Music with Eddie Rowley

HE’S one of the most iconic wild men of rock ‘n’ roll, but craggy Rolling Stone Keith Richards — the legendary band is set to play Croke Park on May 17 — says that nothing gives him greater pleasure these days than cooking.

His speciality is bangers and mash, and Keith believes in grazing through the day rather than eating large meals at set times.

“It’s very bad for you to stuff all that crap in at once,” says the guitarist, who probably did enough booze and drugs in his day to kill an elephant. “Better to have a bit here, a mouthful there, every few hours a bite or two. The human body can deal with it better.”

And in his autobiography some years ago, Keith revealed that drugs have long since been replaced by his favourite dish on tour — shepherd’s pie.

There’s also a golden rule in the group — nobody is allowed to dig into Keith’s pie until he’s had the first scoop.

“It’s now famous, my rule on the road,” he says. “Nobody touches the shepherd’s pie until I’ve been in there. Don’t bust my crust, baby. It’s written into the contract.”

Then he jokes: “I rarely eat before I go on stage. It’s the worst thing you can do, at least for me. Barely digested food in your stomach and you’ve got to go out there and do Start Me Up, and another two hours to go.”

Keith (74), Mick Jagger (74), Charlie Watts (76), and 70-year-old Ronnie Wood last played here in 2007, when they headlined Slane.

Despite their differences, Mick and Keith are still a powerful, compelling combination on stage and have managed to patch up their rows out of the spotlight.

Tickets for the Rolling Stones’ No Filter tour go on sale on Friday, March 23.