The Rolling Stones…
…are gathering some moss.
But Happy 70th Birthday anyway, Mick!
Here’s the birthday boy:
Does he look good for 70? I suppose so, but I’ve lost sight of what 70 looks like, people age so variably. And I must say I never thought Mick Jagger looked young, or good even when he actually was young. He was always so skinny, and he has somehow managed not to gain an ounce. Is there a Mick Jagger diet book in his future?
And of course it’s possible to Google “What does Mick Jagger eat?” and find out.
Hmmm—I notice this is the second post I’ve written in as many days about a male public figure’s weight and age. Purely a coincidence, I’m sure.
” He was always so skinny, and he has somehow managed not to gain an ounce. Is there a Mick Jagger diet book in his future?”
You funny Neo. Here’s the main ingredient:
C17H21NO4
He looks a lot like a white Al Sharpton . A Happy Birthday to Mick.
southpaw:
Oh, I know that, but in recent years he’s been just as skinny and he gave up drugs some years ago. I think it’s true, because he’s become a bit of a health nut in his dotage.
No, I think he’s just a naturally skinny guy who also burns up about 10,000 calories a day jumping around.
Powerline has a post up on Dion Dimucci, who is 74 today. I think he has aged better than Mick, but then, I never found Mick very attractive. But aren’t these guys supposed to stay frozen as they were when we fell in love with their music? It would help my own fantasy that I am still pretty young.
Neo: Good to hear he’s clean now. But there’s something unnatural about a 70 year old man jumping around like a frightened field mouse. But I suppose the dignified English gentleman look was never in the cards for him.
What else can the stones do other than what they’ve been doing for 50 years? I applaud their vigor.
Yup, he looks 70… and he’s probably wearing a wig.
Bob Dylan, 2009 interview
“people age so variably”
And in the entertainment business, it’s rare to find someone his age who hasn’t been messing with their face (facelifts, botox, etc). Most of ’em look like freakish versions of their younger self.
Of course, I can’t discuss music without turning the conversation to Bob Dylan. Sorry, I just can’t help it.
In this case, it makes an interesting “compare and contrast”.
The Rolling Stones tour every few years, usually playing stadiums and arenas with great fanfare and publicity. The 2013 tour is their first since 2007.
Dylan turned 72 in May, and he also looks his age. But he doesn’t dance and jump around during his performances.
However, he makes up for it with volume. He has played some 2300 dates since 1988. He has averaged 80-100 shows per year since then, usually in small to mid-sized venues. His shows are not heavily publicized, but his fans know where to find him. For a few years in the mid-2000s, he played at minor league baseball parks during the summer. I saw a few of those shows, and I can say that they are terrific concert venues. They were all general admission, so you could go down on the field to get close to the stage, or else relax in the stands and enjoy a hot dog. Minor league ballparks tend to be in small towns, so traffic and parking are not a problem compared to big city stadiums.
According to Wikipedia, the Stones have played 19 dates in North America and three in England so far in this tour.
Dylan played 19 dates in April 2013 alone. (I saw him at Bethlehem, PA on April 18, at Stabler Arena, a college basketball venue.)
James Brown used to be known as “the hardest-working man in show business”, primarily because of his athletic stage performances. I would assert that Bob Dylan has inherited that title, not for his athleticism, but for his sheer dogged persistence.
***
Neo: It appears that Richard Thompson opened for him from July 2-15, but, alas, those shows were in the south and midwest.
We went to a Dylan performance back in 2005 at a local college basketball arena (about 5,000 seats). We were excited because we hadn’t seen Dylan live since the Rolling Thunder days. It was awful. The sound level was so loud the music was extremely distorted. It took us half way into Like a Rolling Stone to figure out what he was singing. I guess its true what they say — if its too loud, you’re too old. 😉
For you rickl: http://tinyurl.com/mhhnx8p
parker:
It may matter where you were sitting. Check out the comments from this article about his 2010 concert at Stabler.
rickl:
I went to two Dylan concerts in the last 15 years, one about a year ago. They were both dreadful. I do not plan to go again.
“James Brown used to be known as “the hardest-working man in show business”, primarily because of his athletic stage performances.”
Yes, to say the least. Here is what I consider the best performance video ever by a million miles:
James Brown at the TAMI Show
Be sure to watch it all the way through, it’s just amazing. The Stones had to follow Brown at this show, Jagger said it was the toughest thing they ever had to do.
“He was always so skinny… Is there a Mick Jagger diet book in his future?”
No, but the essentials are simple. Consume large quantities of heroin, cocaine, speed, LSD, magic mushrooms, morphine, marijuana and any other psychoactive chemicals to your liking. Engage in vigorous sexual activity at least 3-4 times per day. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Not a huge Stones fan, but I like this song and the fine performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDedLtT5sno
Sorry, guys, but IMO Mick looks awful.