Life by Keith Richards

In ten words or less: Keith Richards tells all--drugs, ex, rock 'n roll, and more drugs.

Review: That Keith Richards is still alive to tell it all is something of a marvel. The lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones has been in the business for fifty years, and even though this book is over 500 pages long, it barely scratches the surface of his life.

A good portion of the book deals with Richards' use of drugs, attempts to get clean, and brushes with the law. He spends a lot of time talking about his craft--his influences, how he writes a song, and technical details of the music. Very little is said about the other members of the band; most of it is about his falling out with Mick Jagger, but there are more pages devoted to Chuck Berry than to Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts.

His complicated personal relationships with his children and grand children are revealed without bitterness toward former lovers. There's even a recipe included--Keith Richards' own recipe for bangers and mash!

Why bother? Rolling Stones fans will find lots of eye opening, behind-the-scenes anecdotes told here. Not a narrative history of the Stones, but a look inside the mind of one of the best known rock musicians of all time. He just keeps on ticking.