Interview By: Michael Dance
MichaelDance@TheCinemaSource.com
Remember all those age-old arguments about who was better, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? It’s fun for music buffs to debate, but in terms of sheer workload, it’s clear where things stand today: the Beatles are a happy memory, and all the Rolling Stones are still on tour: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts.
The Stones have long been legendary director Martin Scorsese‘s favorite band, and it was perhaps only a matter of time before the two parties collaborated to produce a concert film. Now it’s here: Shine a Light films the band’s performance in New York City’s Beacon Theater during their 2006 “Bigger Bang” tour.
Mick Jagger: The audience was a good audience, but I think they were good because they really got into the spirit of making the movie as well as enjoying being an audience for the band. They were a great audience for the band, but I also think they were a great audience for the movie.
Keith Richards: The Beacon Theater is special for some reason anyway. It wraps you in its arms, especially if you can play there for more than one night. The room sort of wraps its arms around you, and every night gets warmer. It’s a great-feeling room. And, also, this band didn’t start off in stadiums.
Mick: You get very pressurized in these situations. The thing I always find with these movie shoots, you have to really come up to the plate, and we fortunately had two nights of this. Keith was saying it’s good to play there more than one night, and I agree with him. The first night we played was more like a rehearsal for us in a way, and by the time the second night came, we got more adjusted to playing in a small theater. We’d played in lots of smallheaters in the past, but we hadn’t done it on this tour.
Keith: It was a turnip.
Given the longevity and legendary status of Mick and Keith’s partnership, it’s perhaps unsurprising that they occasionally sound like a married couple – or perhaps a comedy duo. After one reporter asks them what their favorite Scorsese film is, Mick asks Keith:
Mick: Which one do you like, Keith?
Keith: Oh, me?
Mick: Marty’s favorite.
Keith: How am I supposed to know Marty’s favorite?
Mick: No, your favorite. Of Marty’s films. Kundun‘s one of my favorites. [Laughter is heard.] Wait, that’s not a joke.
Keith: I love them all. They’re all our babies.
In the beginning of the film, when Scorsese is working with the band to plan the concert, much comedic effect is made of the way Mick refuses to come up with the set list until the last minute. He’s asked why it took him so long.
Mick: I don’t really know now. (Laughs) Because it was eighteen months ago! I mean, you know.
Keith: Listen to me, Michael, he comes up with the set list. And, because, he’s got to sing them, you know? And unless I say, suddenly, ‘Hey, Mick, you’ve got ten songs in the same key,’ you know, I don’t interfere. The man’s got to sing ‘em.
Mick: I just pick the ones that I feel are right for the night, you know? I’m not thinking, oh, this is a meditation on, what.
Keith: It might be [because of] a sore throat, you know? It could be anything.
Ultimately, what’s most refreshing about the Rolling Stones is that they still seem to be quite happy to perform. Also, perhaps more surprisingly, they still get nervous – especially since at this concert, their faces would eventually be projected on Imax screens.
Mick: It will be very larger. Our slight imperfections might be revealed. The funny thing is, really, that after allthe options, Marty decided he wanted to make this small intimate movie, and I say, Marty, in the end, it’s going to be blown up into this huge Imax thing…It was kind of nerve-wracking in some ways, it was fantastically enjoyable, but in other ways, as I said before, it’s very nerve-wracking for us, because we know we have to do something on the night. And I’m sure Marty had got a lot of things going on, he’s got to cover it if it happens, so it was quite a challenge. And you know, talking about having fun, it was great fun to do, but it was also quite a challenge for everyone to come up with the goods both on the night and after it.
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