Life

By: Keith Richards, James Fox

Narrated by: Johnny Depp, Joe Hurley

Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

The long-awaited autobiography of Keith Richards, guitarist, songwriter, singer, and founding member of the Rolling Stones.

With The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the songs that roused the world, and he lived the original rock and roll life. Now, at last, the man himself tells his story of life in the crossfire hurricane. Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records, learning guitar and forming a band with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones. The Rolling Stones's first fame and the notorious drug busts that led to his enduring image as an outlaw folk hero. Creating immortal riffs like the ones in "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Honky Tonk Women." His relationship with Anita Pallenberg and the death of Brian Jones. Tax exile in France, wildfire tours of the U.S., isolation and addiction. Falling in love with Patti Hansen. Estrangement from Jagger and subsequent reconciliation. Marriage, family, solo albums and Xpensive Winos, and the road that goes on forever.

With his trademark disarming honesty, Keith Richard brings us the story of a life we have all longed to know more of, unfettered, fearless, and true.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2010 Keith Richards (P)2010 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"[A] high-def, high-velocity portrait of the era when rock 'n' roll came of age, a raw report from deep inside the counterculture maelstrom of how that music swept like a tsunami over Britain and the United States....Mr. Richards has found a way to channel to the reader his own avidity, his own deep soul hunger for music and to make us feel the connections that bind one generation of musicians to another. Along the way he even manages to communicate something of that magic, electromagnetic experience of playing on stage with his mates, be it in a little club or a huge stadium." (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

"[A] slurry romp through the life of a man who knew every pleasure, denied himself nothing, and never paid the price." (David Remnick, The New Yorker)

"A vivid self-portrait and, of the Stones and their musical era, a grand group portrait....spellbinding storytelling." (Richard Corliss, Time)

The Best Audio book I've ever heard.

The combination of readers Johnny Depp, Joe Hurley and author Keith Richards was electric, magnetic and a Non-stop thrill ride through the complex life of one of rock's greatest guitarists/songwriters. Unbelievably good.

Entertaining

Where does Life rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great performance of greatly entertaining and well-written book. This is perhaps my favorite audiobook so far

Great book!!

Great stories!! Loved the narrators, however I would have preferred if they stuck with one narrator throughout the book rather than switching back and forth.

Adolescent for Life

A great artist is entitled to say to the world: judge my art, don't judge me. But if the artist writes an autobiography (or worse, pays someone to write an autobiography), he invites the world to judge not only the book, but its subject. I'd like to think that beneath the mumbling inscrutability is spark of something interesting. Not here. The two main influences in Keith Richards' life from adolescence foward have been smack and flattery. Assisting in the creation of this autobiography should have given him an opportunity to reflect on the effect that these have had on him, and the effect he has had on those around him. It would appear that Keith's only complaint about heroin addiction is that he had to spend time trying to find his next fix. He does not appear to have been aware that the houses and hotel rooms that are constantly breaking out into flame, or the cars that are constantly going off the road, might have created criminal risks to everyone around him, including his infant son and daughter. Keith actually thinks it is cute that he taught 10 year old Marlon to warn him when they were driving up to international borders so Keith could shoot up before going through customs. Granted, it does appear that Keith's most productive period coincided with his greatest drug use. Then there are Keith's sophmoric rants about everyone in the Stones except Charlie. After all these years, you would think that Keith could think of something charitable -- or just not bitchy -- about Bill Wyman, Mick Taylor, or Brian Jones. Bill gets almost no mention, Mick Taylor gets half-hearted praise, and Brian gets bitch slapped. Keith saves his worst for Mick Jagger. No doubt Mick has begun to believe his own myth, but so has Keith. Real pirates did not have pirates of high priced lawyers. Real tough guys don't get minders to fight their battles.

When then three stars? The book does its task of revealing Keith, as Keith would like himself to be revealed.

awesome I loved it

I couldn't wait to get time to listen to the next chapter. I really looked forward to it. thank you Keith and thank you audible. the old stories and the guitar tutorials were great

Multifaceted story

This book was so much more than a celebrity book. Keith Richards came across as open and honest. The book contained tales of his life from childhood on and his relationships with his family, partners and children but it also contained interesting stories of how the band developed and how important each member was to the sound. Keith’s descriptions of song writing and his development of his guitar playing and sound are fascinating even for a non musician like myself. He also shared what drug use and being a junkie, going clean and relapses were like. He talks of his and Micks complicated relationship and his relationships with band members and other musicians. One reviewer suggested stopping and listening to the songs that he talks about and I did this and it added much to my listening pleasure. The only down side to the audible book was the excruciating reading by Johnny Depp. So boring I almost quit listening but just as I was about to give up the book suddenly without explanation switched to Joe Hurley who was great. Joe made me feel like Keith was actually telling the stories. Then towards the end it switched back to Depp and it was almost a chore to get through until Keith himself finished up the last part. Other reviewers like Depp so I may be in minority but for me it was an aweful reading. But the book itself was great.

Great for all generations!

(From someone in their early 30s)The book hits a plateau when Keith 1st takes over narration, but it is worth the wait. I learned so much about US history (black America rock influence via British invasion), wild nights, an artist version of living life, and best of all a true underdog story.
This guy was an underdog in so many aspects and just chilled his way through things and came out cool as ice. When it breaks down to things he was just a nerdy white guy trying to be black and became this bad ass. LOL what an amazing story. This actually turned me on to the Stones too. Great Fing read! No regrets at all.

Fuck yes

My life has meaning again, I didn't know wtf I was doing with myself until I read this book.

live large

what an amazing life what an amazing guy you can bruise them but you can't make them go away.

joe sucks

God I hated when joe hurly took over can't stand his way of talking