Keith Richards describes the US as “a bit of a disappointment at the moment”
The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has labelled the United States as “a bit of a disappointment” in the current political climate.
Notably, Richards has called America home for more than 40 years since he moved to Connecticut in 1985 in order to raise his children away from the public eye, witnessing a huge degree of change in the country over that time.
In a new interview with the Sunday Times, Richards made the remark about the state of the US in regards to a question in relation to their new song ‘Ringing Hollow’, which is set to appear on Foreign Tongues on July 10th.
According to Richards, the track, which has been described as anti-Trump, as a “nostalgic love affair with America, and (it being) a bit of a disappointment at the moment.”
While Richards joked that he’s “got my steel helmet and I live in a bunker,” he did highlight the most common concern held by ordinary citizens, adding, “All you hear is the moaning about the price of gas. This is where it hurts people.”
Meanwhile, Jagger clarified that ‘Ringing Hollow’ isn’t strictly an attack on the Trump regime, explaining, “I wouldn’t say it’s only about that, it’s about America generally and your experiences of it.”
Previously, Jagger has described the song as dealing with “America as an idea”, sharing to MOJO, “The American Dream is intact for some people, and I’m sure we can find some wonderful immigrant stories that happened in the last 12 months, but we read about the decline of the American Empire. Is the Iran war America’s Suez moment?”
He added, “Well, it’s not the same at all, but there are a lot of questions about imperial overreach, and the lobbying system.”
On the song, the rock icon reportedly sings, “Lady Liberty don’t look so good when there’s a tear in her gown.”
Another notable track on Foreign Tongues is their cover of Amy Winehouse’s classic track, ‘You Know I’m No Good’. She once performed with the band at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2007.
In the same new interview, Richards expressed his regret that they only shared the stage together once, admitting, “I was always sort of, ‘Well, I’m bound to meet her down the road’. You expect things to happen, and unfortunately no. But that’s what records are for. I’m just very glad and honoured to have played with her at least once.”
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