Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - The Rolling Stones on Lasting Legacy

Episode Date: June 21, 2026

The Rolling Stones have been making music for more than six decades and are out with a new album, Foreign Tongues, to the band's prolific catalog. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood sat down with Willie Geist to talk about their most iconic songs, their old rivalry with The Beatles and the prospects of touring again. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit Down podcast. My thanks, as always, for clicking and listening along. Got a special one for you this week. Over the last couple of weeks, you've heard my conversations with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Well, I also sat down and spoke to Rolling Stones guitarist, Ronnie Wood. So we thought what we do here is put all three together in a special Rolling Stones Sunday Sitdown podcast. The band has a new album coming out. It's called Foreign T tongues.

Guys have been together, well, Mick and Keith since 1961 when they met on the platform of a train station just outside of London. Ronnie, on the other hand, he's the new guy. Only been there for about 50 years with the Rolling Stones playing guitar. So we talk about all of it. We talk about their history together, writing music together, what it's like to still be making music into their 80s. Ronnie is pushing 80. Mick and Keith are 82 years old. They've been at this for a long time and they still got it.

a hard driving, really good, just kind of almost a classic Rolling Stones album. We talk about their favorite albums, their favorite songs, what it's like to still be out there, and the possibility that they might hit the road and get back out on tour. So let's kick off a very special Sunday Sit Down podcast with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood. Let's start it off with the frontman. Mick Jagger right now on the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Mick, thank you for doing this.

Nice to see you. to see you as well. Congratulations on the album, Foreign Tongues. Thank you. By my math, this is your 27th U.S. album of original material. Okay. Do you still get that thrill or those nerves or whatever the emotions are on the eve of an album release? Yeah, yeah, you do, because you know, you spend a lot of time in it and to your baby and, you know, you want other people to like it or, you know, You know that not everyone's going to like it, and they're not maybe going to like everything, but, you know, they hope that it's not just, you know,

oh, yeah, not just, oh, yeah, well, it's not really interesting. You weren't just take notice, you know, of what you've done. And I guess, I mean, I don't really think about that, but everyone else the same thing, you know, because when you make your first record, you're obviously hugely excited. I can remember that. And then, but, you know, as you say, the 27th, it's not quite the same.

But I mean, we hadn't made an album for 18 years, and then we made Hackney Diamonds. I mean, we've been, we've made a blues album. We didn't make an original material. So Hacking, Diamonds had the 18-year waiting list. So, you know, so we did this one, you know, it was like not so long waiting for the next new one.

So we did 10 new tracks for this album, which we recorded in London. And four were from the previous session. from the Hattney Diamond sessions and one from before that. So, yeah, most of it's pretty new. It does feel like you're in a bit of a groove. Hackney was only three years ago. And as you say, Bigger Bang was 18 years before that.

Are you feeling those creative juices flowing at the moment? Yeah, I mean, I'm like I write all the time, really. I mean, that's the thing. You don't, I mean, I think you just get into a groove of writing. That's good. And then, you know, working with Andy Watts, really helpful because he makes it all go so fast, it's not hanging around. And we have a plan of how we're going to do it and how we're going to, you know,

how we're going to do like X amount of weeks. And we did the 10 tracks in four weeks. It's amazing. That's pretty quick. I mean, we used to spend months in the studio writing in the studio, you know, like, I know you two still do this. And so we used to write in the studio and then whatever came out, you know, would be, you know, got great things out of that, but these days it doesn't seem to be working. So I do a lot of

prep on the songs. So I prep the songs and do demos, a lot of the songs. And so I know where they should go, where I think they should go, and then you hope that the band will take them somewhere much further than you've imagined, which sometimes happens. Is the process of writing songs with Keith much different than it was years back when you would do it? Yeah, I mean, there was a lot process is a writing songs with Keith. In the old days of me, we used to sit around with, you know, and just doodle and, you know, we're the little tape recorder or actually start off with a big tape recorder at so long ago. And, you know, I used to write mostly lyrics and then, but I used to have to write the top lines because, you know, guitar player

writers often come up with a lot of great chord sequences or little bits of melody in a You have to fill the rest of it in. It's a lot of times a sketch. But over the years, we've written in all kinds of different ways, and we write a lot on our own, you know. And we do a lot of this stuff not writing, and then we got together and Neil can play each other's stuff that we've written. I've seen some of the videos behind the scenes making the album,

some of them at the event yesterday. And if anyone's wondering if you guys still enjoy the process of making music, go watch these videos. I mean, you could be 25 years old again, the way you are together, the way you're creative together, and honestly watching you perform these songs and takes of songs as if you're at Wembley or something.

You're dancing, you're moving around the room. Is that how you do it? Yeah, well, when you get really a rocker, you know, you don't like sit in an armchair doing it just because you're in the studio. You just get taken by it, you know? And sadly, in the ballad, you know, if you've got a ballad, you're not going to do that,

but you wouldn't do that on stage, you know. But if you've got a real rock, you take a, you know, use a handheld mic, you know, and or you, I mean, I can't keep still when I'm doing that stuff. But you've got to be on the mic. Right. We learn that a bit, did we? Yes. Moving the mic around. Yeah, you don't.

One of the really cool things about this album among many is some of the guests who join you. Yeah. including Paul McCartney. Yeah. How did that come about? I mean, Paul played on the Hattie Diamonds, and he plays one song on this, which is kind of like a melodic rap song.

But he plays really good. He's really in the groove, very different. Because on the last album, he played one more as a punk tune. Yeah. But this is more like a soul tune kind of a groove. But he's really got ability to swap stuff. And he's a really good bass player. Your musical relationship with Paul McCartney these days

seems like you get along great and then you enjoy making music together. Has it always been that way? Yeah, he did sing with us in the 60s on a couple of tunes, him and John. And they were, like, we were going through a really hard time and they were very supportive. And we were making a record, it was difficult.

And so, but I've never written with Paul. which is kind of, I mean, I don't think he really writes with anyone else. But, I mean, Andy was saying you should write one with Paul, but we never got around to it. Well, there's time. Clearly, you're still finding the group. I mean, there was always this, are you Beatles, are you stones all through the years? Was that just sort of a false creation from outsiders? Did you feel like rivals? I think it was an element of truth in it.

But I think there was a lot of element of PR in it, too. Right, yeah, right. But it was also London, Liverpool. So it's a bit like L.A. New York, you know? Yes. I mean, not that Liverpool's like L.A. No, slightly different. Not really.

But, yeah, there was, obviously that was a good talking point for press to get onto. Do you have a song on this album that you are most excited to play for people? Is there one you go? Yeah. Okay, I can't wait to get out and play it for a crowd. jealous lover, I'd like to sing that, you know. I mean, there's a lot of them. Mr. Charm, I'd like to do that one live.

I really look toward doing that one live. Rough and twisted. Yeah. Rough and twisted. It could be good, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So that raises the question. Is there a chance you guys will get out and play these for crowds, go on tour?

Well, I'd love to. You know, I really want to. and I'm ready to go, but I don't think we're going to do shows this year, but hopefully we'll do shows it next year. You'll be back out on the road. Okay. Your fans will be very excited to hear that.

Very excited to hear that. It seems to be just listening to this, that this is classic stones, this album. And by that I just mean it's just great, blues-inspired, rhythm guitar, your voice sounds great. Thank you. Does it feel like a classic Stones album? I don't know.

Yeah. I don't really know. I mean, it has a lot of styles on it. You know, in a way, and I think that's what's a good thing about the Rolling Stones, and I said this yesterday. But the Stones, you think of them as a classic rock band and everything, but in reality, there's very little classic rock on the album, really. A lot of it is, you know, there's dance tunes, there's, like, country music,

there's ballads, there's blues. So I think that when you say it's a classic stones album, to me that means that's one of the best ones. Right. Is it one of the best ones? I think you have to give it time. Even I don't know at this point, you know, you have to take a step back from it

and say that in itself was, you know, that was one of your best albums. or it had good things. I mean, a lot of stuff you look back on and you go, you know, first of all, there's some, Ronnie Stone's Alas, I have eight tracks. I mean, you only had eight tracks. I mean, we've got to be called 20 tracks in 10 days. You know, you had eight tracks and you were like 30 years old. Come on, what are you doing?

And, you know, and then out of those eight tracks, when you look back on it, you go, well, you know, I like three of them, but I don't really like all of them. Yeah. You know, and, but that, at the time, obviously, you like them all. So, I don't know what to say. I guess by classic, I just mean it sounds like your best stuff. Yeah, well, that's what you hope.

You hope that everyone, you hope that every track has got something for everyone. And not everyone's taste is that kind of, this kind of style, or not everyone's taste is that song. And so, you know, that's why you've got, you know, 14 tracks. Yes. So we're talking about classic albums. I was thinking about your run of about three and a half years from 68, starting with beggars,

bang, went to 72, I guess, with exile, those four albums. Yeah, those were really good albums. And probably nearly all of the tracks I've got something to say. Nearly every track's got something to say. There's no fillers in things. I mean, these days things are not quite the same.

You've got to remember that, I mean, we all talk about albums and we're talking about album covers, but very few people, including myself, really listen to a whole album anymore. Of course there are people that do, but they're a minority, so you really pick and choose. I mean, we always did that. We played the opening track on an album, play two tracks,

and then we go, okay, I'll play something else. Or you play, if you really love this artist, you know, but now, you know, most of the time you listen to things online, you know, and so you pick and choose. And if you like a new album of someone, when you play the first couple of tracks and that's enough. And if you really like those, then you might, I might, what I do is I dig into it later

and I go on, okay, I let the album play and I put the album on, not the track, online, and I let's let the album play. And I go, I discover things. You know, that one doesn't like, bang, no. You know, nah, no. Then you find something really interesting that you wouldn't have found, you know, maybe.

So it's a different way of discovery, I think, or sometimes one grows on you that you didn't like initially and then it takes out a new meaning as you listen to it more. So there's a parlor game among Stones fans about the Desert Island Stones album.

I just listed a group of them. Okay. Do you have a favorite Rolling Stones album? Mm-hmm. I mean, I think Sticky Fingers is really good. I think Baggers' Banquet is really good. I think Hackney Diamonds is pretty good, too.

How about a song? If there's one song that you can look back and say... How does the song... I understand, but if there's one that you say, that is us at our best, that song. I mean, there's so many different styles. I mean, you're running the gamut of sympathy of the devil, you know, start me up, Angie, Hong Kong, women.

All this is great, but they're all very different, you know. One's a samba, one's a ballad, one's a rock. You know, that's what I like about it. so many stars, that's why it's hard to pick one. And that's why I don't mind the stones being like classic rock, but in my mind, they're really not. They're not to that, because they're not playing. There's not an album with the Rolling Stones where you hear 12 rock tunes in a row.

There isn't one. Yeah. And they're all blues songs at the end of the day. Yeah, there's always blues songs. Yes. There's always blues songs. And everything is very blues tinged, you know, so, a lot of rock bands

obviously a lot of rock bands are blues inspired you know not sure we're the only one but there are a lot of indie bands that that I really like but they're not very blue blues inspired but you can you can like them for everything that the stones do

is blues inspired so the rock numbers come out with that the Samba song comes out with that nearly all and even the ballads come out with that so so you know it's it's in now first love was blues and everything and we have this huge debt to black music you know that we always acknowledged and and and so we're inspired by that initially and obviously we want to take it into our own styles and create our own changes in that and create our own music but we're always in debt to that, and I think you can hear it

in every song. Whether you intended it or not, too, you've elevated so many blues artists, just by talking about them sometimes, certainly playing with them. Has that been a gratifying byproduct of your work? Well, I mean, we owe this huge debt to those people.

First of all, we love them just as fans, and before we were blues players or even thought about it being a blues, but I didn't even thought about actually being a blues player when I was 13. you know it wasn't what you know it wasn't what white kids from the suburbs did you became like you were more like buddy holy or something but i mean that all those people were also

in films by the blues as well so you didn't think of itself like that but then yeah then you start to see those people live you start to meet them you know and and then eventually amazingly you start playing with them and and so this whole this whole thing you know you you start as a fan, and then you end up playing with these people, which is an amazing thing, and you learn an awful lot. And it's been that way, as you say, since you were a child, basically. Yeah. Thinking of the moment you and Keith had that now famous meeting on the train platform in Dartford.

But even before that, we were playing, both Keith and I were, and many other people that we still are around were interested in that kind of music from when we were like 13. years old and we would play mostly acoustic we would buy acoustic blues albums. You know they would be on the television they would do tours of England and see them on the television

that's how your first your first influences came from that and so we were always very interested in that and gospel too there's a lot of gospel music came through England you know sister Rosetta

Tharp these kind of Mahalia Jack and these kind of, they were often on television. And as there was only two television stations, you watched them, you know, you were kind of a captive audience, and you watched them. And so I think these were very influential on our early, or all of our early musical album. How extraordinary to have a Muddy Waters record under your arms

as a kid riding the train and then to walk in one day to chess records and play with Muddy Waters. That's to be surreal, right? I know, it's kind of surreal. And it wasn't a very long gap in reality in years. We're not talking that many years until you met all these people and, you know, met them all. And under all kinds of weird circumstances,

when we were doing a promotion, Hollywood promotion singles show with go-go dancers, and Howling Wolf came. You know what I mean? And we got him on the show, and Howling Wolf came, and it, you know, they'd never. had anything but just teen, you know, songs. And then Hallen Wolfe was there. And Hallen Wolf brought with him this famous old blues singer called Sun House. It goes back to the, this is like, it's about the 30s. It goes back to the Robert Johnson era of the blues. Yeah.

This is like really, you know, and I met Sunhous and, you know, I never thought I would meet him. And, you know, it's just in a Hollywood studio. It's just very odd. It's just very odd. Sure. Yeah, but you've had that kind of impact, too, that I grew up on your music, and I learned about those guys because you played with them or talked about it. So that's a cool legacy. I mean, that's good.

You know, I mean, you got a lot. And then after that, you had a whole lot of intermingling of influences. And so that, you know, everyone was, we don't forget, we also had the huge amounts of influence of soul music. gospel music and the Tamer Motown being so popular and that was the intro into soul music for a lot of people like the Beatles. Yes. You know, I think the Beatles were influenced by Sal, by Tamna Motown. Yes. And they used to do covers of Tamer Motown and a show, which we never, we never did that, you know, because we were supposedly a blues band. But they used to do covers

and then and then I think after that, that leads you into more kind of like slightly unknown and then leads you to James Brown and on and so on and so on, which we always of mine. I was just telling you backstage here that one of the last times we saw each other was on the set of the James Brown movie. Yeah. The late great Chadwick Bosom was there. But even that, to be able to help to bring to life the movie about James Brown.

Yeah, well, that was great. And Chad was such, you know, that was Chad's second movie. Right. Because he did the biopic, did two biopics on the trots. He did Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson. Yeah. And then he did the James Brown movie.

And he was so great in that. And he really channeled James Brown perfectly, I thought. What was also fun in that period was doing the documentary on James Brown. Because with all his musicians talking about him in this kind of a tongue-cheek way. They're sort of skating over some of the, you know, telling the story. Telling the stories about how bad he was. I mean, bad in whatever he wants to say, bad. But telling him about him, you know, his strange behavior or how he behaved if you stepped out of a lion and all this.

Right. And, you know, but, yeah, that was a fun documentary, Jamaica. Yeah, that was, then the film was beautiful, too, with Chadwick. Before I let you go, Mick, you were talking about the state of music and how we all listened to singles, which is very true. I'm curious, are there contemporary artists that people might be surprised you're a fan of? Is there someone on the charts right now? Oh, he or she's cool.

I like a lot of, you know, this is a lot of pop music, really. But I mean, the way I can assume it is like anyone. You know, I'm not like necessarily a huge fan and listen to everything that everyone does, you know? Yeah. That may be, you know, I'm a huge Bob Dylan fan, so I listen to Bogton a lot. But, you know, with pop music, I just, it's more like grazing a lot.

It's a lot of grazing, and you just put that playlist on, and you hear what's happening this week or last week, and something hits you, and you're like, oh, you know. And my son said to me, oh, Zara Larsson's having a big comeback, and I said, well, she never went away for me. Right. I said, I like to since ruin my life, you know, so. And I said, why are you?

I'm like, just what I like. When I'm in that mood, that's what I like. Right. So you still are tuned in. You know what's going on. Yeah, I don't know everything that's going on. But what I was saying is the way I consume pop music is the way I consume candy. You know, it's like, you know, I have a binge of it, you know,

and I binge on that chocolate, whatever. And then I've had enough and I have a little break from it. And then I don't know what's going on. I've lost touch for three weeks. I don't know what the hits of the last three weeks are. And then I go back in again. Right. And that's probably a good way to do it.

A little sampler. Yeah, it's a sampler. And then I go back to listen to Robert Johnson, you know. And I go, wow, it's still amazing. I've heard things. I thought I'd heard everything in there. But it's sort of something. I just heard the way he sang that.

A century later, you're still hearing something new. It's a century later. Yeah. Is it totally, yeah, to think of it like that. It doesn't seem, Mick, that you're slowing out at all when I listen to this new album. Do you expect to continue to put out music every couple of years? Yeah, I think I have a lot more songs from right. So, yeah, I wrote a lot of stuff and I hope to be writing more.

So, yeah, I don't want to slow down particularly. I don't feel like slowing down. I mean, I don't see why I should, but I think when you do it. Song-write is a weird thing because you just, when you need time to get going, and once you get going, it starts to come, you know? You don't get frustrated. The first few days, you're not going to write necessarily

going to write anything, you know, that's amazing. And then, like, the fifth day, you start writing things. It's coming, you know. And when we were doing, like, I was playing the piano, and I had this, I just playing to a drum machine, and I was doing this song, Jealous Lava, and I just started it. I just started it.

I just started it. I just got the chorus. I was singing, I'm right now. And the phone rang. And I was, all right, I'll answer. It was Andy. I said, Andy, hang on the minute. I'm right in the middle of doing this chorus.

And he said, that's great, that's great. Carry on, don't stop. I'm hanging up. Don't stop. Come me when he finished it. That's how, Andy. So it bumps me up a bit, you know. A look inside the process.

We will take as much music as you can possibly put out, Thank you so much. And congratulations. Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Stick around to hear from Keith Richards right after the break. Welcome back. Now, my conversation with Keith Richards. Keith Richards.

I just had to say that out loud. I'm so happy to meet you. Hey, pleasure. Thank you for doing this. We were just talking about the new album, Foreign Tongues. Yeah. Which sounds to me like just a great Rolling Stones album. It's blues driven.

rock and roll. Does it feel that way to you? It did, and I'm really glad that it sort of feels the same way to you, yeah, because it is what it is. It's a Stones album, and they're on a role at the moment. Since Hackney Diamonds, they've got a, they're picking up

the force, sort of. But anyway, it was great fun to make. Andrew, what, is a kick up the butt, let's put it that way and also

the Knick was coming out with a lot of material we've still had a lot of material left over from Hackney Diamonds and it was in a way a continuation of that record except us getting to know each other or at least Andrew better and you're just

tweaking things here and there and also for me Steve Jordan and Daryl Jones which is the Stone's rhythm section They're on this together, and I was really happy to get them in the groove. Yeah, Steve Jordan, who is one of the all-time great drummers, right, comes in on the untimely passing of your dear friend Charlie. Is it still a little odd, though, to look back and see that Charlie's not there? Yeah, just blank.

The only surprise. But, yeah, otherwise, you know, Charlie and Steve are so close, And Steve knows Charlie's love and feel that we can play with it. Sometimes he fools me. I do think it's Charlie was behind me. And he's not necessarily trying to do it. It's just a sort of natural feel, you know. This is what we like, you know.

It does feel like you're on a role, Keith, which is you guys hadn't put out a new original album in many years, almost 20 years. And then comes Hackney. And then now just three years later, here we go again. Full of surprises. Does it feel like you're on a role at the moment? At the moment, yes, it does. I mean, recording is a strange thing. Sometimes nothing is happening, or there's a lot happening,

but it's not the right time to put it at. You know, you never know. There's all many variables about, let's put a record out. And at the same time, record companies are putting out all reissues. Right. You know, we're not going to fight. ourselves. So,

but I'm amazed that we pulled it off, and I'm very happy. So this is like, yeah, there's a fresh, here we come again sort of thing. Well, we're happy you are. Here you come again. Is the process of writing music

with your old friend Mick and making a record, is it much different now than it was all those years ago, or does it feel like there's still a fundamental relationship that makes the music? We do it, in the old days, I mean, obviously we were on the road together, we were writing

all of that early stuff, you know, in holiday, you know, come on, we got a deadline. And now, obviously, we write separately and then sort of pull everything together and say, you know, well, what are your car? Yeah, show me your wares. And I'm trying to work it out like that, you know, and it's at the same time, you You know, when you have a new producer, Andrew was hearing stuff from out of the can that we hadn't, you know, we'd be sort of overlooked or, you know, this still has to be used,

which was very interesting. And, you know, there's some, so there's a sort of continuity about it, you know. It was kind of nice, you know, there's Charlie's on a couple of tracks. Yes. You know, there's a sort of fairly seamless. You have some recorded drums from Charlie about five years ago before he passed on this record, which is a very cool touch. Do you still, Keith, get the joy that you've always gotten out of making music, which is sitting in a room maybe with your acoustic guitar and working something out? You know, I think that's the most constant thing I can say yes out of, you know, yeah, music is better than jail.

But, you know, you can put yourself in there and music will do for you whatever you can, you know, put into it and find out. I mean, I sit there sometimes and I have no idea. I never sit down and say I'm going to write a song. You know, I just pick up an instrument and play Buddy Holly or something. And then wait, and then suddenly somewhere, I'll have something there to be, you know, That's an interesting change. And it sort of starts from little things like that, you know. Then you say, I've got to follow that sequence a little more.

And then a phrase comes into play. And then that's writing songs, you know. That's amazing. It'll just come to you. Yeah, that's the way I like it. Yeah. I never chase it. It's too hard to work. Do you play every day, Keith? Do you sit with your guitar?

every day? I wouldn't say every day, but just about, I always have acoustic guitar, you know, it's on my couch. And yeah, I keep my hand in, definitely, you know, you have to. Is this how some of the great riffs you've played over the years, whether it's satisfaction or start me up or all those? Is that how those have come to you, just playing? Yeah, you're just sitting around on the couch and, you know, an acoustic guitar, and then you say, hey, guys, like this one. And if it's a yay, then we take it, you know. Yeah, it's quite a little, in a private little thing in a way. And sometimes you call up Mick and say, I've got this rift that I've only got half of it. What have you got? Maybe you can fill in the other half.

And so we kind of work like that, you know. Yeah. The partnership that has worked for, I don't know, 60-some years, right? Yeah. Through thick and thin. Since the sandpit. Do you ever think back, Keith? I don't know if you're sentimental about these things,

but I was thinking about this fateful meeting that you and Mick had famously in 1961 on the train platform in Dartford, right? And he's got the records under his arm and it's muddy waters and Chuck Barry and you say, that's my guy. Do you ever now, all these years later, when you've sold out every stadium on the face of the earth

and you're one of the greatest bands of all time. Do you ever stop and go, look how far we've come? I know, I was a prey to British rail. But, you know, the fact that he just got in the same carriage that day, you know, as a Dartford railway station as a shrine to me. There is a plaque there, Keith. I don't know if you know that. Yeah, I heard, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. I don't go back there. I don't want to cause us disturbed. Well, it's now a historic. landmark where you and Mick got together. But do you stop and think about, look how far we've come? You know, sometimes somebody doesn't mention it to you and you go,

and it does get right in your face, and you're like, God, I can't believe that. And then there's another part of you having done it so long that you sort of, you put the old man actor and I say, oh, you know, it's the way it is. But there is somewhere in between, there is a wonder about it, yeah. Yeah. How do you explain, Keith, the longevity of this band.

I have to talk to my daughter. We can talk about your longevity. But the band's longevity that in 2026, you can put out this album, Foreign T tongues, and have it sound as good as ever. Your guitars and mixed voice and everybody, it's right there. How do you explain that? I wish I would ask somebody else that. I can't explain it.

I would just say that there's a very, very strong bond between Mick and I that goes even beyond in a way that we're aware of. And I think that might be something to do with it. And then we've just been so fortunate in working with the right cats, you know, from Charlie. And Ronnie, you know, no, I have Ronnie, you know. We've always drawn the best guys to us. And I tell you what, sometimes. It's like a pleasure.

You just have to step. I say, I got to step up. Right. Yeah, right? So it sort of keeps you on your toes, which isn't bad, you know. When you play with the best, you've got to keep up sometimes, isn't that right? Yeah, when you demand the best. Yeah.

You talked about your own longevity. You have this funny line you say at the shows sometimes. You say, it's good to be here. It's good to be anywhere. Right? Right. I think people look at your life and they go, wow, he is still doing it at this point. what is your secret?

If there was a secret, first of, I wouldn't tell anybody. And, I mean, I don't know. I mean, it's as simple as that. I just keep going. I feel good as long as I've got something to do, especially with these boys at the moment. They're really keeping me on my toes. And, you know, I mean, I've even lost some weight.

Looking good, yeah. Do you still get the thrill when you go out on stage and maybe play that opening riff of Start Me Up or satisfaction in the crowd, as they have for all these years goes wild? Do you still feel that? Yeah, you feel it. I mean, you feel it through the crowd. You know, and suddenly it's amplified by 50,000 people emotions, you know, it is. And, I mean, basically, that's why you do it. You know, just love to get on stage and kick some ass.

Is there a, I know this is a difficult question. I was just talking to Nick about this. Is there a song when you get out there and play, you go, yeah, this is the one. This is us at our best. Oh, I know there are a thousand of them. This is really tough. I know it's too many and they're all different. You know, but sometimes when I wake up and suddenly,

asked myself that question, I say Midnight Rambler. I'm with you on that, by the way. I don't know why this is the expression. This is what it's all about. It's maybe not the best song in the world, I don't know, but

it's the Rolling Stones are the best. It's a great tune, isn't it? It's a great tune. And Mick ends it by saying, I stick my knife right down your throat, baby, and it hurts. You can't go wrong with material like this. And we're out. Another game I was playing with Mick was there's this idea of the sort of Desert Island,

the great Rolling Stones album. People say, let it bleed or exile. It depends which area you like the best, maybe, or tattoo you, one of those. Do you have a favorite Rolling Stones album? I can't cut them up like that. I'd go along with it. because there's so much stuff from different times. And I mean, there are the obvious ones, Beggers Banker.

I mean, if I have to pick, could I pick, you know, any of that stuff, could I pick this one? But, I mean, at the moment, it's not tried and tested, so I can't throw this one into the mix. But I couldn't pick one. and then exile on Main Street. Wow. Wow.

This is a tough one, pal. Yeah. And then there's the story, the making of these records, exile famously, you guys in France, which is so different from the process for this album, when as you've talked about, you know, it was about, what, four weeks of this little room together, but it does seem like watching just some behind-the-scenes footage

of you guys working together, the joy of being in that room together and making cool songs is still there for all of you. Yeah, there is some footage. Yeah. Yeah, because I think they filmed the whole sessions without even knowing. So I've seen it. It's funny. It is.

Yeah, because half the time he's making jokes and going, oh, my God, I screwed up. And then, you know, then there's the music and stuff. And it's just the process of putting something together. I mean, I'm very same, we also, because we were working with Stevie Winwood, you know, which, which made an all-English band, or at least the front line. And, yeah, which was of real pleasure. And because Stevie, I first met Stevie,

and he was about 15, 16, and he had a huge hit called, give me some loving, I'm a man, and keep on, and all produced by Jimmy Miller, who later was the same guy that produced our stuff, you know. Right. And so that was our connection. I hardly ever seen him since, you know, so it was really, he was on stage, I remember,

and threw some fish in the piano or something, because it was a last night, some bizarre story, you know, and we never forgot it, yeah. So that was really great to have, Stevie join in. The fact that you guys have kept your, that blues bass sound all these years, has that been important to you?

I mean, you've gone through in the 80s. There was a little disco sound occasionally with the times, but at the end of the day, you've been a blues band. You don't think about that, you know, it's in. And this is the way it goes. Right, right. That's just it. Yeah, that's built him.

But I think for as popular as you, you guys are to carry on that blues legacy and to let people know Muddy Waters and Chuck Barry from rock and roll. In some ways you're carrying that legacy. There's all part of everything that you listen to now and listen to before. There is something about the blues which is beautifully consistent and has something more than just the obvious of the blues. There is a musical thread through it and through popular music.

even when it's not an obvious blues, you could hear the blues in it. That's right. That's right. It's the foundation of the whole thing. Yeah, it's the great American gift, man. Yes. Would you, Keith, like to get back on the road and play some of these songs when you guys are ready? I'd love to. I don't think it's going to happen this year.

Yeah. But we were working this record, I didn't know. But basically, yeah, The road or working this, you know, working by it again is absolutely, I think, you know, on the plans. Probably next year. Great. Okay. All right.

We've got millions of years. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, I don't sense any reason or any inclination from you guys to step away. You're still going full speed at this point. You're going to keep going like this? Sure. Of course.

What else now am I going to change? Well, we certainly hope you do, man. Thank you so much. Nice to talk to you, man. Thank you. I appreciate it. Stick around to hear from Ronnie Wood right after a quick break. Welcome back.

Now, my conversation with Ronnie Wood. Thanks for doing this, Ronnie. It's great to meet you. My pleasure. Been a fan for a long time. It's funny when people talk about you, they say, he's the new guy. He's only been here 50 years in the stones.

That's right. It's been a long, frankly. This album is extraordinary. We were just talking about it, Foreign Tongues. When you heard you getting the band together again, just a couple of years after Hackey Diamonds, does that excite you, that energy, that creative energy to get back into it with the boys?

It's how it should be. You know, not too much time gone by before we start creating again. You know, I knew there was a lot in the pipes, you know, in the works. and, you know, it always is, you know, and it's great to just tap that. And it's healthy to let it come out more often than leaving it 10 years between albums, you know. Right. So that's where Andrew Watt came in handy, you know, to kick us the necessary parts to, you know,

to get us into action and make all this happen. Yeah, because otherwise it's all talk, you know, you sit around and you go, you know, with a cut a demo and go, right, let's do a demo of this one now, and do a demo, and then you start piling up. And if you haven't got anyone to say, come on, you know, let's put this together and finish it, you know, then it's just years go by. And that's how it happens.

You do a pile up of material, and when you listen to it again, it's kind of aged and kind of, you know, are you sure? So there's no time for that. You've got to jump on it and catch the spontaneity. Yeah, because before, as you say, before Hackney, it had been almost 20 years since you've done an original album of new music. And that's a long time for you guys to go, isn't it? The only compensating thing to it was that we'd been touring more and more and more, you know, every two years kind of thing, which was pretty good.

I love that. But, yes, we solved the studio saga now. Yes, yeah. There's Andrew Watt. I don't know if everyone appreciates whatever his magic is. He's a young guy who's worked with just about everybody. He did Hackney with you guys. Well, Paul McCartney told me about him at dinner one night,

because I said, we need someone to kick us in a shape like Jimmy Miller used to do, right, before my time. But I used to love what they did, and I loved the regularity of the albums, you know. And then that subsided. And Paul said, why don't you give Andrew Watt? Try. This young kid I've been working with, he said, no harm in it. You know, if it doesn't work, you haven't lost everything.

I said, right. And so I said, I'm going to tell Mick. So the next day I asked Mick what he was going to do. He said, well, I got a list of people to produce. And the top of the list was Andrew Watt. Wow. And I thought, this must be in the air, you know. something must be

you know drifting around in the in the atmosphere yeah lovely what is it about him that makes him so good at what he does because you've worked for so many producers what's special about him well he makes you jump to it and he can back up what he says

by being able to play and sing you know each instrument you play a little bit of piano or a little bit of guitar or you know he knows my guitar he thinks he knows it he thinks he's teaching me my own parts but it's so great and his

enthusiasm is fabulous he plays a bit of bass so you know the harmony background vocals together but a great thing is he participating and creative do you still get the thrill the joy that you've always had when a new

album is about to be given to the world. I mean, you've done so many of them. I'm only a gift to the world months ago. I'll still better wait to July before it can come out. That's true. Is it still exciting on the eve of this moment? Yeah, very exciting.

Yeah. Yeah, and it's a beautiful album. It's so well done. Your role in the band, I mean, I would joke that you're the new guy, but you joined, I think, officially in 76, we started playing with him in 75. Is that something right? and my first set of album was 73.

Right, right. But the flatbed truck was 75, you know, down Fifth Avenue. Right, right. That was my official kind of announcement. And so I'm just thinking for you, you were already in a great band of Faces with Rod. The phone call to join the Rolling Stones. What did that feel like? Well, it was always on the cards because I've known them over the years.

And they always just say to me, well, we see you then? And I said, yeah, sooner then. You know, and it always came. I was in the right place at the right spot, you know. I was in the Hyde Park when Brian died and Mick Taylor was telling me. Everyone bumped into Mick and Charlie there. And they said, hey, great to see you. And what are you doing?

I said, well, look, I come to watch you guys, you know. And they said, look at all these people. Oh, my God, you know, can I do it? Oh, we got to go. We see you soon. I said, yeah, sooner than you think. And then the next thing was, I was there when Mick Taylor said to each other, he was leaving the band. And Mick said to me, what am I going to do?

And I said, would you join? I thought you'd never ask. Yeah, it was great. The fate involved with what was meant to be, you know. And how do you view your role in the band? Because to hear Mick and Keith talk about it, there is no Rolling Stones without you, which is... Well, I take their ideas through. ceiling.

Yeah, yeah. By my solos and my creativity and my push, you know. And there's something about the you and Keith playing guitar together. What is that magic? How do you explain that? Yeah, the weaving, the ancient form of weaving. Yeah. Yeah, it's an unspoken guitar language that we just exchange.

And we don't over-analymp. it, but something magic happens there, and we go, okay, may it continue. The thrill I was saying of a new album coming out, what about the thrill of playing live with the Rolling Stones

walking out under the stage? Yeah, the biggest buzzer ever, you know. Yeah. But that won't happen this year. You know, we want to work, but I really have to wait for next year. Yeah, that's what the guys were saying to. Maybe next year. Get this one out, let it get out. We definitely.

want to play. And tour on a little bit, right? That's another whole thing. It's setting up a tour and the and the dates and availability and pick him where you want to go. But, you know, we thought we do one thing at a time. We, you know, get this album up and running and going through its changes, you know. There's one of the beautiful parts about the new album is that we get some of the drums from Charlie for the recorded in 2021 before his passing. It's so respectful and so lucky that we have some tracks in the bag with Charlie playing. And for some reason, we managed to get Charlie in the studio quite a lot before he became ill. And we were just turning out lots of demos.

And I went over to France and mixed out of got all these ideas, you know, can we just put them in demo form? in a studio. So I played along with Charlie, all these ideas. And like on the happening, diamonds were used one, and hit me in the head on foreign tongues. It's just nice that Steve Jordan, you know, handed the baton with Charlie's blessing, you know, he said, anything happens to me,

make sure it's Steve, it's my place. because he's got that kick, you know. Yeah, he does. An explosive kick. Yes. Steve's incredible, but is it still odd sometimes for you to be playing and turn around and not see Charlie there? Do you still feel him in the room a little bit? Well, we feel him, yeah, because Steve makes that happen, you know.

He continually playing with respect to what Charlie played. Charlie was like a firework display in his approach, and Jordan is like a bomb going off. Yeah. It's like, wow, you get blown sideways five feet, you know. But that's what we like, yeah. I can tell you guys still have, after all these years, so much fun making music together. I was saying at this event in Brooklyn, the launch party,

I was watching as, you know, Mick would be giving an answer to a question, and you and Keith, like schoolboys in the back of the class, are giggling and hitting each other and laughing. I mean, you still love being around the guys, don't you? Oh, yeah. It's like the school yard unleashed it in when we get back to the other. It doesn't matter how long we've been apart, years. We don't have to speak or anything.

But when we're back to death, it's like no time has passed. And the humor and the interaction and the talent just goes through the roof. And that's got to be good for creativity when you're in a small room making a record together to have that kind of easy rapport with each other. And then in between times I get my pal. paintings, you know, something I can do on my own, and I get weirdly, sometimes I forget to take my jacket off and it's so possessed with an idea, you know, I have to get it down on canvas. And then I step back and I go, Christ, I haven't even taken my coat off yet. It's like five hours later. Wow.

Yeah. I was going to ask you about that. What is the genesis of your talent, but also your fascination with painting? When did that start for you? Well, it started when I was a little lad, because my older brothers were artists and musicians. So if they played, I would play. If they painted, I would paint. And right from a young age, I remember four years old, you know, jamming with them and stuff. My first gig was rolling newspaper on a tape recording

and making it sound like fire, you know. And then I played the washboard on stage with them at the age of seven in their skiffle band, you know. Wow. And that's when I first got butterflies going on stage, and I thought, yeah, this is a good job. John Lennon, this is a good job. And then the applause after the performance felt pretty good, too.

You want to feel that again, right? Speaking of applause, I'm curious from your point of view, when you go play a show, what is the song that you play that either fires up the crowd the most or that fires you up or fires you up together? It depends if you mean rehearsal. No, out of show. At Wembley, you walk out there. What's the song and you know what's coming? You said, this is about to explode. Well, if you're talking about explosions, it's street fighting man, you know. That opening riff and the engaging beat, you know. It's unrefusable. It draws you, draws your heart to it.

music, you know, the fundamental, yeah, depth of the music. Yes. The longevity of your band, I was talking to Keith about this a little bit earlier, is extraordinary. The fact that at this point, 60-some-odd years, since the stones were born, that you're putting out this quality music. It sounds like an album that could be from 1968 or something like that. It has that same energy behind it. How do you explain that? How do you, this longevity of the Rolling Stone, The only way I can explain it is to say that it's what we do. You know, it's just in our blood we can't help it. You know, we can't have any other talk but to carry on and create.

You know, everything else is a foreign tongue to us, you know. There's no reason to even consider retirement or anything like that. No, retirement, what's that? What would you do anyway, right? What would you do anyway, right? Well, you'd paint, I guess. I would paint and play in my retirement. Right. May I was going to take it to the people.

Right, exactly. Let the people see it. Yeah. Well, this is a spectacular album. Congratulations. It's been fun to talk to you guys today. And you don't need me to say it, but good success on the record. Congratulations. Thanks so much, man. Yeah, good to see you, man.

My big thanks to the Stones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood for great conversations. Their new album, Foreign Tungs, is out on July 10th. course, you can hear their full catalog of legendary music wherever you get yours. And my big thanks to all of you for listening again this week. If you want to hear more of my conversations with our guests every week, be sure to click follow so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday today every weekend on NBC to see these interviews with your own two eyes. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit Down podcast.