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FPM C10 wrote:


Happy birthday to the TRUE King of Rock & Roll, the Human Riff, the man who perfected rock & roll in 1972, codified it as an outlaw lifestyle, explored its outer limits, and lived to tell the tale.

The night I met Keith in the Beacon Theater in 1999, I was in shock. Here, right in front of me, was my main #1 hero in the world. How could this be? It seemed unreal. Thinking back immediately afterward, I couldn't remember ANY details. Did he have fishing tackle in his hair? Did he look really old? Did I see his skull ring and handcuffs? I didn't KNOW. It all blurred. It was just like an aura, an apparition. He looked like THIS, in a way:



Because it was THAT GUY, right in front of me, the same guy who recorded Exile on Main Street, who played the lead in Sympathy For The Devil, the guy who pointed fingers at Angels in Altamont, he fought the law and HE won, that guy, just a little further down the road. I could tell he had black clothes on, and that he looked just like Keith Richards.

Just pure Essence of Riff, charging the atmosphere like the tingling victims feel before lightning strikes them.

What could I possibly say?

I've recounted the story many times. I said "H-h-h-hey man...." "...um....how ya doin?" "Could I have an autograph?" "I've seen you ten times in the last three years" and finally "Thank you."

That last one was the only thing I'm glad I said.

Thank you, Keith! Happy Birthday!

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