Keith Richards is Basically Sober Now, Which is Wild
Keith Richards and sober are typically not two things that go together, but that’s what the guitar icon is for the most part.
Richards shared with The Telegraph he quit smoking in 2019 and hasn’t lit up since. Additionally, he kicked his heroin habit in 1979 and stopped doing cocaine in 2006. However, Richards does indulge in a cocktail every so often, but he doesn’t drink to excess anymore.
He said, “I still like a drink occasionally – because I’m not going to heaven any time soon – but apart from that, I’m trying to enjoy being straight. It’s a unique experience for me.”
Being on the straight-and-narrow must be unique for someone like Richards, who has been tied so closely to “the rock and roll lifestyle.” There have been plenty of jokes made about his drinking and drug use over the years. Frankly, it’s a miracle he’s alive.
Keith Richards Should Be Dead, According to Science
Richards’ wild ways were such a punchline that it was a focal point for a 2004 feature titled “When Will Your Favorite Rock Star Die?” in the now-defunct Blender magazine. The feature was shared via Reddit.
With the help of gerontologist Dr. David Demko and his colleague Keldrick Mobley, the publication calculated the projected year when certain artists were going to die based on their various lifestyles. After taking into account all of the things Richards was known to have done, the projected year of death was actually 1995.
Dr. Demko is quoted as saying, “I’m not sure how he’s done it, but Keith Richards defies conventional wisdom and seems to have eluded death.”
How Keith Richards Quit Smoking
Richards shared back in February 2020 that he had finally quit smoking. So, how did the guitar icon kick the habit after decades?
He shared those details in a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning saying, “It’s funny, I don’t think about it much anymore…Yeah, a few patches for a few weeks. Sometimes, you know, a bell rings, something inside says, ‘Hey, pal – enough!’ So, I just put the hammer on it.”
When pressed on why he thinks that “bell” rung, Richards said with his trademark cool, “Probably getting on a bit! [Laughs] Luckily, I don’t miss it, and that makes me feel good. Until I started rehearsing for the tour last August, and then I realized that I had 10 times more wind! [Laughs]”
When CBS’ Anthony Mason asked the X-Pensive Winos whether they noticed a difference in Keef’s vocals, drummer Steve Jordan said with a laugh, “Well, he’s singing more in the original keys.”
