The “World War III” Era of The Rolling Stones That Tested the Band’s Ability To Stay Together

As one of the longest-working bands in the rock ‘n’ roll world, The Rolling Stones have been through a lot—both individually and as a band. From an audience’s perspective, The Stones seem like a constant, ever-present musical staple. But things haven’t always felt that consistent from within the band. In fact, there were many moments when the band’s entire existence was in flux, whether because of lineup changes, drug addictions, court battles, or what Keith Richards refers to as “World War III” between him and Mick.

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This years-long feud between Richards and vocalist Mick Jagger forever changed the dynamic between the two musicians. The early 1980s saw them venture into conflicts and betrayals they had never before experienced at the hands of the other, and quippy one-liners from Richards did nothing to cool the tensions. Interestingly, both men had already gone through something similar before. Both knew the consequences of those actions.

“It’s very much like the way Mick and I behaved towards Brian [Jones],” Richards wrote in his memoir, Life. “Once you release that acid, it begins to corrode.” And indeed, The Rolling Stones’ chrome finish suffered some significant corrosion. It bled into their studio work and live performances, but it was never enough to dissolve the machine completely.

A Long Series of Events Led to “World War III” Between Keith and Mick

All rock ‘n’ roll feuds ought to be taken with a grain of salt because, more often than not, the public isn’t as informed as they’d like to think. On paper, the feud that began to boil over between Keith Richards and Mick Jagger was almost to be expected. The Rolling Stones had been around for twenty years, which is a long time to work in close quarters with other people. Drug busts, court appearances, and worsening addictions were inevitably affecting the band’s workflow, bank accounts, and overall morale. With Richards and guitarist Ronnie Wood deep in the throes of their substance abuse, Mick Jagger started gripping the reins a bit tighter.

When Richards finally came to from his h*****-filled stupor, he realized that Jagger was exerting nearly total control over the band. This manifested in many ways, but no method was quite as eye-catching as a video display at a Tempe stadium where The Stones were set to perform. The sign read, “Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones.” Richards wrote in his memoir, “Since when? Mick was a controller of every detail, and it was no producer’s oversight.”

Richards responded to Jagger’s attitude with an attitude of his own, referring to Jagger as having “lead vocalist syndrome,” or LVS, and calling Jagger “Brenda” as a means to talk about him while he was in the room. Jagger, meanwhile, became more and more dismissive of the band, isolating himself from his colleagues and leaning into the “singer with a backing band” dynamic. But part of The Rolling Stones’ magic was their ability to work together as a sum of their individual parts, not the sole star power of Mick Jagger. We’d wager Jagger knew that even during the worst of their “WWIII.”

The Band Obviously Survived the Conflict

The Rolling Stones’ career certainly didn’t stop in the mid-1980s. Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, and the rest of the band managed to survive the “World War Three” conflict between its two biggest players. But things were never quite the same after that. In Richards’ memoir, released in 2010, the guitarist expressed regret that his friendship with Jagger changed. “It’s very painful,” Richards wrote. “He’s given me enough grief over my life. But he’s one of my mates, and to me it’s a personal failure not to have been able to turn him around to the joys of friendship and just bring him down to earth.”

“World War Three” simmered down into more of a “Cold War” situation by the following decade. Richards and Jagger maintained prolific solo careers while also working with the band, which is perhaps one of the reasons the two men have been able to temper their egos while in the same room. “We’ve been through so many different periods together,” Richards reflected. “I love the man dearly. But it was a long time ago that we could be that close. We have a respect, I guess, for now, with a deeper, under-rooted friendship.”

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