Why Stephen Stills believes Mick Jagger is “possessed”
The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger defies the ageing process and continues to bounce around on stage in a similar fashion as he did in the 1960s. Most of his contemporaries have swapped performing for a quieter life or are embarking on retirement tours. Stephen Stills now rarely plays shows and believes the only explanation for Jagger’s intensity is that “he’s possessed”.
Although they were from different sides of the Atlantic, and The Rolling Stones preceded Buffalo Springfield, the music business is a small world, and they naturally began to get to know each other.
In 1970, Stills’ life was in a quandary, and he was unsure about his next step. Buffalo Springfield had ended over a year prior, which led to the formation of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, whose success changed the trajectory of all their lives forever.
While they were a band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were four individuals who had come together for a special project, but realistically, they were always destined to veer off in different directions. By the time of their split, the relationship between the band members had broken down, and Stills was desperate for a fresh start.
Stills decided the best decision for his sanity was to leave Los Angeles behind and start a new beginning in London. After moving to England, Stills began working on his debut solo album and immersed himself in the capital’s music scene, including befriending The Rolling Stones.
Pioneering lighting designer Chip Monck was working for the Stones and had previously known Stills from the touring scene in America. Monck was behind the stage design for Woodstock, which included a performance from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
In 1970, Monck was working for The Stones while they were on tour, and Stills flew out to watch the band’s performance in Amsterdam. During the show, Stills got up on stage to perform with the group and guested on the piano. Sadly, there’s no video from the collaboration, but an image does exist of him being an honorary member of The Rolling Stones in the Dutch capital.
Stills later said of the evening in question and his opinion of Jagger to Louder Sound: “He’s possessed. It’s like watching someone who’s two years older than me doing 40-yard sprints. It’s devastatingly annoying. I saw him at Ahmet’s thing and he was quite charming. Always has been. I played with them [The Rolling Stones] once [Amsterdam, 1970].”
The musician continued: “I wish they still had that tape because it was absolutely amazing, the noise that we made between us. We were just batting around. You know the old joke: blues musicians play three notes for 10,000 people, and jazz musicians play 1,000 notes for three people.”
Over 50 years after that legendary performance in Amsterdam, Jagger is still parading around the stage with the same level of ferocity as he had shown that night in the RAI Convention Centre. While Stills is the younger of the two musicians, he’s the first to admit his energy levels are incomparable with the “possessed” Jagger.
