Life — the new autobiography by Keith Richards — is long on sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, and short on the now-relatively long part of his life he’s lived in Weston.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think the Rolling Stone never gathered any moss in these parts.
One brief anecdote, though, touches on both Weston and Westport.
Have you seen this man around here?
Describing a deadline remix of tapes for the song “Thief in the Night,” Richards writes they were rushed by speedboat from Port Jefferson to Westport, “the nearest harbor to my house on the Connecticut coast.
“We did this at midnight, under a very nice moon, roaring across the Long Island Sound, successfully avoiding the lobster pots with a swerve here and a shout there.”
That’s a bit more Gatsbyesque than some of his other writing, such as “I can’t get no satisfaction.”
But the passage got me thinking: For someone who’s lived around here so long, I haven’t seen much of Keith Richards.
There was the time he strolled onstage — unannounced — at a Levitt Pavilion benefit concert. “I’ve always wanted to play with Willie Nelson,” he said — and then he did.
He drove past the Staples boys soccer car wash last fall. Our players tried to get him to come in, but he declined. We can’t always get what we want.
And I’ve seen him twice at CVS. I will refrain from making any snarky remarks about what he was doing in a “drug store.”
Feel free to add your own Keith Richards in Westport/Weston anecdotes; click the “comments” link on this post.
I know. It’s only rock ‘n’ roll. But I like it.
According to WestportNow, he ate lunch at a nearby restaurant (in Ridgefield) just before Thanksgiving:
http://www.westportnow.com/index.php?/v2/comments/luncheon_friend/
We have friends who heard him play at the Georgetown Saloon several years ago. Apparently, he knew who was scheduled that night and showed up to join in.
Maybe Keith can help promote Saferides of Weston and Westport.
Yes, my husband used to go once and a while to open mike night at The Georgetown Saloon to play with blues musicians and one night Keith Richards played with them.
If you go hiking in Devil’s Den, you can see a large orange/pink mansion on your right. That’s his house.
My Keith Richards’ story.
About 2 years ago we were at our favorite French restaurant in Ridgefield for lunch, which is also someone else’s. While sitting on the terrace, I see this tall ‘eccentric’ fellow approaching and I’m thinking….when all of a sudden I realize it’s Keith Richards!
He’s checking out the scene to decide whether or not to sit outside, since it’s only our family and one other, he sits one table from us along with his wife (who’s still beautiful) and his mother-in-law.
Well my son, Johnny, likes to take the drink stirrers from the bar and pretend they’re cigarettes (not sure how he knows this), anyway Keith is watching him and thinks it’s funny since Johnny is smoking more cigarettes than he is. He may have given up other vices, but cigarettes aren’t one of them – I’m talking about Keith now, not Johnny.
Of course my kids had no idea who he was, they would only recognize the Jonas Bros. or Taylor Swift, but I did tell them he was the guitar player of the greatest Rock n’ Roll band in the world.
Doesn’t he have two girls who went to the Weston public schools? Maybe that’s local lore. I heard his wife used to frequent Weston Center stores and was very nice and gracious. My family has lived in Weston for 35 years and none of us has seen him.
I have a feeling one of the vary reasons a guy like Keith Richard’s chooses Weston / Westport is the shad it provides his celebrity. and…I would love to see him sometime. I’ve levied here my entire life and had very few star sightings of any kind!
In the words of Lady Ga-Ga: “I’m your biggest fan, I will follow you till you love me Papa – Papapazzi”
I used to see him at Gold’s Deli periodically, and he always asked for a receipt for his purchase which I found funny because nobody else ever did.
Where I saw him the most was at Sole E Luna on Sundays for dinner. Our family used to go there regularly because it was quiet on Sundays and more relaxing. He always came with his wife and daughters – and he always acknowledged us. He was a doting father and it was clear that he adored his family.
you should not ‘celebrity’ize’ him where he lives. if he left his residence out of the book it was for a reason. there is Keith Richards and then there is your neighbor; within the context of 06880, he’s your neighbor not Keith Richards.
I just like the anecdote of Keith zipping across the Long Island Sound in a speedboat at midnight. It must be eerily quiet, deserted, and beautiful at that time.
Saw Keith with his wife, standing outside Joey’s on 4th of July, waiting for the fireworks to begin. Back around 1996
Several years back he sat next to us at Dunvills and was chit chatting – he asked my sons name and was quite impressed by it. his accent is fab! enhanced by the liquor and smokes.
I thought most of these celebrities chose/choose this area so as NOT to be part of celebrity citings? I liked the Beatles better anyhow.
Dude – after reading your posts, I think Keith Richards would take that as a compliment 🙂
Pseudonyomous: Since we are dropping names, my ole bud Mr. Newman once said: “If you don’t have any enemies, you probably don’t have much character.”
I am a huge Stones fan and my one contact with Keith came many years ago in NYC. I had gone to Tower Records in the Village after work because Keith was going to be signing a new non- Stones CD of his. And I was going to have him sign a postcard from the Exile on Main Street album–it wasn’t for me but for my fellow Stones fan, or should I say fanatic, Big Al Bravin, ’71.
I seriously underestimated the crowd that would show up. The line wrapped around the block, and then some. Rather discouraged, and worried about falling even further back in line, I hurried into the store, and then rushed down two flights of stairs to where they were selling the CD you had to buy before you could even get in line.
As I turned the corner, and blindly started to barrel down the second flight, I run into and practically knock down the stairs…Keith.
He somehow keeps his balance and is clearly momentarily startled, to say the least. All I can think of to say is, in an exuberant voice, with my arms outstretched: “Keith!”
Keith suddenly smiles broadly, his arms stretched out now even more than mine, and exclaims in an even louder voice: “Yeah, man!”
His entourage then whisked him upstairs to the signing table. But he acted like he would have been happy to chat with me if it hadn’t been for the obligations of starting the autograph session.
He comes off in “Life” as a much more together and multifaceted person than I would have thought. He’s deeply fond and respectful of Charlie Watts but honestly, he barely seems to have noticed Bill Wyman was even there.
Thanks Fred. I still proudly have that signed postcard. There are many people, myself included, that are amazed that Keith is still alive and kicking. I remember seeing the Stones for the first time with Fred Cantor and several others, at a TUESDAY matinee show at MSG on JULY 25, 1972 on their EXILE tour. An exhilarating experience. I’ve since seen them about 30 times, the most recent in 2006 at the LA FORUM from the 3rd row. It was like watching them in the living room…amazing. And Keith still has it.
A friend of mine thought she spotted him on Main Street yesterday driving a white Rolls!
Hi Tina, just sent a reply to your comment and Will just pointed out it could by Tina Piccolino which is probably is, right????? Began to doubt my sighting so googled and the stones had an album called white rolls royce and there was also an article about him sniffing cocaine with ronnie wood on the dashboard of his white rolls royce so it really was him!!! xxx
Yes, it was Keith yesterday on the post road by
Main Street, I passed him too, he had his window open and was chatting with the policeman as he too was in the traffic. It certainly made my day!!!
Friends of mine have done work in his home, years back. He has always been very friendly to everyone…