Let’s go back to 1984, when the famous band The Rolling Stones were in Amsterdam. They had been out partying and drinking late into the night. The band had released their album Undercover the year before and were still doing great with their concerts and songs, but there were some big problems inside the group, especially between two of the main members, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.
Keith, the guitarist, said in his honest book called Life that Mick, the singer, was getting too full of himself. Keith called it “Lead Vocalist Syndrome,” or LVS, meaning Mick’s ego was growing too big. Keith wrote, “If someone hears nice things about themselves all the time for years, it can start to change them, even if they don’t want it to.” It seemed like Mick was starting to think he was more important than the rest of the band.
Mick had been a big rock star for 20 years, and while the Rolling Stones were still amazing, he was acting more distant, cold, and bossy. Keith still loved Mick and said they had a deep friendship, but they weren’t as close as they used to be. Keith explained, “Mick is like a bunch of different people. It depends on which one you meet.”
Keith knew Mick wasn’t just full of himself—Mick was actually a complicated person with many sides. He could talk to anyone about anything and was once very funny and charming. Back in the 1960s, Mick and Keith wrote their first songs for the band in a kitchen before they were famous. But as Mick got more attention, his confidence started to waver, and he began doubting his own talent, which made his ego grow even more.
The big problem came when Mick used a huge record deal the Rolling Stones were making with CBS to also get a solo deal for himself. Keith felt like Mick was planning this for a long time and using the band to boost his own career. This made everyone upset, especially Charlie Watts, the band’s calm and steady drummer.
One night in Amsterdam, after a meeting, Mick and Keith got back to their hotel at 5 in the morning. Even though Keith told him not to, Mick called Charlie’s room and said, “Where’s my drummer?” in a rude way. A few minutes later, Charlie knocked on their door. He looked perfect—wearing a nice suit, tie, and smelling like cologne. Charlie walked right past Keith, grabbed Mick, and said, “Never call me your drummer again.” Then he punched Mick!
Mick fell back onto a table with smoked salmon and started sliding toward an open window that led to a canal outside. Keith grabbed him just in time to stop him from falling in. Later, Charlie asked Keith why he saved Mick, and Keith jokingly said, “My jacket, Charlie—that’s why!” It was a wild moment, but it showed how frustrated Charlie was with Mick’s behavior.
