Fans and critics have called Mick Jagger many, many things throughout his career. However, those are outsiders with outside perspectives. But what about the names fellow musicians gifted Mick Jagger? Before we spoil that, we must remind you of Mick Jagger’s allusive and fairly cryptic disposition, because that is what ultimately earned him one awesome nickname from his musical peer, John Lennon.
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There is a certain detachment that many famous musicians embody. A detachment that separates the persona from the individual. In other words, Mick Jagger was the Rolling Stones frontman, and Michael Philip Jagger was just the average Joe from Dartford, United Kingdom. This sense of detachment and the unpredictable nature of Mick Jagger led John Lennon and his former girlfriend, May Pang, to call him “The Phantom.”
Mick Jagger Reportedly Had an “Air of Mischief” About Him
As many Beatles and Rolling Stones fans know, their relationship, more or less, started after The Beatles gifted the Rolling Stones the single, “I Wanna Be Your Man”. Years and years later, Lennon and Mick Jagger’s relationship held strong, and as a result, Mick Jagger would often pay Lennon visits (unexpected visits, that is).
Regarding what prompted Lennon and Pang to name their friend “The Phantom,” Pang wrote in Loving John, “Mick’s visits were low-key, yet I still sensed an air of mischief about him. At a moment’s notice, he was capable of surprise, and he and everyone else knew it.”
“John and I affectionately nicknamed him ‘The Phantom,’” she wrote. “We never knew when he’d materialize, how long he would stay, when he’d call again, or what was really going on behind those devilish eyes and big pouting lips.”
Concerning Jagger’s reported detachment from his famous self, Pang added, “He was his own man, and he seemed to relish his success and his life. However, he always seemed a bit removed, like an actor who was enjoying his role but at the same time knew he was playacting and was always watching his own performance.”
Per Pang’s description of Mick Jagger, it seems that “The Phantom” was a fairly appropriate nickname. Also, on a more unofficial note, it would be incredibly cool to be nicknamed “The Phantom”. Nevertheless, there is your trivial music tidbit for the day, and maybe, just maybe, you feel as if you’re one step closer to understanding the puzzling person that Mick Jagger is.
Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
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