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What Keith Richards really thinks of Bill Wyman as a bassist
Bill Wyman, the founding bassist for The Rolling Stones, retired from the group back in December 1992 after more than 30 years with the band. After so long playing under the creative dominion of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, with the added pressure of being part of one of the biggest rock bands of all time, Wyman had become frustrated. It was time for a change.
“Playing with the Stones, there was always such a lot of pressure,” the bassist told the Telegraph in 2008. “The next album or single always had to be the best, or at least sell more. When we got together to play, it was a great moment. Working with Charlie [Watts] was fantastic, and we’re still really close. But when I toured with the Stones, it would take a month to practice all these songs we’d been playing for 30 years.”
In an interview with Classic Rock in 2020, Wyman revealed that he now has a stable relationship with his old bandmates, but at the time of their divorce, things got a little contentious. “When I first left the Stones, it took a few months to rebuild that relationship with them,” Wyman said. “It was quite stressful, and they didn’t want me to leave. So they became bitchy. Instead of being nice and saying: ‘Great 30 years. Cheers mate,’ Mick would say the most absurd, stupid things with that spoilt attitude he had. He’d say things like: ‘Oh well, if anybody has to play bass, I’ll do it. It can’t be that hard.’
“And Keith said: ‘No one leaves this band unless they’re in a wooden box.’ Anyway, they left the door open for me for two years. Charlie and Mick would phone and say: ‘You’re not really leaving, are you? Have you re-thought it?’ Then when it came time for them to do the ’94/’95 tour, they had to make a final decision. Mick and Charlie came over and spent the evening with me, trying to talk me into staying. Have I had any regrets about not going back? None whatsoever.”
Speaking to Classic Rock, Wyman asserted that the group are on much better terms today and compared them to a quarrelsome family. “Keith still sends me scented candles at Christmas,” he said. “We all send each other birthday and Christmas presents. It’s still a family thing, social, not business, and it works really well. It’s like distant relatives – you’ve got an Auntie Elsie and an Uncle Fred who are really charming but you don’t want to see them all the time.”
Thankfully, the Stones and their alumnus of 30 years have left behind an untarnished legacy despite some initial differences.
Keith frequently responds to fan questions on his website and his Ask Keith feature on YouTube. In 2016, one of his fans asked: “Bill Wyman is turning 80 this year. Can you give us your thoughts on his bass playing?”
With only good things to say for his former bandmate, Richards responded: “Bill Wyman is an incredible bass player. I’m so always amazed by Bill’s tastefulness in his bass playing. When I listen back to what he is playing behind, and I’ve got to say this is the most discerning, very sensitive musician. I mean, he may be embarrassed by that, but I gotta say, he is the top bass player for me.”
Listen below to The Rolling Stones’ ‘19th Nervous Breakdown’, one of Bill Wyman’s greatest bass performances.
