Rolling Stones Rocker Keith Richards Quits Drinking

Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards has revealed that he recently quit drinking, saying he “got fed up with it.”

The aging guitarist sat down with Rolling Stone Magazine and shared the news during the interview, saying that now he only has an occasional wine or beer.

“I pulled the plug on it. I got fed up with it,” he told the outlet while also chatting about the band’s upcoming tour. “It was time to quit. Just like all the other stuff.”

His bandmate, Ronnie Wood, chimed in and confessed that he has noticed a difference in Richards.

“He’s a pleasure to work with,” Wood, who quit drinking about eight years ago, said. “Much more mellow. He’s open to more ideas, whereas before I’d kind of grit my teeth and go, ‘He’s gonna give me some s–t for saying this.’ Now, he’ll say, ‘That’s cool, man.’ “

“It was interesting to play sober,” Richards then added. “We’re weaving [guitar parts] a lot more conscientiously now. We’re much more aware of the gaps and the spaces between,” Wood elaborated. “We’re in our seventies, but we’re still rocking like we’re 40-year-olds, you know?”

After getting sober in 2010, Wood later found himself faced with a cancer scare just a couple of years later, and also ended up having twin girls.

“I was lucky to get on the wagon when I did and was ready for all the stuff that came at me, cancer and all that. Luckily it was all in one place and I had it removed. I got my life again – I got a second chance and my little girls and my whole life now is so much better,” he said of the experiences.

“I think Keith is seeing that kind of thing as well. And then he went on to the beers for a while, he cut down slowly, and now, you know, good luck to him. If he’s gonna keep it up, I’ll be there, full support,” he continued.

Woods also addressed the notion that Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts — who, at 77 years old, is the band’s oldest member — was considering retirement.

“He thrives on the music, whether he’ll own up to it or not,” Wood sais of Watts. “When he’s playing with the band, his health gets better, he looks healthier, he’s funny, he enjoys life more. It’s damn hard work that he does. He has to have his back massage after every gig ’cause it’s a lot of physical effort playing those drums for our set, you know.”

The Rolling Stones will set out on the No Filter U.S. tour in April 2019.