...A BAND ON THE ROCKS - Excerpt #13 (Keith Richards))

[GreggPraetorius]

(From "BABYSITTING A BAND ON THE ROCKS" - available at Newbury Comics locations throughout the Northeast and online at LTCDS.com > Webstore > Books). 

"A planter’s punch check-in and an afternoon of tropical
sun had us ready for dinner and an early snore, but the occasion
called for a toast to celebrate our escape from the distressful late
winter weather back north. We meandered from the restaurant
to the poolside bar, a zen-laden tiki hut no doubt imbued with
impeccable feng shui. The bar was empty except for a grizzled
seaman and a lazy retriever sprawled at his feet, an incongruous
sight in this oasis of Gilt Group luxury. While Pam settled at the
bar, I knelt to pet the pooch. An inebriated voice spoke out from
above.

“She’s a good old girl, my Pumpkin is.”

Turning to reply I looked up to be met by the Cheshire grin
of Keith Richards.

I had recently learned just exactly how clever my wife was.
I knew that at this point, that after decades in the music business,
Pam had become pretty well connected. And I knew that she knew
that if there ever were a rock and roll personality that I would want
to hang with, it would be Keith. But even she couldn’t have pulled
this off.

You’d think that someone like a Rolling Stone − especially
one of the Glimmer Twins themselves − would have some sort
of entourage, maybe a small posse, at least a dwarf bodyguard or
two. But this evening Keith was just a guy, alone at the bar looking
for an interested ear. Pam and I recognized a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity and parked ourselves for what we knew was going to
be one hell of an entertaining evening, and we ended up spending
the next few hours with Keith all to ourselves. Shooting the breeze,
downing our respective indulgences, laughing and even singing.

I’ve met quite a number of famous and fabulous people,
working very closely with many – as by now you know – and I’ve
never been star-struck. But this was an entirely different sort of
celebrity encounter, a sit-down-in-the-living room sort of thing
where the public persona and myth got left behind, revealing the
man with transparent glory. Gone were the constant stroking of
the brow and tipping of fingers to his lips that appeared to display
a premeditation in his replies to certain questions during recent
interviews I’d seen. Tonight he was at home, and though we were
random guests that he had just dragged in off the street, he treated
us as if we were old friends.

Though he was already half in the bag, Keith was still quite
lucid. He was often extremely witty, sometimes to the extent
that you’d think his outrageous statements were rehearsals for a
new career in comedy. The bits that follow are observations and
quotes to the best of my memory. I qualify with “to the best of
my memory” because that evening I had no pen, no paper, no
recorder to capture my own impromptu interview. And we were,
after all, hanging with the legendary Keith Richards, which means
the booze was flowing. And flowing..."

Review Link to Classic Rock History

https://www.classicrockhistory.com/book-review-babysitting-a-band-on-the-rocks/

A photo portrait of Keith's weathered, arthritis-ridden hands.