Mick Jagger has revealed he regrets never meeting Elvis Presley after taking advice from John Lennon to avoid the encounter.
Speaking on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast, the Rolling Stones frontman reflected on a conversation with Lennon, who urged him not to meet the King of Rock and Roll because it could spoil the image he had built up over the years.
Mick Jagger says John Lennon told him to avoid meeting Elvis
Jagger explained that he followed Lennon’s advice, but now wishes he hadn’t.
“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.”
Lennon met Presley alongside the rest of The Beatles in Los Angeles in 1965, a meeting that has since become one of the most famous encounters in rock history.
Looking back, Jagger believes he may have missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“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.”
Presley died in 1977 at the age of 42, while Lennon was killed three years later in 1980.
Mick Jagger recalls his playful rivalry with David Bowie
Elsewhere in the interview, Jagger reflected on his long-running friendship and creative rivalry with David Bowie.
He revealed that Bowie played him The Jean Genie before its release in 1973 and openly admitted the song had borrowed heavily from the Rolling Stones’ sound.
“I said, ‘God (you’ve) nicked all my things.’ (He said), ‘Yeah, I know, man. I know. But it’s like a homage to you. It’s homage.’
Yeah. Sure. Homage. Yeah. Yeah.”
Jagger added that playful competition wasn’t limited to Bowie.
“I think John (Lennon) and I were very competitive, too. John Lennon, but we’re more competitive in being sarcastic.”
The Rolling Stones continue their latest chapter
Jagger’s comments come as The Rolling Stones continue promoting their 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues, which is available now.
