Last week at a rehearsal room in Manhattan, Keith Richards had a rare reunion with his solo band, The X-Pensive Vinos: Wadi Wachtel on guitar, Evan Neville on keys, and Steve Jordan on drums. "To be able to bring us all back together, let alone here, is amazing," Richards told correspondent Anthony Mason.
"we made it!" Jordan said.
"we are still here!" Wachtel said.
Richards and Vinos reunited last Thursday night to perform at Love Rocks NYC, a benefit concert at New York's Beacon Theater.
It has been 30 years since they last toured in support of Richards' solo album, "Men Offender". And a lot has changed. For example, Richards - notorious for his flaws - finally kicked his most persistent addiction: "The cigarette is gone!" Mason said.
"Yeah. You know, it's funny, I don't think about it much anymore."
Two years ago, he quietly quit smoking after 55 years. "You went cold turkey?" asked Mason.
"Yeah, I got some patches for a few weeks," he replied. "Sometimes, you know, a bell rings and something inside says, 'Hey, dude, that's enough.' And so, yeah, just hammer on it."
"Why do you think the bell rang?"
"Hey, maybe there's a little going on!" Richards laughed. "Luckily, I don't miss it, and it makes me feel good. It wasn't until I started rehearsing for the tour last August, and then I realized I had ten times more air!"
Mason asked Vinos, "Have you noticed any difference in his tone?"
"Well, he's singing more in the original keys!" Jordan laughed.
After Charlie Watts fell ill, Jordan looked to take up drums on the Rolling Stones tour last summer. Watts, who never left the Stones gig, died two weeks later. He was 80 years old.
"It came as a surprise to you?" asked Mason.
"It did to me, yes, of course," replied Richards. "I think he was trying to keep it under wraps for some time last year, so that came, yeah, quite a shock. He had a cancer attack a year or two ago. And he beat it. He was killed with just one double blow, may his soul rest in peace."
"Did you all talk about whether the tour should continue?"
"For a brief moment. I think Charlie wanted us to walk down the street; he wanted the tour to happen. That's my feeling, the last time I talked to him."
"Was it weird looking back and not seeing Charlie there?"
"Yeah, it's weird, yeah, suddenly turn around and you know, after all these years, you expect that face!"
With Jordan on drums, the Stones held on. Except for a seven-year stretch in the eighties, when Mick Jagger began a solo career, he has now toured continuously for 60 years. "Mick wanted to do different things, and I didn't!" Richards laughed.
"So, you left reluctantly?"
"Yes, to begin with. Yes, yes, yes."
"Do you know who you were outside the band?"
"No. Maybe that's why, one of the attractions of doing winos was to find out if there was anything else. And anyway, just to look at the fence."
Richards has released three albums with the Vinos, who quickly developed their own sound. "It was always a great pleasure to play with Vinos," he said, "because it didn't matter. We were like lam, you know? Let's see how long we can get away with this!"
The new 30th anniversary box set for "Men Offender" includes some of Richards' songwriting notes, including a replica of an envelope with scribbles.
Mason asked, "That's how you write songs?"
"Yeah, basically, the back of the envelope and just the striking phrase."
Richards, now 78, says he is rewriting with the Stones. "It would be interesting to explore the dynamics now that Steve is in the band - it's like metamorphosis into something else," he said. "You know, I was working with Mick and Steve last week, and we came up with some eight or nine new pieces of material, which is heavy by our standards!"
"Funny how does it happen. How does it happen?" asked Mason.
"Exactly. The second time, like in the desert!"
"Do you know why this happens? You can't do that."
"No, it's a matter of music, you know? If I can find his address!" Richards laughed.
The Stones are planning to be back on tour this summer to celebrate 60 years of making music.
Mason asked, "There are a lot of artists selling their catalogs right now. I mean, when you see this going on, what do you think?"
"Mick and I haven't talked about it on a serious level," Richards said. "I don't know if we're ready to sell our catalog. Might drag it out a bit! Put some more stuff in it! You think about selling your catalog only when you have - it's a sign of getting old !” They laughed.
"Have you ever asked yourself how long can I do this?"