Keith Richards: Under the Influence Page #3

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he said, "I'll have it." He didn't...

Nope. Just... He knew right away.

I've been working with Keith

now since the '80s.

I have full access to his guitar lockers

and can do what I want.

I do often get to see guitars

and bring them to him.

This is what Robert Johnson

would have played, the model and year.

This is a 1928 L-1 Gibson, you know.

And the scale length and the flat neck

and the width of the nut...

It was a style of playing.

So you can do

the finger style blues on this.

It almost takes you there.

It makes you play that way.

The notes last

the right amount of time.

The balance between the high strings

and what's going on

in the low-end, the snap...

In the locker, unfinished project.

National Guitar, right here,

in my inventory book of Keith's guitars.

It says here,

"To be rebuilt and then maybe used."

And I wrote a note,

"Kinda reminds me of Jimmy Reed."

Dig it out, put some strings on it.

And sometimes

I pick up an instrument

and the sound

will take you to a different place.

It's like a flavor.

Steve and Keith walk in.

They think we're doing something else.

We open the case.

Keith looks at it, "Oh, great. Hmm."

"Check this out, Keith.

This has been yours

since before I worked for you.

It's never had strings on it.

I found it in the locker,

I put strings on it."

Next thing you know,

he's out there trying it.

Steve's like, "Okay, if he's in, I'm in."

They start playing, but the control room

is set for, you know...

for a mix or something.

There's no mic set.

People aren't ready for this.

["Blues in the Morning" playing]

"Blues in the Morning,"

that feeling...

That was just him picking up the guitar.

There was no second takes, no other tries.

It was just where we were going.

[Richards singing]

Got the blues in the morning

I feel that's far too long

Got the blues in the morning

My baby

It's still too long

It's hardcore, baby

but I gotta sing this song

[Richards] To us, in England,

people like Mick and myself

and many others...

Chuck arrived...

At the time, we were starving for music.

The way that man hit us...

I'm still recovering.

Incredible lyrics,

an incredible devil-may-care attitude.

He's influenced just about

every guitar player,

even if they don't know it.

You know, I mean...

not a lot of guys wanna play like Chuck

because it's like taking on the devil.

I'll take it on, you know.

[laughs]

Yeah, this is the beginning

of the Rolling Stones, you know.

Yeah, and I'm holding

a full deck here, pals.

That was the one

Mick had on the train, you know.

I got on my morning train

to go to art school.

I happened to hit the carriage

that Mick had just gotten into,

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