While most music fans over the age of 13 tend to write off UK boyband One Direction as pop fluff, one very important person over the age of 60 has kind words for the lads. Mick Jagger recently told CNN that the group's sudden, overwhelming popularity reminded him of his early years with the Stones.
I watched a concert of One Direction on TV the other night, you know, just to check [it] out. It reminded me very much of our early concerts, when we were pushed around among the audience and we would kind of float. They were like floating above the audience, and they looked really distinctly uncomfortable.
He went on to stress the surreal practice of being a so deliberately in the spotlight, and how this affects a young person:
I remember feeling that same uncomfortable feeling of being pushed around in this very weird place about 50 years ago. It was a very funny moment, because it was very similar to the things we've been through.
Both Jagger and Ronnie Wood have praised One Direction as a band, even calling them "inspiration" for established artists like themselves. It may seem like an odd coupling, but at the core, both parties understand something that only members of high-profile, internationally-worshipped acts (regardless of style) have experienced: extreme fame, and the highs and lows that come with it.
The Rolling Stones are gearing up to play shows in London, New York, and New Jersey, as part of their 50th anniversary celebration. [NME]