To "Sir" With Grudge

You could just see this one coming from out of the stadium, no? Keith Richards, rarely the voice of reason, is a downright surly man-beast, a god of a guitar player, who is hitting the right note in his devastating criticism of Mick Jagger, perhaps the coolest man in the world, but, of late, something of a whore, for accepting an honorary title from the British establishment.

Why does The Corsair side with Keith over Mick in this family squabble? Let Keith tell us in his own words, as he did to Uncut Magazine:

"'I don't want to step out on stage with someone wearing a ----ing coronet and sporting the old ermine,' declared the 59-year-old guitarist.

"I told Mick, `It's a ----ing paltry honour.'

"'I thought it was ludicrous to take one of those gongs from the establishment, when they did their best to throw us in jail.'"

And on that matter Keith Richards is quite correct. And we don't know his from Adam. Recent reports indicate that Scotland Yard detectives trumped up drug charges against the Stones -- as well as other rock and roll associates -- in order to get them in prison as a little love message from the establishment.

At this point Richards, long characterized as the "elder brother" and "conscience" of the Stones, stepped up his rhetoric, hinting that the knighthood was pathetic, beneath Mick, really; and hypocritical besides, to Uncut:

"I thought it sent out the wrong message ... It's not what the Stones is about, is it?"

"If you're into this s---, hang on for the peerage," Richards sneered. 'Don't settle for a little badge.'"

Jagger's response to the attack in the Herald Sun, was to describe Richards's views as "endearing" but sometimes "very irritating."

The Corsair knows that growing up is selling out -- somewhat, at least; but wouldn't it be a sad world indeed, if His Satanic Majesty, the king of all hellraisers, were to run after a knightship like a cocker spaniel in search of a dog yummy? If rock stars sold their artistic statements to sneaker companies or Jaguar? If 60s icons would win the Presidency and toss aside idealism to legislate by polls?

Oh, who the fuck is Mick fooling, keemo sabe: the 60s sold itself out decades ago.