Today’s guest is Paul Sexton: journalist, author, and one of the most trusted chroniclers of The Rolling Stones’ world.
For more than three decades, Paul has enjoyed rare access to the band, interviewing every member, spending time on the road, and being invited into the heart of their story for articles, features, liner notes, and documentaries that each demonstrate not only the respect in which Paul is held by the band, but the authority his work ultimately commands.
In 2022, Paul published Charlie’s Good Tonight, the only official biography of Charlie Watts, created with the full support of the band and Charlie’s family. In this episode, he reflects on the emotional weight of telling Charlie’s story after his passing, the responsibility of writing about someone who can no longer speak for themselves, and the quiet moments that revealed the true character of one of rock’s most enigmatic figures.
We talk about Paul’s early encounters with the Stones, his memories of Charlie as a musician, collector, and friend, and the central role jazz played in shaping both his artistry and his inner life. Paul also opens up about Charlie’s struggles in the 1980s, his recovery, and the dignity with which he carried himself through fame.
It’s a reflective conversation that celebrates and honours Charlie, not just as an icon but as a husband, father, and friend, pulling back the curtain on an intensely private man who was loved by millions, and whose story continues to resonate.
Follow Paul on Instagram. Buy his book, Charlie’s Good Tonight, here.
Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper.
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