He is the hellraiser and renowned party animal in one of the most legendary rock and roll groups of all time.
But Keith Richards has revealed he is reining in his infamous party lifestyle and cutting down on hard liquor and his beloved cigarettes,in a new interview with MOJO Magazine.
The Rolling Stones rocker admitted he has started 2019 on a health kick, after December turned into 'one long party' for his 75th birthday and 35th wedding anniversary with wife Patti Hansen at his lavish Turks & Caicos house on Parrot Cay.
It's Only Rock n Roll: Keith Richards has revealed he is reining in his infamous party lifestyle and cutting down on hard liquor and his beloved cigarettes,in a new interview with MOJO Magazine
Rock on: Keef is the hellraiser and party animal in one of the most legendary rock and roll groups in history, The Rolling Stones
The Gimme Shelter hitmaker said: 'By January 1, you're knackered. And that's a good way to start a new year, right?! I'm drying out now!'
I've knocked the hard stuff on the head. I have a little wine with meals, and a Guinness or a beer or two, but otherwise… no. It's like heroin – the experiment is over.'
He paused. 'Mind you, if I meet you in a bar and you say, 'Do you want a drink?' – heheheh – I wouldn't turn it down! I'm not a puritan in these matters. It's just that it's not on the daily menu anymore.'
When asked if he had ever tried to give up cigarettes, the guitarist said: 'I have tried. So far, unsuccessfully! Lou Reed claimed nicotine was harder to quit than heroin.'
Iconic: The Rolling Stones rocker, said he has started 2019 on a health kick, after December turned into 'one long party' for his 75th birthday and 35th wedding anniversary (above with bandmates Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts)
'It is. Quitting heroin is like hell, but it's a short hell. I mean, the actual process. Cigarettes are just always there, and you've always done it.
'I just pick 'em up and light 'em up without thinking about it. But lately, in fact – spread the news! – I've managed to cut it down by a substantial amount every day, and I'm still working on it.
'Because I realised I don't need it. I realised it's just a useless habit. But hey, when you're 75, habits are pretty ingrained.'
Asked how he stays in shape, the star revealed he relies on an extremely basic regime to maintain his honed frame.
He said: 'I get up. Ummm. And then, uh, you know, I sit down. I don't do none of this trotting around, I think it's bad for you. It's bad on the joints, especially on concrete.
'I don't go with that. It's just not for me. It works for some guys, but y'know, it's just… Mmm. Oh, and when I go to the islands, I do quite a bit of swimming.'
Trying: When asked if he had ever tried to give up cigarettes, the guitarist said: 'I have tried. So far, unsuccessfully! Lou Reed claimed nicotine was harder to quit than heroin'
Heyday: The Gimme Shelter hitmaker said: 'I've knocked the hard stuff on the head. I have a little wine with meals, and a Guinness or a beer or two, but otherwise… no. It's like heroin – the experiment is over'
He added: 'It's not a regime, it's just very nice to be in the water, and, uhh, you know… float about a bit.'
Despite his hectic lifestyle, jetting all over the world for gigs with the Stones, the star said he still doesn't own a mobile phone and says he's 'pretty technically illiterate'.
He said: 'I rely upon my kids or the wife to… just look it up! Google it or something! I don't touch those things. I've never liked phones, you see.
'Maybe that's just because, being so-called famous since I've been 19, the phone is always ringing and it's always somebody that wants something.
'So with the phone, I would only ever phone out. So when they brought in mobile phones, I'm like, Oh no…! At least before I could say, 'I wasn't in!' But now… Everybody who knows me knows I don't have a phone.'
2019 will see Keith embark on the U.S leg of the Stones No Filter tour with bandmates Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts, calling at 13 US stadiums during a two-month period this summer.
Legends: The Rolling Stones, of which Richards is a founding member, are so famed for their hedonism and debauchery that their actions in the bands heyday have set the bar for what it meant to be a decadent rock star ever since
