At one point in his career as the guitarist and co-songwriter for the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards was named the rock musician most likely to die. And yet, he is still around, still performing and writing songs at the esteemed age of 75. This extensive autobiography tells his life from childhood on with the good and the bad detailed in all its disreputable glory. Richards details the gift of his first guitar from his grandfather, the musicians that influenced him, formation and success of the Rolling Stones along with various problems within the band. There is also great detail about Richards drug use, various attempts a detoxing, arrests, and assorted serious injuries over the years, some life-threatening. He also includes lots of musicianship, mostly in the form of how he used various alternate tunings on his guitars, and the use of five string guitars on many of the Stones' hits. If anything in this book surprised me it was his personal life which included the two long term relationships (to Anita Pallenberg and his wife, Patti Hansen whom he married in 1983) and his five surviving children who have been an active part of his life. This is a well written, if dense, account of his life. Unfortunately the audiobook leaves much to be desired. The parts read by Johnny Depp are done in mostly monotone while the parts read by Joe Hurley is mostly an exaggerated imitation of Richards. The few parts read by Keith Richards were much better but I can understand his not wanting record a book of this length by himself.
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