Metallica Is A Joke, Rap Is For The Tone-deaf: 5 Things That Keith Richards Can’t Stand
The Rolling Stones guitarists spares no one-not even Mick Jagger- as he takes down metal, rap and most of rock
Keith Richards
To say Keith Richards is opinionated is an understatement. In what was supposed to be an interview (with Daily News) for his first solo LP Crosseyed Heart since 1992’s The Offender, the Stones guitarist expressed his disdain for metal, rap and The Beatles. Here are five of his most outrageous statements.
1. ‘Rock sounds like a dull thud.’
It’s rather contradictory that the guitarist of the world’s biggest rock-and-roll band would dismiss the entire legacy of rock by saying, “It sounds like a dull thud to me. For most bands, getting the syncopation is beyond them. It’s endless thudding away, with no bounce, no lift, no syncopation.”
2. ‘Metallica and Black Sabbath are great jokes.’
Richards is not a big fan of metal either. In blasting the pioneers of metal and thrash respectively, he said, “Millions are in love with Metallica and Black Sabbath. I just thought they were great jokes.”
3. ‘Sgt. Pepper’s a mish-mash of rubbish.’
Keith Richards  was also quick to dismiss one of The Beatles’ most iconic works, saying that Sgt. Peppers’ Lonely Hearts Club was “a mish-mash of rubbish.” He was equally unimpressed with their historic 1965 Shea Stadium concert, concluding that “As a band, they weren’t in sync with each other.”
4. ‘Rap is for tone-deaf people.’
“What rap did that was impressive was to show there are so many tone-deaf people out there,” said the 71-year-old guitarist, clearly not impressed by hip-hop either. “All they need is a drum beat and somebody yelling over it and they’re happy. There’s an enormous market for people who can’t tell one note from another.”
5. ‘Mick Jagger’s a snob.’
Keith Richards spared not even his own bandmate, calling Mick Jagger a snob. “His daughter, Georgia Mae, was sitting around in my room and she said, ‘oh, you know what dad’s like. He’s such a snob. He can come off that way even to me and the rest of the band,” Richards says. He was quick to add that Jagger is “one hell of a frontman,” and that he still loves him dearly.”
Which is more than he can say about most music.
