Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood: ‘We’re living in that day and age where we can’t be free with words’

He makes an entrance as a star usually does: surrounded by a retinue of aides and sparking an immediate change in the atmosphere. With a coffee cup in hand (after 16 years of sobriety), he’s elegant, but also displays a touch of rock ‘n’ roll thanks to the red shirt peeking out from under his black blazer.

Ronnie Wood, 79, exudes the legendary aura that only the Rolling Stones possess. The British band released Foreign Tongues – their 25th studio album – on July 10, and the London-born guitarist is ecstatic: “We’re definitely not running out of creativity. And that’s what gives us the enthusiasm to carry on: we’re always searching to achieve higher ambition and raising the bar.”

Wood isn’t exaggerating. The album arrives just three years after Hackney Diamonds (2023) – which was the Stones’ first album of original material in 18 years, since A Bigger Bang came out in 2005 – and it has surprised everyone as one of their best works in recent decades. Foreign Tongues features instantly recognizable guitars and an energy that seems unusual for a band of octogenarians. “This album is better than Hackney Diamonds; I think it’s a continuation, but better,” Wood says confidently, during a conversation with EL PAÍS in a luxurious London hotel.

As he did with Hackney Diamonds, the mastermind behind this alchemy is New York producer Andrew Watt, who once again proves his knack for bringing out the best in veterans like Elton John, Paul McCartney and Iggy Pop. Ronnie Wood knows exactly why the relationship works: “[The] magic that Andrew Watt brings to us is the sense of timing. Everyone says ‘yes’ to him because he’s so organized and he gets it done. We have a great leader in Andrew; he pushes us in a good way,” he insists.

It’s hard to imagine a 35-year-old giving orders to the Rolling Stones. But the guitarist has the explanation: “Sometimes he’s a bit bossy. And I think we need that. Normally, Keith [Richards] would go, ‘Nobody bosses me around.’ But he took it from Andrew. We all did. With Andrew, you say, ‘okay, yes, I will.’ And you do it. With [that level of] organization, it pays off.”

However, Wood acknowledges that a great album doesn’t come about solely through good logistics and a rigid schedule: “It wouldn’t mean anything if the music wasn’t good, you know? We knew the music was there.”

Foreign Tongues features regular Rolling Stones collaborators like Darryl Jones, Matt Clifford and Steve Jordan, as well as special guests such as Paul McCartney, Robert Smith of The Cure, as well as Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But the most exciting contribution for Wood is the one made by Charlie Watts. The legendary drummer, who passed away in 2021, appears on the track Hit Me In The Head, using material from one of his last recording sessions. “Charlie is always with us, in the air,” the guitarist says.

Like any good musician, Wood frequently uses onomatopoeia in his sentences, in order to emphasize an idea. The artist belongs to the pantheon of old-school rockers, a breed that has survived inflated egos and decades of excess. He displays the mettle of someone who has seen practically everything.

Wood is the father of six children, ranging in age from 10 to 49. This includes twin daughters who recently turned 10: he shares them with his third wife, the British producer Sally Humphreys. And, as a grandfather of six – the eldest being 24 – Ronnie is aware of the legacy that the Rolling Stones brand embodies: “It’s wonderful that new generations are listening to us. It’s an honor.”

The guitarist has had two brushes with cancer: lung cancer in 2017 and an aggressive form of carcinoma during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite this — and despite being a year shy of turning 80 — he has an unusual level of enthusiasm. For instance, Wood is confident that he’ll tour with his bandmates in 2027.

“There’s hope that it will happen next year. Let’s hope so. I saw Mick [Jagger] earlier and he’s like, ‘Come on, let’s play, we want to play,’” he recalls, imitating the singer’s voice.

“So, we have the enthusiasm,” he affirms, with a subliminal acknowledgment of the undeniable reality that returning to the stage doesn’t depend solely on his will. The tour planned for 2026 had to be canceled due to Keith Richards’ problems with arthritis.

Between performing live and the energy of a studio, Wood considers them both to be “delightful in their own ways.”

“We get to examine ourselves more in the studio. You get to examine what you’re playing. You can hear it back, if you want. Most times, you catch it in one take, but you might want [to make] a little repair. Whereas live, you can’t do that: you’re in the deep end,” he explains.

If he were to return to the stage with Jagger and Richards, Wood wouldn’t have a problem revisiting classics like (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (1965). Contrary to popular belief, the guitarist doesn’t tire of it: “For us, playing that song is like a huge jigsaw puzzle: we move one piece for one show and we play differently every night, moving the piece around. And the song never gets boring; it always [stays] fresh, because we never play the same [way].”

It’s best to play by the rules. Otherwise, people can finish off your career.

Ronnie Wood

On a potential tour, however, fans still won’t be able to hear Brown Sugar (1971), which has been removed from the live setlist due to the controversy caused by lyrics that reference drug use, as well as sexual abuse in the slave trade. Mick Jagger himself has confessed that he wouldn’t have written it the same way today. Still, his bandmate considers the removal to be “a sad thing.”

“I mean, what the hell is going on?” Wood scoffs. “That’s one of our best numbers. Brown Sugar… it’s just words, isn’t it? It’s nothing personal. I don’t understand why we’re not allowed to play [it].” Although, he acknowledges, “we’d rather not play [the song if it’s going to] cause a sensation.”

When asked if there’s a risk of censorship in today’s culture, Wood is emphatic, even skirting the edge of political correctness: “We’re living in that day and age where we can’t be free with words. You don’t mean any harm when you call people certain things; it’s just, like, an expression. And then, suddenly, people say, ‘you can’t say that.’ And you go, ‘oh, I didn’t realize, I didn’t mean any harm.’” However, he admits that “it’s best to play by the rules. Otherwise, people can finish [off] your career. You say the wrong thing [and] they say, ‘you’re boycotted, you’re out.’ It’s very unfair,” he laments.

An official member of the Rolling Stones since 1976 and a former founder of Faces (alongside Rod Stewart, his close friend and the best man at his wedding), Wood is aware of the growing prominence of Hispanic musicians in the global music scene, although less so of Rosalía: “I’ve just heard her name. I haven’t heard her music.” Regarding Bad Bunny, on the other hand, he found his Super Bowl halftime performance to have been “quite impressive.”

“Good luck to him. We need all kinds of colors and flavors in music. There’s room for everyone,” he concedes.

Wood has a parallel career as a visual artist. From childhood, he demonstrated a talent for painting. In the early 1960s, he studied at Ealing Art College, where he met another future icon: Pete Townshend of The Who. Among his artistic influences are Henri Matisse, Vincent Van Gogh and, above all, Pablo Picasso. “He said more in one stroke than people could spend a lifetime trying to repeat,” the guitarist notes. Wood even created a series of portraits – titled The Picasso Stones – in which he reinterpreted works by the Spanish painter, replacing the original figures with the band members. He also mentions that the Prado in Madrid is his “favorite museum.”

Lean like a figure from the paintings of El Greco, Wood is proof that old rockers aren’t defined solely by the years and miles traveled, but also by their exquisite professionalism. Extraordinarily approachable and friendly, he recounts that he’s about to have a joint party with actor Brian Cox – famous for his portrayal of the fearsome patriarch in the HBO series Succession – with whom he shares a birthday.

Just before the interview, he found it “wonderful, absolutely punk” that this journalist had a hole in her tights. And, hours later, he managed to surprise everyone again: he stopped the monumental vehicle he was traveling in and rolled down the tinted window to greet this interviewer with the ripped tights. He blew her kisses, after spotting her from his car on the rainy streets of London.

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