20 Times Keith Richards Insulted Other Musicians

Keith Richards has never been shy about insulting his fellow rock stars.

Over the years, the Rolling Stones co-founder has labeled Led Zeppelin “a little hollow,” called the Grateful Dead “boring shit” and described the Beatles‘ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as “a mishmash of rubbish.”

That’s how Richard speaks about his friends. Don’t get him started on other genres that are clearly inferior in his eyes, such as rap or pop: “I don’t really like to hear people yelling at me and telling me it’s music,” he said of rap. “I can get enough of that without leaving my house.”

Below, you’ll find 20 examples of Richards criticizing legends such as David Bowie, Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Band. You’ll also catch him punching down sometimes, with biting takes on trendy pop stars such as the Spice Girls and Justin Bieber.

“I’m the toughest taskmaster of all time,” Richards once admitted to Rolling Stone. “I’m going to annoy a lot of people.” As if to prove his point, he immediately shared his thoughts on Bruce Springsteen: “Too contrived for me. Too overblown. These are just my opinions.”

Sometimes, the targets of this scorn fight back, as when Elton John labeled Richards “pathetic” and compared him to a monkey with arthritis. The Sex Pistols even beat Richards to the punch, calling for him to retire and make way for a new generation. That went over about as well as you’d imagine.

For the most part, however, his peers seem to take his broadsides in stride. “Keith can say what he wants,” Jimmy Page shrugged while responding to Richards’ “hollow” crack about Led Zeppelin. “He’s Keith Richards.”