Mick Jagger, 82, Says There’s ‘Nothing Good’ About Getting Older

Mick Jagger sees no upside to getting older.

“There’s nothing good about it,” the Rolling Stones singer, 82, told The New York Times in an interview published on July 11. He was asked what he finds rewarding or difficult about aging.

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“I forgot all my wisdom,” Jagger said. “I might have had a couple of pearls drop, but I’ve already forgotten what they are. So no, it’s not particularly pleasant. You can’t do things as quickly as you want to. Physically you’ve got to be more careful.”

Jagger, who was seen Saturday at England’s World Cup victory over Norway, compared aging to playing soccer as an older man.

“You know, when you’re playing football, they put you in goal a lot,” he said. “I’m not very good at it!”

Jagger’s assessment of getting older is harsher than the picture emerging from new research. A Yale study that followed more than 11,000 adults 65 and older for up to 12 years found that 45 percent improved in physical function, cognitive function or both. Researchers measured physical function through walking speed and cognitive function through a broad performance assessment.

The findings do not erase the slower movement and greater caution that Jagger described and may come with age. But the research suggests that decline is not the only course aging can take.

The singer, who has eight children ranging in age from 9 to 55, has spent more than six decades performing with the Rolling Stones. His comments came as the band released its 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues, on July 10. The Stones formed in London in 1962.

For much of his career, Jagger’s body has been part of the performance. His voice, strut and command of a crowd helped make the Rolling Stones one of rock’s defining bands. Drawing from American blues and rhythm and blues, the group became famous for songs such as “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Paint It Black,” “Sympathy for the Devil” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” 

At an age when many people have left the workforce, Jagger still describes performing as a job he wants to do.

He told the Times that concerts bring him “a lot of joy” and “a huge adrenaline buzz.” His responsibility, he said, is to help audiences forget their problems and mortgages for two hours.

“My job in the live music world is for those people that come to have the best time they possibly can,” he said.

Asked whether the band could undertake another world-spanning tour, Jagger said, “I hope so. I’m up for doing it.”

He could not say whether he would recognize the band’s final performance when it happened.

“No. Maybe I have!” he said. “You never really know, do you? You don’t know what’s going to happen to you in life. But I personally hope to be able to tour.”