this for all adult ages."
— Nick Danger (5 out of 5 stars)
“One of the greatest rock memoirs ever.”
— Rolling Stone“Richards delivers recipe after recipe for everything rock ‘n roll, and let me say it’s quite an education…Reading Life is like getting to corner Keith Richards in a room and ask him everything you ever wanted to know about the Rolling Stones and have him be completely honest with you.”
— New York Times Book Review“Rollicking and raw.”
— People“Richards writes with disarming introspection about his childhood, family, and fame. And it’s quite likely that no rock musician has ever written so keenly about the joys of making music. With a warm sense of humor and willingness to share his grief, Mr. Richards in Life defies almost every public perception about him.”
— Wall Street Journal“The most scabrously honest and essential rock memoir in a long time…The voice that emerges is unmistakably the dark lord’s: growly and profane and black with comedy.”
— Washington Post“Richards is funny, sharp, and insightful…The book is an important addition to the canon of rock lit, chronicling not just the life of an iconic musician and a seminal band but a significant slice of the golden age of rock.”
— Boston Globe“A fast-paced, pull-no-punches autobiography…Richards is at his best when digging into the reasons he plays music and how he creates it.”
— Chicago Tribune“Dickensian street urchin meets A Clockwork Orange—it’s a great combo to tell the story of rock’s ultimate outlaw.”
— AudioFile" Life as only Keef could see it. the only problem I had was the narrator barely spoke English.. It was like Esperanto or some language twins speak. Throw me a figgin bone. "
— Patrick, 2/14/2014" I really enjoyed this, way more than I thought I would. It is fairly amazing he is still alive. And Johnny Depp was a fantastic reader. "
— Al, 2/5/2014" Second chapter is tough to get through, but really a fantastic story about an incredible life. "
— Robert, 2/3/2014" Still not sure what I think of Keith the human being, but tis is certainly NOT a boring book! And it is well written "
— Marc, 2/2/2014" Great, engrossing, couldn't wait to spend time with it, until 50 pages left then just wanted to start over. Isn't that what a great book should do? "
— Diana, 2/1/2014" Surprisingly humble and engaging, especially in the early chapters. "
— Holly, 2/1/2014" What can I say. I love Keith and yes, he's full of himself, but he's a fucking rock star, man. And a legend, not just in his own mind. "
— Robin, 1/26/2014" Loved it! Big stones fan though so totally biased. "
— Leigh, 1/17/2014" I picked it up to read in pieces--I didn't think I'd want to read the entire work. But I did. I'm not a Stones fan but I find Richards' take on the band/era smart. In the end, a fun read. "
— Dale, 11/28/2013" Will miss Keef in my bed tonight "
— Jennifer, 11/5/2013Keith Richards was born in London in 1943. A guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and cofounder of the Rolling Stones, he has also released solo albums with his band, The X-Pensive Winos. He was voted the tenth greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone and was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Patti Hansen.
James Fox has narrated numerous audiobooks, including titles by John Buchan and John le Carré.
James Fox was born in Washington, DC, in 1945. A lifelong friend of Keith Richards and a former journalist for the Sunday Times in London, his books include the international bestseller White Mischief. He lives in London with his wife and sons.
Johnny Depp is an actor and film producer who first rose to fame on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street. He has since appeared in several well-known films including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Chocolat, Donnie Brasco, and the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. A frequent collaborator of director Tim Burton, Depp has also played a lead role in Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, and a screen adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Depp has been nominated for several Academy Awards, and won Best Actor awards from both the Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes.