In the musical world where your friends are also your collaborators and competitors, an artist being so exceptional at their craft can be equal parts inspiring and frustrating—at least, that’s how Stephen Stills has always thought of his one-time performance partner and iconic rock ‘n’ roll frontman. The musician is one of the most prolific and enduring of the rock world, and as Stills calls him, “quite charming.”
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The “devastatingly annoying” musician’s bandmate had an even more bristly relationship with Stills, but only what the CSNY founder called “grumpy bollocks.”
Stephen Stills Always Struggled To Watch This Iconic Musician
Speaking to Classic Rock in 2007, Stephen Stills said watching Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger was like watching someone “possessed.” He added, “It’s like watching someone who’s two years older than me doing 40-yard sprints. It’s devastatingly annoying. He was quite charming, always has been. I played with them once. I wish they still had that tape because it was absolutely amazing, the noise that we made between us. We were just batting around.”
“You know the old joke,” he continued. “Blues musicians play three notes for 10,000 people, and jazz musicians play 1,000 notes for three people.”
The performance Stills was talking about took place in 1970, when the musician was at the height of his Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young fame with albums like CSN’s eponymous 1969 debut and CSNY’s Déjà Vu, which they released seven months before Stills sat in with the Stones during their final performance of their 1970 European Tour on October 9. Stills had only been there to watch the band play, but Jagger beckoned the folk-rocker on stage to play the piano on stage right.
He Holds Mick Jagger’s Bandmate In Equal Regard
In that same conversation with Classic Rock, Stephen Stills shared similar praises for Mick Jagger’s long-time bandmate and Rolling Stones co-founder, Keith Richards. “We’ve had a couple of snarleys, but nothing to speak of,” Stills said. “And it’s so long ago it’s laughable. I can’t remember what it was about. Just grumpy bollocks. He inspires me. He’s tough as nails and the soul of rock ‘n’ roll of our generation—of our lifetime, really. Keef is just Keef.”
Still added that Richards “can yell at me, and I’ll get over it.” Although he didn’t share specifics about what those few confrontations were about, it’s not hard to imagine the occasional scuffle when butting up against a personality like Richard’s. The rocker certainly isn’t known for holding his tongue.
“I haven’t seen him outside the road in many, many years,” he continued. “I’m sure that’s changed, too. I’m just glad to see him keep the train rolling. They’ll just keep going until they can’t do it anymore. I got no problem with Keef. Thanks for the ride, mate.”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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