{"id":394465,"date":"2026-01-06T03:13:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T03:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/394465\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T03:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T03:13:11","slug":"the-classic-rock-singer-keith-richards-called-all-flash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/394465\/","title":{"rendered":"The classic rock singer Keith Richards called \u201call flash\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Keith<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Raph Pour-Hashemi)<\/p>\n

Mon 5 January 2026 19:25, UK <\/p>\n

As one of the most influential figures in contemporary music, Keith Richards<\/a> has earned his right to have opinions. The Rolling Stones guitarist has never been shy about sharing his critique about other bands or even his own bandmates, but things get a little risky when he directed it at one of the other leading lights in British music history.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the point of listening to that shit?\u201d Richards once said of the Sex Pistols<\/a>. He called Chicago \u201ccontrived\u201d, declared Metallica and Black Sabbath \u201cgreat jokes\u201d, and said the Grateful Dead were \u201cboring shit\u201d. The musician clearly has strong opinions when it comes to other acts. As an avid music fan as well as a maker, he\u2019s always worn his taste on his sleeve.<\/p>\n

Richards has rarely set foot on the fence. The guitarist has lived his life in the fast lane and taken no prisoners along the way. His penchant for punishing his contemporaries was more than just a good bit of fun for the tabloids; it also spoke of Richards\u2019 complete devotion to what he believed was the best of music. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s perhaps what helped make The Rolling Stones so great. Especially when it came to the UK music scene that they came up in, Jagger and Richards\u2019 distinct yet ever-evolving musical likes and dislikes set them apart from their peers. As young up-starters, they were always more interested in what was going on across the Atlantic or in other genres like blues or rock and roll rather than what was on the radio or going on around them.<\/p>\n

As they were building their following, another band was climbing the ladder at the same time. The Who were also formed in London and were doing the circuits of music venues but with a distinctly more destructive streak. While the Stones were more likely to be found partying in jazz clubs, The Who were smashing up instruments<\/a> and social clubs around the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Mick<\/a>Keith Richards with Mick Jagger in the 1970s. (Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the root of Richards\u2019 issue with the band. Even though the Stones could really party, getting famous as the more rebellious and sexualised antidote to the Beatles\u2019 major mainstream success, their music stayed tight. At the height of their drug taking and soiree throwing, The Stones still sounded great; their live sets were polished, and their craft would not dip. They were more likely to throw a member out than risk their quality, just as they did with Brian Jones. <\/p>\n

Actual skill was clearly important to Richards as he wrote some of the most defining riffs in music and seemed to always push himself to be better. The Who, on the other hand, seemed to be all show. <\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, I always thought (Roger) Daltrey was all flash,\u201d Richards said, implying that the band\u2019s leader was more of a showman than a singer. He continued, \u201cAnd I love Pete Townshend, but I always thought the Who were a crazy band.\u201d Having a complex relationship with the act, he doubted their abilities beyond putting on a wild live show. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou would say to (Keith) Moon, if you were in a session with him, Just give me a swing, and he (couldn\u2019t)\u2026 He was an incredible drummer, but only with Pete Townshend,\u201d he added. \u201cHe could play to Pete like nobody else in the world. But if somebody threw him into a session with somebody else, it was a disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was an opinion he held onto long after the band in its original form had broken up and rearranged following Keith Moon\u2019s death. In fact, that only seemed to make his feelings worse. When asked who his favourite bands were, he was quick to jump in with ones he wasn\u2019t so keen on. \u201cI\u2019m not going to say Led Zeppelin, The Who, Black Sabbath. I\u2019d only be lying, they\u2019re not my favourites,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re all good, I owe them \u2013 they\u2019re all good players and everything. But as a band, nah. They\u2019re thrown together and you always feel it. You can always see the join.\u201d<\/p>\n

While admitting that he owes The Who for a level of influence, helping to bring heavier sounds to the mainstream and bringing more pure rock into the world of rock and roll, the band never massively impressed Richards. Instead, it seems he\u2019d always prefer skill over style or stage presence.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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