Keith Richards Talks About Mick Jagger’s ‘Lead Singer Syndrome’

Keith Richards Talks About Mick Jagger’s ‘Lead Singer Syndrome’ | I Love Classic Rock Videos

via FORA.tv / Youtube

Do you think you’re better than anybody else in the group? Do you think you deserve more respect for what you do, instead of equal appreciation with the other members as a whole? Do you think if you ever want to leave the band, they couldn’t survive without you? If you ticked all of the questions presented, Keith Richards of Rolling Stones might know your diagnosis: it’s what he referred to as “Lead Singer Syndrome” or L.V.S.

Keith is never a doctor of his own right, but he has his own fair share of experiences. Inside his autobiographical book called Life, wherein Richards presented all the facts and observations he had encountered, he was definitely sure that he could attest to the effects of LVS in his life. All the background ideas presented seemingly resembles to only one person in his life who truly embodies the term: his friend and Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger.

The outward love/hate relationship between these two individuals is something what the media thought of as interesting. For Richards who never goes without a fight, his sharp tongue and brutal words thrown at Jagger is what he is well-known for, except for his remarkable skills on guitar, of course.

Inside an interview between Richards and music journalist Anthony DeCurtis, the guitarist explained why he said what he said inside his book:

“For a frontman, so to speak, it’s important that he feels like totally confident, you know, he has a band behind him that’s not going to fall apart if he tries anything new. To be ludicrous, if you like, we’ll be there. At the same time, the band might not feel the same way, and I was lead singer sometimes,” Richards laughs. “But it’s all tossed up in the air, and every gig is different, so I never got bored doing this stuff.”

You’ll either find Jagger/Richards’ friendship complicated, or you’d come to your senses that not all friendships are built for good times. With Keith’s honest opinion about Mick, he might also be saying that he cares a lot about the legacy they’ve built together, tailor-made to last for a lifetime.

You can watch the video clip below.