Keith Richards: Head Better, Ready To Rock

We all know the story of Keith Richards and the coconut tree, and how he scaled its dizzy heights while blootered off his face on rum only to fall on his head so violently that he needed a brain drilling operation.

Tonight sees Keith Richards' first performance with the Rolling Stones since his coconut accident two months ago, and Keith has decided to openly speak about the accident for the first time. And we can see why he kept it to himself for so long; it wasn't a fall from a five metre coconut tree that messed up Keith Richards' head so much - it was tripping over a three-foot bush.

When the stories started to emerge a couple of months ago about Keith Richards falling from a coconut tree onto his head, it was widely assumed that it spelled the end of The Rolling Stones - especially when rumours of brain drilling started to fly about the place. Spokesmen for Keith were at pains to point out that he was up and about and OK, but it was hardly convincing - surely not even Keith Richards could come out of a five-metre fall onto his head completely intact, could he?

Well, yes and no. Yes, Keith Richards is well enough to play with the Rolling Stones again tonight but, no, he didn't really fall out of tree like everyone thought, as he told a press conference for tonight's Milan concert:

"That's a good one. If you saw the tree, you'd realise the joke. Fiji is not just made of coconut trees. It was a little tree."

And while he was at it, Keith Richards decided to embark on a little bit more clarification/self-mytholgising, like when he discussed his brain surgery:

"I feel great. I can't wait to get back on the stage again. Basically everything is cool… Of course they put me out like a light. I was surprised myself. I had total comfort. When you got to do it, you got to do it… I recovered… Six weeks, I mean not bad for a brain job."

We're pleased that Keith Richards has made such a swift recovery, and we can only hope that his head-knock didn't cause enough damage to convince him to play any Rolling Stones songs from 1980 onwards tonight.

Read more:

Keith Richards Says He's Ready To Tour - Forbes

[story by Stuart Heritage]