The Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood spoke to Esquire and recalled their early years when they made a change in the rock music and whole entertainment industry. Also, Wood compared being famous in today’s world, saying that it would’ve been challenging for them.
The legendary rock band stepped into the rock world in 1962, and its members created and released countless hit records, which became popular among rock music lovers. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood went through difficult times because of addiction problems, personal disputes, and creative differences. Still, they could preserve their international fame and commercial success in almost every work.
In addition, the rebellious rock stars had a significant influence on the youth and the next generation of musicians that wanted to follow in their steps with their unique music. However, Wood knows that it is not as easy as before. Years ago, the bands didn’t have to be politically correct during the absence of cancel-culture. The Rolling Stones were not only there to make music but also to break the rules and provoke people.
Wood admitted that the bands in the 2000s needed to face different challenges while trying to survive in the rock scene. The guitarist defined their relationship with the other artists as a healthy competition in which everyone mainly focused on promoting their works through shows on the radio and TV. Therefore, according to Wood, The Rolling Stones would’ve struggled a lot in today’s music scene.
Ronnie Wood shared his ideas, saying:
“We must admit that at the time, we broke molds, eh? I don’t know if today would be that easy with all those rules and regulations and political correctness. I think we had it easier than it is now for the new bands. We lived in a world full of musical references, young people wanting to provoke and break the established.
There was a healthy competition between thousands of bands. We had live music programs on the radio and TV. Now a new group has it complicated. Either you get millions of followers on a platform, or you don’t have a place where someone sees you.”
The Stones guitarist went on to say that having followers on the social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok became essential for young musicians. In a world conquered by the internet, it’s impossible to continue to create and release without the support of social media recognition.
