Absolutely brilliant

Enjoyed every minute. What an amazing life. Hes seen and done it all. This is by far my favourite book and audio book.

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Annoying !

The story itself is good, but the variety in narrators is more than annoying. Some ( faux) British accents and some American.....it should be narrated all the way through by Keith ideally. Shame because the content is interesting

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Brilliant

Loved listening to this - some hilariously bizarre anecdotes and a great insight into a musical and cultural icon.

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This truth is truly stranger than fiction

This book should be experienced as an audiobook for its full brilliance. It is like settling down to a postprandial fug of cigar smoke and brandy in a Rangoon bar. Johnny Depp sets the Charles Marlow scene before handing over to the minstrel Keith Richards to regale with the tales of his inimitable life. I found his voice perfect to tell his tales complete with sardonic laugh. The drug years are there of course but dealt with sensitively, never gratuitously or over glorified. They were a fact of life in the 60s and 70s, as now, and Keith explains how they were just a tool of the trade keeping a happy balance enabling 9 sleepless days and nights to produce some of the best rock and roll ever made. There is much humour and insight on incidents such as the most famous Mars Bar in history, Marianne Faithful and the Redlands bust. There is also the Richard's simple Philosophy on life from one of its most entertaining characters. Its either the s**t or not the s**t. Keith, as far as I can tell, is honest, real and by and large a nice bloke and one I would like to have a pint with. This is the next best thing and the closest I will ever get. I listened to it while walking the dog. I now have a thin dog. Thoroughly recommended to anyone who likes a true story from an entertaining storyteller.

Long live Rock n Roll - Long live Keith Richards.

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It's interesting, but you probably know most

It's interesting, but you probably know most stories already. If you grew up in that era, you'll love it.

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Hot Stuff

Where does Life rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

By far one the most enjoyable rock n' roll biographies I have read so far. Well executed and really insightful. This was the biography that gave birth to the modern rock n' roll biography.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Keith Richards. He lays out the story of his life from very humble beginnings to mega success as a founding member of one of the world's greatest, and longest running, rock 'n' roll bands. It's been quite a ride, and given the drugs and other abuse the man has inflicted upon himself, it's almost impossible to imagine that he's lasted this long. Somehow he has, though, and even at the age of sixty-eight, he's still playing better, rocking harder, and apparently having more fun than rockers one-third his age.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Around 1986 or so, my wife and I were on our honeymoon in Jamaica, and we rented a villa above a well-known resort town. On the winding drive up to the villa, several banana trees had fallen onto the road. When we arrived, the gardener told us in broken English to "watch out for rolling stones." Owing to the fallen trees, we didn't make the connection. Then later that afternoon, a guy in a compact car drove by our villa and waved at us. I said to my wife, "that looked just like Keith Richards." She laughed at me and said, "you're dreaming." But at two in the morning, a guitar took off like a 747--so loud he could have been in our living room.

That was one of the reasons I picked up this book, and I was not disappointed by it. Richards is a great storyteller, battle-scarred by drugs and years on the road, but entertaining and articulate, with a surprisingly sane view of his insane life. He tells it all with honesty and objectivity, and, yes, even class; it never went to his head, so you get a realistic picture of what it was like being a key figure in one of of the greatest, if not the greatest, rock and roll bands in history. After reading the book, I wish my wife and I had gone up, knocked on his door, and said hello. I have a feeling that he just might have invited us in for a smoke.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Hell Yes.

Any additional comments?

This really took me back to the seventies, although much of Keith Richards's so-called "life" took shape the decade before. The most fascinating aspect of this book though, written by Richards's journalist-friend James Fox, involves the verification of the gross misconduct we all assumed must be the daily bacchanals of The Stones. My parents, although I don't remember them ever saying anything specifically about this band, would have discounted them as dirty purveyors of filth I'm sure; although perhaps I'm not giving them enough credit. We listened to a lot of music in our house, and I still have my dad's vinyl collection of Hank Williams, Jellyroll Morton, Merle Haggard, BB King, and Roy Acuff. But we also listened to John Denver and Englebert Humperdink. No wonder I feel bipolar. As fortune would have it, I had a few friends who turned me on to the Allman Brothers, Jimmy Page, Johnny Winter, and, of course, The Stones. I said goodbye (for a time) to Elton John, Joni Mitchell, and the whole of country music.

The guitar is my favorite instrument. Even though I failed my lessons, I love the sound of the thing - electric, acoustic, steel, resonator, it just doesn't matter. And the part of this book I particularly enjoyed is the discussion of the music, including Richards's influences (Chuck Berry, etc.) and how he went about learning new ways of playing, including the 5 string open G tuning. I've seen him play twice, both times at the Coliseum ('81, '89) and he's good, really good. I've got other favorite guitarists, but after reading his book I think I appreciate with more clarity the kind of music I was hearing.

What isn't all that interesting was his life as a junkie. The scoring, the used-up people, the sycophants, the vomiting, the syringes. For those who want the gritty details, it's all here in technicolor. I also had a little bit of a gag reflex with the way women were passed around and talked about (bitches, jugs); but it's a book told by a heroin-loving rocker, so what can I expect, right? Also on my complaint list is the whole tone of the thing. Smug, I think. Happy with his own attitude and perceptions - despite the fact that he let his children be raised by a village of Rastafarians while the Mother (Anita Pallenberg) is in a Jamaican prison. And why the nastiness about Mick Jagger? Richards gets in more digs than an archeologist. Apparently, according to Richards, Mick Jagger suffers from LVS (lead vocal syndrome). Seems a bit too snarky - but then again it's probably damn honest.

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Good

What was one of the most memorable moments of Life?

Hearing tales of the Rolling Stones I'm honestly too young too remember

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Description of a event when driving through Texas

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Such a giggle and surprise

Any additional comments?

A great read for and Stones fan

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worth persevering

A truly amazing life. Don't give up when Hurley takes over from Depp. Depp returns later to finish narrating.

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Great book

At first Johnny Depps voice was annoying me, my thinking was ‘why an American voice for Keith Richards audible?’ But then Joe Hurley takes over and I was really wishing to have Johnny Depps lovely melodic voice again.
Great listen, what a life Keith Richards has lived.

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Good for a while

Having previously read this in paperback I decided to give it a go on audio. Was great for the first ten chapters with Depp narrating but found it unlistenable after that. Read by someone trying to do an impression of both Keith and Mick at the same time. Dreadful from then on

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