How Keith Richards Calling Mick Jagger 'Unbearable' Almost Broke the Rolling Stones

The nastiest turn in the Jagger/Richards relationship didn’t come from drugs or money—it came from Mick deciding to make solo records while the Stones were on ice. After 1985’s Dirty Work, Jagger skipped the supporting tour and instead released She’s the Boss, then followed it with Primitive Cool in 1987. Keith saw it as a betrayal of the band’s identity and a personal snub. He retaliated by going solo himself (Talk Is Cheap) and told the press that Mick had become “unbearable,” calling him a “prima donna” with an ego that had outgrown the group. The quotes landed like body blows.

The feud played out publicly for years. Keith said in his autobiography Life that Jagger’s ego during that period made him “nearly impossible to be around,” and that the friendship had turned into a business