For Keith Richards, fags have long been a part of his life
Photo: Redferns, Gijsbert Hanekroot. All rights reserved.
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Keith Richards was a guest on the American ROLLING STONE podcast format “Music Now”. Here he not only spoke about new drummer Steve Jordan and the joint songwriting for an upcoming album, but he also took a tough but fair stance on Eric Clapton’s notorious anti-vaccination.
“I have a lot of respect for Eric,” Richards said. “I’ve known him forever and we’ve had our ups and downs together. Now though, hard to say… This COVID thing has divided people and it’s making some of us really weird.”
Clapton emerged as a notorious critic of vaccines and vaccination regulations. In some lyrics he has joined Van Morrison in criticizing the protection measures in Great Britain. In December 2021 he also released the single “Heart of a Child” together with the Italian vaccine skeptic Robin Monotti, a sticky pandemic lament.
Also part of Clapton’s narrative is NOT being anti-vaccination. However, friends and fellow musicians would “ostracize” him because of his controversial opinions and songs. During his fall 2021 tour, he also didn’t want to play at venues that require proof of vaccination. An announcement that he ultimately did not keep.
In the end, Keith Richards doesn’t care about such dangling consciousness. The main thing is that the pandemic will soon be over. “Anyway, I just want to get rid of this damn thing. And for me, the only way to do that is for everyone to do what the doctor says,” he said calmly.
He doesn’t understand the holy excitement of some people. “I’m not a doctor, but hey, this is everyone’s business, no matter how different they may be. And everyone has to get along. There should be a little compassion for that…”
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