Charles Robert Watts, percussionist for British popular music combo The Rolling Stones, turns 70 today. Here is a fun anecdote about the man from his bandmate Keith Richards, concerning an altercation between Watts and Mick Jagger: "Charlie punched him into a plate full of smoked salmon and he almost floated out the window along the table into a canal in Amsterdam. I just grabbed his leg and saved him from going out… (The fight) was about absolutely nothing. I had taken Mick out for a drink in Amsterdam, so at 5 in the morning, he came back to my room. He's drunk by now, Mick drunk is a sight to behold. Charlie was fast asleep. Is that my drummer? Why don't you get your arse down here? Charlie got dressed in a Savile Row suit, tie, shoes, shaved, came down, grabbed him and went boom! Don't ever call me 'your drummer' again. You're my fucking singer." Happy birthday!
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I don't know if this is significant, but I thought Charlie Watts was MUCH older. So, I guess, all of you old people aren't that old?
@boyofdestiny: From a marketing perspective, probably not significant. Over 70 is pretty much one demographic.
A story only a bass player can truly appreciate.
Happy Birthday, Charlie!!
Rolling Stone magazine celebrated the occasion by immediately going to Ronnie Wood for word on what it feels like to be the new member of the Stones.
JUST TRYING TO GET HERE BEFORE OSSIE
@Matt I once interviewed a couple of guys from the Grateful Dead and asked Brent Mydland what is was like to be "the new guy" in the band. He patiently pointed out to me that he had been in the Dead longer than most bands are together.
@Matt You gotta get up pretty late in the morning to not get here before Ossie
at the library yesterday, an 80-something groupie who had just finished Steven Tyler's book was asking the librarian about that "other rock and roller" who'd written a book, "a very good one." The librarian goes, "Is he in the Rolling Stones? Keith Richardson?" And the patron goes, "Richards. That's the one."
"He's in that band with Mick Juggler"
So there I am, in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M&Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn't go on stage that night. So, Jeff Beck pops his head 'round the door, and mentions there's a little sweets shop on the edge of town. So – we go. And – it's closed. So there's me, and Keith Moon, and David Crosby, breaking into that little sweets shop, eh. Well, instead of a guard dog, they've got this bloody great big Bengal tiger. I managed to take out the tiger with a can of mace, but the shopowner and his son… that's a different story altogether. I had to beat them to death with their own shoes. Nasty business, really. But, sure enough, I got the M&Ms, and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show.
I want to be like Charlie Watts!