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The Stones Got Me Rocking

This column was written by CBS News Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.


So I spoke with the Rolling Stones the other day. Martin Scorsese has made one of their concerts into a movie and the boys agreed to do a little publicity for it.

Can you call guys that age 'boys'? It's a problem after all because rock and roll is a pursuit for young people, and the Stones are chronologically getting a little long in the tooth.

Mick Jagger is what, 60-something? And a few of my friends were surprised that Keith Richards is even alive. Incredibly, the music is still strong and Jagger…well, Jagger continues to dance and prance with the energy of a 20-year-old.

The only difference is the face. It really does look like a road map to the life of an aging rock and roll star. I asked Mick how he does it. Most athletes his age have long since retired. But sports, he said, is a bad analogy. I'm not competing with anyone, I'm just performing. It's what I do. Lucien Freud still paints, he said, and he's 85.


Harry's daily commentary can be heard on many CBS Radio News affiliates across the country.
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