I recently cracked open the memoirs of Keith Richards ("Life" - copyright 2010) as a light diversion. Quite unexpectedly, I came upon a passage appropriate to this blog space. Yeah, I know - whoulda thunk it?
On Page 77, the least likely survivor of Rock and Roll excess in this universe gives us his thoughts on his widely acknowledged capacity as a band leader (emphasis mine).
I like to motivate guys, and that's what came in handy with the Stones. I'm really good at pulling a bunch of guys together. If I can pull a bunch of useless Rastas into a viable band and also the Winos, a decidedly unruly band of men, I've got something there. It's not a matter of cracking the whip, it's a matter of just sticking around, doing it, so they know you're in there, leading from the front and not from behind. And to me, it's not a matter of who's number one, it's what works.==
Also today, I participated in a little comment thread on the Randy's Roundtable blog. The two encounters merged in my decidely unruly mind as the lyrics to 'Gimme Shelter'. It occurs to me this masterpiece holds real potential for becoming the soundtrack to the republic's next six months, depending on how the leadership challenged Barack Hussein Obama reacts to his precipitous fall from grace.
Here is a performance by that 'decidedly unruly band of men' - the X-Pensive Winos.
Here is a performance with that other guy handling the lead singer duties, and with slicker production values.