Fresh from White House show, Mick Jagger says: ‘Every gig is a gig’

Many have credited the Rolling Stones with introducing America to its own music while others have said rock-and-roll has unfairly profited from the blues. Where do you sit with all that in 2012?

It’s a whole sort of can of worms, isn’t it really? . . . When we first came to the United States, the blues had been largely forgotten — not forgotten — but it was not the music of contemporary black America, right? It was, perhaps, ignored to some extent. The good part of it is we talked about it a lot. And people listened.

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At the Red, White and Blues concert played at the White House on Tuesday night, Mick Jagger proved he's still got his rock star moves. Watch highlights from his performance. (Feb. 21)

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 Mick Jagger, B.B. King and Buddy Guy perform at the White House concert series.

You sounded good up there alongside Jeff Beck, but did Keith not get an invite?

I don’t know anything about the invites or who was playing with who. I was just asked to do the gig and I accepted. I didn’t even really know who was coming. There were a lot of people who were asked. I was expecting to be playing with James Cotton, which I was really looking forward to, but he wasn’t [available]. And we didn’t really know that B.B. was going to come — that was a bit last minute. But I think there were a lot of very interesting people [on the bill].

I saw you tweeting up a storm during the rehearsals and after the show. You were particularly excited about this gig, huh?

It was great because there was Buddy [Guy] and B.B. and I always love seeing them play. And being given a chance to be on stage with them and being able to interact with them is always a thrill. Some other players, like Gary Clark [Jr.] . . . and Keb Mo, I had never seen live before, to be honest. I thought they were really good.

How did that thrill compare to playing for the first couple?

I want to energize the room. If they’re energized, fantastic. I loved it. They seemed to be very enthusiastic and it was a really great show. I hope they enjoyed it and I’m very honored to have played the White House.

I was surprised everyone made it through the evening without making a “Moves Like Jagger” joke.

I know! I was gonna do it but then I did my blues appreciation speech instead.

What do you think of that song?

I hear it all the time. It’s a very long-lived song, isn’t it? That and Adele. Still playing. I get into the car, and there it is, still. And then I go to the club and there it is . . .

Aside from the younger artists you got to meet over the weekend in D.C., who else is making music that excites you right now?

I like the Black Keys’ last album . . . I forgot the title of it. A Spanish name.

“El Camino.”

“El Camino.” I like that album. It was a good, kind of bluesy, yet somehow... “pop” is the wrong word. It’s a good combination of sounds and songs. I really enjoy that album.

Do you still hear the Stones’ legacy in today’s music?

Yeah! I think there’s some of the Stones’ legacy in that album. Maybe that’s why I like it.