Netflix will premiere Academy AwardⓇ winning director Morgan Neville’s (20 Feet from Stardom, Best of Enemies) original documentary, Keith Richards: Under the Influence, an unprecedented look into the sounds and influences of rock and roll icon Keith Richards, on Friday, September 18, 2015, exclusively to Netflix members worldwide.
“If there’s a Mount Rushmore of Rock ’n’ Roll, Keith’s face is surely on it. He has always represented the soul of rock music—for all of the light and dark shades that implies,” said filmmaker Morgan Neville. “To my relief, Keith Richards turned out to be a real man—full of humour, knowledge and wisdom. That’s the real Keith we’ve worked to capture in our film and I’m honoured to bring it to a global audience via Netflix.”
“There’s no one who could bring this unprecedented look into the musical influences of Keith Richards to life as distinctively as Morgan Neville,” said Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP of Original Documentary Programming. “Our viewers around the world are going to love the rare moments he has captured.”
Produced by Academy Award and Emmy winning producers, RadicalMedia (What Happened, Miss Simone?, The Fog of War), the film is a beautifully documented portrait of Keith Richards that takes us on a journey to discover the genesis of his sound as a songwriter, guitarist and performer. Keith Richards: Under the Influence is unparalleled in its access as it looks at one of the architects of rock ’n’ roll music, while charting the journey of Keith’s sound and influences, back to the music that inspired him then and now -- electric blues, country honky-tonk, southern soul, and more – as he creates his first solo album in 23 years. A culmination of both new and beloved music, rare archival materials and hours of intimate and reflective conversations with Keith, the film documents his long and unusual journey to become the legend we all love.
In Keith Richards: Under the Influence, we visit key people and places that have always enchanted Keith and inspired his music with The Rolling Stones to his latest solo record: Chicago, home of the blues, where Keith first encountered Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and the hallowed halls of Chess Records; Nashville, where Keith explores his long love of country music; and New York where Keith recorded the album and collaborated with the likes of Steve Jordan and Waddy Wachtel. And along the way, we get an additional dose of inspiration from a long-time friend, Tom Waits. Lastly, this film is a chance to sit at the feet of one of music’s most iconic and least understood figures. The Keith Richards we get to know is smart, funny, poignant and profound. At this moment later in his life, Keith Richards is serious and reflective on his singular and spectacular journey.
