Keith Richards, Just Waiting on a Friend

Keith Richards, a well known man, with a road behind him as well as a road ahead, I'd like to take a step backward and let's see just where he's been.
In the Keith Richards bio, he made a public service announcement urging the youth of the world to stay off of drugs. With jovial attitude, he abounded mostly about how kids couldn't do any more drugs, because he had done them all.
While many talented musicians fell prey to the heroin addiction that crossed the world, and the world of music, Keith is said to be a poster child for the dangers of drug use, and very talented, but faintly crumbled. A middle aged man who survived a heroin addiction that would have killed the heartiest of drug users. Mr. Richards survived it all, the drugs, the women, the raving crowds at concerts, and a 40 + year friendship with Mick Jagger, and came through with most of his faculties intact.

It is said that during the late 70's that he had a plea bargain with the Toronto courts, due to a heroin possession charge by a blind girl who stood in his behalf and told how he had escorted the girl home safely after a Rolling Stones concert. In his plea bargain, it included a benefit show for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. He was then allowed to enter into the United States for drug treatment.

It leads a person to wonder, how evil, or not a drug really is. How easily he could have taken advantage of the girl, but rather, he ensured her safety, and maybe it was in that he realized he needed to live longer, in order to help more people, and thus, he began drug treatment. And yes, lived on to share this knowledge with others.

There was a love-hate relationship between Richards and Jaggar which has been said to resemble more of a marriage than a bond of buddies. Keith has said he could not imagine doing anything else with his life than what he calls "sturdy stock." And I quote from his bio, "To me, the main thing about living on this planet is to know who the hell you are, and to be real about it. That's the reason I'm still alive."
He also never wanted to do a solo record, but in the mid 80's Mick Jagger went against the brotherhood they shared, and cut a solo album. Richards was enraged, and I can only imagine deeply hurt by that, he states he felt their 25 year relationship was went down the drain, and with that he did do a solo album, Talk is Cheap, and went on the road with a back up band.

(Source: Mr. Show Biz)

Mr. Richards was just 15 when his mother bought him his first guitar and he knew he wanted to play rock and roll. Once that Keith and Mick realized they could write songs together, there was no holding them back. On one of their earliest collaborations, the classic "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," which Keith wrote during one of his bouts of insomnia while on tour. I myself understand this creativity that comes when sleep deprivation is invading your mind.

It appears he had a focus and he had faith and trust, and it was betrayed. While I understand betrayal, far too well, moreso than I care too, Mick & Keith wrote the song together "Just Waiting on a Friend."
The song has significant meaning to me, as the lyric excerpt I will include rings true, and to the art you can view, you will see a resemblance of love, and friendship, and in true love, you need both.

--A smile relieves a heart that grieves, remember what I said,
I'm not waiting on a lady, I'm just waiting on a friend.

--Don't need a whore, don't need no booze, don't need a virgin priest
but I need some one I can cry to
I need someone to protect

--Oh, making love and breaking hearts, it's a game for youth
But I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the good and bad in this world, take to heart, Sympathy For the Devil, in other light, is heroin our friend, or is it our love. Please do not take my words out of context, as I'm not condoning the use of drugs, but if you look back at the earlier lyrics, and this night of my insomnia, I will not take a drug as a lover, I'll just wait on a friend.

After all, if you have one, you have the other.


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