Meeting up with MICK JAGGER

Who the fuck is Mick Jagger?

Actually I was always asking this question. Well, not too loud, cuz I didn´t wanna get the »thank you for being stupid« place in our class and because I always knew who the guy was. Well, sir doesn´t have to introduce himself, because others keep doing it for him (in both ways, positive and negative) for decades.  What kept bugging me, was what makes him The Mick Jagger.  

I met this rolling stone when I was about 13 and I was on my way on exploring music and combining different music styles. It didn´t take long when one of the most extravagant persons of all times and one of the most recognized frontman ever soon became my favourite Rolling Stone. Yeah, I am a part of that half that vowed to Stones. I knew the band because it was almost like a general known fact and I kinda knew their music, but I didn´t pay too much attention  though. I took my first Rolling Stones album from trash and it soon became my favourite one. What I got was the Anybody seen my baby 1997 single and altough I´ve heard it on the radio before, listening to CD appeared to be something completely different. I decided to give it a try, listened it couple of times and then left. But it didn´t leave me. Never. Jagger´s voice was so appealing that I couldn´t turn the radio off. The solos were just enough long so you bear them in mind. What started back then with Anybody seen my baby, spread from Start me up, way up to Miss you, You can´t always get what you want, Get off my cloud, Angie (of course), Paint it black and so on. I could say there was nothing too exaggerating in his vocal, but yet his blues  goes hand in hand with his simple and descritpive lyrics. What I always liked with the Stones was also their open provocative language that described love and passion in all kinds of ways. First it seems oh my god I´m going straight to hell for listening , then you figure it out and finally you feel like okay, I want a bite too! After I heard it for the first time, also the Your love is strong got me. The sound of harmonica fulfills it straight to the end and yet the guitars come really handy. Mick´s words got right into my ear and I believe straight to my heart so I couldn´t stop thinking when someday baby, we´re actually gonna meet. One could feel he is talking straight to him, right into his soul. Raspy, low vocal sounds somewhere between melanholic and thoughtful in one of my favourites Dead flowers. Stones´ sound took me in some other place in some other time and made me feel again I am so retro. The basic melody got into my ear and the last line makes a twist in the whole song but is also so sadly true. Though the composition of this piece is more country (which is actually Keith´s area of expertise), but Mick made it excellent. I can´t go on without mentioning his british pronounciation and also saying some lines out of the rhytm. He is one of very rare artists that made every line come alive. Literally one could say he feels every word he speaks without any decorations, he also doesn´t spend too much time colouring his voice. Saying every word the way he feels it got me the same way as it happened in You can´t always get what you want. The lyrics and rhytm in the intro of Sympathy in the devil may be more interesting to hear, but the choir made You can´t always get what you want one of a kind. Really funny, the lyrics are simple, the rhytm is simple, chords ain´t hard to learn, but the song is amazing. For my opinion, it beat also The great Satisfaction (for amazing rhytm and talkative lyrics familiar to either Stones lovers  and not-so-much Stones lovers ). Jagger may be sometimes even more popular for his unconnected dance style of something like ballet with disco elements that makes you feel like laughing but the next second you´re dying to know it. No matter how long you spend on learning it, you´re never gonna figure it out. And what´s missing after that is his recognized move (putting the mic behind his belt) and the show is complete. Incredible. Add his 70 years and you know you´re already a fan.  

Love for Stones practically almost made me blind and it started without knowing when, why or how. It took me with them and I was taken away like it didn´t happen for a long time. I started believing the rumours about their reputation and success and I could confirm them, afterall it´s the greatest rock n´roll band we´re talking about. After hearing Stones´ pieces I realized I heard them but never really listened to them. So when I started to, we´ve been spending all nights along and tried to catch up all the time we missed. Mick´s voice was so amazing it played in my mind all the time and his persona is still so alive I completely bought it yet without knowing how it got into my blood. It led to playing my own songs in the way I sometimes discover something similar like Time is on my side lyrics and my rhytm beats like good old It´s only rock n´ roll somewhere deep in the heart of the song. But I like it. So when I couldn´t understand all those gals passing out just when they saw him and his voice that feels so annoying, I couldn´t deny it was actually one of the most incredible annoying things I´ve heard. And I had to admit it was actually me being the loudest one shouting under the stage when I finally got to see that man. 

Kid`s Kit: MY WEEK WITH THE ROLLING STONES

Kid`s Kit: THE LICK WEEK (My week with the Stones)

Your favourite Kid is back again! I spend one week watching that over-fifty-years old Lick pointing at my face and it still seems to me as one of the greatest logos ever. As a part of popular culture, you just gotta have it and I feel like there ain`t never too many of them. Red, black and white weren`t the only things I got with the Stones` logo to be a real Brit`s look-alike. Check the result& tell me if you like it! (Hope it could be hint for your up-coming stylings).

I bet you figure, I got this glasses from hippy or at least from some John Lennon fan, but I thought they fit great with my bomber and my Stones` belt.

Levi`s  jeans, H&M t-shirt, H&M jacket, glasses from local shop, belt from ebay.com

Brits never know when the rain`s gonna come, so I suppose the raincoat is the right decision to wear. Rainboots also fit and they happen to be Vivienne Westwood`s pair, so I`m a Brit yet! If you wanna know my name, read my t-shirt.

Tally Weijl shorts, Pull&Bear t-shirt, my mama`s jacket and sunglasses, Vivienne Westwood boots

When I walked around town in this coat, I felt as Mick himself wandering around NYC in Anybody seen my baby. This bag is custom made (I picked my favourite Mick`s picture, he was same age as me up there).

H&M trench, Levi`s jeans, UCB turtleneck sweater, custom made bag

This is what Kid wore on the date with the Stones (in Vienna). I almost lost my mind, trying to get that jacket. Well, it came to me just few weeks before the big event and it came right from Britain.

H&M jacket, H&M shorts, second hand sandals

I felt 70`s uptown lady, taking her afternoon tea when she`s coming from market with her fancy lick bag full of goods.

H&M leather vest, Zara shorts, H&M bag, hat from beach souvenir shop, mama`s sandals and sunglasses

               NOT ANOTHER FASHION BLOG!

(but including fashion)

Kid`s pit: 60.000 LICKS (STILL NO SATISFACTION)

KID`S PIT: THE LICK WEEK

You wanna know how it feels being next to Mick Jagger? First-person confession from Rolling Stones` show in Vienna.

(For Slovene version, check below)

 60.000 Licks (and still no satisfaction) 

No, you're not aware, where are you headin' when you enter one of twenty buses that are starting their way only from Slovenia. And when you'd probably need a map, when these twenty buses get lost in dozens of buses from countries all over Europe. I suppose you ain't aware that you're going on a concert of a band that maybe your mama was a huge fan of (or your grandma, if she didn't promise to be eternal fan of The Beatles). Maybe you get a clue, when there are posters with great red licks all around Vienna and almost everyone that passes you by is wearing a t-shirt with the same big, light red lick. And man, you really get a feeling it's pointing at you. Seriously. You get a clue of all what's happening just few miles before Vienna, when they tell you you're going on a concert of the greatest rock'n roll band of all times.

Battle time

Yeah, it's about The Rolling Stones' concert in Vienna on the 16th of June during their 14 on fire tour. And it has to be pointed out this gig was a thing to be fighting for. For many times. First, it started with war for tickets. Tickets for Stones were always right on the edge between pricey and they cost as much fans are still ready to pay for. So for Vienna (and all 14 of shows) the sign »sold out« flashed on your computer only few minutes after they were ready to buy. When you got the ticket and made it to Vienna, it was necessary to get as good place in front of the stadium as you can get. Fans started camping in front of Ernst Happel since early in the morning and maybe it seems strange, but next to you it might turn out to be sitting the Stones' fan from Norway and his mother, who had a bag, t-shirt and even an arm tattoo decorated with logo of the band. Forget about the souvenirs. Mission impossible. All of the visitors were practicaly roasting untill five p.m. when even a TV crew came and probably shoot it for News at 7. So when a girl holding newspapers with cover of Mick Jagger passed by, the crowd literally lost it and got into a fight for their own piece. When the gates opened, the battle wasn't even close to an end. The combat continued, while everyone started running on the big stadium.

On fire!

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Rolling Stones! And that's the moment, you're getting aware of damn thing. In the air so many hands, you can't see a thing, despite your position in let's say fifth row under the stage. You can't hear a single riff except screaming of elderly lady, who gets crazy at first glance of the band. On the stage appear grey-haired guys and in front of them is the skinniest of them all with strange dance style and likes moving his face muscles and wagging his finger at the public. Start me up got the visitors really »on fire« and Jagger proved he still got it and showed himself all over the stage. While Charlie was managing the drums with his well-known elegance, Keith and Ronnie, both in colorful sneakers, kept strumming their strings. Keith wore green pair and he stayed typically swoon, while Ronnie couldn't stop smiling and flirting with public in his red high sneakers. Later on Jagger said hello in german and explained guys are delighted to visit Vienna again. He referred to fans from Austria, Croatia and Serbia and forgot about those from Slovenia, but they sure didn't mind, because he didn't stop sending them kisses during the show. 

Despite their age members of legendary group proved their status, and 71-year old great grandpa Mick Jagger showed his good vocal and physical condition. Sure, the ballet lessons did their way. »Und jetzt etwas romantisch zu kuschen! Angie,« Jagger introduced all-time love ballad (actually written for Bowie's wife Angela) that embodies desire but is also a proof of Jagger's unstoppable favour for women. The crowd also got excited at rebellious Get off my cloud and other big hits.

It's only rock n' roll. But we like it.

But, that was far from all you've seen that night. Sir Mick all of sudden pulled his harmonica out of the pocket, but he also showed he knows how to handle the six strings. The whole show was visually well prepaired and so it was Jagger's image. During Sympathy for the Devil he steped into the Lucifer's shoes so he wore long red feather boa to feel more alike. Fans helped with accompainment and they also did blow their whistles in Miss you. Surprise of the evening was ex-Stone bass player Mick Taylor, who enriched the Midnight Rambler. Keith Richards showed his vocal skills in You got the silver and Can't be seen. After two hours stones left the stage, but the party wasn't over. It's only rock n' roll. But we like it!

Arrival on the stage started with well-known C and F chords of You can't always get what you want. Fans enjoyed the sound of Austrian academic choir. After some calmer melodies there was a time for big hit you sure know at least the chorus (even though stones are not your favourite kind of band). Satisfaction, of course. Satisfaction that took almost ten minutes. And Satisfaction that lifted the whole stadium up and all hands in the air.

So, if couple of old skinny lads didn't seem much, after such gig, one should admit they are the way they are presented. And so you are now aware you've witnessed living legends, that despite battles over women, drugs and changes in music industry stayed together for decades. You have witnessed something that started with love for only rhytm and blues and during all those years influenced fashion, haircut and (after all) lifestyle of people. You've witnessed euphoria that will maybe never happen. And somewhere in the heart of it is still the music actually. You're now aware of it, standing right under the stage, so close you could with little effort reach Jagger's leg and around you 60.000 people singing I can't get no Satisfaction!

The LickWeek

Do u really wanna miss the Lick Week?

I don`t think so. See you in 2 days!

Soundcheck

Howdy everybody!

Thank you for stopping by and checking out how Kid`s doing! I hope we`ll be hanging together a lot!

So people, every month it`s gonna be like that: we`re gonna meet one musician, then we`re gonna play the gig one more time, and during one week I`m gonna share with you some pics, so you`d see how my week was, and (as a songwriter and musician to be, practice makes perfect everybody says), I`m gonna share with you my own song covers, other song covers I like or put here some songs I composed.
I`d like to point out here that I ain`t a critic, but enthusiast and a fan, so don`t take my stuff too seriously.
This blog is also a place for you, guys! Write to me, which of my memos you like, vote which pics are your favourite, send me some suggestions, which gigs you`d like to read about.
Rent me! Get me on your gig ( or send me your playlist) and look your ass up in my concert memoir.
Send me your very own concert experience! You sure are gonna get your place up here!

Okay, now that was soundcheck. Kid is ready for rock n` roll!