The Man Behind the Myth
In 2010,
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards released Life, his long-awaited autobiography. The book was a great read for
Rolling Stones fans such as myself, but only succeeded in blurring the line
between Keith Richards the myth (a drug-fuelled rock & roll pirate with a guitar)
and Keith Richards the man (his book includes a recipe for bangers & mash,
and Keith reveals that he warms up for concerts by listening to Mozart). As
much as Life seemed inclined to
portray its central character as a bit of a cartoon character, it also hinted
at a layered and sensitive soul who seemed slightly frustrated at how he had
been pigeonholed in public perception. Under
the Influence, despite its title, seems to prove that this is the case.
This
documentary, however, is not simply a film version of Life, but the story of Richards’ long love affair with music. Framed
by a discussion with Anthony DeCurtis about his new album, the film joins Keith
on a musical journey to pay tribute to the styles that have influenced him over
the years; from the scintillating electric blues of Chicago, to the dreamy
country music of Nashville, to the earthy reggae of Jamaica. Along the way we
meet friends and contemporaries such as the eccentric Tom Waits (who seems to
be something of a kindred spirit to Richards), blues legend Buddy Guy, and
guitar technician Pierre de Beauport, who is employed for the purpose of
maintaining and keeping track of the hundreds of guitars that Richards owns.
Keith’s travels yield many highlights. We see
archive footage of the young Rolling Stones bringing the great bluesman Howlin’
Wolf to perform on American chart show Shindig!,
in front of an audience comprised almost entirely of teenagers. What could
easily have been a disaster becomes a triumph as the 6’3”, 54 year-old Wolf –
dressed for church – wins the entire room over with a rousing performance of “How
Many More Years?” in a wonderful moment.
Keith also takes the time to demonstrate how he achieved the distinctive
guitar sound on the Stones’ “Street Fighting Man”, playing an acoustic guitar
into a cassette recorder and then playing that
into an amplifier. Most rewarding of
all, however, is the sheer, unaffected joy that Richards evokes when playing
music or discussing an artist he loves. It’s infectious, as if he always took
care to keep his inner child alive.
The film is
also a huge success on a technical level; it’s filmed beautifully, and the
entire production has a feeling of intimacy and warmth. The soundtrack is
unsurprisingly superb, and could easily have been released as an album.
Director Morgan Neville also deserves credit for getting his subject to relax
and feel at ease in front of the cameras – I imagine this must be quite a hard
thing to do.
All in all,
this is a lovely film that I thoroughly recommend. Keith Richards comes across
as no more or less than a happy old man, content with his lot and at peace with
his eccentricities (the glass he drinks from has a skull & crossbones on it.
Maybe he is a pirate after all!). In simply getting him to play music and talk
about things he is passionate about, Morgan Neville has painted a clearer
picture of the man than a 564-page book. Well done!
