Sir Mick Jagger's father held reservations about his pursuit of a career in rock and roll. The iconic 80-year-old frontman of the Rolling Stones revealed that his father, Basil Fanshawe 'Joe' Jagger, was an academic who strongly disapproved of his artistic aspirations but instilled in him a passion for physical fitness.
Mick candidly shared his thoughts with The Times, saying, "He was inspiring in terms of physical exercise. He wasn't that tough a father, not a severe disciplinarian or anything like that, but he taught me how physicality was important."
However, Mick's artistic leanings clashed with his father's vision for him. He revealed, "What he didn't do, what he was so against, actually, was me being involved in any way in the arts."
When questioned about his father's approval of his entry into the world of rock music, the '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' singer admitted, "No, he did not. He was an academic person and a teacher and a fitness enthusiast. That meant he taught me how to be academic, how to learn things and how to be fit."
Despite the clash between his creative ambitions and his father's wishes, Mick acknowledged his own role in the path he chose. He explained, "Clearly I had a whole other part of me that wanted to be creative, but it was my own fault. The school I went to (Dartford Grammar School) did have theatre, it did have performance, it did have music – none of which I participated in at all."
Mick's father, an accomplished gymnast and physical education teacher, made significant contributions to the popularization of basketball in Britain and authored two books on calisthenics. The singer's paternal grandfather, David Ernest Jagger, also pursued a career in teaching.
While Mick Jagger ultimately found his calling in music, he revealed that his interests extended to the realms of films and acting. When asked by The Times if singing had always been his primary ambition, he responded, "Yeah, kind of. I was also interested in films. I was interested in acting. So why wasn't I in any of the school productions? Obviously, I wasn't particularly interested after all. But you can't do everything, can you? There was so much academic work to do, and so much sport, and my father certainly didn't lead me down that direction."
As a father of eight, Mick expressed a more open-minded approach toward his own children's ambitions, stating, "With my children, if they want to do acting classes, I'll say, 'Do acting classes.' That's the modern parent for you."
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