“No one wants to come out with me anymore down here, because it’s always such a palaver,” says Mick Jagger apologetically when I arrive at the restaurant. He’s referring to the large security contingent that he has to travel with here in Rio de Janeiro. He’s completely relaxed with the company tonight and is simply another face at the table, but when it’s time to leave he suddenly notices the crowd of paparazzi outside.
“Can’t lead a civilized life with this lot around,” he grumbles, but then he becomes very focused, working out how to avoid the crush of photographers and get into his car with the least possible fuss. It makes you realize just how professionally renowned Mick is, that for him his stardom seems to be neither a burden nor a blessing but simply a fact of life that has to be dealt with, using a set of unusual skills that he has acquired and honed from the age of 17.
