Keith Richards calls his 'Life' memoir 'the most difficult thing I've ever done'

Keith Richards has kicked an addiction to heroin, cheated death numerous times, and has experienced several people close to him die young. But the Rolling Stones guitarist said reliving it all to write his memoir "Life" was "the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. I’d rather make 10 records."

Richards made the comments in an exclusive interview with the New York Times. A version of the article was first published online at the New York Times website. The article appears in the paper in the issue dated October 24, 2010.

The article reports that alternate titles of "Life" included "My Life" and "Keep It Dark." The latter title, Richards says in the interview, is a name that he is "keeping for a song."

Also revealed in the article: Richards says in his memoir that openly bisexual Marlon Brando once propositioned him and Anita Pallenberg (Richards' live-in girlfriend at the time) for a sexual encounter. Richards says that he dismissed the proposition by telling Brando, "Later, pal."

"Life" goes on sale on October 26, 2010. The book was co-written with journalist James Fox, who supplemented Richards' version of events by interviewing family members and close associates of the Rolling Stones. Fox tells the New York Times that he was surprised that Richards was "a very good natural editor. He cut, accordingly, for pace and rhythm — a real musical cut."

According to interviews that Richards has given, he and Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger are the only current members of the band who have read Richards' autobiography in advance of it going on sale. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts have said in recent interviews that they have not read the book yet. Fox told Rolling Stone magazine that Jagger, Wood and Watts all declined to be interviewed for Richards' memoir.

In the New York Times interview, Richards says that at this point in the Rolling Stones' lifespan, there isn't really anything that one Rolling Stone can say about another that can offend someone in the band, but Richards did want to at least let Jagger know ahead of time what was going to be said in Richards' memoir. "It’s bound to be somewhat rough," Richards says, "but the point is I’m trying to tell the story from Day 1 to now ... There’s the odd conflict here and there. But if you weigh it all out, those things count for nothing. The important thing to me was that Mick had been through it and seen it and knew what was what."

As previously reported, Richards is set to do a limited number of public appearances to promote "Life." The two appearances that have been announced so far are a Q&A at the New York Public Library's Fifth Avenue location in midtown Manhattan on October 29, 2010, and a book signing at Waterstone's in London's Picadilly Circus neighborhood on November 3, 2010. Tickets for the New York Public Library Q&A sold out the day that they went on sale. For the Waterstone's book signing, wristbands will be distributed to the first 450 people in line.