Jagger says David Bowie was extremely competitive and stole Rolling Stones style
"David was so competitive, much more competitive. I was made competitive by David. He was just so competitive that I had to be competitive back. He would come over and play me Gene Genie. I've got it, you want to listen? I said, God, he nicked all my things. I know, man, I know. But it's like a homage to you. It's homage. Yeah, sure."
About this episode
Conan O'Brien interviews Mick Jagger in a small London podcast studio to discuss the Rolling Stones' new album Foreign Tongues and Jagger's remarkable six-decade career. The conversation reveals Jagger as a forward-looking artist deliberately avoiding nostalgia, having forbidden producer Andy Watt from making musical references to past Stones hits like Jumpin' Jack Flash. Jagger discusses his competitive friendship with David Bowie, whom he describes as intensely competitive and admits borrowed heavily from the Stones' style for songs like Jean Genie. He reveals that John Lennon personally advised him never to meet Elvis Presley after Lennon's own disappointing 1965 encounter left him disillusioned, advice Jagger took to preserve his idealized image of his hero. The interview covers the hostile media environment of the 1960s, including shocking details about police violently beating teenage girls with nightsticks at early Stones concerts. Jagger discusses his meticulous attention to detail as the band's de facto manager, his vocal techniques including studying Al Green's falsetto transitions, and his philosophy of living in the present moment. He describes the band's rapid recording process for Foreign Tongues, deliberately avoiding filler and setting a high bar for every track. Technical mishaps during the AI-enhanced video for In the Stars are revealed, including the software accidentally rendering Jeff Beck instead of Ronnie Wood. Throughout, Jagger emerges as deeply curious, well-read, competitive about his craft, and committed to creating contemporary music rather than trading on past glories.
Key takeaways
- Mick Jagger rejected producer Andy Watt's suggestion to reference Jumpin' Jack Flash on new album Foreign Tongues, insisting on avoiding nostalgia and past callbacks
- John Lennon personally advised Jagger never to meet Elvis Presley after the Beatles' disappointing 1965 encounter, advice Jagger followed to preserve his idealized hero
- David Bowie was intensely competitive with Jagger and borrowed heavily from Rolling Stones style for songs like Jean Genie, creating friendly rivalry between the icons
- Police violently beat 14-year-old girls with nightsticks at early Rolling Stones concerts in the 1960s due to lack of proper security infrastructure
- AI technology mistakenly rendered Jeff Beck instead of Ronnie Wood in the In the Stars music video during production
- Jagger studies Al Green's vocal technique to master switching between falsetto and regular voice, demonstrating continued artistic growth at 81
- Rolling Stones recorded Foreign Tongues rapidly without writing songs in studio, moving quickly through tracks to avoid self-analysis and maintain creative momentum