Why Keith Richards gives mag editors satisfaction but Mick Jagger doesn't

Mark Ellen, editor of The Word , has in his latest column reflected on a feature in the magazine in which various people are asked to give the five hard lessons they have learnt from their trade. (I've already put up an edited version of Independent editor Roger Alton's five answers on this blog.)

Ellen has come up with his own list:

The first is Keith Richards sells, Mick Jagger doesn't.

Ellen writes: "If you put Keith on the cover of your magazine you'll have to cut swathes of virgin pine forest to feed the presses; go for Mick, on the other hand, and great wobbling piles of your unsold copies will threaten to block out the sun."

Ellen suggests Keith is seen as an impulsive, freewheeling firebrand while Mick is perceived as rather cold and calculating. He adds: "In fact the former is more calculating than the other."

The third "lesson"on the list will strike a chord with anyone who loves magazines.

Magazines are deep:

Ellen says: "The internet is perfect for exploring tangents. But magazines can carry the most intricate thoughts and images, the ones you can only fully appreciate if you look at them more than once."

My own lesson would be:

If you think interviewing rock stars is easy, read Mark Ellen's encounter with Cream's Ginger Baker: There is a snippet here.