10 pages in, I nearly gave up on this biography: vague and trite statements, random paragraphing of kitchen-sink facts. But 10% in, it became a more coherent and grounded book that told me much I didn't know about Richards and the Stones. Sadly, the final chapter updating to 2003 reverts to the hodge-podge of random opinions and semi-facts, with frequent typographic errors. Did the revised edition entirely bypass an editor and proofreader? ( )

While a lot of these Playboy interviews released to Kindle tend to suffer from mediocre interviewers (even when they’re well known) and not enough real depth, the first one is terrific. Alex Haley must have realized right away that Keith was a different kind of cat, and almost brutally honest, even introspective at times. Haley did the smartest thing he could do: he used questions as prompts, then got out of the way and let Keith be Keith. What emerges is a deeply flawed but very likable guy with more depth than some would expect, and with some surprising views on who should — or at least has a reason to — use drugs, and who shouldn’t. By allowing Keith to give full answers to sparse questions, even when he hits the switchback, Haley makes this short interview seem more than it is, because we get a real sense of Keith, who comes off as both a charming rogue and a surprisingly thoughtful and pragmatic guy. You also come away with an unflattering image of a legendary rock and roll icon (not one of the Stones) by Keith that’s inadvertent, rather than intentional; just Keith telling the truth. If Keith Richards wasn’t your favorite Stone before reading this, he might be afterward. Brief, but definitely worth a read, since it’s available on Kindle Unlimited and can be read for free. ( )

De beste popbiografie aller tijden

great book ( )