Six shots were fired. The queen’s horse, Burmese, was startled, but the queen controlled him. While she was alive, the world watched Queen Elizabeth reign beautifully and gracefully for several decades. But beyond the royal doors, it seemed that there were some startling and fascinating secrets no one knows or understands.
Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister of Canada, for making me feel so old. From viral memes to awkward slip-ups, there is a knife in life. I know there is something a little more unusual. Join us as we have a look at some of the strangest moments from the reign of the queen. Number one, startled horse. Amongst all the horses that Queen Elizabeth owned, one stands out and will never be forgotten. The Burmese.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Force presented the Queen with this magnificent horse. And the horse had been one of her prized possessions, even accompanying her on all of her birthday parades. Their toughest test, however, came during the Trooping the Color event in 1981. Six bullets would be fired from the crowd as the queen had approached horse guards parade on that tragic day.
[Applause] Six shots were fired. The queen’s horse, Burmese, was startled, but the queen controlled him. The Burmese, who had been frightened by the gunfire, exhibited extraordinary calm as the queen skillfully manipulated him. A guardsman fought the invader bravely, assisted by witnesses, and the police apprehended him right away.
The queen and the Burmese resumed the procession as if nothing had happened in an incredible demonstration of bravery and perseverance. Despite the horrific situation, they maintained their cool, reflecting the queen’s unshakable devotion to her duty and indomitable spirit. Burmese retired to Windsor Castle after many years of loyal devotion to the queen, where she now sleeps in peace.
The honor of being buried in Windsor Castle shows high regards, bestowed only on a select few who have diligently served the sovereign. Number two, cutting the cake. In 2021, Queen Elizabeth introduced a little bit of humor at the G7 summit at the celebration of the big lunch project, which brought smiles and laughter to everybody.
Edward Boltho, who is the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, had given her a big ceremonial sword as part of the celebrations. The queen would choose a unique way, cutting the cake with the ceremonial sword, displaying her fun and playful side. However, wielding the sword for cake cutting proved to be difficult, causing her to comically request assistance from Camila, who is the Duchess of Cornwall.
When it was recommended that a more typical knife be used for the work, the queen remained steadfast, saying that she knew that there was, but this is something more unusual. There is a knife. I know there is. This is something more unusual. Her quick-waited reply would elicit laughter, emphasizing her sense of humor and dedication to tradition.
This humorous scene exemplified the queen’s ability to inject levity into even the most official of occasions. Number three, Intruder in Buckingham Palace. Michael Fagan’s daring breakin at Buckingham Palace in 1982 was a fascinating story that was full of intrigue and eccentricity. Under the influence of alcohol, Fagan had managed to breach one of the world’s most tightly guarded homes and make his way directly to the inner sanctum of power, the Queen’s bedroom.
This incident occurred in the early morning hours, taking everyone by surprise. Queen Elizabeth remained calm despite the presence of a stranger in her chamber, and instead of panicking, she quickly went for the phone to call the palace’s security staff, guaranteeing that help was on the way. In an even more strange twist, the queen opted to confront the intruder, hoping to keep the situation under control until security and police would arrive.
Rather than approaching Fagan with apprehension, she opted to engage him in a casual manner, even giving him a drink in an unusual attempt to establish a feeling of normaly in such an unusual scenario. Fagan, despite being surprised by the unexpected turn of events, accepted the queen’s invitation and sat calmly with a drink of whiskey in hand.
It was odd to see such a common person sitting in the queen’s presence enjoying a drink, and it shook the palace and beyond, raising major concerns about the efficiency of the security procedures. Fagan’s ability to breach the reinforced walls, gaining access to the queen’s private chambers, emphasize the need for stronger processes and safeguards to protect the royal family.
Number four, Olympic ceremony. During the 2012 London Olympic Games, Queen Elizabeth shared the spotlight with none other than legendary British film hero secret agent James Bond. The two proceeded on a thrilling and dangerous adventure that left onlookers speechless. They lifted off gently, flying above the gorgeous metropolis of London.
As anticipation would grow, they then flew across the sky, and excitement and curiosity grew amongst the millions of people watching the historic occurrence. The helicopter’s path would take them on a thrilling trip above the magnificent cityscape, showcasing London’s great sights in all of their glory. The Queen, known for her calm demeanor, embraced the unprecedented job with an infectious spirit of adventure.
They descended elegantly from the chopper to the Olympic stadium amidst screams and clapping from the astatic throngs of the queen’s daring and majesty were still unprecedented. Her decision to participate in such a bold exhibition had number five, 9-year-old boy. One specific inauguration ceremony with the queen had a pleasant surprise that left everyone amused in an otherwise stately and perfectly organized affair.
A heartwarming encounter was expected to take place during the opening of a building between Queen Elizabeth and a 9-year-old boy named Nathan, who had been given the honor through a children’s charity. The weight of the moment became too much for the little lad as he stood before the royal image of the queen.
Nathan’s instincts took control when he was overcome with shyness and excitement, and he rapidly fled by crawling away to avoid the spotlight. [Laughter] Though it may have caused his parents and anyone who was watching the incident some embarrassment, the queen handled it all with grace. Rather than expressing any signs of offense or dissatisfaction, Queen Elizabeth welcomed the situation with a smile.
Her thoughtful reaction had demonstrated her appreciation for the purity and sensitivity of young minds. She recognized that seeing royalty may be a frightening time for a little child and her ability to deal with the unexpected turn of events endeared her to everyone. The event became a pleasant reminder of the queen’s downto-earth personality.
Number six, unaware tourists. A wonderful and slightly hilarious incident took place near the queen’s palace, demonstrating her downto-earth personality and sense of humor. While out for a stroll with her bodyguard, the queen came across two unaware American visitors who had no idea that they were in the company of royalty.
The visitors approached the queen, unaware of her actual identity, and questioned whether she was from the region and if she knew the queen herself. The queen, amused by the scenario, decided to join in with a sly remark, answering humorously that she did not know the queen, but her friend standing by her did, pointing to her trusted bodyguard.
To their delight, the visitors took her joke literally and proceeded to engage the bodyguard in conversation about the queen. They had no idea that the individual they were interviewing was none other than the queen’s guardian himself. To avoid spoiling the enjoyment, the queen enthusiastically accepted the farce. As the visitors continued to converse with the bodyguard, they even asked for a photograph with him, asking the queen to take the picture.
The queen kindly obliged their request, taking a photo of the ecstatic visitors posing with the naive bodyguard. The event demonstrated her approachability and readiness to interact with people on a personal level. Number seven, horse racing. Throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth maintained her cool in a variety of settings, including the fascinating world of horse racing.
One of the areas where her royal demeanor shown through was in horse racing, which she frequently visited to see her favorite horses in action. That’s nice. [Applause] That’s very good. She had a strong desire to have a better view of her horses sprinting on the raceourse, so she would periodically rise from her seat.
Her feelings resembled those of diehard football fans in a stadium, exposing a part of her personality that was rarely seen in public. Queen Elizabeth’s attendance at horse racing events went well beyond simple formalities as a keen equestrian afficionado. Her horses, which she diligently raised and trained, occupied a particular place in her heart.
The thrill of the race and the expectation of victory aroused genuine emotions, demonstrating her deep connection to the equestrian world and British tradition. Her genuiness and approachability had won her fans from all walks of life. Despite her lofty rank, she easily interacted with the common people, leaving a lasting mark on the British monarchy and its population.
Number eight, Brexit. Following the historic Brexit referendum in which the British people opted to leave the European Union, Queen Elizabeth made an important appearance in the British Parliament in 2016. My lords and members of the House of Commons. Members of the House of Commons. My lords and members of the House of Commons.
Her outfit at this critical moment sent a subtle but significant statement about her views on the decision. The queen elected not to wear her crown for the event, a break from her typical royal attire. However, she wore a full dress that was topped off with a beautiful hat decorated with the circular patterns in yellow and blue.
The characteristic colors of the European Union flag. Without saying a single word, she had communicated her displeasure with the Brexit result by her careful satoral choice. The message underlying her dress was not lost on those who were aware of the complexity of her look. Her choice to forsake her crown, the emblem of the British monarchy’s power in favor of a hat that resembled the European flag, had acted as a subtle yet poignant representation of her views about the UK’s approaching exit from the European Union. The Queen, who was famed for her
calm and diplomatic demeanor, expressed her feelings with elegance and dignity. Her understated fashion statement expressed her genuine anxieties about the seismic changes that Brexit would make and entail for the country and the European landscape. Number nine, dolphin and swan. Queen Elizabeth held a number of special rights which included ownership of all dolphins, porpuses, and sturgeons that were found within British seas owing to legislation that was still in existence.
Another obscure legislation would give her ownership of all the swans in the United Kingdom. These privileges represented historical traditions as well as the monarchy’s ties to the nation’s rivers and cultural heritage. These long-standing statutes had granted her the honor of being the exclusive owner of these magnificent aquatic animals inside of the country’s jurisdictional seas.
Although this ownership did not give her any exploitative powers over the sea animals, it did serve as a symbol of ancient customs and the monarchy’s link to the nation’s waterways. Another ancient rule made the queen the exclusive proprietor of all the swans in the United Kingdom. This custom with origins stretching back to much older times was culturally and historically significant.
Every year a unique ritual known as swan upping would be held during which the swans on the river tempames were numbered, measured and meticulously cared for. The event’s goal was to preserve the swan population from unjustified killing and injury. The yearly swan upping ritual overseen by Queen Elizabeth safeguarded the well-being of these exquisite creatures which were regarded as icons of beauty and elegance in British culture.
The old custom demonstrated the queen’s dedication to conserving the country’s cultural legacy while also safeguarding its heritage. Number 10, Saudi encounter. The Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah had a very remarkable visit with Queen Elizabeth in 1998. During their encounter, the queen planned a surprise that both shocked and interested the crown prince.
The queen took him on a high-speed tour of her estate, driving herself in a Land Rover. This unexpected turn of events would surprise the prince as he was from a nation where women were not permitted to drive. However, the queen’s daring show of driving talent both pleased and surprised him. As the Land Rover accelerated, the crown prince had the confidence to suggest that the queen slowed down, impressed by her skills with the vehicle.
What he never realized was that the queen was no stranger to being behind the wheel since she actually had vast driving experience. During World War II, she had worked as an automotive technician and a driver, demonstrating her skills behind the wheel, even after coming to the throne. She had driven herself on a regular basis, exemplifying freedom and adventure. Number 11, Game of Thrones.
During a visit to the Game of Thrones set in Ireland in 2014, Queen Elizabeth was given the opportunity to sit on the famed Iron Throne, which represented power and authority in the fictitious realm of the popular HBO show. The Queen, however, politely declined the invitation, citing an old edict that barred her from sitting on any other throne, even if it was totally fictitious.
Despite being the only genuine queen on the set, Queen Elizabeth maintained the traditions and decorum connected with her position by refusing to sit on the famed iron throne. The HBO series Game of Thrones is based on the real wars of the roses, which were ultimately won by the House of Lancaster.
The queen would be accompanied by show actors Kit Harrington, also known as Jon Snow, and Sophie Turner, also known as Sansa Stark, during her visit to Belfast Titanic Quarter. Even the show’s own fictitious Queen Lannister admitted to being anxious before meeting the real life monarch. Buckingham Palace did not say whether the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had any specific comments on the subject of the play, although they looked to enjoy their tour of the set.
The Duke in particular was fascinated by the firearms, the knives, and the swords that were being utilized as stage props. Number 12, stories and sandwiches. Queen Elizabeth had a lovely and amusing talk with Paddington Bear, a renowned children’s book character in the months before her death.
The theme of their amusing interaction was marmalade sandwiches, which elicited smiles and laughter from everybody who observed the heartwarming meeting. You would like a marmalade sandwich. I always keep one for emergencies. The Queen playfully tapped her teacup to the rhythm of the legendary band Queen’s We Will Rock You, adding a bit of humor to the discourse.
The unexpected display of levity and playfulness demonstrated the Queen’s capacity to surprise and captivate her subjects despite her astounding 70-year reign. The Queen’s lovable attitude would show through in this humorous and uplifting video, making a lasting effect on those who were there. She had managed to offer one more memorable and humorous event for her people before her death as a mark of continuity and devotion to her royal duties.
This charming encounter demonstrated her unrelenting dedication to engaging with her subjects and bringing joy into their lives, sealing her legacy as a beloved and wonderful queen. Number 13, Obama and Toast. A truly entertaining and memorable incident would occur during a UK state dinner in 2011 when then President Barack Obama broke from the regular etiquette.
When the band began playing over a speech, it was time to conclude the comments. According to convention, and during the meal, Obama seemed to overlook this hint. Following Queen Elizabeth’s impassioned toast to then US President Barack Obama, he mounted the stage, lifted his glass, and began his address by saying, “To her majesty the queen, the orchestra, to her majesty the queen, the vitality of the special relationship between our peoples.
” And in the words of Shakespeare, everyone seemed to think that this was the end of his speech. However, the orchestra began playing God Save the Queen, the British National Song, just as he began speaking. Unfazed, Obama continued with his remarks, praising the United States and the United Kingdom’s strong partnership.
Despite the musical interlude, he kept his cool and turned to face the monarch, raising his glass again and concluding to the Queen. To the president’s amazement, no one else in the room joined him in the toast, but instead everyone stood quietly throughout the national anthem. Obama stayed silent during the song, waiting for Queen Elizabeth to take up her glass before continuing on.
Number 14, Naughty Pony. Queen Elizabeth, despite her well-known, courteous and collected demeanor, revealed that even she could lose her cool when presented with a weward pony. During a visit to Sterling Castle in Scotland, the monarch, who was 91 years old at the time, had a comical meeting with a mischievous Shetland pony.
The cheeky pony had attempted to eat flowers while the queen clutched a posie of roses. She quickly drew the posie behind her back, scolding the weward horse with a strong yet lightigh-hearted go away. She then turned to the pony’s minder and said, “They always try to eat the flowers.” Gentle eat, implying that such shenanigans from ecquin partners were not uncommon.
The queen is known for her lifetime love of horses, and this amusing incident demonstrated her strong relationship with those beautiful beasts. The three-year-old Shhatland pony and Royal Regiment of Scotland mascot was part of the guard of honor that met the queen on this event, which had marked her 70th anniversary as the colonel and chief of the Argyle and Southerntherland Highlanders.
Number 15, Guard hits little girl. During Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Cardiff, Wales, a six-year-old Maisie Gregory had a touching but unexpected experience with the monarch. Her father, Martin, who was serving in the regimental sergeant major in the Royal Welsh Military Regiment, proudly gazed on as she curtsied and presented the queen with a bouquet.
The beautiful occasion, however, would take an unexpected turn when a lance corporal from the regiment lifted his hand to salute the queen, smacking Maisie in the face. A reporter for the Western Mail newspaper had documented the scene on camera, capturing both the charming visit with the queen and the unforeseen disaster.
Despite the surprise, Maisie was left unheard. According to her mother, while she first cried, she immediately discovered humor in the occurrence, and her father noted that Maisie now sees the humorous side of the story. The occurrence, however unintentional, had given an element of surprise and pleasure to the queen’s visit, endearing Maisie to many as her charming reaction showed childlike resilience and innocence.
Her father’s participation in the meeting as a member of the Royal Welsh Military Regiment had brought a feeling of pride and connection. Number 16, Queen jokes with Justin Trudeau. During a Commonwealth Leaders lunchon in Malta, the Queen had experienced a fun moment with Justin Trudeau.
the Canadian prime minister who had made her feel old. Trudeau, who was 43 at the time, raised the glass to the then 89-year-old monarch and recalled her historic trips to Canada, which included one in 1982 when she would be welcomed by his late father, former Prime Minister Pierre. In light of the nostalgic references, the Queen, who was known for her sense of humor, joked with the Prime Minister about her age.
The Queen and Trudeau’s discussion epitomize the cordial and friendly environment at the Commonwealth Leaders Banquet. And such events provide a forum to leaders from various countries to exchange their experiences, recollections, and historical occurrences while establishing a sense of camaraderie and connection amongst Commonwealth members.
Trudeau’s gesture of toasting the Queen and honoring her history with Canada demonstrated his appreciation and respect. Similarly, the queen’s amusing remarks would display her capacity to interact with foreign leaders in a light-hearted and easygoing manner. Number 17, Queen picking her nose. During the 2015 Royal Windsor Horse Show, Queen Elizabeth found herself in a predicament that is familiar to anybody who has ever participated in horse racing or equestrian competition.
Her horse, Balmoral Gemini, finished third in the Highland class. And as everyone who has faced failure knows, there comes a time when you simply stop caring about the outcome. The race would be held on the Queen’s own turf at Windsor Home Park, making the loss all that more heartbreaking.
And despite her regal rank, the queen could not escape the sadness that came with a poor horse racing result. To make matters even worse, she was photographed with her index finger allegedly near her nose, which resulted in a humiliating image. While this would be a regular scenario for most of us that would result in a humorous family group text photo, it made headlines in the Mirror newspaper with a comical headline, “We are snot amused.
” Though the photograph had captured a normal and familiar moment, it also showed the uniqueness of being a member of the British royal family in public. A seemingly harmless gesture became fodder for tabloids and social media, reminding us of the constant scrutiny of public personalities. Despite the brief disappointment and amusing photo, the Queen’s appearance at the Royal Windsor Horse Show gave a sense of regal majesty to the occasion.
Number 18, Queen photo bombs selfie. Consider yourself and your local hockey team enjoying a win by snapping a postgame selfie together. As you go through the photos to determine which one to share, you notice something unusual. a tiny elderly lady with a big grin and a blue bonnet gazing directly into the camera.
It’s adorable and sweet, but it’s also life-changing when you realize that that tiny elderly woman in the blue bonnet is none other than the Queen of England herself. Such an encounter is both exhilarating and bizarre, since it combines the common and the exceptional. During the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland, two members of Australia’s women’s national hockey team, Jade Taylor and Anna Flanigan, saw an astonishing incident.
After taking a postgame win selfie, they swiftly realized that Queen Elizabeth had mistakenly photobombed their shot, standing in the backdrop with a dazzling grin. Oh yeah, that’s Queen Elizabeth II snuck her way into a selfie. The gamers filled with excitement and awe instantly posted the shot to social media shouting, “The Queen just photobombed our selfie.
” The post would go viral and was shared hundreds of times, attracting the attention of the British monarchy’s official Twitter account. The Queen’s cheerful and spontaneous temperament was highlighted by the humorous photobomb incident, which became a viral hit. Number 19, Michelle Obama gets cozy. Now, it’s a well-known monarchy regulation that nobody touches the Queen of England without her permission.
Lucy Hume, director of Dretz, a professional coaching business, emphasize the significance of avoiding initiating physical contact with any member of the royal family until they first offer it. In general, this procedure is observed to guarantee acceptable behavior at royal engagements and festivities. However, it also appears that then first lady Michelle Obama had overlooked that useful hint during her first encounter with the queen at Buckingham Palace.
According to the Guardian, after making a small chat with the Queen, Michelle’s innate warmth and affability would lead to her doing something absolutely unexpected. She threw her arm around the queen as if they had known each other for many years. While the queen would be takenback by the unexpected gesture, she also replied politely by reciprocating the embrace.
During the encounter, Michelle Obama’s warmth, gracefulness, and intellect along with her wit would shine through, leaving her with a favorable image of the queen. Despite breaking royal etiquette for a brief moment, her meeting with the queen had demonstrated a genuine and cordial character of both personalities involved.
Such instances serve as a reminder that beyond the regal exterior, royals are normal human beings who value warmth and generosity. Number 20, walking with Trump. Everyone was surprised by the meeting between Queen Elizabeth and then President Donald Trump at Windsor Castle. Mr. President, I’m delighted to welcome you and Mrs.
Trump to Bikingham Palace this evening. President Trump seemed nervous and apprehensive as they prepared to go down the aisle at Windsor Castle, producing an awkward pause. The Queen, ever the kind hostess, softly urged him to begin walking, suddenly leading him through the ceremony.
But the discomfort did not end there. For reasons unclear, President Trump abruptly cut off the queen, bringing her to a halt. This sudden interruption appeared to leave the queen perplexed as she had to maneuver past him in order to resume their walk together. Despite the discomfort, both of them remained silent with a recognizable sound of anchors away playing in the background, which emphasized the peculiarity of the situation.
A royal guard stepped in behind the duo to avoid any additional errors. probably also to guarantee that the ceremonial march would go off without any further hitch. The presence of the guard had provided a ceremonial aspect to the event, discreetly leading the two leaders through the rest of the interaction.
The meeting with President Trump became a unique scenario for Queen Elizabeth, but she handled it with her customary elegance and poise. That’s all for this look at legendary moments from the reign of Queen Elizabeth. And as we remember her years on the throne, we should all be grateful for a life that was well-lived and hope that she’s resting in peace.
What did you think about all of these moments? Let me know in the comments down below. Be sure to subscribe to the channel for more videos like this one in the future, and I’ll see you next time. Thanks for watching.
QQ4 Bob Dylan and Keith Richards have been close friends for nearly 40 years. The friendship began on a live television program in November of 1986 in the 11 seconds after Bob Dylan called Keith Richards music derivative on camera. Keith Richard’s response to that assessment, one sentence said without anger, without performance, with the specific directness of a man who has nothing to prove and knows it made Bob Dylan laugh.
Then made Bob Dylan go quiet. then made Bob Dylan say two words that people who know Bob Dylan say he almost never said to anyone. This is the story of those 11 seconds and the 40 years that followed them. The program was a live music interview special broadcast on an American network on the evening of November 3rd, 1986. The format was simple.
Two musicians, a host, an hour of conversation about music and the state of it. The producers had assembled the pairing of Bob Dylan and Keith Richards with the specific calculation of television producers who understand that two people with equally strong and potentially incompatible views about what music is and what it should do will produce better television than two people who agree about everything.
The calculation was correct, though not in the way the producers had anticipated. Bob Dylan was 45 years old in November of 1986. Bob Dylan had released Empire Burlesque the previous year and had been on the road for most of the intervening period as part of the True Confessions tour with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Bob Dylan was in November of 1986 in one of the most prolific and restless phases of a career that had consisted almost entirely of prolific and restless phases. A career that had moved through folk, rock, country, gospel, and back again, that had been declared finished at least six times by the music press, and at each time continued with the serene indifference of a river to the opinions of people standing on its banks.
Bob Dylan had been redefining what music could be. Since 1962, Bob Dylan had invented and reinvented himself so many times that reinvention had become his defining characteristic, not in the superficial sense of a performer changing costumes, but in the deeper sense of a musician who had never allowed his work to settle into a form that could be anticipated or categorized from the outside.
Bob Dylan understood influence and originality and the relationship between them better than almost anyone alive in 1986. Bob Dylan had spent 24 years thinking carefully and specifically about where music came from and where music was going and what it meant that those two things were always in constant conversation with each other.
Keith Richards was 42 years old in November of 1986. Keith Richards had been playing guitar professionally since 1962. Keith Richards had built a career on a foundation of American blues and rhythm and blues. A foundation that Keith Richards had studied with the systematic devotion of someone who understood that the tradition he was building on was not incidental to the music he was making, but essential to it.
that you could not understand what Keith Richards did without understanding where Keith Richards had come from and what Keith Richards had been listening to since he was a teenager in Dartford with American Import Records and a secondhand guitar and no teacher except the recordings themselves. Keith Richards had never pretended otherwise. Keith Richards had in fact spent considerable energy across his career making the lineage explicit, naming the artists, citing the recordings, insisting on the acknowledgement of influence that the mainstream music
industry had a long history of suppressing or ignoring or crediting to the wrong people. If anything, Keith Richards was more transparent about his sources than most musicians of his generation. Keith Richards had always said openly that the Rolling Stones came directly from the blues, that Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson and the specific tradition of the Mississippi Delta were not background influences, but foundational ones.
The music Keith Richards made was in direct and sustained conversation with that tradition, something Keith Richards considered not a limitation, but a responsibility and a form of respect. The interview had been running for 8 minutes when the host asked Bob Dylan about the current state of rock and roll.
Bob Dylan answered with the density and the indirection that characterized Bob Dylan’s responses to direct questions, turning the question over, approaching it from an unexpected angle, finding his way to what he actually thought through a series of observations that moved like a river rather than a road. Bob Dylan was not a straightforward interview subject.
Bob Dylan had been asked about rock and roll in hundreds of interviews across 24 years and had developed the habit of treating the question as an invitation to think out loud rather than a request for a prepared position. The producer Gerald Sherman said afterward that in the first 8 minutes of the interview, he had been slightly anxious, not because anything was going wrong, but because nothing was going anywhere in particular yet.
The interview had the feeling of two conversations happening simultaneously. Bob Dylan’s internal one and the external one visible to the cameras. And Gerald Sherman was not certain in those first eight minutes that the two conversations would converge into something. Bob Dylan talked about influence. Bob Dylan talked about originality.
Bob Dylan talked about the difference between music that absorbed a tradition and transformed it and music that absorbed a tradition and reproduced it. And then Bob Dylan made his assessment. And then Bob Dylan said with the precision of a man making a musical assessment rather than a personal judgment that the Rolling Stones work, and Bob Dylan was specific, naming Keith Richards as the guitarist whose approach he was discussing was derivative in a way that Bob Dylan found limiting.
Bob Dylan said it without hostility. Bob Dylan said it as a technical observation about the relationship between source material and the work that came from it. Bob Dylan said that Keith Richards played the blues the way the blues had already been played, rather than using the blues as a starting point for something that had not yet been played.
Keith Richards had been listening to this with the specific attention Keith Richards gave to things being said about music by people who knew music. Keith Richards did not interrupt. Keith Richards did not shift in his chair or display any of the visible signals of a person preparing a defensive response. Keith Richards listened to Bob Dylan’s complete observation all the way to its conclusion without interrupting and without displaying any visible signal of preparing a response.
Then Keith Richards said one sentence. The sentence was not a rebuttal. The sentence did not defend Keith Richards music or argue for its originality or challenge Bob Dylan’s characterization of what the blues meant in the context of rock and roll. The sentence was something else entirely, something that required a specific kind of confidence to say.
The confidence of a person who has spent long enough thinking about the same things as the person they are talking to that they can locate the exact point where their thinking diverges and say something useful about that point rather than simply defending their own position. The sentence acknowledged everything Bob Dylan had said, the assessment, the distinction Bob Dylan was drawing, the specific musical concern underlying the observation, and then turned it 90°.
Keith Richards took Bob Dylan’s own framework, the one Bob Dylan had used to analyze Keith Richards relationship to the blues tradition, and applied it back to Bob Dylan’s work with the same precision Bob Dylan had used to apply it to Keith Richards. Spare aimed. The sentence asked Bob Dylan something about Bob Dylan’s own music, about the relationship between Bob Dylan’s sources and Bob Dylan’s output that Bob Dylan had not been asked on television before.
The sentence did not attack. The sentence illuminated. Bob Dylan laughed. The laugh was not the polite laugh of someone responding to a joke. The laugh was the involuntary laugh of someone who has been genuinely surprised. The specific kind of surprise that a person of exceptional intelligence experiences when someone else’s intelligence exceeds their expectations.
Bob Dylan laughed for 4 seconds. Then Bob Dylan stopped laughing. Then Bob Dylan was quiet for 3 seconds in the way that Bob Dylan was quiet when Bob Dylan was thinking rather than performing thought. Then Bob Dylan said, “You’re right.” The producer in the booth, a man named Gerald Sherman, who had been working in television for 14 years, said afterward that in 14 years of live television production, he had never heard Bob Dylan say those two words in a public forum.
Gerald Sherman said he had worked with Bob Dylan on two previous occasions and had observed Bob Dylan in numerous other contexts and that you’re right was not a phrase that Bob Dylan deployed easily or often because Bob Dylan had spent 24 years being right about music in ways that other people eventually caught up with. And the experience of being right ahead of everyone else does not generally produce a man who says you’re right readily when someone else makes a point.
The host of the program, a journalist named Patricia Wells, who had been interviewing musicians for 12 years, said afterward that the 11 seconds between Bob Dylan’s assessment and Bob Dylan saying, “You’re right,” were the most extraordinary 11 seconds of television she had been present for. Patricia Wells said that what she witnessed in those 11 seconds was not a debate or a confrontation or a celebrity exchange of competing opinions.
Patricia Wells said what she witnessed was one musician recognizing another musician as an equal, which was in the specific context of Bob Dylan in 1986, not something that happened in public very often. The interview continued for another 42 minutes after those 11 seconds. The conversation between Bob Dylan and Keith Richards in the remaining 42 minutes was described by everyone who watched it as fundamentally different from the first 8 minutes.
The host, Patricia Wells, who had been conducting music interviews for 12 years and understood the difference between the performance of conversation and actual conversation, said that at approximately the 9-minute mark, something shifted in the studio. That the formal interview, architecture dissolved, and what replaced it was something less structured and more genuine.
Bob Dylan and Keith Richards talked about influence and originality and the blues and what it meant to build on a tradition without being consumed by it. They talked about specific recordings and specific musicians with the specificity of two people who had spent their entire adult lives thinking about these things and rarely found another person who had thought about them with equivalent care.
They talked about where music came from and where music was going and whether those two questions were actually one question or two. Patricia Wells said afterward that she had asked approximately four questions in the remaining 42 minutes because Bob Dylan and Keith Richards did not require questions. They required only a room and a camera and the shared understanding that what they were saying together was worth recording carefully.
She said it was the best interview she had ever conducted and that she had conducted the smallest part of it. After the program, Bob Dylan and Keith Richards were in the corridor outside the studio when the host Patricia Wells passed them. Patricia Wells said she did not stop because she did not want to interrupt.
She observed them for approximately 30 seconds from a distance. She said they were talking with the ease of people who had known each other for years rather than people who had met for the first time 2 hours earlier. She said that something had shifted between them during the broadcast that the broadcast had made permanent rather than temporary.
She continued down the corridor and did not look back. She said in her account of that evening that she had decided in that moment not to interrupt the conversation because some conversations are more valuable than any question a journalist might ask and that the conversation she had observed for 30 seconds in the corridor outside the studio was one of them.
She had been a music journalist for 12 years. She recognized the difference. Bob Dylan and Keith Richards have maintained their friendship across four decades. They have appeared together at various events, most significantly at the concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, where people who were present described them as inseparable for most of the evening, occupying the same corner of the backstage area and talking with the concentrated attention of people who only have a limited amount of time together and intend to use it
well. Bob Dylan has spoken about Keith Richards in interviews with the specific thoughtful care that Bob Dylan reserves for musicians whose work Bob Dylan considers genuinely important rather than merely culturally prominent. Keith Richards has spoken about Bob Dylan in similar terms with the specific respect of someone who recognizes in another person a commitment to music that goes deeper than career.
Neither Bob Dylan nor Keith Richards has made a public statement specifically about how the friendship began or about the November 1986 interview. Bob Dylan has not mentioned the 11 seconds. Keith Richards has not mentioned the sentence. The interview exists in the archive. The 11 seconds are there. The laugh is there. The two words are there.
What is also there for anyone who watches the interview from its beginning and pays attention to the shift that happens at the 9-minute mark is the specific moment when two people who thought they were appearing on a television program discovered they were actually talking to each other. What Keith Richards said in that one sentence has never been officially reported.
The people who were in the studio that evening, Gerald Sherman, Patricia Wells, the floor crew, the two camera operators, the makeup artist who was watching from the side of the set, have described the sentence in consistent terms. They have described its effect. They have described Bob Dylan’s laugh and Bob Dylan’s silence and Bob Dylan’s two words.
They have not repeated the sentence itself in the specific understanding that the sentence was said between two musicians on a television program and that its power resided in the specific context of that exchange and would not survive removal from it intact. What can be said is this. Keith Richards said something to Bob Dylan about Bob Dylan’s music that used Bob Dylan’s own observation about Keith Richards as its starting point and arrived somewhere that Bob Dylan had not anticipated.
Keith Richards turned Bob Dylan’s assessment 90° and showed Bob Dylan something about the music they had both spent their lives making that Bob Dylan recognized immediately as true. And Bob Dylan said, “You’re right.” Two words said by Bob Dylan in public on live television in 1986 to Keith Richards in response to a single sentence Keith Richards had said about music.
Two words that Gerald Sherman, who had worked with Bob Dylan on two previous occasions, said he had never heard Bob Dylan say in a public forum. Two words that Patricia Wells, who had been interviewing musicians for 12 years, said were the most significant two words she had heard in those 12 years. Not because of their content, but because of who said them and what it cost to say them and what it meant that Keith Richards had produced them in 11 seconds from a conversation that began with Bob Dylan calling Keith Richards’s music derivative. And Keith Richards and
Bob Dylan have been close friends for nearly 40 years. The sentence did its work in 11 seconds on the evening of November 3rd, 1986. The work has been ongoing ever since. If this story moved you, subscribe and leave a comment below. Have you ever said something to someone that turned a potential disagreement into an unexpected and lasting connection? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Share this with someone who needs to be reminded that the right sentence said at the right moment can completely change the entire direction of a relationship. Ring the notification bell for more untold stories about the extraordinary human beings behind music’s greatest legends.
Disclaimer : This content may be created by AI for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.
