KEITH RICHARDS
I was with Ahmet at the Beacon, ten minutes before he went to the john. He asked me how my head was, after the bang. I said, "Have a feel." Because I have a big dent on the left side, front lobe. He was rubbing it, and we were laughing our heads off. By the time I got offstage, I'd heard what happened. It's almost as if I cursed him. So nobody else can rub my head anymore.

I can't remember exactly when or where we first met. Ahmet sort of insidiously crept into our lives [laughs]. He was both diplomatic and down-home. He was very different from the people who run most record labels. I remember once Mick and I having a meeting with Ahmet. He sat at his desk with his walking cane, balancing it on the top of the desk. Mick and I are trying to have a serious conversation with him, but I looked at him and realized, "Forget it, we're getting nowhere with him today, baby."

He knew the meaning of drama. When he came to our sessions, it was usually with a bit of fanfare and some beautiful babe on his arm -- he had a bevy. He wouldn't say much about the music. You'd get little grunts: "Damn good. That's the shit." He wouldn't want to interfere. But he had his ear on everything.

With Ahmet, you weren't dealing with some hood or lawyer or shyster, which is quite often what you get in the record business. You were talking on level terms with Ahmet. He was intimately involved with what came out under his name.

Ahmet could also get excessive. He liked to hang. And I loved to hang with him, just to hear what came out of the side of his mouth. There would be these little asides: "Screw that @#$%&," things like that.

He was one of the Stones' father figures. I looked up to Ahmet the way I did Muddy Waters. Until the day he died, his whole thing was to be involved with musicians. His love of the music, his joy from it, stayed with him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been backstage at the Beacon a couple of weeks ago. It was full circle. And that touches me.

MICK JAGGER
Ahmet had very good musical taste. But he also had very good business sense. It's rare that you get those two things combined. It's all very well to sign an act you like. But that's not going to get you very far if they don't sell.

We always liked the idea of signing to Atlantic. But Ahmet had to come up with the right deal. In the end, it was like a very long negotiation over a carpet -- a lot of wooing over dinner and drinks. We had a lot of fun negotiating. When Ahmet and I finally agreed on the deal, he was so drunk he fell over backward in his chair. That was the deal clincher.

Ahmet was very liberal in his thinking. But he was fantastically sensitive to the marketplace. We had this row over "@#$%&" -- he made us change the name of the song. It was a lengthy, insane drama. But he was socially sensitive. If there were any women's issues involved, he would be on it.

After we left Atlantic, I would go over to his house and play whatever we had, and he would give his comments. It was not the norm. But Ahmet was very expansive and caring. And he would always make me laugh. We had so many good times together, and I will miss him so much.

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-01-12 18:10 by mickijaggeroo.

mickijaggeroo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> KEITH RICHARDS
> I was with Ahmet at the Beacon, ten minutes before
> he went to the john. He asked me how my head was,
> after the bang. I said, "Have a feel." Because I
> have a big dent on the left side, front lobe. He
> was rubbing it, and we were laughing our heads
> off. By the time I got offstage, I'd heard what
> happened. It's almost as if I cursed him. So
> nobody else can rub my head anymore.

yikes, spooky stuff- Keith's frontal lobe, is truly cursed.

at least he died rocking....and touching keith head....well there is other thing worse to touch....way to go out!

Nice quotes by the 'Boys' about someone they obviously liked and respected a lot.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-01-12 18:14 by Elmo Lewis.

mickijaggeroo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
KEITH RICHARDS
When he came to our sessions, it was usually with a bit of fanfare and some beautiful babe on his arm -- he had a bevy.


Keith probably should have kept this to himself. I'm sure Ahmet's wife, Mica, would be saddened to hear this. But who knows, those NY society people are a different breed, maybe she doesn't care.

Wow, Mick actually gets a bit sensative - there IS hope for the human race after all....

Thanx for posting the article, mickijaggeroo - but where is it from?

CindyC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> mickijaggeroo Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> KEITH RICHARDS
> When he came to our sessions, it was usually with
> a bit of fanfare and some beautiful babe on his
> arm -- he had a bevy.
>
>
> Keith probably should have kept this to himself.
> I'm sure Ahmet's wife, Mica, would be saddened to
> hear this. But who knows, those NY society
> people are a different breed, maybe she doesn't
> care.


I thought the same thing...

CindyC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> mickijaggeroo Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> KEITH RICHARDS
> When he came to our sessions, it was usually with
> a bit of fanfare and some beautiful babe on his
> arm -- he had a bevy.
>
>
> Keith probably should have kept this to himself.
> I'm sure Ahmet's wife, Mica, would be saddened to
> hear this. But who knows, those NY society
> people are a different breed, maybe she doesn't
> care.

I'm pretty sure that Ahmet and his wife had an "agreement" about these kinds of things because he would go to public events with a beautiful woman (or two) on his arm.

Is it just me or is the article a bit light hearted?
after all, poor Ahmet didn't survive that "accident"

open-g Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is it just me or is the article a bit light
> hearted?
> after all, poor Ahmet didn't survive that
> "accident"

Maybe they like to keep their inner feelings private?

Elmo Lewis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice quotes by the 'Boys' about someone they
> obviously liked and respected a lot.


I wonder why they didn't show up for the funeral though?

I´ve put up some more historical info about Ahmet, but it´s a lot to copy/paste, so if no one minds, you can see it here: [mickijaggeroo.proboards38.com]

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

I looked up to Ahmet the way I did Muddy Waters....Keith
We had so many good times together, and I will miss him so much....Mick

Both personal and definitly not light hearted........





ROCKMAN

Ahmet Ertegun, seems like a great guy to me , who will be deeply missed in the bizz,imho. The music mattered to him.

I had just heard about Ahmet's death a few days ago, having been out of commission when it actually happened. I think M & K's comments are thoughtful and honest, and appreciate stonesvikings posting them here. Must track down the obits, as I have been intending to do. Another passing from a bygone era - and now all the guys who started Atlantic in '47 are gone.

Here ya go johnr.........[www.iorr.org]



ROCKMAN

batcave Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CindyC Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > mickijaggeroo Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > KEITH RICHARDS
> > When he came to our sessions, it was usually
> with
> > a bit of fanfare and some beautiful babe on his
> > arm -- he had a bevy.
> >
> >
> > Keith probably should have kept this to himself.
>
> > I'm sure Ahmet's wife, Mica, would be saddened
> to
> > hear this. But who knows, those NY society
> > people are a different breed, maybe she doesn't
> > care.
>
> I'm pretty sure that Ahmet and his wife had an
> "agreement" about these kinds of things because he
> would go to public events with a beautiful woman
> (or two) on his arm.



Some of Ahmet's tastes were somewhat 'adventurous', shall we say.

Thanks as always, Rockman, some terrific photos and of course the mention of Coltrane reminds me Atlantic issued many great jazz classics, especially in the 50s & 60s, as well as blues, soul, rock 'n' roll, & r&b.

MOJO - #95 October 2001



ROCKMAN

Wow! Awesome thread (in tribute)

Sad, unfortunate exit-he will be missed most definitely.

In Bill's book, he mentions that Ahmet was at Muscle Shoals studio with them in 69, although he's not in the Gimme Shelter movie. This could have been the first time he met with the band.

What a nice read Vilhelm. Good to see the guys paying hommage in such a nice way. They obviously loved Ahmet.

JumpingKentFlash

Ahmet Ertegun...Big Joe Turner...Jerry Wexler
celebrate the release of Corrine Corrina at the pressing plant in 1956.



ROCKMAN

It is from Rolling Stone. Also with comments from other great artists:
[www.rollingstone.com]



Bjornulf

The WORD Issue 48 - February 2007



ROCKMAN

The Godfather - MOJO 161 April 2007



ROCKMAN

"But we're not here for immediately, we're here forever"

What a fantastic sentence. They hit their goal on that one for sure. EOMS will be alive at least as long as I'm breathing, I'll see to that.