| 2nd October 2006 07:02 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
COMMENTARY: JOHN KELSO
Keith Richards quits drugs because he can't get no satisfaction
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Austin Statesman
One reason I've admired the Rolling Stones all of these years? Their tenacity.
For decades, these guys have pulled on their tight britches, pranced about the stage like teenagers and worked their skinny butts off singin' and dancin', refusing to give in to advancing age.
That's why I find this recent development involving Stones guitarist Keith Richards so disappointing.
Turns out Keith Richards is a quitter. At 62, Keith Richards has said he has given up drugs, according to the Daily Mail in London.
Keith Richards hanging up toot: That's like Dick Cheney giving up ugly. It's just unnatural.
The good news is that Richards isn't giving up drugs for his health. Heck, with that face by MapQuest, it's too late for that anyway.
No, Richards is giving up drugs because it's a consumer quality issue. He says the new drugs like ecstasy these days just aren't strong enough to give him a buzz. He blames dealers and chemists for making drugs weaker.
"I really think the quality's gone down," Richards complained in the Daily Mail article. "All they do is try and take the high out of everything."
I admire Richards' high standards as a discerning shopper. It would be like going to Whole Foods, and they'd run out of free-range chicken. A smart shopper wouldn't buy the fatty chicken. The smart shopper would quit chicken.
Likewise, if you can't buy good blow, why buy blow at all?
And who else would know better? If you were looking for someone to do a drug review, who else would you ask but Keith Richards? Richards knows more about drugs than Merck.
Anyway, I figured you needed to know this because the Stones are scheduled to play Austin for the first time ever Oct. 22 in Zilker Park.
I wonder if the Stones have ever played when Richards wasn't loaded? I'm afraid it's going to change their show and that they'll end up doing some Sinatra material.
Now, personally, I can't really speak to this issue of the drugs not being what they used to be. These days, my idea of getting wired is to go over to Jo's Coffee on South Congress for a DOUBLE cappuccino in a short cup.
But I think this issue of drug quality that Richards brings up deserves some input from Austinites. What do you think? Is Richards right? Have the street drugs just gone to hell?
Or has Richards used so many drugs over the years that he can't tell when he's spaced?
Just e-mail me at the address at the bottom of this column and tell me what you think. Don't worry. I won't use your name if you don't want me to.
I really do worry about Richards giving up drugs after all these years, though. This could mess up his system. If all those lines in his face disappear, his dog won't recognize him and might bite him.
Also, after all the drugs Richards has used over the decades, I imagine they're the glue holding his body together.
I'm afraid if he quits, his belly button will come unscrewed, and his butt will fall off onto the stage.
John Kelso's column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Contact him at 445-3606 or [email protected].
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
| 2nd October 2006 07:33 PM |
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| Dick Bush |
My very personal and possibly eroneous take on Keef:
Somewhere in the middle of his youth, he must have made his mind up to live his life his own way, and that means living it quite close to the edge.
I wondered for a while why he keeps abusing his body, his fingers and his legacy these days, when he should enjoy his lazy days in the endless green of his most beloved paradise of Jamaica.
Now I think I got it:
He is simply consistent to his own premises he made in his young years. And he'll never give them up.
He'll never quit the fags, booze or drugs, that's simple as that.
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| 2nd October 2006 09:09 PM |
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| mac_daddy |
i still dont believe the hype...
and the quality issue..? please. like he isnt getting the prime cuts..? you know he is...
i think he saw what conspicuous consumption did to willie, and he wants a low-profile for this last go-round of the states, so he is throwing the attack dogs off of his scent...
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| 2nd October 2006 09:40 PM |
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| glencar |
Is this "Austin Statesman" one of those freebies? Shoddy journo rears his head again.
[Edited by glencar] |
| 2nd October 2006 09:51 PM |
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| tumbling dice |
Keith is too old to get hard drugs but in my opinion he still like a good weed and booze. |
| 2nd October 2006 10:21 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
quote:
glencar wrote:
Shoddy journo rears his head again.
Well I suppose the writer meant this piece to be funny. It's just humor although a bit on the lame side.
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| 2nd October 2006 10:31 PM |
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| Lethargy |
The general consensus (whatever that means) has always been that while Keith quit heroin in the late 70s/early 80s, he never quit "other stuff": booze, pot, probably coke too.
Is this anywhere close to accurate? |
| 2nd October 2006 10:41 PM |
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| Steel Wheels |
I have maintained that Keith hasn't done hard drugs since the 70's. He talked about it in the forgotten 25x5 documentary in 1989. He gets a high from turning dealers away.
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| 2nd October 2006 10:47 PM |
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| Lethargy |
quote:
Steel Wheels wrote:
I have maintained that Keith hasn't done hard drugs since the 70's. He talked about it in the forgotten 25x5 documentary in 1989. He gets a high from turning dealers away.
That's a great flick. In fact, I watched it last weekend. Never forgotten by me. Love it.
I kind of had the feeling Keith was lying in that scene. Unless, he could spin it, he was specifically talking about heroin when he referred to "the guys comin 'round trying to sell the stuff". |
| 2nd October 2006 11:14 PM |
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| mojoman |
quote:
Lethargy wrote:
That's a great flick. In fact, I watched it last weekend. Never forgotten by me. Love it.
I kind of had the feeling Keith was lying in that scene. Unless, he could spin it, he was specifically talking about heroin when he referred to "the guys comin 'round trying to sell the stuff".
no boy, some girl? |
| 3rd October 2006 12:34 AM |
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| trevcourt |
quote:
glencar wrote:
Is this "Austin Statesman" one of those freebies? Shoddy journo rears his head again.
Not a freebie - this is from our daily paper. John Kelso writes a "local humor" column about four times a week. It is supposed to be funny, however you take it. |
| 3rd October 2006 11:10 AM |
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| polytoxic |
quote:
Lethargy wrote:
The general consensus (whatever that means) has always been that while Keith quit heroin in the late 70s/early 80s, he never quit "other stuff": booze, pot, probably coke too.
Is this anywhere close to accurate?
That's pretty accurate. He still drinks, smokes piles of grass and has the odd line here and there. |
| 3rd October 2006 02:13 PM |
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| MrPleasant |
The man who invents odorless booze will be the richest man on earth.
And George Bush is still the worst. |
