Refusing to let anything get between him and his love for music, Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards declares not even arthritis can ruin his well-known playing style. 

During a recent interview with BBC, Richards got candid about his fight against arthritis and how it’s been impacting his guitar playing. “Funnily enough, I’ve no doubt it has, but I don’t have any pain,” the longtime rocker explained. “It’s a sort of benign version.”

However, Keith Richards did say that he has slowed down a little bit, but that may be due to aging. “And also, I found that interesting, when I’m like, ‘I can’t quite do that anymore,’ the guitar will show me there’s another way of doing it. Some finger will go one space different and a whole new door opens.” 

Although he’s been in the music industry for decades, Keith Richards says he is still working on new techniques. “So you’re always learning. You never finish school, man.” 

Meanwhile, Richards opened up about Hackney Diamonds, he noted that while there are a lot of good songs on the album, he doesn’t actually consider it an album. “It’s just a lot of tracks,” he clarified. 

Despite his age and somewhat struggles with arthritis, Richards and his bandmates won’t be stopping anytime soon. “We’re all in good fettle. We’re not looking at each other and saying, ‘Time’s up.’”

Keith Richards Said Mick Jagger Pushed The Rolling Stones Bandmates Back to the Studio Following 60th Anniversary Tour 

Meanwhile, Keith Richards opened up about how his fellow Rolling Stone bandmate, Mick Jagger, pushed the rest of the band back into the studio after their 60th anniversary tour last year. 

“He hit me in the right spot,” Richards explained. “I’ve always wanted to record the band as soon after we get off of the road because the band is lubricated.”

Keith Richards noted that while the band was used to taking a break after touring, he said the sessions right after the tour felt more focused. 

Along with discussing the Rolling Stones’ work, Keith Richards also spoke about other artists.  “Lady Gaga is a piece of work,” Richards declared. “I love working with her because she has a great attitude and a great voice, and I always wanted to see her play off against Mick.”

Richards went on to add that when it comes to music, he likes keeping things real. “Digital is toy town. It’s synthesizers. And now you have AI, which is even more superficial and artificial. Vinyl gives you what’s real and I prefer to hear it that way.”