WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.359 Welcome to the Deep Dive, the place where we 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:04.440 take all that essential source material, the 00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:07.280 biographies, the interviews, the real deep research, 00:00:07.500 --> 00:00:10.839 and we hand you the synthesized knowledge. All 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:13.039 those surprising facts and those, you know, those 00:00:13.039 --> 00:00:15.939 really satisfying aha moments. Exactly. Our goal 00:00:15.939 --> 00:00:18.760 is to make you instantly well -informed, but, 00:00:18.780 --> 00:00:21.460 you know, without that crushing weight of information 00:00:21.460 --> 00:00:25.149 overload. And today we are focusing on, well, 00:00:25.210 --> 00:00:27.809 what might just be the greatest paradox in the 00:00:27.809 --> 00:00:29.829 entire history of rock and roll. I think it is. 00:00:29.890 --> 00:00:32.950 We're diving into the life and the rhythm of 00:00:32.950 --> 00:00:36.409 Charles Robert Watts, Charlie Watts, the the 00:00:36.409 --> 00:00:40.280 indispensable, elegant and just. deeply private 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:43.039 drummer of the Rolling Stones. From 1963 right 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:46.079 up until his death in 2021. OK, so let's unpack 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:47.840 that core contracts right away, because when 00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:49.700 you think of the Rolling Stones, you know, Mick 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:52.079 Jagger, Keith Richards, the whole mythos is chaos. 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:54.780 It's pure chaos. It's sexual license, chemical 00:00:54.780 --> 00:00:57.200 rebellion, you know, rock and roll swagger, just 00:00:57.200 --> 00:01:00.939 personified. And Charlie Watts was visually and 00:01:00.939 --> 00:01:03.060 aesthetically the polar opposite of all of that. 00:01:03.159 --> 00:01:06.319 He was the quiet, immaculately tailored jazz 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:09.480 purist. And he somehow served as the absolute 00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:12.500 rhythmic anchor for that famously unruly machine 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:16.180 for decades. Right. And that paradox, how that 00:01:16.180 --> 00:01:18.900 restraint actually powered the rebellion. That's 00:01:18.900 --> 00:01:20.739 really the heart of this deep dive. Absolutely. 00:01:20.939 --> 00:01:23.680 So our mission today is to look far beyond that 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:26.900 simple title, you know, Stones drummer. Oh, it 00:01:26.900 --> 00:01:29.879 completely undersells his influence. We want 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:33.099 to analyze the specific granular details of his 00:01:33.099 --> 00:01:37.189 life that reveal his, well, his unique. and also 00:01:37.189 --> 00:01:39.689 contradictory contributions. So not just as a 00:01:39.689 --> 00:01:41.849 musician known for his restraint. No, not at 00:01:41.849 --> 00:01:44.069 all. But also as a professionally trained graphic 00:01:44.069 --> 00:01:47.150 designer, a fiercely devoted family man, and 00:01:47.150 --> 00:01:49.489 really the very embodiment of the anti -rock 00:01:49.489 --> 00:01:51.709 star. We're aiming for a full picture of the 00:01:51.709 --> 00:01:54.329 man who, by choosing not to seek attention, became 00:01:54.329 --> 00:01:57.010 impossible to ignore. Exactly. And the big picture 00:01:57.010 --> 00:01:58.670 nugget, the thing you have to hold on to as we 00:01:58.670 --> 00:02:01.430 move through this, is this. Watts' deep, almost 00:02:01.430 --> 00:02:05.329 academic passion was jazz. He wasn't a rock drummer 00:02:05.329 --> 00:02:07.810 who, you know, picked up a few R &B legs. No, 00:02:07.909 --> 00:02:11.090 he was a devout jazz disciple. He fused that 00:02:11.090 --> 00:02:13.629 high level jazz sensibility, that restraint, 00:02:13.770 --> 00:02:17.069 that focus on swing and texture and timing with 00:02:17.069 --> 00:02:20.289 the raw primal energy of, you know, the early 00:02:20.289 --> 00:02:23.210 rock and R &B scene. And that sophisticated fusion, 00:02:23.349 --> 00:02:27.409 that's what created the distinct. Instantly recognizable, 00:02:27.729 --> 00:02:30.389 and I think critically, the truly inimitable 00:02:30.389 --> 00:02:32.870 sound of the Rolling Stones. So let's trace the 00:02:32.870 --> 00:02:35.590 origins of this elegant constant. Charlie Watts 00:02:35.590 --> 00:02:38.849 was born on the 2nd of June, 1941, in Bloomsbury, 00:02:38.990 --> 00:02:41.229 London. And he came from a working class background 00:02:41.229 --> 00:02:43.409 that, I mean, it really contrasts with the later 00:02:43.409 --> 00:02:46.569 opulence of his life. His father, Charles Richard 00:02:46.569 --> 00:02:49.490 Watts, was a lorry driver for the railway. Right, 00:02:49.550 --> 00:02:51.930 the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway. And 00:02:51.930 --> 00:02:54.219 his mother. Lillian, she was a factory worker. 00:02:54.379 --> 00:02:56.280 That working class stability, though, that seems 00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:58.539 really important. It gave him this grounded perspective 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:01.199 that feels like it never really left him. I think 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:03.659 you're right. After the Luftwaffe bombing during 00:03:03.659 --> 00:03:06.800 World War II, the family was relocated to Wembley 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:08.939 and they lived in a prefab house. These were 00:03:08.939 --> 00:03:11.060 those quick to assemble homes, right? Very common 00:03:11.060 --> 00:03:14.539 after the war. Exactly. And Watts was so young 00:03:14.539 --> 00:03:16.680 that he later recalled his earliest memories 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:19.840 of the war as, and this is a quote, something 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:22.250 of a game to me. He remembered the rush to the 00:03:22.250 --> 00:03:25.530 air raid shelters more as like an exciting routine 00:03:25.530 --> 00:03:28.310 than something truly frightening. And he had 00:03:28.310 --> 00:03:30.030 a close relationship with his younger sister, 00:03:30.150 --> 00:03:32.669 Linda. But the foundational relationship for 00:03:32.669 --> 00:03:35.069 his future, and this is a real testament to his 00:03:35.069 --> 00:03:38.430 lifelong loyalty, was meeting his next door neighbor 00:03:38.430 --> 00:03:42.400 in 1946. A boy named Dave Green. Yeah, they were 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:45.000 five years old and they became inseparable friends 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.900 for the next 60 plus years. And this friendship, 00:03:47.979 --> 00:03:50.080 I mean, this was the catalyst for his entire 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:52.639 musical journey. Green, who eventually became 00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:55.060 a really prominent jazz bass player, was his 00:03:55.060 --> 00:03:57.699 first musical partner. So it all starts right 00:03:57.699 --> 00:04:00.539 there. It does. And Green noted that their early 00:04:00.539 --> 00:04:04.000 musical exposure came from 78 RPM records, which 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:06.360 were expensive back then. It was a serious commitment 00:04:06.360 --> 00:04:08.659 to buy music. Right. And Green recalled that 00:04:08.659 --> 00:04:11.180 Watts was, quote, ahead of me in listening and 00:04:11.180 --> 00:04:13.860 acquisitions. He was serious about it from the 00:04:13.860 --> 00:04:15.659 very beginning. And what were they listening 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:18.220 to? Not the pop hits of the day, that's for sure. 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:21.100 No, this was a serious education in classic jazz. 00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:24.019 They were devouring records by giants like Jelly 00:04:24.019 --> 00:04:25.980 Roll Morton. The foundational figure of early 00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:29.319 jazz. and charlie parker the architect of bebop 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:32.319 and the genius felonious monk just think about 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:35.540 that for a second as teenagers in post -war london 00:04:35.540 --> 00:04:38.459 their musical foundation is rooted in this complex 00:04:38.459 --> 00:04:41.759 intellectual technically demanding american jazz 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:45.259 that was his education not simple rock and roll 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:48.939 but sophisticated improvisation okay so here's 00:04:48.939 --> 00:04:52.439 where his creativity and his like graphic artist's 00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:55.579 eye for detail just perfectly intersect with 00:04:55.579 --> 00:04:58.480 his passion for rhythm. He got interested in 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:01.100 drumming around age 13. But he didn't start with 00:05:01.100 --> 00:05:03.759 a drum kit. He started with a banjo. Which is 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:06.040 the single most telling anecdote about Charlie 00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:08.899 Watts' mindset. It really is. He bought a banjo, 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:10.939 but he had an aesthetic objection to it. He didn't 00:05:10.939 --> 00:05:13.000 like the neck dots, those little inlays that 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:16.040 mark the frets. That is so specific. A fastidious, 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:18.360 almost artistic detail. So what does he do? He 00:05:18.360 --> 00:05:20.079 just takes the neck off and uses the circular 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:22.720 wooden rim with its skin and puts it on a stand. 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:25.959 But why? Why that specific makeshift instrument? 00:05:26.430 --> 00:05:28.209 Because he wasn't trying to just hit something. 00:05:28.449 --> 00:05:31.689 He was trying to emulate the subtle, textural 00:05:31.689 --> 00:05:34.649 brush style of the great jazz drummer Chico Hamilton. 00:05:34.870 --> 00:05:37.430 Who was famous for a light touch, right? Texture 00:05:37.430 --> 00:05:40.709 over volume. Exactly. Watts was literally building 00:05:40.709 --> 00:05:44.009 his own instrument to achieve a specific, subtle, 00:05:44.129 --> 00:05:47.329 sophisticated jazz sound, the brush sound, which 00:05:47.329 --> 00:05:50.029 demands immense control and nuance. And that's 00:05:50.029 --> 00:05:52.569 the complete opposite of the loud, driving beat 00:05:52.569 --> 00:05:54.750 that rock and roll requires. That distinction. 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:58.040 aiming for sophistication and texture over volume. 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:01.000 That's essential to understanding him. It wasn't 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:03.480 until Christmas of 1955 that he got a proper, 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:06.560 though pretty cheap, 12 -pound drum kit. But 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:08.399 because he'd already developed this focused, 00:06:08.459 --> 00:06:10.899 disciplined practice routine with his jazz records, 00:06:11.100 --> 00:06:13.259 he carried that self -directed foundation into 00:06:13.259 --> 00:06:15.579 everything. And that discipline, it extended 00:06:15.579 --> 00:06:18.379 right into his non -musical career. He showed 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:20.439 talent in music, of course, but also in art, 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:22.339 cricket, and football at school. And then he 00:06:22.339 --> 00:06:24.639 committed to serious art training. He went to 00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:27.279 Harrow Art School until 1960 and trained as a 00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:29.839 graphic artist. Which is a profession that requires 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:33.339 meticulous attention to layout, balance, detail, 00:06:33.579 --> 00:06:35.959 all the things we see in his drumming. And this 00:06:35.959 --> 00:06:38.620 wasn't just a hobby, it was a career. He worked 00:06:38.620 --> 00:06:40.459 professionally as a graphic designer for Charlie 00:06:40.459 --> 00:06:43.240 Daniel Studios and then for another agency, Charles, 00:06:43.379 --> 00:06:46.899 Hobson & Gray. Crucially, he kept this secure 00:06:46.899 --> 00:06:49.759 salary job, even as he started playing music 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:52.740 in the, you know, notoriously unstable... Club 00:06:52.740 --> 00:06:55.339 circuit. That financial and artistic stability, 00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:58.459 it deeply influenced all his future decisions. 00:06:58.839 --> 00:07:01.120 He started his musical career with his childhood 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:03.420 friend Dave Green and the Joe Jones All -Stars. 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:06.160 Playing the jazz he loved. But this scene was 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:08.379 changing. He met Alexis Corner, who was this 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:10.240 seminal figure in the British blues movement, 00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:12.779 and Corner invited him to join his group, Blues 00:07:12.779 --> 00:07:16.180 Incorporated, in 1962. And the sources have this 00:07:16.180 --> 00:07:18.620 brilliant anecdote about that transition to R 00:07:18.620 --> 00:07:21.240 &B. Watts was actually on his way to a graphic 00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:23.779 design job in Denmark when he accepted Corner's 00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:25.899 offer. Yeah, and he came back to London in February 00:07:25.899 --> 00:07:29.360 1962 to play rhythm and blues, a genre he found 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:32.639 utterly puzzling. Ah, puzzling. Yes. He famously 00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:35.019 said he initially thought rhythm and blues meant... 00:07:35.389 --> 00:07:38.430 Charlie Parker played slow. That quote is just 00:07:38.430 --> 00:07:41.209 a perfect window into his mind at the time. His 00:07:41.209 --> 00:07:43.410 entire frame of reference was the rapid -fire, 00:07:43.589 --> 00:07:46.430 complex, improvisational structure of bebop. 00:07:46.629 --> 00:07:49.930 So the repetitive, primal, 12 -bar structure 00:07:49.930 --> 00:07:53.089 of blues and R &B, to him it just felt like a 00:07:53.089 --> 00:07:56.350 diluted, slow version of the serious music he 00:07:56.350 --> 00:07:58.550 knew. He wasn't naturally drawn to it. He had 00:07:58.550 --> 00:08:01.110 to learn it, integrate it, and eventually blend 00:08:01.110 --> 00:08:03.610 that elegance of jazz into the guttural thump 00:08:03.610 --> 00:08:06.050 of rock. So he's playing with Alexis Corner, 00:08:06.250 --> 00:08:08.060 still... balancing music with his advertising 00:08:08.060 --> 00:08:10.660 job, and he starts frequenting the London R &B 00:08:10.660 --> 00:08:12.939 clubs. And that's where he meets the early lineup 00:08:12.939 --> 00:08:15.220 of the Rolling Stones' Jagger, Richards, Brian 00:08:15.220 --> 00:08:18.519 Jones, Ian Stewart in mid -1962. And they clearly 00:08:18.519 --> 00:08:20.740 recognize his skill, but he didn't, you know, 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:22.980 rush to join them. No, and this brings us to 00:08:22.980 --> 00:08:25.540 one of the most important aha moments about Watts' 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:28.300 priorities. He finally agreed to join the Rolling 00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:31.600 Stones in January 1963, but only after repeatedly 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:34.440 refusing. And why? Because the band couldn't 00:08:34.440 --> 00:08:36.889 afford to pay him a regular wage. He was earning 00:08:36.889 --> 00:08:40.029 a reliable professional salary from his graphic 00:08:40.029 --> 00:08:43.149 design work and his established jazz gigs. It's 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:45.889 incredible. He wasn't chasing rock stardom. He 00:08:45.889 --> 00:08:48.370 was chasing financial stability and artistic 00:08:48.370 --> 00:08:51.389 commitment. The Stones were just too much of 00:08:51.389 --> 00:08:54.149 an unstable. financial risk at first. It is the 00:08:54.149 --> 00:08:57.029 ultimate sign of the anti -rock star. He demanded 00:08:57.029 --> 00:08:59.389 his professional fee before committing to a life 00:08:59.389 --> 00:09:02.009 of legendary chaos. But once he committed, he 00:09:02.009 --> 00:09:04.850 was locked in. His first official public appearance 00:09:04.850 --> 00:09:06.850 as a permanent member was at the Ealing Jazz 00:09:06.850 --> 00:09:10.480 Club February 2nd, 1963. And from that point 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:13.120 on, he became the absolute definition of reliability. 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:17.220 58 years. Until his death in 2021, he was the 00:09:17.220 --> 00:09:19.960 essential constant. He, Jagger, and Richards 00:09:19.960 --> 00:09:22.440 are the only members of the Stones to have performed 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:25.960 on every single studio album. Every one. To put 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:27.919 that into perspective, he had never missed a 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:30.039 single concert in his entire career with the 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:32.919 band until his final planned absence in August 00:09:32.919 --> 00:09:35.879 2021. That level of dedication and reliability 00:09:35.879 --> 00:09:39.019 is just. It's unparalleled in a field that is 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:41.379 defined by volatility. And yet he remained this 00:09:41.379 --> 00:09:44.399 kind of elusive figure, shielded from the spectacle. 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:47.240 Well, even the famously reserved Watts couldn't 00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:49.879 escape a playful nickname. Jagger often introduced 00:09:49.879 --> 00:09:53.610 him live as The Wembley Whammer. A nod to his 00:09:53.610 --> 00:09:55.450 working class roots in Wembley. I love that. 00:09:55.629 --> 00:09:58.289 Yeah. What's so fascinating to me is how his 00:09:58.289 --> 00:10:01.049 pre -Stones career shaped the Stones' identity. 00:10:01.450 --> 00:10:03.450 We have to talk about his contribution that went 00:10:03.450 --> 00:10:05.649 way beyond the drum kit. Oh, absolutely. His 00:10:05.649 --> 00:10:08.029 graphic art background became integral to the 00:10:08.029 --> 00:10:10.809 band's visual brand and their commercial success. 00:10:11.070 --> 00:10:12.990 This is critical to understanding his full role. 00:10:13.169 --> 00:10:15.750 He contributed graphic art and comic strips to 00:10:15.750 --> 00:10:18.710 early Stones' records. And most notably, he designed 00:10:18.710 --> 00:10:20.929 the stark, stylized record sleeve for the the 00:10:20.929 --> 00:10:24.350 1967 album Between the Buttons. So he brought 00:10:24.350 --> 00:10:26.450 his professional art school training directly 00:10:26.450 --> 00:10:29.169 into the messy world of rock. He wasn't just 00:10:29.169 --> 00:10:31.750 providing the rhythmic foundation. He was actively 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:34.590 shaping their visual presentation and, maybe 00:10:34.590 --> 00:10:36.809 most importantly, their massive live spectacle. 00:10:37.090 --> 00:10:39.769 Right. He and Jagger collaborated heavily on 00:10:39.769 --> 00:10:42.149 the stage designs for the major tours, and they 00:10:42.149 --> 00:10:44.330 approached them like architectural design projects. 00:10:44.789 --> 00:10:47.169 Exactly. When you think of the Stones, you think 00:10:47.169 --> 00:10:50.049 of those elaborate, almost theatrical stage... 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:52.700 setups. Those were the visual identifiers that 00:10:52.700 --> 00:10:55.259 defined their global tours. And Watts was one 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:58.059 of the primary architects of those massive spectacles. 00:10:58.179 --> 00:11:00.679 The lotus -shaped design of the 1975 Tour of 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:02.960 the Americas, the industrial grandeur of the 00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:05.879 Steel Wheels Tour in the late 80s, the monumental 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:09.100 scale of Bridges to Babylon. He approached the 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:11.799 stage like a complex, three -dimensional graphic 00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:15.220 design project, applying balance, scale, composition. 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:18.220 And this graphic design influence also led to 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:19.840 one of the most memorable tours. tour announcements 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:22.360 in rock history. It perfectly illustrates how 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:24.779 he bridged his sophisticated understanding of 00:11:24.779 --> 00:11:27.700 tradition with pure rock flash. We're talking 00:11:27.700 --> 00:11:30.159 about the 1975 tour announcement in New York 00:11:30.159 --> 00:11:32.460 City. Instead of, you know, a boring indoor press 00:11:32.460 --> 00:11:34.740 conference. The band completely surprised the 00:11:34.740 --> 00:11:37.220 reporters by driving a flatbed truck through 00:11:37.220 --> 00:11:40.039 Manhattan traffic, performing an impromptu version 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:42.480 of Brown Sugar on the back. It was outrageous, 00:11:42.580 --> 00:11:45.039 attention -grabbing, and just logistically insane. 00:11:45.299 --> 00:11:47.860 And the genius of that move came entirely from 00:11:47.860 --> 00:11:51.940 Charlie Washington. precisely it was his idea 00:11:51.940 --> 00:11:54.720 and he got it from his deep knowledge of early 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:58.000 American jazz history he remembered that this 00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:00.519 was a common old -school way for New Orleans 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:03.259 jazz bands to promote gigs they'd load up a truck 00:12:03.259 --> 00:12:05.279 and play while driving through the streets exactly 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:08.639 so Watts took this elegant vintage promotional 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.700 method and scaled it up for rock stadium level 00:12:11.700 --> 00:12:15.299 shock value It was high concept advertising executed 00:12:15.299 --> 00:12:18.200 with total rock and roll disregard for traffic 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:20.399 laws. It's brilliant. It just shows his mind 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:22.899 was constantly synthesizing history and application. 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:26.320 He was a true dual role figure. He was. And just 00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:28.620 to bring us into the present, his rhythm literally 00:12:28.620 --> 00:12:31.899 endures. It does. The Stones released Hackney 00:12:31.899 --> 00:12:34.440 Diamonds in 2023, two years after he passed. 00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:36.879 And the album features two songs with Watts on 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:40.000 drums. Mess It Up and Live By The Sword. They 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:42.139 had to carefully select archive recordings to 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:44.559 make sure his specific, unique sound remains 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:46.799 part of their legacy. Now we really need to spend 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:48.779 some time on Watts' personal life, because it 00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:51.179 stands in such stark, almost humorous contrast 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:54.580 to that prevailing rock star stereotype. And 00:12:54.580 --> 00:12:57.679 this contrast, it fundamentally defined his image 00:12:57.679 --> 00:13:01.000 as the elegant constant. Let's start with his 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:03.899 devotion to his wife. This is arguably the most 00:13:03.899 --> 00:13:07.029 radical act of his entire career. He met Shirley 00:13:07.029 --> 00:13:09.110 Ann Shepard before he even joined the Stones. 00:13:09.370 --> 00:13:12.169 And they married in 1964, right when the band 00:13:12.169 --> 00:13:15.389 was just exploding into global fame. They remained 00:13:15.389 --> 00:13:19.429 married for 57 years, until his death. 57 years 00:13:19.429 --> 00:13:21.110 of marriage in an industry where relationships 00:13:21.110 --> 00:13:23.889 are measured in months, sometimes weeks. They 00:13:23.889 --> 00:13:26.730 had one daughter, Sarathina, born in 68, and 00:13:26.730 --> 00:13:29.029 a granddaughter, Charlotte. And Watts' loyalty 00:13:29.029 --> 00:13:32.330 to Shirley was legendary. It was absolute. The 00:13:32.330 --> 00:13:34.629 sources are explicit that he consistently refused 00:13:34.629 --> 00:13:37.070 sexual offers from groupies on the road. Which 00:13:37.070 --> 00:13:39.809 was just utterly contrary to the expected and 00:13:39.809 --> 00:13:41.870 accepted lifestyle of his bandmates and peers. 00:13:42.169 --> 00:13:44.330 That loyalty isn't just a nice footnote. It's 00:13:44.330 --> 00:13:46.649 part of his whole persona of control and restraint. 00:13:47.009 --> 00:13:49.970 He was the calm, amused counterpoint on stage, 00:13:50.149 --> 00:13:52.409 the visual manifestation of discipline amidst 00:13:52.409 --> 00:13:54.970 the chaos. And he actively rejected the rock 00:13:54.970 --> 00:13:58.070 star label. He was quoted saying, with his characteristic 00:13:58.070 --> 00:14:00.610 understatement, I've never filled the stereotype 00:14:00.610 --> 00:14:03.100 of the rock star. That quote is the ultimate 00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:05.980 key. His rejection of the culture wasn't just 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:09.659 modesty. It was an active choice. There's that 00:14:09.659 --> 00:14:13.059 famous anecdote from the notorious 1972 American 00:14:13.059 --> 00:14:16.440 tour, the one defined by excess and wild partying. 00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:18.519 Right. When the band was invited to the Playboy 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:20.940 Mansion, the others were, let's just say, fully 00:14:20.940 --> 00:14:24.519 engaging with the atmosphere. But Watts, according 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:26.899 to multiple accounts, ignored the women entirely 00:14:26.899 --> 00:14:29.240 and went straight to Hugh Hefner's game room. 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:33.169 He found pinball. or a pool table more engaging 00:14:33.169 --> 00:14:36.309 than the expected almost obligatory hedonism. 00:14:36.669 --> 00:14:38.970 It just speaks volumes about his priorities. 00:14:39.210 --> 00:14:41.230 He didn't even have the patience for the minor 00:14:41.230 --> 00:14:43.370 aesthetic trappings of rebellion. Not at all. 00:14:43.549 --> 00:14:46.190 He and Bill Wyman reportedly tried to grow beards 00:14:46.190 --> 00:14:47.909 in the 70s, which is, you know, rock and roll 00:14:47.909 --> 00:14:50.429 101, right? Right. And Watts recalled that the 00:14:50.429 --> 00:14:52.669 effort of maintaining them and the whole attempt 00:14:52.669 --> 00:14:55.210 to look appropriately disheveled just, quote, 00:14:55.350 --> 00:14:57.809 left us exhausted. They couldn't even manage 00:14:57.809 --> 00:14:59.889 the simple act of growing facial hair without 00:14:59.889 --> 00:15:02.529 it feeling like an insurmountable burden. Yet 00:15:02.529 --> 00:15:05.169 despite this reluctance to embrace the mess of 00:15:05.169 --> 00:15:07.870 rock and roll, he was the definition of style. 00:15:08.090 --> 00:15:10.230 He was named one of the world's best -dressed 00:15:10.230 --> 00:15:13.029 men by the Daily Telegraph, inducted into the 00:15:13.029 --> 00:15:15.710 International Best -Dressed Hall of Fame by Vanity 00:15:15.710 --> 00:15:19.289 Fair in 2006. Always in impeccably tailored suits. 00:15:19.929 --> 00:15:23.509 Often three -piece pristine ties, freshly shined 00:15:23.509 --> 00:15:25.529 shoes. You know, it's not just a style choice. 00:15:25.610 --> 00:15:28.509 It's a philosophical stance. The suit provided 00:15:28.509 --> 00:15:31.850 a visual contrast, but it also mirrored his drumming. 00:15:31.950 --> 00:15:34.389 That's a great point. Everything was perfectly 00:15:34.389 --> 00:15:36.350 tailored, perfectly placed, and never excessive. 00:15:36.649 --> 00:15:39.289 He was the visual order anchoring the musical 00:15:39.289 --> 00:15:42.250 mayhem. He was also the ultimate observer and 00:15:42.250 --> 00:15:44.549 quiet collector. He wasn't spending his money 00:15:44.549 --> 00:15:47.190 on giant yachts and mansions in the usual way. 00:15:47.330 --> 00:15:49.710 No, he owned an Arabian horse stud farm in North 00:15:49.710 --> 00:15:52.450 Devon, which reflects a love of refinement and 00:15:52.450 --> 00:15:55.129 beauty. He collected cricket memorabilia. And, 00:15:55.210 --> 00:15:57.669 baby, most famously, he collected cars, viewing 00:15:57.669 --> 00:16:00.110 them as beautiful objects. But he never learned 00:16:00.110 --> 00:16:02.210 to drive and never held a driving license. It's 00:16:02.210 --> 00:16:04.809 the perfect paradox. He appreciated the aesthetic 00:16:04.809 --> 00:16:07.490 and the engineering, the design excellence, but 00:16:07.490 --> 00:16:09.529 had no interest in the practical function or 00:16:09.529 --> 00:16:11.830 the freedom they represented. A connoisseur of 00:16:11.830 --> 00:16:14.610 things he would never use. Okay, now. here is 00:16:14.610 --> 00:16:17.389 the most fascinating detail for me the one that 00:16:17.389 --> 00:16:20.769 truly speaks to the disciplined almost obsessive 00:16:20.769 --> 00:16:23.230 nature he inherited from his graphic design training 00:16:23.230 --> 00:16:26.610 the sketch the bed sketches in a 1996 interview 00:16:26.610 --> 00:16:29.190 he said he had meticulously sketched every single 00:16:29.190 --> 00:16:31.789 bed he had slept on while on tour since 1967. 00:16:32.190 --> 00:16:35.970 and by 2001 he had filled 12 to 15 diaries entirely 00:16:35.970 --> 00:16:38.929 with these detailed sketches of hotel room furniture 00:16:38.929 --> 00:16:41.470 can you just imagine the sheer level of dedication 00:16:41.470 --> 00:16:44.850 that required the band is living this chaotic, 00:16:44.929 --> 00:16:48.269 transient, hedonistic life. And Watts is upstairs 00:16:48.269 --> 00:16:51.269 after every gig meticulously documenting the 00:16:51.269 --> 00:16:53.450 headboard, the frame, the layout. It's almost 00:16:53.450 --> 00:16:56.309 a form of silent intellectual rebellion against 00:16:56.309 --> 00:16:58.669 the spectacle. He was visually cataloging his 00:16:58.669 --> 00:17:01.009 isolation. Or maybe just imposing aesthetic order 00:17:01.009 --> 00:17:03.149 on the constant disarray of life on the road. 00:17:03.250 --> 00:17:05.710 It's the mind of an archivist, an artist, and 00:17:05.710 --> 00:17:07.789 a disciplined worker all rolled into one. And 00:17:07.789 --> 00:17:10.650 speaking of chaos, this meticulously controlled 00:17:10.650 --> 00:17:13.809 life, as disciplined as it was, wasn't unbreakable. 00:17:14.029 --> 00:17:16.869 We have to discuss the mid -1980s incident that 00:17:16.869 --> 00:17:18.789 gave us the most famous Charlie Watts quote. 00:17:19.370 --> 00:17:21.890 precisely because it was such an aberration. 00:17:21.990 --> 00:17:24.990 This is the legendary You're My F -Singer moment. 00:17:25.170 --> 00:17:27.769 This happened in the mid -80s, a difficult period 00:17:27.769 --> 00:17:30.769 for the band, a lot of personal friction. An 00:17:30.769 --> 00:17:33.730 intoxicated Mick Jagger called Watts' hotel room 00:17:33.730 --> 00:17:35.450 in the middle of the night. Demanding, where's 00:17:35.450 --> 00:17:37.710 my drummer? And Watts' reaction is legendary 00:17:37.710 --> 00:17:41.009 because of its absolute devotion to his own code. 00:17:41.250 --> 00:17:43.970 He didn't just stumble downstairs. No, he got 00:17:43.970 --> 00:17:47.160 up. He meticulously shaved, dressed in a full, 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:50.319 perfectly tailored suit, put on a tie, and polished 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:52.500 his shoes. Then he calmly walked downstairs, 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:56.059 confronted Jagger, and punched him squarely in 00:17:56.059 --> 00:17:58.079 the face. And then delivered the line, never 00:17:58.079 --> 00:17:59.960 call me your drummer again, you're my free singer. 00:18:00.299 --> 00:18:03.359 The act wasn't just drunken rage. It was a powerful, 00:18:03.460 --> 00:18:06.220 symbolic act of defining the hierarchy based 00:18:06.220 --> 00:18:08.960 on mutual professional respect. He was insisting 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:10.799 on being treated as an equal, vital partner. 00:18:10.980 --> 00:18:13.339 The fact that he dressed impeccably before the 00:18:13.339 --> 00:18:16.619 punch, it elevates it from a bar fight to a principled 00:18:16.619 --> 00:18:19.339 sartorial declaration of independence. But let's 00:18:19.339 --> 00:18:21.339 interrogate this because the sources allow us 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:24.420 to. If this moment is so central to the legend, 00:18:24.660 --> 00:18:26.740 does the fact that he was struggling with his 00:18:26.740 --> 00:18:29.240 own vices at the time diminish its significance? 00:18:29.740 --> 00:18:32.240 That's a crucial question, and Watts himself 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:35.539 answered it later. He expressed deep regret for 00:18:35.539 --> 00:18:38.400 the incident in 2003. He attributed the behavior 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:40.980 to his own excessive use of alcohol and drugs 00:18:40.980 --> 00:18:43.680 during that period. A phase he candidly called 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:46.720 a midlife crisis that nearly cost him his wife. 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:49.900 So while the quote is definitive, the context 00:18:49.900 --> 00:18:52.079 for the action was rooted in a loss of control, 00:18:52.299 --> 00:18:55.220 an aberration from his true disciplined self. 00:18:55.420 --> 00:18:57.799 He regretted the lack of control, even if the 00:18:57.799 --> 00:19:00.140 resulting quote was perfectly on brand. Let's 00:19:00.140 --> 00:19:01.960 transition now to the core of his contribution, 00:19:02.299 --> 00:19:05.180 the drumming itself. As we've established, his 00:19:05.180 --> 00:19:07.690 philosophy was all about restraint. He was highly 00:19:07.690 --> 00:19:10.190 song -oriented. He was explicitly not interested 00:19:10.190 --> 00:19:12.450 in drawing attention to himself with solos. Which 00:19:12.450 --> 00:19:14.670 often led him to be called underrated. But was 00:19:14.670 --> 00:19:16.829 he truly underrated or was he just misunderstood? 00:19:17.390 --> 00:19:20.529 He was misunderstood. Absolutely. He wasn't underrated 00:19:20.529 --> 00:19:23.009 by other musicians. He was underrated by the 00:19:23.009 --> 00:19:26.250 public who equate drumming genius with showmanship 00:19:26.250 --> 00:19:30.190 and speed. His genius was subtle. And here is 00:19:30.190 --> 00:19:32.210 where the Stones Foundation differs from nearly 00:19:32.210 --> 00:19:35.250 every other major rock band. Rotz didn't lead 00:19:35.250 --> 00:19:37.670 the rhythm section. He followed Keith Richards' 00:19:37.849 --> 00:19:40.769 riff. That's a fascinating inversion of the standard 00:19:40.769 --> 00:19:43.470 rock paradigm. Usually the drummer sets the tempo 00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:45.690 and the groove and everyone else locks in. Exactly. 00:19:45.890 --> 00:19:49.150 The New York Times critic Mitiko Kakutani famously 00:19:49.150 --> 00:19:51.869 noted that this unique dynamic watts following 00:19:51.869 --> 00:19:54.430 Richards is what makes the Stones impossible 00:19:54.430 --> 00:19:57.049 to copy. So their foundation wasn't a standard 00:19:57.049 --> 00:19:59.829 rigid beat. It was a fluid conversational rhythm. 00:19:59.890 --> 00:20:02.700 Right. Richards would throw out a riff and Watts 00:20:02.700 --> 00:20:04.819 would respond to it, creating this push -pull 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:07.319 tension that gave the songs their swaggering, 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:09.819 slightly drunken feel. It's what made the whole 00:20:09.819 --> 00:20:12.480 machine sound like it might derail at any moment, 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:15.160 yet it never did. Okay, let's talk technical 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:17.220 specifics because this is the core nugget for 00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:18.900 listeners who want to understand how he did it. 00:20:19.059 --> 00:20:21.200 The first major technical innovation started 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:25.160 around 1969. So imagine a standard rock beat. 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:28.200 The hi -hat cymbal plays constant eighth notes, 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:30.299 a steady chick, chick, chick, chick. Especially 00:20:30.299 --> 00:20:32.480 on beats two and four, the crucial backbeat where 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:34.920 the snare hits. Right. Watts began deliberately 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:37.380 omitting those hi -hat cymbal eighth notes on 00:20:37.380 --> 00:20:40.019 beats two and four. So he took sound out where 00:20:40.019 --> 00:20:42.160 everyone else put it in at the point of maximum 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:45.059 emphasis. Why? What effect did that have? A massive 00:20:45.059 --> 00:20:48.509 musical and physical impact. Physically. It reduces 00:20:48.509 --> 00:20:51.250 workload, which helped his longevity. But musically, 00:20:51.390 --> 00:20:53.670 and way more important, it increased the prominence 00:20:53.670 --> 00:20:56.930 of the snare drum backbeat. Oh, so. By removing 00:20:56.930 --> 00:20:59.490 the shimmering sound of the hi -hat at the same 00:20:59.490 --> 00:21:01.970 moment the snare drum cracked, the snare hit 00:21:01.970 --> 00:21:05.910 felt drier, heavier, more foundational. It created 00:21:05.910 --> 00:21:08.049 sonic space around the most important beat in 00:21:08.049 --> 00:21:09.910 rock and roll. That's the genius of economy, 00:21:10.130 --> 00:21:12.809 doing less to achieve more. Now, the second innovation 00:21:12.809 --> 00:21:16.359 is even subtler, the famous late backbeat. This 00:21:16.359 --> 00:21:18.759 technique was particularly prevalent from about 00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:21.579 68 through the mid -70s, the Stones' creative 00:21:21.579 --> 00:21:25.619 peak. Watts would intentionally, slightly delay 00:21:25.619 --> 00:21:28.119 the snare drum hit on the second and fourth beats. 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:30.440 This isn't just dragging the tempo, which would 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:33.480 sound sloppy. No, it's a deliberate, minuscule 00:21:33.480 --> 00:21:37.099 hesitation. A pocket he put the beat into. How 00:21:37.099 --> 00:21:39.759 do we explain that difference between being slow 00:21:39.759 --> 00:21:42.420 and being coolly delayed? Think of it this way. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:45.480 Dragging is when you've missed the train. Deliberate 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:47.140 delay is when you're leaning against the doorway, 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:49.720 knowing the train can't leave without you. Okay, 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:52.299 I like that. Watts' delay gives the rhythm a 00:21:52.299 --> 00:21:55.980 specific elasticity, a laid -back, almost swaggering 00:21:55.980 --> 00:21:58.960 feel. It's what jazz musicians call playing behind 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:01.400 the beat. And we can hear this distinct rubbery 00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:04.519 sound in absolute classics. Oh, yeah. Think of 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:06.970 the feel of Monkey Man. The languid pace of Wild 00:22:06.970 --> 00:22:09.869 Horses, the distinctive drag on Sister Morphine, 00:22:09.930 --> 00:22:12.250 and of course the whole foundation of Let It 00:22:12.250 --> 00:22:14.609 Bleed. That feeling of the song almost stumbling 00:22:14.609 --> 00:22:16.970 backwards slightly before catching itself, that's 00:22:16.970 --> 00:22:19.829 Watts' signature genius. It is, though it's important 00:22:19.829 --> 00:22:22.269 to note that specific microtiming became less 00:22:22.269 --> 00:22:25.190 pronounced in the studio after the mid -70s as 00:22:25.190 --> 00:22:27.630 production tightened up, but the elastic feel 00:22:27.630 --> 00:22:30.250 was always there live. He also had this reputation 00:22:30.250 --> 00:22:32.650 for tempo variability, which must have driven 00:22:32.650 --> 00:22:36.430 engineers crazy. Huh, probably. But it contributes 00:22:36.430 --> 00:22:38.890 to the dynamism. He wasn't afraid to let the 00:22:38.890 --> 00:22:41.809 song breathe. He'd sometimes significantly accelerate 00:22:41.809 --> 00:22:44.970 the tempo over the course of a track. Honky Tonk 00:22:44.970 --> 00:22:46.990 Women is the famous example, right? The perfect 00:22:46.990 --> 00:22:49.910 one. The tempo gradually pushes forward, adding 00:22:49.910 --> 00:22:52.690 this dynamic, almost frantic energy, pulling 00:22:52.690 --> 00:22:55.349 the whole song forward. It adds a sense of urgency. 00:22:55.799 --> 00:22:57.759 A click track could never replicate. And his 00:22:57.759 --> 00:23:00.200 equipment also speaks to his simplicity. He used 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:02.440 Ludwig early on, but he made a key switch later. 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:05.940 Yeah, to a Gretsch round badge set in 68. But 00:23:05.940 --> 00:23:08.599 the most iconic set, the one he used from 1978 00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:11.740 onward, was a late 50s Gretsch natural maple 00:23:11.740 --> 00:23:14.279 kit. And his setup was always minimalist and 00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:18.029 visually elegant. A 22 -inch bass drum. a hanging 00:23:18.029 --> 00:23:21.269 12 -inch rack tom on its own stand knot mounted 00:23:21.269 --> 00:23:24.410 on the bass drum, a 16 -inch floor tom, snare, 00:23:24.730 --> 00:23:29.049 hi -hat, and four cymbals. Minimalist, elegant, 00:23:29.269 --> 00:23:32.180 perfectly placed, just like his suits. And beyond 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:34.599 the Stones, we cannot overstate this. His heart 00:23:34.599 --> 00:23:37.640 never, ever left jazz. He was constantly involved 00:23:37.640 --> 00:23:40.759 in side projects. He was a patron of jazz. Very 00:23:40.759 --> 00:23:43.660 early on, in 1964, he published a beautiful cartoon 00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:46.220 tribute to Charlie Parker called Ode to a High 00:23:46.220 --> 00:23:48.539 -Flying Bird. Already blending his two primary 00:23:48.539 --> 00:23:51.079 talents, art and jazz. He didn't stop there. 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:53.079 In the late 70s, he joined the boogie -woogie 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:56.140 band Rocket 88 with Ian Stewart and Jack Bruce. 00:23:56.319 --> 00:23:58.400 And that led to his most ambitious side project 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:00.769 in the 80s. The Charlie Watts Orchestra. This 00:24:00.769 --> 00:24:03.009 wasn't a small combo. This was a full, serious, 00:24:03.069 --> 00:24:05.869 big band. They toured worldwide, playing complex 00:24:05.869 --> 00:24:08.369 arrangements, and featured huge names like Courtney 00:24:08.369 --> 00:24:10.569 Pine and Evan Parker. He wasn't just dabbling. 00:24:10.609 --> 00:24:12.869 He was commissioning, leading, and funding serious, 00:24:12.950 --> 00:24:15.470 high -level jazz while simultaneously touring 00:24:15.470 --> 00:24:17.890 stadiums with the Stones. He then organized the 00:24:17.890 --> 00:24:20.789 Charlie Watts Quintet in 91, again as a tribute 00:24:20.789 --> 00:24:22.809 to Charlie Parker, releasing albums like Warm 00:24:22.809 --> 00:24:25.589 and Tender. And then, in the year 2000, he did 00:24:25.589 --> 00:24:28.329 the utterly unexpected. He released a techno 00:24:28.329 --> 00:24:31.329 -instrumental album, the Charlie Watts Jim Keltner 00:24:31.329 --> 00:24:34.309 Project. The tracks were named after jazz greats 00:24:34.309 --> 00:24:36.809 like Elvin Jones and Max Roach. But he insisted 00:24:36.809 --> 00:24:39.930 they weren't copying their styles. No, he said 00:24:39.930 --> 00:24:42.170 they were translating the feeling and emotional 00:24:42.170 --> 00:24:44.470 architecture of jazz into a completely modern 00:24:44.470 --> 00:24:47.269 electronic idiom. That's a musical explorer right 00:24:47.269 --> 00:24:49.289 there. And then later he returned to his roots, 00:24:49.390 --> 00:24:52.450 recording Watts at Scott's at the iconic London 00:24:52.450 --> 00:24:55.670 Jazz Club. And tying back to the very start of 00:24:55.670 --> 00:24:58.329 his life, his ultimate loyalty was reaffirmed 00:24:58.329 --> 00:25:02.289 in 2009. When he joined the ABC &D of Boogie 00:25:02.289 --> 00:25:05.369 Woogie Ensemble, his non -negotiable demand was 00:25:05.369 --> 00:25:07.890 that his childhood friend, Dave Green, play bass. 00:25:08.130 --> 00:25:10.690 After more than 60 years from the prefab house 00:25:10.690 --> 00:25:13.049 in Wembley, he was still prioritizing playing 00:25:13.049 --> 00:25:15.089 with his very first bandmate. It just speaks 00:25:15.089 --> 00:25:17.329 volumes about the value he placed on personal 00:25:17.329 --> 00:25:19.650 history and loyalty. His impact is undeniable. 00:25:19.809 --> 00:25:21.609 He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of 00:25:21.609 --> 00:25:24.130 Fame in 89. And didn't even attend the ceremony, 00:25:24.349 --> 00:25:27.410 which is peak Charlie Watts. It is. But critics 00:25:27.410 --> 00:25:30.069 understood him. The Guardian in 91 called him 00:25:30.069 --> 00:25:32.910 an heroic yet quaint archetype, attributing his 00:25:32.910 --> 00:25:35.170 survival to the fact that he never chased stardom 00:25:35.170 --> 00:25:37.549 or tried to force himself into songwriting. Robert 00:25:37.549 --> 00:25:39.869 Criscow simply called him rock's greatest drummer. 00:25:40.450 --> 00:25:43.690 His complexity lies in that absolute restraint. 00:25:44.230 --> 00:25:46.910 He achieved greatness not through explosion, 00:25:47.069 --> 00:25:49.680 but by anchoring the storm. We've touched on 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:52.359 his single period of serious personal turbulence 00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:54.940 in the mid -80s, which he later discussed with 00:25:54.940 --> 00:25:58.319 remarkable candor. Yes. That period between 83 00:25:58.319 --> 00:26:01.180 and 86 was a massive detour for such a disciplined 00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:04.130 man. He battled excessive alcohol and drug use, 00:26:04.250 --> 00:26:06.829 calling it his midlife crisis. He said he became 00:26:06.829 --> 00:26:09.170 totally another person during that time, noting, 00:26:09.230 --> 00:26:11.549 I nearly lost my wife and everything over my 00:26:11.549 --> 00:26:13.750 behavior. The fact that he framed his addiction 00:26:13.750 --> 00:26:15.890 as an aberration that threatened the foundation 00:26:15.890 --> 00:26:18.650 of his stable life shows how seriously he took 00:26:18.650 --> 00:26:21.490 his self -control. He was dedicated to sobriety 00:26:21.490 --> 00:26:23.589 and discipline afterward. And he quit smoking 00:26:23.589 --> 00:26:26.890 in the late 80s. Then, in 2004, came the serious 00:26:26.890 --> 00:26:29.430 physical scare, a diagnosis of throat cancer. 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:32.480 He underwent radiotherapy and achieved remission. 00:26:32.599 --> 00:26:35.359 And his recovery led to this really profound 00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:37.900 observation about his relationship with the band 00:26:37.900 --> 00:26:40.880 and the touring life. Right. After treatment, 00:26:40.980 --> 00:26:43.519 he immediately embarked on the two -year A Bigger 00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:46.839 Bang Tour, and he linked periods of rest to illness. 00:26:47.259 --> 00:26:53.319 He famously said, For Watts, the energy and commitment 00:26:53.319 --> 00:26:56.819 of playing, the rhythm of the road, was perhaps 00:26:56.819 --> 00:26:59.819 literally keeping him alive then in august 2021 00:26:59.819 --> 00:27:02.119 the stones were preparing for the resumption 00:27:02.119 --> 00:27:05.380 of the u .s no filter tour watts had heart surgery 00:27:05.380 --> 00:27:08.119 and for the first time in his entire career elected 00:27:08.119 --> 00:27:10.700 to sit out the tour to recover with steve jordan 00:27:10.700 --> 00:27:13.140 replacing him temporarily it was a shocking moment 00:27:13.140 --> 00:27:15.759 for fans because he was the one constant the 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:18.859 one immovable figure sadly not long after on 00:27:18.859 --> 00:27:22.539 august 24 2021 Charlie Watts died at the age 00:27:22.539 --> 00:27:25.359 of 80 from squamous cell carcinoma at a hospital 00:27:25.359 --> 00:27:28.279 in London, surrounded by his family. And in classic 00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:30.420 Watts fashion, he was buried in Devon after a 00:27:30.420 --> 00:27:33.460 small, modest, quiet ceremony. Perfectly fitting 00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:35.880 for a man who avoided grand gestures his entire 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:38.400 life. His wife, Shirley, passed away the following 00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:42.259 year in 2022. The tributes just poured in, solidifying 00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:45.140 his status as a drumming giant. He was voted 00:27:45.140 --> 00:27:47.559 into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2006. 00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:51.450 And his peers. They really understood his unique 00:27:51.450 --> 00:27:54.349 role. Paul McCartney offered a heartfelt tribute 00:27:54.349 --> 00:27:57.670 saying, I've always loved you. Ringo Starr called 00:27:57.670 --> 00:28:00.890 him beautiful. Elton John, Pete Townshend. The 00:28:00.890 --> 00:28:04.660 most telling tribute. Maybe came from Pink Floyd's 00:28:04.660 --> 00:28:07.140 Nick Mason, who called him possibly the most 00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:09.519 underrated of the great rock and roll drummers. 00:28:09.619 --> 00:28:11.680 Which reinforces that idea that his commitment 00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:14.519 to restraint over flamboyance meant his genius 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:16.680 was often missed by the casual listener. The 00:28:16.680 --> 00:28:19.019 band's own tribute was so poignant. For 10 days 00:28:19.019 --> 00:28:21.019 after his death, the Rolling Stones' official 00:28:21.019 --> 00:28:23.480 website replaced its entire contents with just 00:28:23.480 --> 00:28:26.319 a single powerful picture of Charlie Watts. And 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:28.380 they shared a fantastic video tribute set to 00:28:28.380 --> 00:28:31.720 their 1974 track, If You Can't Rock Me. A song 00:28:31.720 --> 00:28:33.559 which opens with those great self -referential 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:35.640 lines. The band's on stage and it's one of those 00:28:35.640 --> 00:28:37.420 nights the drummer thinks that he's dynamite. 00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:40.039 Oh, yeah. It was a classic understated nod to 00:28:40.039 --> 00:28:42.160 the essential engine of the band, celebrating 00:28:42.160 --> 00:28:44.519 the man who provided the dynamite without ever 00:28:44.519 --> 00:28:47.359 thinking of himself as the explosion. And finally, 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:50.039 even his posthumous digital legacy speaks to 00:28:50.039 --> 00:28:53.380 his quiet. analog nature when his estate launched 00:28:53.380 --> 00:28:55.400 official social media accounts on what would 00:28:55.400 --> 00:28:58.319 have been his 82nd birthday the statement noted 00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:01.019 that charlie was too modest to embrace social 00:29:01.019 --> 00:29:04.230 media in his lifetime The ultimate anti -rock 00:29:04.230 --> 00:29:06.609 star remained offline. So what does this all 00:29:06.609 --> 00:29:09.170 mean for you, the listener? We've traced Charlie 00:29:09.170 --> 00:29:12.009 Watts' trajectory from the post -war London art 00:29:12.009 --> 00:29:14.529 school graduate, the graphic designer, the jazz 00:29:14.529 --> 00:29:17.289 purist, who reluctantly served as the rhythmic 00:29:17.289 --> 00:29:20.029 backbone of rock's longest -running, most chaotic 00:29:20.029 --> 00:29:22.430 machine. His greatness was built on intellectual 00:29:22.430 --> 00:29:25.490 discipline. His ability to synthesize those complex 00:29:25.490 --> 00:29:28.170 timing techniques, the late backbeat that gave 00:29:28.170 --> 00:29:30.450 the Stones their swagger, the hi -hat omissions 00:29:30.450 --> 00:29:33.309 that made the backbeat punchier, it made him... 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:36.579 technically superb yet resolutely unfashionable. 00:29:36.599 --> 00:29:39.319 He imposed order and elegance on an inherently 00:29:39.319 --> 00:29:42.140 wild medium. He was the ballast against the wind, 00:29:42.259 --> 00:29:44.859 the impeccably tailored anchor that allowed the 00:29:44.859 --> 00:29:47.440 frontmen to drift into legendary chaos. But I 00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:49.920 want to leave you with one final provocative 00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:53.200 thought about the non -musical, highly intellectual 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:55.539 artifacts that emerged from his estate after 00:29:55.539 --> 00:29:58.460 his passing. This really speaks to the man behind 00:29:58.460 --> 00:30:00.759 the drums. We've established that he was a collector. 00:30:01.259 --> 00:30:03.880 A lover of refinement, the tailored suits, the 00:30:03.880 --> 00:30:07.019 antique drum kits, the Arabian horses. But his 00:30:07.019 --> 00:30:09.920 private collection outside of music speaks volumes 00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:12.799 about his hidden curiosity and intellectual rigor. 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:16.380 In 2023, his extraordinary private book collection 00:30:16.380 --> 00:30:19.210 was put up for auction. The headline item wasn't 00:30:19.210 --> 00:30:21.970 about music or fashion. It was a pristine, signed 00:30:21.970 --> 00:30:24.690 first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's modernist 00:30:24.690 --> 00:30:27.410 masterpiece, The Great Gatsby. Expected to fetch 00:30:27.410 --> 00:30:30.170 up to 300 ,000 pounds. And even more surprisingly, 00:30:30.329 --> 00:30:32.970 in 2024, the Bayeux Museum in France acquired 00:30:32.970 --> 00:30:36.430 a life -size, 230 -foot -long replica of the 00:30:36.430 --> 00:30:38.710 Bayeux tapestry from his estate. Just think about 00:30:38.710 --> 00:30:41.089 that profound intellectual disconnect. A man 00:30:41.089 --> 00:30:43.670 who defined his life by the fleeting, moment 00:30:43.670 --> 00:30:46.309 -to -moment improvisation of rhythm. The drummer. 00:30:46.809 --> 00:30:49.130 who anchored the greatest rock band in history 00:30:49.130 --> 00:30:52.529 was secretly collecting ultra -rare literary 00:30:52.529 --> 00:30:56.009 first editions and historical artifacts documenting 00:30:56.009 --> 00:30:58.950 the norman conquest of england the very foundation 00:30:58.950 --> 00:31:02.250 of British history and narrative. So for a man 00:31:02.250 --> 00:31:05.150 who dedicated his public life to transient sonic 00:31:05.150 --> 00:31:08.529 chaos, what profound understanding of history, 00:31:08.690 --> 00:31:11.349 structure, permanence and narrative was Charlie 00:31:11.349 --> 00:31:14.329 Watts searching for in classic literature and 00:31:14.329 --> 00:31:16.470 ancient tapestries that he couldn't satisfy in 00:31:16.470 --> 00:31:18.869 57 years on the road? He brought order to the 00:31:18.869 --> 00:31:21.250 chaos of rock and roll, but in his private life, 00:31:21.390 --> 00:31:23.730 he was obsessed with the order of history, the 00:31:23.730 --> 00:31:25.869 permanence of great art and the perfect structure 00:31:25.869 --> 00:31:27.819 of a finished narrative. It's a mystery fitting 00:31:27.819 --> 00:31:30.240 for the elegant constant. That's a deep dive 00:31:30.240 --> 00:31:32.079 for you to mull over. Thank you for joining us.