Mick Jagger’s Interesting Habit of Stripping Down While Recording
Mick Jagger is an icon, but even icons have their quirks, just ask producer Andrew Watt.
The 32-year-old Grammy Award-winning producer teams with Don Was to helm the new Rolling Stones album, Hackney Diamonds. Watt shared with Billboard that Jagger has an interesting method for when he’s recording.
“He starts in like, a sweater, a button-down and a T-shirt, and then, two takes in, the sweater comes off,” recalls Watt. “Two takes later, the button-down comes off. All of a sudden, he’s down to a T-shirt, and he’s ripped, and he’s 80, and he’s f–king giving you full-blown Mick Jagger, shaking and sweating as he sings every note.”
No, Watt didn’t share if Jagger stripped down further, but if he did, it wouldn’t necessarily be shocking. At the very least, it ranks along the same lines as him wearing a DILF hat or flashing a fan at a concert who flashed him first.
The Rolling Stones are one week away from the release of their new album Hackney Diamonds. The album comes out on October 20. A full track list for the album is below, and it’s available for pre-order in a variety of formats at RollingStones.com.
So far, two tracks have been previewed: “Angry” and “Sweet Sounds of Heaven.” The latter track features Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga. As previously reported, other guests on Hackney Diamonds include Paul McCartney, original Stones bassist Bill Wyman and Elton John. McCartney plays on “Bite My Head Off,” while Wyman and John play bass and piano, respectively, on “Live by the Sword.”
“Angry”
“Sweet Sounds of Heaven”
Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds – Track List
Angry
Get Close
Depending On You
Bite My Head Off
Whole Wide World
Dreamy Skies
Mess It Up
Live By the Sword
Driving Me Too Hard
Tell Me Straight
Sweet Sounds of Heaven
Rolling Stone Blues
Mick Jagger: 10 Iconic Performances from Rock's Best Frontman
Mick Jagger has spent most of his life entertaining the masses. Since 1962, he’s fronted the Rolling Stones. For over 60 years, he has inspired countless performers. For most of that time, he’s been the gold standard for fronting a band. Imitators have come and gone for decades, but they’ve proved one thing: There’s only one Mick Jagger.
Remarkably, he’s still going strong. In honor of his birthday today (July 26), we take a look at ten iconic performances from Jagger’s career.
But First, A Look At What’s New With Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones
In October 2023, the Rolling Stones released Hackney Diamonds. It was the band’s first studio album of original material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. The Stones announced the album in a press conference in September 2023 hosted by Jimmy Fallon.
During the press conference, Mick Jagger said of the album, “We wouldn’t be putting this out now if we didn’t really like it. We didn’t want to make just any record and put it out. So we wanted to make a record.”
Jagger added, “Before we went in, we said we all want to make a record that we really love, ourselves. People may like it, other people may not. But we must say this, we are quite pleased with it. … We hope you’ll like it.”
The Rolling Stones returned to the road in April 2024 in support of Hackney Diamonds. The tour saw the band make their way through some of the biggest stadiums in the United States, from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to Soldier Field in Chicago.
The Stones weren’t alone on the trek; they had a diverse slate of opening acts on their 19-date tour. Those acts included Gary Clark Jr., Carin Leon, Electric Mud, The Pretty Reckless, Joe Bonamassa, Lawrence, The Red Clay Strays, Tyler Childers, Ghost Hounds, KALEO, Widespread Panic, Bettye LaVette, Lainey Wilson, The War and Treaty, The Linda Lindas and Beaches.
Of course, even though they were on tour, that doesn’t mean a wild backstage atmosphere. While they’re incredible legends, they’ve apparently mellowed in recent years, especially when it comes to their tour rider.
Bassist Darryl Jones touched on this with the U.K.’s Daily Star (via BANG Showbiz). Years ago, the Stones required a gaming room with a snooker table and various video game cabinets. However, the band has scaled back their backstage setup quite a bit, but Jones said the important things are still there.
“Keith [Richards] still has what he loves, shepherd’s pie,” said Jones. “There’s so much food backstage, me and the keyboard player have our own rider.”
Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights