So before I get to the main point - yesterday I returned from a beautiful holiday in Greece. What a wonderfull country! I had a great relaxed time with a lot of sun, great great food and baeutiful antic ruins. I didn't take my I-Pod, so I had absolutely no music with me, so I had 2 weeks off-Stones. Whenever I wanted to hear the Stones, I had to sing or hum, which is not very enjoyable, believe me.

Anyway - the first think I did when I returned was that I watched the Hampton 81 (again...) What a great thing to do after 2 weeks without any music. And after seeing this I was wondering about the famous Keith's incident when he hit a fan with his guitar. I have seen it many times before, but just yesterday I got really curious.

It is quite obvious what happened there - a fan got on stage, run accross and Keith hit him with his tele. That is what I could see from the video. But I am sure there is some story, that at the time when it happened it was discussed, maybe Keith gave some explanation. I was 4 and I didn't know about any Stones back then, but I am sure many people here can give me some background. It was a year after Lennon was killed, so I think that people were somehow very sensitive to things like that, maybe even the Stones were frightened. Maybe it was just some fan who wanted to get close to the band, but maybe he had some bad intentions. So please let me know what are the known facts...Thanx



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-16 09:09 by Happy24.

apparently it was just some fan, but as Keith has pointed out: when they're running at you,
you don't have time to ask them whether they mean any harm. in the Ask Keith section of his website
he says he bailed the guy out of jail after the show (and that the guy still owes him $200 for that).

the interplay between the Glimmer Twins during the incident is so beautiful -
the way Mick steps aside knowing who's gonna take care of this, and keeps an eye on the proceedings
long enough to make sure Keith hasn't damaged his guitar - on with the show and hail hail Rolling Stones :E



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-15 17:04 by with sssoul.

That's true, in that split second he didn't think 'Jee, a guy coming on stage? What to do? Look what they did to John! I'd better take off my guitar and slap him with it!' Plus, I don't think he was exactly sober either. So I think he just thought: a guy runs at me, NOT GOOD, and then he defended himself with what was in his hands.

Simon
myspace.com/koningsimon

One of Keith's greatest moments . He was still the coolest then (except Clint, of course)

sc uk

Was it around the time Lennon was shot?

Quote
Paul Kersey
Was it around the time Lennon was shot?

Just over a year later.

But it would have been in Keith's mind that something similar might happen would you say?

>> But it would have been in Keith's mind that something similar might happen would you say? <<

... about as much as it was on the Mick's mind every time he went out into the crowd
during Let Me Go on the 81 tour, probably.

as far as i know Keith has never said Lennon's murder was on his mind at the time - just that he saw the guy coming,
saw that security was reacting way too slow, and he did what he did to protect his band and his turf.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-15 18:47 by with sssoul.

Quality R&R. When that guy attacked Oasis, even thought there was nothing Noel could do it all looked abit pathetic. The Hampton incident is what its all about!

It's the way he just puts his guitar back on and contiues playing - CLASSIC !

SC UK

That was Keith's birtday bash - wasn't it?

Bobby Keys bd also, but he didn't have to knock his sax on someone...

Quote
straycatuk
It's the way he just puts his guitar back on and contiues playing - CLASSIC !

SC UK

That is indeed priceless......one of my favorite Stones moments.

>> That is indeed priceless......one of my favorite Stones moments. <<

yep! solid gold, all right.

the Department of Credit Where Credit Is Due just wants to note that the Mick also carried on
in beautifully worthy on-with-the-show fashion, with nary an eekly expression in sight -
as did the rest of the band, from the sound of it. hail hail Rolling Stones

ps: a few bars later the Mick very gallantly protects Keith from a wayward balloon.
Glimmer Luv - can't get enough :E



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-15 20:58 by with sssoul.

Quote
Paul Kersey
Quality R&R. When that guy attacked Oasis, even thought there was nothing Noel could do it all looked abit pathetic. The Hampton incident is what its all about!

Noel Gallagher was hit from behind and never saw that bastard coming. The guy in Hampton was in front of Keef, who had time to nail him with the black Tele.

Quote
with sssoul
>> That is indeed priceless......one of my favorite Stones moments. <<

yep! solid gold, all right.

the Department of Credit Where Credit Is Due just wants to note that the Mick also carried on
in beautifully worthy on-with-the-show fashion, with nary an eekly expression in sight -
as did the rest of the band, from the sound of it. hail hail Rolling Stones

ps: a few bars later the Mick very gallantly protects Keith from a wayward balloon.
Glimmer Luv - can't get enough :E

I admit - I laughed so hard at this I snorted! It started with 'eekly expression" and carried through to "wayward balloon."

Thanks for the laugh!

It is one of my favourite Stones' moments too. I love the way he put his tele back on and continued to play too. The guitar must have been out of tune after the crash, but I didn't notice anything wrong with the sound of his guitar. Interesting.

It's just SO Keith, to find out afterwards what really happened. "OK, so it was a real fan who was up to no harm, except he was an idiot who wanted to say "hello" during a show". The day after Keith bails him out of jail. Now, that's a good man doing a good deed.
When Lennon was killed, we saw the other side of Keith. He got the news only an hour or so after Lennon was shot. And the two of them were really close, mutual admiration, a few things they had in common, too, and they enjoyed eachother's company. When the news reached Keith, he imediately picked up one of his "pieces" and headed uptown. There was no mercy. If Keith had gotten to Chapman before the cops, he'd have shot him. There's no doubt in my mind.
Mick, however, was shocked, scared to death and - I guess - he still is.

>> The guitar must have been out of tune after the crash <<

actually Keith's remarked about that:
"it didn't even go out of tune - that's always impressed me about those Fenders!"

glad you laughed, Daisy Grace. have some popcorn to go with it

Nothing beats that clip

>> Nothing beats that clip <<

smile: except the entire Hampton 81 show

Quote
Addicted
It's just SO Keith, to find out afterwards what really happened. "OK, so it was a real fan who was up to no harm, except he was an idiot who wanted to say "hello" during a show". The day after Keith bails him out of jail. Now, that's a good man doing a good deed.
When Lennon was killed, we saw the other side of Keith. He got the news only an hour or so after Lennon was shot. And the two of them were really close, mutual admiration, a few things they had in common, too, and they enjoyed eachother's company. When the news reached Keith, he imediately picked up one of his "pieces" and headed uptown. There was no mercy. If Keith had gotten to Chapman before the cops, he'd have shot him. There's no doubt in my mind.
Mick, however, was shocked, scared to death and - I guess - he still is.

That's ridiculous - you think Keith Richards would have actually murdered someone?

Sure, his outlaw and don't give a toss about nuthin' image is cool and great and all that, but i think that is the most ridiculous post i have ever seen. I do not believe for one minute that Richards would have carried out a revenge attack on Mark Chapman

what is your source for that, Addicted/g-stone/angel, please and thank you?
Keith said in some interview in the last few years that he was on Chapman's "hit list",
and also that for many years he employed people to investigate death threats with the aim
of getting the people into treatment, etc. i don't recall ever reading anything about him
heading for the Dakota neighbourhood with a "piece" on the night Lennon was murdered.
(it's not like there was a manhunt for Chapman anyway - he was arrested on the spot.)

as for Mick being afraid ... isn't it in Robert Greenfiel's STP that he tells the writer
"don't say i wasn't afraid"? in other words the concerns were there way before John was murdered.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008-09-17 08:08 by with sssoul.

Quote
Addicted
When Lennon was killed, we saw the other side of Keith. He got the news only an hour or so after Lennon was shot. And the two of them were really close, mutual admiration, a few things they had in common, too, and they enjoyed eachother's company. When the news reached Keith, he imediately picked up one of his "pieces" and headed uptown. There was no mercy. If Keith had gotten to Chapman before the cops, he'd have shot him. There's no doubt in my mind.
Mick, however, was shocked, scared to death and - I guess - he still is.

do we have proof of this ??

or can we assume this is another ridiculous myth building exercise,
that makes good copy, keeps up the 'outlaw' image,
and will sell copies of ghost-written autobiographies?

The 'Muddy Waters painting Chess Studio Ceiling', story would be
another prime example.

>> or can we assume this is another ... <<

whoa there, Adrian-L - wouldn't it be fitting to ascertain first whether Keith himself has ever told this story?
all due respect to all concerned, of course

quite right, would be great to have proof of these stories, for sure, ssoul,
i look forward to one of our esteemed contributors,
coming up with the goods.

[quote="with sssoul
[b]ps:[/b] a few bars later the Mick very gallantly protects Keith from a wayward balloon.
Glimmer Luv - can't get enough :E[/quote]

lol, true. never noticed that before. see 4.35...

Hey! Where was Bill when that happened?
That was on Bill's side of the stage, correct? And Bill hardly moves at all when he's on stage.
Gotta wonder what Bill was up to when this incident was going on.
The plot thickens.

when which happened, Edith Grove honey - the fan-bashing or Mick bravely defending Keith from a balloon?
the stage had that revolving aspect to it, and the camera angles are a bit difficult to figure out sometimes
but Keith's Close Encounter with the intruder took place to Charlie's right, right?
more like Ronnie's side than Bill's.

Quote
Adrian-L

Quote
Addicted
When Lennon was killed, we saw the other side of Keith. He got the news only an hour or so after Lennon was shot. And the two of them were really close, mutual admiration, a few things they had in common, too, and they enjoyed eachother's company. When the news reached Keith, he imediately picked up one of his "pieces" and headed uptown. There was no mercy. If Keith had gotten to Chapman before the cops, he'd have shot him. There's no doubt in my mind.
Mick, however, was shocked, scared to death and - I guess - he still is.

do we have proof of this ??

or can we assume this is another ridiculous myth building exercise,
that makes good copy, keeps up the 'outlaw' image,
and will sell copies of ghost-written autobiographies?

The 'Muddy Waters painting Chess Studio Ceiling', story would be
another prime example.

To put a spin on this gun thing: I think it's in Sonny Barger's autobiog where he says that Keith got a gun jammed in to his side at Altamont and was ordered to play. Again could be bullsh*t but Keith's never elaborated on that story.

I remember when LSTNT was originally released a review in the Glasgow Herald intimated that the Hampton incident may have been staged for the cameras. Before anyone jumps on me, I'm not saying that, just feeding back on a suggestion at the time.