Beat dressed gent he was in the music industry, will miss him
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Very sad news.
There has just been a short piece about his style of drumming on R4. Keith Richards was quoted as saying (I paraphrase), ālots of guys can rock but they forget about the rollā.
RIP Charlie, and thank you.
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I heard that discussion on R4 this morning as well - Stuart Copelandās tribute was lovely.
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This anecdote was posted elsewhere - I have no reason to think it isnāt true, and it speaks to the kind of guy Charlie was:
"My step-father was a carpenter. In the 60ās, the firm he worked for got a job making some alterations to the house that Charlie Watts had bought in Lewes (near Brighton, about 50 miles south of London).
Dadās first day on the job, he and his mate went out to the van and were sitting in the vehicle, just about to make a start on their lunch, when Charlieās wife Shirley came out and asked them what they thought they were doing.
āJust going to have our sandwiches,ā they said.
She insisted that they come back in the house and eat at the dining table with her and Charlie who were also just about to have lunch. Sheād just made some soup.
The four of them sat and had their lunch together.
Dad was working there for a few days, and also saw Charlie a few times when heād pop into the workshop, in the town, and ask how the work was going. Dad could remember Charlie showing him his collection of jazz records.
Dad said there was absolutely nothing of the rock star about Charlie Watts. If you hadnāt known who he was, you would never have guessed that he was a star. He had zero airs and never treated Dad and his mate with anything other than total respect, just an āordinaryā guy, pleased that these two craftsmen were able to help him get the house the way he wanted it."
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In an industry full of egos, drugs, and clowns, Charlie had class, apparently stayed faithful to his wife, and dressed like a jazz player.
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I note that he doesnāt have an honour bestowed by Buckingham Palace. I imagine he would have respectfully declined not wanting the fuss.
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Charlie Watts has been a hero and an inspiration to me for many years. Among the showboats, he just did his job as well as possible and they all counted on him to be himself, so that they could be themselves. And they all made a lot of money as a team. I always want to be that guy. RIP Charlie Watts.
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Yes, very nice, appropriate.
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That is very classy. And very touching.
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Nice appreciation in the Guardian
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Thanks for sharing the link to the article, I really enjoyed the storiesā¦
BBC2 22:00 this evening.
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See also BBC1 - Crossfire Hurricane (10.30-12.30). I wonder if it will be up on iPlayer tomorrow if I fall asleep before the end.
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Itās āCharlie Watts at the BBCā on BBC2 from 10.00 to 10.30.
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Excellent, thanks for posting that Lindsay. PVR set.
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Fantastic āLoving Cupā & āTumbling Diceā sequence on BBC2 documentary.
Great Jazz chat with Dave Green too.
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The Stones have released a 2 min video honouring Charlie. Contained in this Guardian article
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Yes, I agree - and I am sure that was from an excellent BBC programme (probably OGWT) that was shown when Exile came out, but I donāt think itās ever been rebroadcast. Maybe I should look on YouTube
Amazing. Don Everlys mother is still alive.