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 The documentary "Keith Richards: Under the Influence," had
its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on
Thursday ahead of its release on Netflix Sept. 18.
The movie was originally meant to document the making of "Crosseyed
Heart," his first solo album in more than 20 years. But under
director Morgan Neville, who won an Oscar for "20 Feet from
Stardom," the focus shifted to where his music comes from.
"There was no plan on this. At the same time, during the making
of it, at least halfway through, I realized that that was what
was happening," Richards told Reuters ahead of the premiere.
Richards, 71, said both the film and making the album, which
features rock, reggae and country songs, gave him a new
appreciation of his influences, including less obvious ones such
as the role of his music-loving mother.
Growing up in post-war Britain, Richards said his home was
filled the music of Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Duke
Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.
"It was all good stuff. In other words if you're growing up at 4
years old and you can sing Billie Holiday songs, you realize
that 'ya, brought up on the blues without even knowing it,'" he
said.
He went on to worship musicians like Muddy Waters, an interest
that bonded him with former classmate Mick Jagger. "Under the
Influence" explores how once the Rolling Stones because famous
they helped reignite interest in American blues.
Richards said when the band first came to America, they found it
"astounding" blues wasn't better known.
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"We hadn't realized until we got here how white kids just didn't go
down the other end of the dial where, to us, it was like treasure
troves," he said.
The release of the film and Richards' solo album came the same week
he revealed the Rolling Stones plan to return to the recording
studio next year.
"I saw all the boys in London last week and they're ready to get in
a studio at the first given opportunity, which is even more than I
hoped for," he said.
Richards said the band had been reinvigorated by its most recent
U.S. tour, where it deliberately focused on smaller cities it first
played in 1960s and 70s.
"This is the thing with the Stones. You keep thinking 'Come on, how
long can you keep this thing going?' But I guess the answer is until
we don't feel that we're improving," he said.
"To me, and I think to everybody else in the Stones, the last tour
was probably, musically speaking, the best so far. So there's always
that feeling of something more to come. Some anticipation. The
energy is there."
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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