It's Only Rock n' Roll, (but he loves it).

I recently listened to all 20 discs of Keith Richard's autobiography "Life" and loved it. How the man remained as musically productive while battling a heroin addiction for as many years as he did is fairly mind-blowing, but what is truly impressive is his pure love of music. He received his first guitar in his mid-teens and before long began developing an encyclopaedic knowledge of American rhythm and blues. This infatuation became the basis of his friendship with Mick Jagger, who grew up not far from Richards, but in a much better part of town. Different classes, same love of the blues.

What really kept me hooked on Richards' story was not just the escapades - the over-zealous cops in Arkansas, the Anita Pallenberg years, and the drug binges - followed by numerous punishing attempts to kick the habit before he finally did - it was his clear love of music and respect for musicianship. At his core he's a working class guy who's made it extremely good and knows it, but his values and work ethic remain very grounded. For lack of a more interesting way to put it, for Richards it really is all about the music. He remains curious and (surprisingly, because this is Keith Bloody Richards!) has even experienced doubts about his ability to succeed at new aspects of music. Specifically, it took him nine months before he gathered the courage to try his hand at songwriting. Once he did, it was apparent he had a talent for it and it became for him a major means of self-expression. "It was sheer pleasure and an unexpected gift I didn’t know I had" he says about songwriting. The fact that this super-human musician would be reticent to try anything new - so he is human? - was a great reminder that anyone, at any stage of life or level of success, can experience doubts about their abilities. I'm thinking this is a good thing to remember if you keep yourself out of the running before you even begin because you're not "one of them." "Them" being one of those "sprinkled with fairy-dust, they must have something I don't" kind of people, the likes of which stop you from trying something you really ought to try and soon. Like, now.