10 Questions for Ron Wood

By Carolyn Sayre

He has been the Rolling Stones' hard-living guitarist for more than three decades. Now he is telling it all in his autobiography, Ronnie. Ron Wood will now take your questions

You were often the mediator between Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. How do you feel about your role in keeping the band together? --Kathy Lenard, Broomall, Pa. It is an institution that is well worth keeping together. So I took it upon myself to stop the arguing as best I could. It wasn't just the songwriting. It was having to go through life, day to day. Sometimes that is really hard, and things get misread. I tried to heal the wounds and am proud of myself for that.

I hear that in the book you say Keith once pointed a gun at you and cut you with a broken bottle. Were you ever afraid he might actually kill you? --Andy Baker, Des Moines, Iowa It was just part of living with Keith at the time. It was like, "You are going to kill me. Go ahead." Then he would say, "I would, but look at all the mess me and your wife would have to clean up afterwards." It was like brothers arguing, and it could turn bad, or we could have a laugh. Our sense of humor pulled us over those dodgy times.

Is it true that Mick and Keith often forget how to play your greatest hits? --George Rosenburg, Ithaca, N.Y. It is true that sometimes they do forget. [Laughs.] As it says in my book, "Just because I wrote it doesn't necessarily mean I know it." I need prompting too, but I am ahead of the game as far as remembering what they should know.

Was your music affected by drugs for better or for worse? --Aaron Muller, Kansas City, Kans. Sometimes it was affected for the good. Cocaine used to make you come out with these incredible ideas. We would have a line and go, "Yeah, that is a great song." I can only think of the good items that came out of it, but I wouldn't recommend it to anybody starting out.

You have made comments about Amy Winehouse's alleged drug and alcohol abuse. Do you have any advice for her? --Mike Moll, Bethlehem, Pa. I think Amy should hang out with winners more than dealers. Sometimes when you are that talented, you are the last one to realize it. So you tend to hide your talent behind getting high. I have been there.

Do you think modern recording techniques have a bad effect on musicians? --M.S. Freedman, Los Angeles No, I think it is a good thing. Nowadays you can record on your laptop with Pro Tools, which I do quite often. Within one hour I can go in, play my guitar and walk away knowing they can mix it any way they wish. I can't work [the technology] myself. It is quite frustrating. But if I can sit and play and it gets done in five minutes, then it is great!

Are you really broke? How is that possible? --Angie Silverstein, Salt Lake City I have been rich, and I have been broke. Some of it is my fault for choosing bad management and making bad investments. But that is life -- we all take risks. At the moment, I am on a good upswing financially. But that could all change in a minute.

You have a second career as a painter. Has any particular style influenced you? --Edward Romero, Madrid I am a big fan of the Impressionists, and in my school days, I was inspired by Caravaggio, Velzquez and Rembrandt. All the early influences are still there, but I tried to take my painting in a different way -- towards an Expressionist form. I love to get into a landscape and paint my horses. When I come to London, I go to the Royal Opera House and paint the ballerinas. I love the human form, and I like to capture movement in everything that I paint.

Do you have an iPod? If so, what's on it? --Meghan Wieckowski, Boston Oh, yeah -- 5,000 songs loaded straight away. I have anything from Mozart to Marley.

Why did you turn down a guest appearance on CSI? --Kristen Taylor, London I haven't turned it down. It is still an ongoing thing. They said I could play Uncle Ron the safecracker. [Laughs.] I would love to do that, but it would be a challenge to actually pull it off. I am a big fan of CSI: Las Vegas. The programs are quite good fun. But Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is really my favorite. You've got Ice-T. It's fantastic!

TIME's interview with the Rollings Stones' guitarist continues on Time.com, read these [XREF {/time/arts/article/0,8599,1675240-2,00.html} {extra questions with Ron Wood}]. To subscribe to the 10 Questions podcast on iTunes, go to [XREF {/time/10questions/} {time.com/10questions}].

TIME's interview with the Rollings Stones' guitarist continues on Time.com. Read these extra questions with Ron Wood.

Why did you decide to write a tell-all book? --Christopher Mariano, Turin, Italy It is only "tell-some" -- you can only do some things at a time. My eldest son, Jamie, prompted me. He said, 'Come on, Dad. People want to know what makes you tick.' So I said, 'I haven't got no time for this.' But he said, 'Make time.' So over the last three years, I have been jotting things down.

How did you feel about following the legendary Brian Jones and the great Mick Taylor in the guitar spot? --Rich Cervantes, Philadelphia, Pa. I used to work with Mick Taylor when he was very young. He had no confidence, but I knew he was a damn good player. He is the only one who won't take a solo. That kind of thing annoys me. If someone has talent, they should have faith in themselves and play. Brian Jones set a precedent -- swapping between rhythm and lead guitar -- which I like to keep going. He was the ultimate rhythm guitar player.

Do you think that vulnerable young fans may have emulated your drug and alcohol saturated lifestyle? --Patti Powell, Murfreesboro, Tenn. I would think that I put them off going down the wrong road. Sure, you can have some good times and experiment, but I think most people -- once they try it -- decide [drugs and alcohol] are not for them.

Many consider the '60s and '70s to be the quintessential time for rock 'n' roll. Has music taken a turn for the worse? --Mark Cowden, Shelbyville Ky. No. I just hope that some of these new bands can make an imprint like the Stones and the Beatles did in their day.

What's your favorite Stone's Album? --Frank Schieber, Atlanta I love Beggars Banquet, Exile on Main St. and Some Girls -- to name a few.

Who is better to party with: Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger or Keith Richards? --[EM]Fred Nickerson, Brandon, Canada Oh my God! All I can say is you get them all in the same room and forget about it.