6th Grade, 3rd Place, Keith Richards

I love Johnny Depp, and Johnny Depp loves Keith Richards, so anyone who also loves Keith Richards is AOK by me. Great Job Cameron!

Cameron
Ecker Hill
6th Grade

If You Could Meet One Person In The World Who Would It Be

Would you give all you have to meet one person and who would it be?

If I could meet anyone in the world, from any country, during any time period, it would be right now and it would be Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. I want to meet Keith Richards because he is one of the greatest guitar players in the world and The Rolling Stones are legendary. I play guitar and love Rock and Roll music, especially from the Sixties. Also, I like the blues and in a way Keith Richards is kind of a bluesy guitar player. Keith Richards also has written and composed almost all of the famous Stones songs. If I was to meet him, I would ask him if he could give me a few private guital lessons and ask him to teach me how to play like him.

I would also want to know how he composes and thinks of the music for his these awesome songs like "Gimme Shelter" and "Symphony for the Devil". It would be interesting to know if he works by himself when he writes the music or if he teams up with Mick Jagger and they work together at the same time. I would ask which comes first, the music or the lyrics? I wonder if when he was a child if he liked music and did his parents play instruments and encourage and influence him to play and learn. It seems that someone needed to offer up the knowledge in order to get a kid interested, or maybe it was just the music on the radio that peaked his interest. How old was he when he learned to play guitar? What was his first guitar? What was so fascinating about playing music to him? What was his first song that he wrote and when did he feel like music would be his life and career? Was it hard to become famous and stay with one group so many years? Did fame have a price?

I would want Keith Richards to feel comfortable so I would insist that we meet at his home in Connecticut. His home has fruit trees that he planted, I think they are lemons and he seems very open and relaxed at his home. His home is his private space and has his history with his family there. He appears different there than when he is on stage performing with the Stones, which is why I think his home would be the perfect place to meet and become friends.

The first question I would ask Keith Richards is, what was your favorite stage moment? I would guess it was when he and the Rolling Stones were being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But maybe it is something more simple like he and Mick Jagger having a great time on stage. I think that maybe my question would lead to him opening up and offering thousands of other stories of his life on stage and on the road performing with the Rolling Stones. Maybe he would open up enough to tell me what it has really been like all these years with the group. I would hope to find out if he feels that the Rolling Stones are close like a family or just guys that work together. It would be incredible to learn what music influenced him in his prime and who he idolizes and respects in the music industry and just in life in general. Who does he listen to now? Does he like acting? Does he ever think of having a new career or job? Does he like being an author? What are his politics and beliefs?

I would like Keith Richards to know how his music and art has impacted and changed many people, especially me and my family. His music and art has affected me and my family in the most positive way. We listen to his songs almost everyday and sing and dance together. Every road trip has the Rolling Stones playing in the car, every beach day or ski day has the Stones playing on our iPod or singing in our heads. Special times bring memories of Rolling Stones songs to my head, I associate good times with his music. Movie soundtracks have used his music to help give a feeling to the stories. The music and the lyrics never get old and still have meaning today even though they may have been written over 30 years ago. In the Sixties, His music was a big deal and impacted many people and made a change when change was really needed. The music was honest and different at the time and seemed to help everyone. Did he understand at the time that he was making such an impact on society, especially in the Sixties? Was that important to him? Making a change? What is most important to him? Is it the music? Is it the fame and money? Or was it all just for fun? His life seems like it has had a lot of ups and downs, drugs may have been a down but what was a up? Is his family musically talented and artists? Is it hard to be famous?

I really hope that he is as honest a person as he appears and that my time with him would be as much fun and positive for him as it would be for me.

“You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need.” It seems like Keith Richards has tried and succeeded. My goal would be to play and write music just like Keith Richards and live a life full of music. My favorite albums are "Beggars Banquet" and "Let it Bleed". The songs "Sympathy for the Devil", "No Expectations" and "Salt of the Earth" you can really hear Keith Richards guitar playing and talents. He sometimes has a real blues sound, sometimes rock and roll and sometimes almost Rockabilly. "Not Fade Away" is a good example of the Rockabilly sound.

It does not matter to me how old The Rolling Stones are if I was given the chance to meet Keith Richards I would always remember the experience as one of the best times in my life.