Is it just an image-thing or is keith a heavy drinker? Is he totally aware what he's doing or is he really livin' in another world?

I think he fights against King Alcohol as much as (many of) the rest of us.
But on tour he has a heavy rock myth, namely his own, to live up to.
Unfortunately, zippin vodka i s cool... To a certain point. Or?

Baboon Bro, do you think he is fighting it in an active way? Or is he really still living the rocknroll life 365 days a year without giving a shit? I mean, the man is 62 years old...

Actually not even 61½yet...
Yeah, well, I could only speak for myself & what I think.
I would think he is fighting it in an active way.
But I also believe that the old syndrom of turnin to drugs/booze
when not touring is still livin in his Connecticut house.
I think he´s gotta have his hands full to function without
entirely depending on drugs or booze.
I identify a lot with this geezer, maybe because he is a Sagittarius like me.
We tend to be fanatic natures.

I know, I am a Sagittarus too...

it's seen him alright this far. why would he start fighting it now ?

he's still got all his marbles that's for sure

it'd probably do him more harm to stop now. his body wouldn't know what'd hit it

Stop or start... Maybe a non-Sagittarian or sooner non-alvoholic can´t understand this. Okay, tis either all the booze in the county or nuthin´. For me... Keith is older, maybe he can bring out some limitations. I hope so. I never could. I have a bunch of friends (surprisingly many are Sagittarians) whioch are fighting with this & has done it for decades.

Sole Wrote:
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> Is it just an image-thing or is keith a heavy
> drinker? Is he totally aware what he's doing or is
> he really livin' in another world?


hes a VERY heavy drinker. Most lay people would consider the word "alcoholic" as an accurate description

Keith Richards is an alcoholic. Its mainly thru booze and pot that he stays off heroin. He is an addict, if its not one thing, its another.

He has toned it down by switching from the "dark" booze to the clear stuff, like vodka, which is less toxic to the liver.

Remember that Keith is pasty skinned English boy at heart. That tan is half Jamaica and Half "My Liver Is Gone".

I think Keith is past the image thing in everyway. He does not pretend to be the "badboy" or "outlaw", he is too old and probably grew tired of that crap years ago. If anything I have found his remarks, regarding himself to be very self depreciating and almost mocking himself.

Anyone who has contributed so much to music, yet refers to their style of playing as "3 chords, 2 fingers, 1 @#$%&" can't take themselves that serious.

It's not an image....Keith is most likely constantly drunk, been that way for years.......it's booze or heroin.....which he will return to as his hands get worse from arthritis.


Milo, NYC
With a needle and a spoon

Yeah and he uses heroin. He dabbles with it.

At this point, considering his age, personality and possibly due to arthritis it would not surprise me one bit that he hits the H when not touring. On tour there are many prescription drugs that can substitute...horse doses of Xanax, Demerol, etc.

He better not speedball anymore though..his heart may blowout.

Milo, NYC
And I hid the speed inside my shoe

Keith does drink all the time, but he, (according to Keith himself) has been watering down the booze for years. He makes up all kinds of concoctions too, but waters the drinks down, so he can drink all day, and night.

"Fuc the Rock babe, I want the Roll." (KR)

I´m not entirely as negative as most of the posters here above,
Of course the poor bastard drinks too much - but with a little help
from his religious yet very torerant wife I think he has reached one
or two points where he has to stay away also from the booze sh*t.
If you´re right, he´ll be dead within a maximum of two-three years.

Like Milo I´ve noticed the addict-patterns of either one thing,
or the other; amy of my friends have this & myself can sense it too,
let go at a lower level (havent been deep in
Shit Creek since early 90´s either).

But the liver collapses at 60 for any Human being if you not stay away
from booze i n p e r i o d s, so that this organ can recover partly.
I still believe he does (one day or two every year?).

Tomorrow we´ll bury a hero who just made it to 70.
He boozed maybe 300 out of the 365 days there is in a year;
maybe from age 20 or slt. I think that´s about what keith´s doin;
and 70 is probably how old you can get with that life style;
rather or most likely less than that for most of us.
Many Swedish artists met their Creator at age 55-55-56;
they were all heavvy drinkers (e.g. Cornelis Vreeswijk,
born Dutch, & Fred Åkerström).

I certainly NOT believe Keith´s into H again;
not now & not after Arthritis has taken over -
morphine would be better. A few years ago he could f*ck around with smack,
but I think that was mostly a signal to the world that he couldnt
careless, and he was beyound it... There is this story where he shoots up
a fix in the ass thru the jeans; and Charlie - story tells - says:
"Ah, ´e´s disgusting." Even if I never think Charlie would put
it that way, there might be some truth in this,
but this is no behaviour of a classical addict, i
s it? I s'pose you want have all the H in the veins,
nowhere else.

Anyway; no question this man has been an addict & still is in many ways.
I believe, though, he lays distance between the ex-Keith, the younger one
and the older, more mature one. Like Jagger & Wood he will probably transform
to a blues dude within some 10 years, more cool than dangerous.


Pic from meandtherollingstones.com

He keeps saying funny things like: "...as you see I can't get drunk..."

Well Keith; yes you can!