Jagger’s Letterman tips go beyond world of rock
There can be few more qualified to offer advice on how to make it in the music industry than Sir Mick Jagger.
And after 50 years in the business, the 69-year-old Rolling Stone visited The Late Show With David Letterman recently to present a list of the Top 10 things he has learned during his career.
The tongue-in-cheek list — called The Top 10 Things I, Mick Jagger, Have Learned After 50 Years In Rock ’n’ Roll — includes some obvious entries about the relevance of drugs and how to trash a hotel room. But fans may be more surprised by the inclusion of advice about the financial value of mortgages.
Jagger shared his wisdom with host David Letterman, disclosing that at number 10 was a piece of advice that would resonate with bands around the world: Nobody wants to hear anything from your new album.
He went on to suggest that one should never take relationship advice from Phil Spector, the record producer and songwriter who is currently serving a 19-year jail sentence for the 2003 murder of Lana Clarkson, an actress and waitress.
Spector, 72, was a great friend of the band and is referenced in the Stones instrumental track Now I’ve Got A Witness (Like Uncle Phil and Uncle Gene).
He took a lighthearted swipe at the band Maroon 5 by revealing that he had not made a penny from the band’s hit single Moves Like Jagger before acknowledging with a smile that “everybody you meet after you become famous is only interested in you as a person.”
He said that although song royalties were great, they did not match the guaranteed cash flow from a reverse mortgage.
Jagger’s pearls of wisdom
10. Nobody wants to hear anything from your new album 9. Never take relationship advice from Phil Spector 8. Before shouting, “Hi, Seattle”, make sure you’re in Seattle 7. You don’t earn a cent when someone does a song about having “moves like Jagger” 6. Everybody you meet after you become famous is only interested in you as a person 5. Song royalties are great, but even they can’t match the guaranteed cash flow from a reverse mortgage 4. A good way to keep yourself entertained is to sign every 10th autograph Doris Goldblatt 3. Be considerate of other hotel guests; trash your room by 10 p.m. 2. You can’t always get what you want, like a good joke on The top 10 list 1. You start out playing rock ’n’ roll so you can have sex and do drugs, but you end up doing drugs so you can still play rock ’n’ roll and have sex