Keith Richards: I've been writing songs while sitting around watching TV

Keith Richards on stage — (Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

The world has been a very different place this year, and that applies whether you're an average Joe or one of the world's premiere rock gods.

When we spoke to Keith Richards for the latest issue of Classic Rock, on sale now, we asked if his guitar habits have changed following the period of enforced lockdown we all endured in 2020. Has he kept up his pre-lockdown rituals, or found himself playing along with the TV like the rest of us? “Actually, the thing [guitar] sits next to my usual chair, and I kind of do," he told us. "But I do tend to have moments and little periods of time during the day when suddenly I’ll pick up the guitar and something will come to mind.

"I sit around writing songs, basically, or parts of songs, little bits."

Whether it’s office life taking place via Zoom, kids learning fractions from kitchen table or simply waiting on furlough, this year, we’ve all been sailing on the same dubious waters – and yes, the story's the same for the world’s rockstars too.

“It's affecting me pretty much like it's affected everybody else. You know, we're all in this thing and I'm basically hunkering down with the family and a few friends, a bubble kind of thing, just like the rest of you, man. Wondering when we can get out of this thing. And, at the moment, it looks like it's going to be a hard winter.”

When in talk of whether the future of live music calls for an alternative, Richards states “At the moment, I can't see any plan B coming."

“I think it's all based on 'Let's get this thing over and done with as soon as possible. Let's smarten up and...' It's a rough one, man, because this thing is designed to keep us apart, and everything we [the band] want to do is be together.”

Keith Richards And The X-Pensive Winos Live At The Hollywood Palladium, was released via BMG earlier this year and is available now.

You can read the full interview with Keith Richards in the new issue of Classic Rock.

Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.