Keith Richards: The 1992 "Guitar Player" Interview

This 102-minute interview took place on September 17, 1992, in the Manhattan office of Keith’s personal manager, Jane Rose. In a great mood that evening, Keith had just finished mixing his "Main Offender" solo album and was happy to talk about a wide range of subjects. We start off with his views on vintage fuzztones, and then discuss his use of open guitar tunings, “Street Fighting Man,” Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, how there’s no lying when you play music, what to look for in a guitar and amp, and how to tell if a studio’s room will sound good on record. Keith also gets into how to set up a guitar for slide, how to record acoustic guitar, strategies for playing with a second guitarist, how the Rolling Stones’ music is more about chaos than precision, how to remember songs that come to you at strange times, the dangers of fame, the best drugs to use while playing music, and what he would have musicians learn from him. Accompanying us that day was Jesse Gress, who’d been assigned to write a Keith Richards music lesson. (One of the foremost transcribers of guitar music, Jesse later became the guitarist in Todd Rundgren’s band.) At various times you'll also hear Keith and Jesse playing unplugged electric guitars. Portions of this never-before-broadcast interview were transcribed in my December 1992 "Guitar Player" cover story. I hope you enjoy our epic conversation. If you're into the Rolling Stones, be sure to check out our channel's interviews with Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Chuck Leavell, Darryl Jones, and more Keith Richards.. Thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for assembling this podcast. For more than 200 blues-, rock-, and guitar-intensive podcasts, interview transcriptions, and articles, check out my online "Talking Guitar" magazine at https://jasobrecht.substack.com/. #keithrichards #rollingstones #mickjagger #blues #jasobrecht #nikhunt This recording is ©2025 Jas Obrecht. All right reserved.