Keith Richards found himself in trouble with Johnny Law a lot. He also found himself getting out of trouble in unexpected ways and by the hair on his chin a lot. That was his life for a good many years, and a good many people helped him escape his criminal issues, one of those people, surprisingly, being the executive producer of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels.
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In 1977, Keith Richards’ drug addiction was seemingly at its height. While Richards was a frequent user in the 60s and early/mid-70s, 1977 marked one of the rock bottoms of his addiction, given that he was arrested and faced extensive jail time. Specifically, police arrested Richards in a Toronto hotel for having 22 grams of h—e. He was charged with intent to traffic and faced seven years to life in prison.
This was Richards’ most serious run-in with the law, and the one that entailed the most severe consequences. So, he needed all the help he could get, and one of his knights in shining armour was the executive producer, and Canadian native, Lorne Michaels.
Despite Potential Backlash, Lorne Michaels Testified on Keith Richards’ Behalf
Following the arrest and charges in 1977, Richards’ case transpired for roughly another year. After legal trials and proceedings, officials dropped the initial trafficking charge, and Richard served no time in prison. It is unclear how integral Michaels’ role was in the verdict. Though Mick Jagger, Richards, and his legal team wouldn’t have called him up for nothing, and his Canadian nationality certainly helped Richards’ cause. Thus, he surely had some positive impact on the case.
Regardless, Susan Morrison recalled Michael’s nervousness on the matter in Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live. She wrote, “The week before, in New York, he’d been jumpy; [Michaels] was pleased to be asked to do a favor for his close friend Mick, but what if he had to perjure himself?”
“He knew that Richards wasn’t clean. In a back room at the courthouse, Richards took a quick snort from a bag of c—e he had in his pocket. Seated in the Toronto courtroom, Michaels fixed on the portrait of the queen looking down at him and Richards. He said to himself, ‘I’m Canadian. I’m not going to lie,” added Morrison.
Lorne Michaels reportedly had to answer no questions about Keith Richards’ drug addiction. Rather, he merely answered questions about Richards’ creative role in the Rolling Stones. Nonetheless, of all people, who would have thought Keith Richards and company would have wanted Lorne Michaels to testify on his behalf? Well, needless to say, he did, and he surely helped Richards avoid major prison time in Canada.
Photo by Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
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