Keith Richards Describes 'Exile' Sessions as 'Hitleresque'

Spinner always knew that the Rolling Stones' infamously heroin-fuelled sessions for their classic 'Exile on Main Street' were a little on the dissolute side, but according to Keith Richards, the group's French sojourn may have been even grimmer than previously thought.

"It was kind of Hitleresque," the legendary guitarist told XFM. Which means the band's stint at the former Gestapo headquarters in Villefranche-sur-Mer was marked by ... intense nationalism? Enforced uniform-wearing, saluting and flag-waving? Bouts of genocide? No, actually, they were a bit hot.

"It was hard work down there," he explained. "It was a bit like stoking the boilers. It was the height of the summer in the south of France and it did get pretty sticky down there, it had a dust floor."

The Stones decamped to the Côte d'Azur mansion as tax exiles in spring 1971. Their stay featured visits by a number of infamous libertines -- including author William Burroughs and country legend Gram Parsons -- and the general levels of decadence prompted bassist Bill Wyman to quit the band.

Richards recollections of the 'Exile' sessions will feature in his forthcoming autobiography 'Life,' if it ever sees the light of day. The rocker apparently struggles to remember much of the 1970s. However, the tome is slated to hit the shops in October.