There’s one person who knew Keith Richards would become Keith Richards: his grandfather.
The Rolling Stones guitarist says Augustus Theodore Dupree introduced him to the instrument and taught him about music when he was a child growing up in England.
“I think, in a way, he sort of had plans for me I wasn’t aware of,” says Richards. “He turned me on to the guitar and he did it in a subtle way.”
The rock star details his relationship with his grandfather in Gus & Me, a newly released children's book.
“He was a saxophone player. He got gassed in the First World War and he couldn’t blow anymore, so he went to fiddle. He was playing way into his 60s – so am I,” says the 70-year-old with a laugh.
Why did you decide to write this book?
My publishers first came up with this idea. They said: “There are certain chapters about your grandfather that could make a great children’s book.” I’ve always wanted to give my ’ole grandfather Gus, bless him, a little more memorial than he’s had.
Your 2010 memoir, Life, was a commercial and critical success. Was there any pressure to match it with Gus & Me?
Nine times out of 10 I would have said forget about it. I’m not going there. But because of the circumstances and having another grandchild, everything was sort of falling into place.
Do you want to write more books?
I don’t know. There has been plenty of talk about doing volume two [of Life] because a lot of stuff got left out. I may save that for a little later. I had no intention of doing Life, but they kept bugging me: “C’mon, you’ve got to tell the story. Here’s a lot of money.” And I found out I could articulate things pretty well and tell a good story.
The Stones are off to Australia next month. Are you excited?
The first thing is the jet lag. I figured it out – I’m going to go via Fiji, where I’m going to chop down the tree that I fell out of the last time I was there [he suffered a concussion in the fall in 2006] and spend a few days getting rid of the jet lag, and then I can pop down to Australia. Because the jet lag is the hardest thing about trips like that. Everybody’s waking up and tripping over each other and falling asleep in rehearsals.
Are you working on music?
I have a solo record finished, but I don’t want to put it out while the Stones are working, so I’m thinking next June.
With regards to technology, are you a fan of social media?
I stay well away. I have no computer at all. I have a little tablet that I knock around with. No passwords. I mean, I don’t want to be hacked to death.
• Gus & Me (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) is available on Amazon
Musicians turned authors
Keith Richards isn’t the first rocker to dabble in children’s fiction. Here are some of our favourites
Queen Latifah – Queen of the Scene (2006)
It’s no surprise that the first lady of hip-hop’s debut is an ode to girl power. The rapper is involved with a number of charities promoting empowerment for children. The titular queen of the playground is a sassy all-rounder and talks in the author’s trademark hip-hop flow. She’s “smooth as a machine” and “builds sandcastles fit for a queen”. One touching reader review tells of a 10-year old girl, with self-esteem issues, who was inspired to take up karate lessons after reading the book.
Gloria Estefan – The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog (2005)
The Miami Sound Machine singer is one of the world's best-selling artists, having shifted more than 100 million albums in a career going back to 1977. She added "author of children's books" to her résumé in 2005 and wrote a sequel to her debut children's book the following year. The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog is about a canine who worries about fitting into her new home. The book got a mixed reception: Publishers Weekly lambasted the "clunky rhymes" and "garish" artwork, and cattily observed that Estefan's talents were better displayed on the accompanying Noelle's Song CD. Readers, however, seemed to love it.
LeAnn Rimes – Jag (2005)
The country-music star turned her hand to jungle in her first literary outing – the African jungle, not pounding drum ‘n’ bass. Jag, a baby jaguar, is dreading her first day at school, and not without reason – she’s scared of water and jaguars have to take swimming lessons. Jag faces her fears of teasing, defends Simon, who is being bullied because of his black fur, and ends up letting out such a huge roar that she earns respect.
Madonna – The English Roses (series, 2003-2009)
Madonna's first book in The English Roses series was published in 2003. The singer then went on to publish four unrelated children's books before returning to the now more-than-10-strong series in 2007. The books tell the story of five school friends in London – a reflection of Madonna's love of all things English.
Will Smith – Just the Two of Us (2005)
Will Smith has come a long way from his early days of rapping as The Fresh Prince alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff, who seems to have become a mainstay of Dubai’s clubbing scene. Part of that journey was this 2005 book that puts the lyrics of his 1998 hit, of the same name, to pictures. It’s an unusually touching ditty for a 90s hip-hop artist, telling of a new dad’s struggles to do right by his son, imparting pearls of wisdom such as “Ain’t no pain like from the opposite sex”, and “Always tell the truth, say your prayers, hold doors, pull out chairs, easy on the swears”.
* Chris Newbould
cnewbould@thenational.ae
