Mick Jagger regrets listening to John Lennon’s advice about Elvis Presley
- Last updated: July 15, 2026 | 09:43
The Rolling Stones legend Sir Mick Jagger has expressed his regret about taking advice from singer-songwriter John Lennon.
The Rolling Stones frontman recently revealed that he was advised by The Beatles legend to not to meet Elvis Presley.
John Lennon was left disappointed by his own interaction with The King, but decades after the deaths of both Elvis and John, Mick said that he wished he'd grasped the opportunity when he could.
Mick Jagger graced the recent episode of the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast. He said, "I remember John telling me, 'You should never meet your heroes. I would never meet Elvis, Mick, if I were you. And so, I didn't. I took John's advice. It was really stupid of me, really. I'd love to have met Elvis. "I wanted to keep my Elvis to myself, my version of Elvis. And so, I didn't want my version of Elvis shattered like John's was, but maybe my Elvis version would have been different”.
Elsewhere during the conversation, the 82-year-old singer said that the Rolling Stones were initially viewed as "bad", "dirty", and "scary" and vilified by the media when they started out.
He said, "People were really welcoming in most places. But there was a group that were really not welcoming. But maybe they didn’t know who you were, but they would just shout names at you. So it was very polarised in a kind of modern way”.
He also spoke about the looks of his band members, and how their fashion wasn’t well received by the people of that generation.
"Especially in the US, when we first went there, I’d say 64, outside of New York and LA, we were like freaks for them”, he shared.
"It was a hostile environment, particularly in America, but not only in America. I’m not blaming America for being the only (hostile place), they were hostile in England, there was a lot of hostility, but America was not ready for this stuff. Really, they weren’t””, he added.
Indo-Asian News Service