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WHEN you think of old age pensioners you think of an old woman knitting in a rocking chair by the fireplace or an arthritic old man wheeling himself down the road to the post office on his zymerphrame to pick up his pension. These are somewhat stereotypical examples, but you get my point.
What you don’t expect to see is a group of wrinkly old men in bandanas rocking away on stage, and yet with a combined age of 250 the Rolling Stones are doing just that.
These geriatric rockers have been going strong for over 45 years and don’t seem to be showing any signs of hanging up their tight trousers.
Where most would be ridiculed, the Rolling Stones are still, to this day, heavyweights to be reckoned with and legends in an often fickle music industry.
What is it about them that has kept them at the top of their game for so long? And why are they – with a combined fortune of over BD426 million – the wealthiest band still on the road?
Climbing to fame in the early 60s, the Stone stood out like a sore thumb from the clean-cut image of bands like the Beatles with much of their appeal stemming from their trademark rebellious anti-establishment antics.
These were rebels with a cause.
I say ‘were’ because their lyrics – that used to shock – are pretty tame by today’s standards, but that hardly seems to matter and certainly doesn’t detract from the awe-inspiring stage presence the old codgers still command.
Mick Jagger with his gritty vocals and hip-shaking shimmy strut, Charlie Watts’s uncompromising grainy beats mixed in with the creatively interwoven plucking of guitar strings from Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, all combine to keep crowds of more than 36,000 fans enthralled from start to finish of a concert.
The rock and roll lifestyle, by its very nature, doesn’t generally lend itself to the ever after. Booze, drugs and women have been the downfall of many a rock legend but for the Stones these have proven to be manna for the soul.
“Longevity and rock ‘n’ roll are like chalk and cheese,” says Gulf Daily News features editor Dean Williams. “The sheer pace of the lifestyle courts mortality and death is a serious blow to any relationship. But when it comes to a band like the Rolling Stones it’s a different tune, so to speak.
“I think one of the key factors behind them staying together all these decades is that they’re like-minded people. They’re pretty much on the same wavelength and though they’ve had their spats, they’ve never locked horns permanently.
“On the other end of the spectrum is the Beatles: the late John Lennon and Paul McCartney were completely different animals – ideologically and musically – a rift was not only expected, it was imminent. Also, the Stones allowed each other enough time to make their own solo records and sate their appetite for recognition as individuals rather than of the Rock Gods collective.”
Radio DJ Mohammed Janahi takes a slightly more simplistic view, saying: “It’s because they’re ugly. It’s always the good looking ones that die young. Jim Morrison, John Lennon, James Dean, Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain and Michael Hutchinson for example – all good looking people who lived life in the fast lane and died young.
“Then you have the Rolling Stones, Steven Tyler from Aerosmith and Tommy Lee – all ugly people that are still going strong. It’s the cosmos’ way of redressing the balance.”
Coincidently, Aerosmith will be playing in Dubai in front of a sell-out crowd of 19,000 tomorrow.
None can argue at the staying power of the Rolling Stones but it does have to be said that a large part of their success is down to marketing and the band has always known how to play the game.
“The World’s Greatest Rock & Roll Band” was a name they gave themselves, the Press followed suit and before anyone knew it, the name of the band and their slogan went hand-in-hand as surely as ‘KFC’ and ‘Finger Licking Good’.
They may still be going strong now but it’s been a long time since they’ve had a really top hit and there’s no denying that they don’t write them like they used to.
Musician Samir Habib-Allah says: “I believe it was Mick Jagger that said the wise words: “Bad publicity is better than no publicity”, which should give you the solution to the biggest portion of the equation; the Stones have not had a hit single in the charts for years, yet almost every paper or magazine you pick up has something in them about at least one of the Stones’ members, if not the band. I guess he was right and it’s most certainly worked for them. Having said that, I’m by no means playing down their talents as musicians, entertainers or trendsetters. After all, they gave us Satisfaction, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Only Rock ‘n’ Roll but I like it, Angie and many more memorable songs, which brings us to another portion of the equation, the memories of the times when the Stones generation was jumping to these tunes.
“The larger number of stadium fillers, are the ‘Stones generation’ who want to live it just one more time.
“It’s almost like the Joe Cocker concerts people go to because of the way he strains his voice – you never know if there’ll ever be a next tour.
“And then there are those that are amazed by the energy of these four 60-year-old men, the sheer power of the riffs delivered by Keith Richards, the tireless skinny Mick Jagger running around on the huge stages, the grey-headed Charlie Watts keeping the beat and the wrinkle faced “artiste” Ronnie Wood, holding it all together. The Rolling Stones will undoubtedly keep belting it out till they drop, the true living legends.”
Whatever the reasons for their never-ending staying power, at the end of the day we’re talking about a band that has been going strong since long before I was even a glint in the milkman’s eye and given half a chance, I’ve no doubt they’ll still be rocking away long after I’m in my grave.
Most likely they’re a group of wise old money-makers but if one were looking for a more sinister reason, one could be forgiven for thinking they’d made a pact with the devil; giving up their souls in exchange for a long life of wealth, fame and debauchery.
Given the drugs, alcohol and insane antics they’ve gotten up to over the years it seems surprising they didn’t slip their mortal coils long ago.
It makes you wonder at the opening lyrics of ‘Sympathy for the Devil’: ‘Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste, I’ve been around for long, long years, Stole many a man’s soul and faith.’
By Marie-Claire
marie-claire@gulfweekly.com
