Still love her. Her influence on the Stones was massive. A muse for Keith during his songwriting best, I think the Stones greatest music would have been less without her. Delighted she's survived the addictions, heartache and craziness.

Still hoping stonesrule or angee or someone with literary talents will get her story or at least compile it from the survivors, there aren't many left and time is running out.

peace

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Naturalust
Still love her. Her influence on the Stones was massive. A muse for Keith during his songwriting best, I think the Stones greatest music would have been less without her. Delighted she's survived the addictions, heartache and craziness.

Still hoping stonesrule or angee or someone with literary talents will get her story or at least compile it from the survivors, there aren't many left and time is running out.

peace

Massive indeed. For each Stone she spent time with, that was each Stone's best identifying period.

And she gave him two lovely kids.

Weirdly ... has aged to look just like Keith

She's extremely nice to talk to, really down-to-earth...

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Carnaby
Massive indeed. For each Stone she spent time with, that was each Stone's best identifying period.

Reminds me of Guy Peellaert's great Rock Dreams paintings. His Stones' portraits were exceptional.
Among them Anita with her 3 lovers in the mirror ..

....she´s really down to earth.....that might be true, because she is just a human being.... with an interesting life......
and so are the Stones, that´s what I believe......

A Great Lady, she had a huge influence and I do admire her confidentiality.

Ok, well there are the myths surrounding Anita. And her influence on the fashion with the Stones was apparent. But a great lady? I don't get that piece. Someone who used others shamelessly, was a junkie, neglected her children, and basically sponged off of others, and led a young man to commit suicide. I think I would say she is pretty lucky and could afford some great lawyers.

She was around when Keith contributed in some amazing albums, every great artist has a great lady.

I am no judge

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whitem8
Ok, well there are the myths surrounding Anita. And her influence on the fashion with the Stones was apparent. But a great lady? I don't get that piece. Someone who used others shamelessly, was a junkie, neglected her children, and basically sponged off of others, and led a young man to commit suicide. I think I would say she is pretty lucky and could afford some great lawyers.

I agree - undoubtedly influential and a played a large part in giving the Stones that exotic and dangerous edge, but that doesn't make her great, especially given the fairly well substantiated stories of her junkie manipulations.

everybody has good and bad and several contrasting aspects of personality..

she went off the deep end and came back. A very volatile mix, the times, the Stones and Anita.

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Roll73

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whitem8
Ok, well there are the myths surrounding Anita. And her influence on the fashion with the Stones was apparent. But a great lady? I don't get that piece. Someone who used others shamelessly, was a junkie, neglected her children, and basically sponged off of others, and led a young man to commit suicide. I think I would say she is pretty lucky and could afford some great lawyers.

I agree - undoubtedly influential and a played a large part in giving the Stones that exotic and dangerous edge, but that doesn't make her great, especially given the fairly well substantiated stories of her junkie manipulations.

I think that's all a bit harsh, yeah she was a pretty serious addict and couldn't handle it quite as well as Keith but it could be easily argued that her association with the Stones and their entourage is precisely what led her down that path. She was known to disperse the unhealthy folks who would constantly assemble around Keith and she tolerated and performed her hostess duties at Nellcote fairly well (that couldn't have been easy).

I won't comment on her children or that young mans suicide other than to say I'm sure she loves her kids and that suicide can't really be blamed on others. I also think that as Keith's partner/baby mama sponging off him is not really applicable, many families have only one bread winner and Keith had bread to spare.

I think her story probably mirrors the many others of people caught up in the hurricane of craziness that surrounded the Stones and especially Keith during that period. No one lived through it and came out unscathed and many died in the process. Imagine being in love with and tied at the hip to a person like Keith in those days, sure it must have been fun at times but overall I'd say it was probably more difficult and damaging than many of us would care to admit.

Yes, I'm defending her because at the end of the day she's just a little girl inside, wants to happy and healthy and certainly is not as inherently evil as she has been made out to be. People wanting to get close to Keith are usually the ones telling those stories and you can see how Anita could be villainized in her role as Keith's closest friend and protector.

peace

"Time can tear down a building or destroy a woman's face...And time waits for no one...."

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Yes, I'm defending her because at the end of the day she's just a little girl inside, wants to happy and healthy and certainly is not as inherently evil as she has been made out to be. People wanting to get close to Keith are usually the ones telling those stories and you can see how Anita could be villainized in her role as Yes, I'm defending her because at the end of the day she's just a little girl inside, wants to happy and healthy and certainly is not as inherently evil as she has been made out to be. People wanting to get close to Keith are usually the ones telling those stories and you can see how Anita could be villainized in her role as Keith's closest friend and protector.

A little girl inside? And you say that jealousy made people tell outragrous lies about Anita's behavior? This really beggars belief. Her favourite thing, according to some reports, was to get innocent people, often young ones, hooked on heroin.

And as to this - 'Keith's closest friend and protector' - Keith had to escape from her because he felt he had no chance of freeing himself from addiction as long as they were together.

Well I don't know. She's interesting of course both as Branita and Keiths heroin-"wife". Her story is cool but that doesn't make her a great human being.

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CousinC

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Carnaby
Massive indeed. For each Stone she spent time with, that was each Stone's best identifying period.

Reminds me of Guy Peellaert's great Rock Dreams paintings. His Stones' portraits were exceptional.
Among them Anita with her 3 lovers in the mirror ..

I loved Guy's book....the Stones section is the best.
The penultimate one has Mick and Keith in pirate gear.....how ironic is that.
And the last one has Mick.....all alone....rich beyond belief...looking no older.........just playing his games.
It might just turn out like that.

Yeah sorry, the myth and legend about Anita doesn't stand up to scrutiny when looking at her life and the casualties she left in her wake. Again, I love the music she inspired and the fashion but have no illusions about the person she once was. It seems she was able to break out of her past of forge a new life, which I applaud her for. But her past is pretty sordid and morally bankrupt.

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Bliss

A little girl inside? And you say that jealousy made people tell outragrous lies about Anita's behavior? This really beggars belief. Her favourite thing, according to some reports, was to get innocent people, often young ones, hooked on heroin.

And as to this - 'Keith's closest friend and protector' - Keith had to escape from her because he felt he had no chance of freeing himself from addiction as long as they were together.

Yep every woman has a little girl inside, the meanest ones are just the ones that haven't gotten to know the girl or forgotten she even exists It's metaphorical but we all are still kids on one level, some of us more obviously refuse to grow up.

Getting young innocents hooked on heroin? Left France with a troup of child junkies in her wake? LOL, sounds like you've been taking Spanish Tony's book a bit too seriously. I'm sure Anita would have a different take on it but it makes for a shocking read and sells books. If anyone left junkies in their wake it was admittedly Keith, possibly Robert Fraser, they probably were responsible for corrupting the young Anita, imo.

And yeah Keith got off heroin before Anita, but she eventually did too..could have easily been the other way around and Keith had lots of folks to help and even insist and demand he get clean. He also had some legal problems which probably contributed to his motivation as I recall. I imagine it is a complex story and but according to Anita, the people insulating Keith from the world were partly responsible for keeping her away.

Until I hear the stories directly from Anita I'll take most of the over the top stories with a grain of salt.

peace

From a historical point of view I just can't buy into Anita as the muse for their best stuff. I just can't see that. Nor does much of their history confirm that. As for being Keith's protector, they were both narcissistic junkies, regardless of the cost to their family and friends. I have no problem separating the music from the musicians. For a long time The Glimmer twins were pretty morally bankrupt ripping through the souls of many that came into contact with them. From the news accounts about the suicide Anita seemed to prey on a psychologically weak/ill young man, which led to a tragic suicide.

Tabloid fodder whitem8. Admittedly Anita wasn't in the best of condition at the time of Scott Cantrell's suicide, but Keith was off with other women, leaving Anita to care for Marlon (who turned out pretty normal) and what kid wouldn't have been infatuated with the wealthy ex-Richards lady and lifestyle. I think that suicide was an accident and no one could have predicted it. But it certainly was tragic.

Not sure if you are a musician or not but I can tell you with some certainty that partners can either be muses or complete creative drains. Obviously Anita was the former from my point of view. Too much good music happened around her to conclude any different. But, giving her too much power and control in our minds actually helps to villianize her when I tend to believe the boys were were actually calling the shots.

peace

Yeah I get all that Naturalist, but at the end of the day I just don't find much I can respect about Anita's past. I am sure now she is a strong resolute woman, and hell, we have all made mistakes in our lives. But I don't believe in hero worshiping someone like Anita.

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whitem8
Yeah I get all that Naturalist, but at the end of the day I just don't find much I can respect about Anita's past. I am sure now she is a strong resolute woman, and hell, we have all made mistakes in our lives. But I don't believe in hero worshiping someone like Anita.

Yeah I understand and respect your opinion..perhaps Mick shared your feelings when he wrote "Who's that woman on your arm, all dressed up to do you harm"

But you've got to admit she was a hottie!






peace

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Naturalust

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Bliss

A little girl inside? And you say that jealousy made people tell outragrous lies about Anita's behavior? This really beggars belief. Her favourite thing, according to some reports, was to get innocent people, often young ones, hooked on heroin.

And as to this - 'Keith's closest friend and protector' - Keith had to escape from her because he felt he had no chance of freeing himself from addiction as long as they were together.

Yep every woman has a little girl inside, the meanest ones are just the ones that haven't gotten to know the girl or forgotten she even exists It's metaphorical but we all are still kids on one level, some of us more obviously refuse to grow up.

Getting young innocents hooked on heroin? Left France with a troup of child junkies in her wake? LOL, sounds like you've been taking Spanish Tony's book a bit too seriously. I'm sure Anita would have a different take on it but it makes for a shocking read and sells books. If anyone left junkies in their wake it was admittedly Keith, possibly Robert Fraser, they probably were responsible for corrupting the young Anita, imo.

And yeah Keith got off heroin before Anita, but she eventually did too..could have easily been the other way around and Keith had lots of folks to help and even insist and demand he get clean. He also had some legal problems which probably contributed to his motivation as I recall. I imagine it is a complex story and but according to Anita, the people insulating Keith from the world were partly responsible for keeping her away.

Until I hear the stories directly from Anita I'll take most of the over the top stories with a grain of salt.

peace

Please stop before I lose any last shred of respect I had left for you! Whatever she may be now, when she was with Keith, Anita's selfishness, amorality and narcissism knew no bounds. One child was removed from her care (Angela), one died under mysterious circumstances after being born addicted to heroin (Tara), and normal Marlon has been variously described as a 'little criminal' and so badly cared for that his socks were stuck to his feet. He was in the car when Keith and Anita physically attacked one another (yes, Spanish Tony's recollection). Let's not forget that the whole Toronto drug disaster which nearly put an end to the RS was due to Anita's paraphernalia and drugs being found.

As far as Anita being a great muse, Keith has said that his music suffered due to his heroin use, and he regrets it. Obviously they were co-dependents and enabled each other's addiction, but another woman might have helped him to overcome his demons and destructive habits, and he would have produced better music as a result.

And please, do get to know some adult women, who do not fit your view of every woman having a little girl inside. Some of us are mature, high-functioning human beings.

Not a great advert for the hedonistic lifestyle.

I find it very disrespectful to humiliate older people and I hate gossip!

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runaway
I find it very disrespectful to humiliate older people and I hate gossip!

Why are you here then ? ><

sc uk

If you blame Anita for her lifestyle, at least be consistent and blame Keith for his. (And up to a large degree, Mick Jagger and Brian Jones for theirs and, additionally, a whole range of other rock-stars). Never met a responsible junkie, she was not special in that sense, neither better nor worse.
You gotto admire her for her strenght of character, though. Not a lot of people would have survived living alongside the Stones at the height of their success and their debauchery for so long.

It's very easy to criticize people you don't know...

And to apparently want to believe some of the complete crap
several "enablers" turned "authors" chose to write.

There was a time when Keith as well as Anita were not perfect people.
They've survived, by the grace of God.

Anita was a charming, intelligent human being until she got lost on heroin.

BV puts so much time into bringing us IORR but the "dirt threads" really
bring it down. Just my opinion.