New releases, music videos and album news — indie, rap, rock and pop. Always covering Ren, Chris Webby, Sam Tompkins, bbno$, CHINCHILLA, Muse, Yungblud and more.
The Advice Mick Jagger Wishes He Never Took From This Fellow Rock ‘N’ Roll Icon
Mick Jagger has said he regrets taking John Lennon's advice never to meet Elvis Presley, calling the decision "very stupid" during a 2026 interview with Conan O'Brien. Lennon had warned Jagger that meeting Presley would be disappointing, drawing on his own uncomfortable experience when the Beatles visited the King in 1965, and Jagger heeded that warning for the rest of his life, missing the chance to meet one of his earliest musical influences.
Lennon's caution stemmed from a stiff, tension-filled encounter arranged by Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker in 1965, at which the Beatles were riding high while Presley's film career was flagging; biographer Peter Guralnick described the meeting as a "prickly mix of anger and disillusion." Jagger, now the only surviving member of that trio, has since said he wishes he had ignored the advice, admitting "maybe my version of Elvis would have been different" had he formed his own impression rather than relying on Lennon's.
In short
- Jagger regrets never meeting Elvis on Lennon's advice.
- Lennon's own 1965 Elvis meeting was awkward and disappointing.
- Jagger reflected on this in a 2026 Conan O'Brien interview.
Explained simply
Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Mick Jagger were among the most influential musicians of the rock era. Presley helped bring rock ’n’ roll to a mass audience in the 1950s; Lennon became famous with the Beatles, and Jagger with the Rolling Stones.
The Beatles met Presley at his home in 1965, in an encounter later described as tense and uncomfortable. Lennon’s impression of that meeting shaped what he told Jagger, who had admired Presley’s music since he was young.
The story reflects how one person’s account can shape another’s view of a cultural figure. Jagger has said that meeting Presley himself might have given him a different impression.