(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Mon 10 November 2025 16:00, UK
Keith Richards is one of the most scathing voices in music, a crown he’s worn proudly since the early days of his reign in the 1960s as one half of the notorious Rolling Stones duo.
While that is also the kind of heroic characteristic widely celebrated in some of history’s most legendary musicians, Richards’ forthcoming demeanour has landed him in hot water on more than one occasion. And what’s even more audacious is that there seems to be no name too big for the musician, having previously come after major figures like Bob Dylan, Prince, David Bowie, Elton John, and more.
His gripe with certain singers usually centres around the fact that he feels their talent doesn’t match up to their popularity. In other cases, like Bowie, it’s a problem with authenticity, and not feeling the same connection to something that everybody else seems to be feeling. As he assessed of the late Starman, “It’s all pose. It’s all fucking posing. It’s nothing to do with music. He knows it, too. I can’t think of anything else he’s done that would make my hair stand up.”
When it comes to guitarists, suffice it to say that Richards is no less forthcoming. One of the most notable is his comments about Prince, who was once invited to join the Stones on tour when he first started breaking through. The crowd weren’t so welcoming for the newcomer, however, and Richards later expressed that he’d tried to fill boots too big with a title he would never live up to.
As he callously put it, “Prince has to find out what it means to be a prince. That’s the trouble with conferring a title on yourself before you’ve proved it. His attitude when he opened for us… was insulting to our audience. You don’t try to knock off the headline like that when you’re playing a Stones crowd. He’s a prince who thinks he’s a king already. Good luck to him.”
While not so damning about another fellow rock comrade, Jimmy Page, he did seem to aim fire at all members of Led Zeppelin once, softening the blow on Page by calling him a good player but who came across as “hollow”. Elsewhere, Richards seemed privy to an unspoken rule among other iconic guitarists, where there’s often hostility for no reason, especially if two are in their prime at the exact same time.
As he once recalled about his years-long disdain for Jeff Beck, “Guitar players, for me, are the hardest ones to know, all this professional shit going on. Very unprofessional, really. I mean, Jeff Beck and I, for years, could hardly stand the sight of each other. It’s only been over the last few years that that’s all fallen by the wayside.”
He didn’t share any details on what, specifically, it was that made them turn on each other, but it was likely a heavy dose of pride that stopped them from seeing eye to eye, as is the case in most circles when two high-ranking guitarists butt heads for no apparent reason. Other times, however, it’s boredom that makes Richards grow a strong distaste for a certain band or artist.
This was the case with bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, or Pink Floyd, who he reportedly once said felt like they’d forgotten that rock was meant to make people feel more alive. Although there are other reports of Richards ruffling the feathers of other respected guitarists, like Steve Vai, there’s a common theme in that if he feels someone isn’t worthy of their success, he’s going to make it known.
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