by Phil Cosores
The mutual respect and admiration between Keith Richards and Tom Waits has never been a secret, with the pair working together on a number of Waits recordings. As Rolling Stone points out, Richards has gone on record saying Waits is “a one-off lovely guy and one of the most original writers.” Now, Waits has returned the compliment in the form of a poem about Richards in a special Keef-centric commemorative issue of Rolling Stone.
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In a poem titled “Keith Richards….”, Waits unleashes a series of comparisons for the Rolling Stones‘ guitarist. He says he “is faster than a fax machine,” notes that his “urine is blue,” and even claims that Richards was both “slapped by the Queen” and has walked around the world the equivalent of three times.
The poem concludes:
“Keith once took my 10,000 dollar overcoat
To put down across a mud puddle
To allow an octogenarian laundress
Named Clementine Moorehouse to cross the street
Comfortably
That’s Keith always the gentleman”
The work is a must-read for both fans of Richards or of Waits. Check out the full thing at Rolling Stone.
