Mick Jagger says, I saw this picture of Goddess: Mick Jagger, the famous leader of The Rolling Stones, talks about how the band’s logo came to be, his collaboration with Paul McCartney, and how he keeps the energy alive at 80 in a special chat with TOI. Jagger shares that the tongue logo was inspired by a picture of the Hindu goddess Kali. He chats about his love for lively music and the challenge of pleasing both older and younger fans. Plus, he spills the beans on his spontaneous duet with Lady Gaga and his admiration for Satyajit Ray’s movies.
Meet Mick Jagger – the man behind the cool ‘Jagger Swagger,’ timeless charm, and his status as a rockstar, only rivaled by the laughter lines on his always playful face.
Back in Kolkata after ten years, the lead singer of the British rock band, The Rolling Stones, spills the beans to TOI about drawing inspiration from Goddess Kali and how, at 80, he manages to sound just like the Jagger we know in the band’s new album, Hackney Diamonds.
Mick Jagger says, I saw this picture of Goddess
Did the tongue on The Stones’ logo really come from a picture of Kali? My brother explored India early on and gave me some books. In 1969, I was looking for something eye-catching and found this image of Kali’s tongue. It inspired me, and designer John Pasche created the modern tongue logo.
So, it took you many years to see the idol that inspired the iconic logo… Yep, it was a coincidence. I didn’t expect to see it when I came to Kolkata. Some friends here told me where to go. It was noisy, with lots of fireworks. I’d never been to India on Diwali. The lights were fantastic—modern and old-fashioned mixed together. It was a great mix.
In ‘Bite My Head Off,’ you worked with Paul McCartney (of The Beatles). Both of you are energetic and different from older artists who change their style with age… Exactly. You could become more reflective and do softer, romantic songs, but I never felt like doing that. I like singing ballads, and there are three in this album. Since 1964, we’ve been doing ballads. But I always prefer high-energy stuff. How do you stay young? By making an album that doesn’t sound like you’re 80!
How hard is it to make an album that connects with old-school rock fans and young listeners? You don’t want to let down the longtime fans. With producer Andrew Watt and our mixing style, the album sounds like it was made recently. Compare it to one from 20-30 years ago, and the band is the same, but the sound is totally different. We have rock songs like ‘Angry’ that our fans will like. The Rolling Stones never stuck to one style.
We’ve done ballads, rock, and blues. People aren’t surprised if we try something different, but they don’t want a whole album of it. Personally, I wouldn’t mind that. More info about Mick Jagger says, I saw this picture of Goddess Kali’s tongue, it became the Rolling Stones logo.
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What was it like recording ‘Sound of Heaven’ with Lady Gaga? It wasn’t planned as a duet. We were both in the same LA studio. We’d worked together on stage before, and she joined in spontaneously. She sang with me, and we did it on tape. The next day, we did more. It was fun. She’s a great singer. I didn’t expect her to sing it the way she did. It wasn’t easy, with some high notes, but she did an amazing job.
The Rolling Stones logo was on FC Barcelona jerseys during an El Clasico. Any plans for the BCCI or IPL teams? When I arrived, I thought England might be in the semis. But after two weeks in India, I knew that wasn’t happening. We don’t have any IPL connections, but I watch it.
You recently posted a photo with Martin Scorsese, a big fan of Satyajit Ray. Have you seen any Ray films? I watched his films when I was young and into movies. That was the time to absorb everything. I watched early Roman Polanski films. Ray was the most impressive.
How has Kolkata changed since your last visit? I was here 10-12 years ago. More pollution now, but every city deals with it. Visually, Kolkata looks more developed. I don’t want to be negative. The city’s heartbeat is still the same.
