The Rolling Stones are launching their own podcast series to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process, revealing that "fairies take over" when they are in the studio.
New Podcast Series 'Speaking In Tongues'
A new six-part series called Speaking In Tongues, featuring brand new interviews with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood, arrives next week. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of The Rolling Stones' new album, Foreign Tongues, which follows on July 10.
Band Members Share Insights
Speaking about the new music, Mick Jagger said: "It had to be of a certain quality, it had to be a good follow up to Hackney Diamonds which was very well received, it was a shock there was even a record at all!"
Guitarist Ronnie Wood agreed: "I think it's a step up, even better than the one before."
But perhaps Keith Richards said it best when describing the magic they create: "It's impossible to put your finger on it. It's a jigsaw puzzle. And it slowly falls into place, it kind of demands itself, all the terrible holes and gaps make themselves obvious and they need to be filled, then the fairies take over!"
Creative Process and Influences
The 'Stones reflect on their songwriting process, studio techniques, and the creative influences and collaborators that shaped the new music. Listeners get to hear how riffs became songs, how lyrics took shape, and discover how the band navigated the challenge of staying true to their legacy.
Friction is what keeps the band together and inspires such great music, explained Keith: "Friction yeah - terrible lyrics, terrible guitar parts - alright let's figure this out. That's what friction is for."
The legendary guitarist also reveals how he comes up with a killer tune: "I wait for the muse, I sit down with the bloody guitar and I play anybody - favourites, a little Buddy Holly and little Otis Reading, if nothing happens I put it down and say, 'where's lunch?'"
"Usually something happens out of the middle - incoming incoming - there's a moment where your fingers are being taken away somewhere else, that you hadn't quite intended but it sounded damn good. If that's the muse yeah I'm on his tail."
Band's Spiritual Connection
And despite living far apart, they still weave the old 'Stones magic as soon as they're back together. Ronnie said: "We're always together, we're all joined spiritually."
Keith added that they'll never stop: "We know the energy's there and we also know how to use it. We're gonna push it more!"
Additional Contributors
Alongside the band, the podcast also features contributions from their producer Andrew Watt, The Cure's Robert Smith, Steve Winwood (who both appear on the new album), and the record's cover artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn. The whole thing is narrated by fan and sometime collaborator Norah Jones.
The first episode of the Speaking In Tongues podcast drops on June 25, and the new 'Stones single, Jealous Lover, is out this week.
