The real reason Keith Richards and Elton John hate each other: “A monkey with arthritis”
Aside from his musical prowess and seemingly endless stamina, Keith Richards is renowned as one of rock’s most formidable critics. Whether directed at David Bowie or Led Zeppelin, Richards has never been easily impressed—and it’s not hard to see why. As a founding member of one of the most influential bands in the history of pop music, Richards has held his ground on stage and within The Rolling Stones for decades, standing as a pillar of their enduring legacy since their explosive beginnings.
This gives Richards an edge, and he’s been prone to espousing vitriol about his peers. It turns out, that he is just as scything with his words as he is with his guitar, and the ultimate riff machine of the 20th century has found himself churning out barb after barb too. Lambasting some of the greatest musicians the world has ever known is a dangerous game to play and it has seen Richards have to deal with a rebuttal or two.
One of those that Richards has had in his crosshairs before is The Rocketman himself, Elton John. Elton John needs no introduction; he is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, and his pedigree as a songwriter is of the highest order. However, this doesn’t mean that Richards is a fan. A feud kicked off by the Rolling Stones guitarist and the bejewelled piano player, and since then, the pair have traded blows in the media at many points over the years.
It all started when Richards described Elton John as a “lovely bloke, but posing” back in 1988. While it might have positioned as a flippant comment, calling someone who regards themselves as an artist a poser deliberately attacks their authenticity and, therefore, their art. Then, sometime later, Richards went one step further after John re-wrote ‘Candle in the Wind’ for the late Princess Diana following her tragic death. Richards said: “An old bitch… his writing is limited to songs about dead blondes”.
Considering the song soundtracked a nation’s grief, ‘Candle in the Wind’ is now regarded as a quasi-national anthem. Admittedly, like all national anthems, it is gilded in chintzy nostalgia and a putrid sense of saccharine sentiments, however, it felt like Richards was merely trying to get a rise out of John.
Then, in 2018, during an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Richards took things one step further and declared that he won’t miss Elton John when his farewell tour concluded. At this time, any comments John made about Richards were largely made in the privacy of his own mansion and kept out of the papers. However, it became an obvious question for journalists interviewing the guitarist to ask and guarantee a newsline. If you thought Richards was flogging a dead horse by this point, he wasn’t done yet. He claimed that once John retires, there will be more room for The Rolling Stones.
However, Elton John blew his top after the criticism of the ‘Candle in the Wind’ rework. The singer had clearly poured his heart and soul into the rendition and felt a kinship with Princess Diana following her tragic death. During an interview with the New York Daily News, John let rip. He tore into the persona of Keith Richards and went as far as to say that The Rolling Stones should have fired him a long time ago.
He said: “I’m glad I’ve given up drugs and alcohol. It would be awful to be like Keith Richards. He’s pathetic, poor thing. It’s like a monkey with arthritis, trying to go on stage and look young. I have great respect for the Stones but they would have been better if they had thrown Keith out 15 years ago… I just think he’s an asshole, and I have for a long time.”There is very little chance that a resolution between Keith Richards and Elton John will ever come to pass. There is too much water under the bridge, and the bridge is made almost entirely of over-inflated ego. But there may be some common ground to be found. Richards has spent his entire career throwing insults at other musicians, and nobody has ever hit back as hard as Elton John did. Surely, in a divided world, being able to insult an icon like they’re a nobody is enough of a similarity to breed some friendship?
