Mick Jagger might be a musical genius, a front man for the ages, and one of England’s national treasures, but don’t ask him for any tips on getting older — he hasn’t got any.
On “The Interview,” a New York Times podcast, cohost David Marchese asked The Rolling Stones’ front man to name the best thing about getting older.
“There’s nothing good about it,” he said.
Jagger called aging ‘not particularly pleasant’
When asked if any wisdom came with living on this planet for eight decades, Jagger quipped, “I forgot all my wisdom. I might have had a couple of pearls drop, but I’ve already forgotten what they are.”
The singer, who has been known for his raucous onstage presence since the ’60s, continued: “You can’t do things as quickly as you want to. Physically, you’ve got to be more careful.”
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That’s not to say we shouldn’t expect to see the Rolling Stones on tour again in the future.
Jagger is ‘up for doing’ a world tour to support the band’s newest album
The Times, which released its interview with Jagger on July 11, referenced a recent quote from Keith Richards, the Stones’ guitarist, who said that touring at his age (also 82) could be a challenge.
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Jagger was more enthusiastic about the prospect.
“I don’t mind touring at all,” he said, though he did concede that he would do longer residencies at specific venues if his bandmates didn’t want to tour.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen to you in life. But I personally hope to be able to tour. I like going places. I like meeting people. I like to go to weird countries to do shows,” he added.
The Rolling Stones aren’t the only people still working in their 80s — though, unlike many older workers, they likely have the financial luxury of retiring. Americans over the age of 75 are twice as likely to be working now as they were in the ’90s, and in 2023, over 500,000 Americans aged 80 and older were in the workforce, Census Bureau data showed.
With the release of the band’s 25th album, “Foreign Tongues,” on July 10 and the possibility of performances in 2027, Jagger, who turns 83 this month, and the rest of his bandmates don’t show any sign of slowing down — even if Jagger has finally had to admit he’s getting older like the rest of us.
