Meeting your heroes is always a big deal, especially if your idol is someone as iconic as Keith Richards. The big moment has to involve some sort of a story, and it was no different for the standup comedian, podcast host, and musician Marc Maron. Maron, who idolizes Richards to no end, told Howard Stern how smoking with Richards turned into a chaotic story he had waited for his whole life.
While Maron was growing up, Richards was his childhood hero. He wanted to be like him, dress, and even drink and smoke like him. That’s why, when he got the chance to smoke with Keith Richards at a New York radio studio several years ago, Maron couldn’t say no to an iconic moment with his all-time favorite, although he had quit smoking by then.
That day was a big occasion for the comedian as he recalled the young kid who smoked Marlboro cigarettes and drank Jack Daniels just because Richards did and loved those things. Maron even tried Richard’s hairstyle once. Even though it didn’t work out, he felt like he tried his best to be Keith Richards.
Marc Maron’s words about smoking with Keith Richards:
“No, I smoked with him. I knew I was going to be okay. I think that was when I interviewed him; he was at WNYC in New York doing one of their shows, so I was going to use the studio and just go next. It was so funny because Brendan McDonald, my producer, and I were hanging around WNYC, waiting.
It’s public radio, New York public radio, right, and all of a sudden, this woman comes running out into the main area going, ‘He’s smoking; what do we do? He’s smoking,’ and the answer is, I guess you let him smoke, but I’m talking to Keith, who’s my f*cking hero; you know I love Keith.”
He added:
“It was such a big day, and he was smoking; he was drinking his vodka and orange soda, whatever the hell it is, and I’m like, ‘What are you smoking?’ He’s like, ‘Marlboro,’ you know I’m like, ‘Let me just hold one.’ So I’m like an idiot. He’s smoking. I’m just holding the cigarette and talking to him, and at some point, he throws a lighter at me and hits me in the head. I know I’m like, ‘I’m going to do it. I’m going to smoke with Keith Richards. This is the devil I waited for. This is the guy…’
You have heroes in your life, Keith Richards; when I was younger, I wanted to play guitar, so I bought the same kind of guitar he had. I smoked Marlboro cigarettes because I read in an article that Keith smoked Marlboro cigarettes. I was 14, by the way. I started drinking Jack Daniels because Keith was drinking Jack Daniels. I got my hair cut once like Keith; it didn’t work out, but I tried.”
Maron eventually realized that no matter what he did, whether cutting his hair, playing the same type of guitar, or trying to like everything he ever did, he would never be able to look like him, as Keith Richards would always be the legend that he is. At least he had the chance to smoke with him, although how it almost caused complete chaos due to the concerns of radio officials.
