A rather unique story about my Keith autograph
Date: December 27, 2006 06:51
In 1989, I was on the staff at the Art Institute of Atlanta, which at the time had a music management program. One of our students, a very nice young girl by the name of Debbie, was working with a local concert production company at the time as an intern, and wound up with the job of being sort of a "hospitality flunkie" backstage when the Steel Wheels tour rolled into Atlanta in November, 1989.
As is usually the case in businesses of all kinds, there was sort of a "joke flyer" going around at the time, with a photo of five very elderly Russian men and the title, "Rolling Stones Tour, 2016....hear them do the hits, 'Moss on My Side,' 'Can Almost Hear You Breathe,' "Beast of Burden on the Family," and stuff like that. It had originated at the New Orleans Superdome, and somehow, my friend Debbie had procured a copy of it.
She was in the backstage area with Keith, and, thinking that I did not have tickets (turned out I won tickets in a local contest with a restaurant here in Atlanta called Ruby Tuesday's, and was there, after all!), showed the flyer to Keith. Keith laughed at the joke, saying, "oh yeah...ha ha...yeah...that's good," and stuff like that. She asked him to sign it for me, telling him that she was thinking that I did not get tickets to the sold out show. Keith signed, "To David, Best Wishes, Keith Richards 1989," and said "well....maybe your friend will be happy with this."
Right about that time, Mick came in the room, obviously in a bad mood about something technical that wasn't going well that evening with the show. Debbie asked if he would sign it, too, and he rolled his eyes and left the room. Keith called out, "Aw, c'mon, Mick, sign this for my friend," and walked out behind him. Keith came back in the room with what seemed to be Mick's signature, and, handing it back to Debbie, said, "There you are!"
Debbie gave this priceless piece of paper to me the following day at school, but, having seen Mick's autograph before, I could easily tell what had happened.
Mick had disappeared, and Keith didn't want to disappoint a fan....so he stepped arond the corner and scribbled Mick's name on the paper. He simply did want her (or me, for that matter) to be disappointed!
So...I am in possession of probably one of the few times in history that Keith Richards signed his own autograph and also the (fake) signature of Mick Jagger! Needless to say, I have it framed in my house, and that one incident made me one of the world's biggest fans of Keith Richards.
Do I blame Mick for not signing it? Nah....it just made Keith my favorite!
Thought I would share, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS, and HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! :-)