The major issue Keith Richards had with the punk movement: “I don’t think there was anything new”
Every few years, a new cultural movement must arrive to provide a wake-up call and freshen things up. In its absence, the musical artists sitting atop the mountain can rest on their laurels and get lazy, which allowed acts like The Rolling Stones to become icons.
With The Rolling Stones, they were at the forefront of the rock ‘n’ roll revolution alongside The Beatles. Together, they became poster boys for a new generation who offered more than just music but hope for a brighter future free from the shackles of the Second World War.
However, the landscape had changed entirely by the time punk made its entrance in the late 1970s. While The Rolling Stones were once the voice of a disenfranchised youth, they had now become the establishment they had once tried to dismantle.
By this stage, The Rolling Stones had been enjoying lavish wealth for several years, including a stint as tax exiles, further distancing themselves from younger audiences. The life they were leading had become unrecognisable to the fans who had once idolised them. Enter punk—a raw and rebellious movement that stepped in to satisfy the thirst for representation among those who felt alienated by rock’s growing excess.
There was a gaping cultural hole in Britain, and punk arrived to fill it. It was a counterculture movement similar to the swinging 1960s. However, the world had moved on, and the message had progressed in line with the country’s industrial landscape.
The punk generation faced new problems, and bands like the Sex Pistols also faced these issues, which they fought head-on in their music. Not only did it spark a musical uprising, but the influence of punk also changed the way that people acted and dressed.
Punk was deliberately provocative. Producing an immediate reaction was the primary function of Johnny Rotten, who didn’t care if you loved or loathed him. Significantly, one emotion that nobody felt, however, was indifference. They represented a school of like-minded souls tired of the status quo and pushed for a change of the guard.
The era’s youth couldn’t relate to opulent groups like The Rolling Stones anymore. They were now multi-millionaire celebrities, seemingly out of touch with society’s everyday struggles. Instead, music fans sought new voices who spoke directly about their life.
Keith Richards was not the target demographic for punk. Nevertheless, the carefree attitude of the movement was an attribute that he couldn’t resist admiring from afar. However, he also had issues with the collection of bands that it spawned.
After the walls of punk came crashing down in 1981, The Stones guitarist offered his eulogy to Rolling Stone: “Yeah, there was a certain spirit there. But I don’t think there was anything new musically, or even from the PR point of view, image-wise. There was too much image, and none of the bands were given enough chance to put their music together, if they had any,” he said.
Richards continued: “It seemed to be the least important thing. It was more important if you puked over somebody, you know? But that’s a legacy from us also. After all, we’re still the only rock & roll band arrested for peeing on a wall.”
Punk bands resented every facet of The Rolling Stones, but Richards didn’t take this personally, nor did he allow it to temper his perspective on the genre. He explained: “That’s what we used to say about everything that went before us. But you need a bit more than just putting down people to keep things together. There’s always somebody better at puttin’ you down. So don’t put me down, just do what I did, you know? Do me something better. Turn me on.”
Richards was hurtling towards middle age and living a luxurious sun-drenched existence in California. If punk had connected with him, then it was missing the mark. The crusade was about more than just the music; it was a statement of intent designed to shake up the system, and it did just that by pissing him off.
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