Ronnie Wood "feels sorry" for the bands on ‘The X Factor’.
The 67-year-old former The Rolling Stones member – who performed with One Direction on last year’s final of the ITV talent contest – has said he doesn’t think new bands are required to do as much hard work as he had to when he was starting out in the music industry, admitting he feels he was more "exposed" when he rose to fame.
Ronnie said: "I feel sorry for some of the younger bands nowadays who suddenly have to go on ‘The X Factor’ or something, because they don’t have any training ground to cut their teeth.
"I used to rehearse in my friend’s garage, and do the circuit, treading the boards. I don’t think new bands get exposed to as much as we did."
The ‘Ooh La La’ hitmaker went on to insist that there weren’t any "gangs" when he was starting out in the 1960s because everyone was so into music, and added he wants to help people get off the streets now and go into the recording studio instead.
Speaking at a Q&A with Bob Harris, Ronnie said: "I did a fundraiser the other week to help young musicians afford enough to go into studios. When we were starting out, there weren’t any gangs or people on the streets, because our gang culture was music. The people you bumped into and made ties with … it was a healthy way of being."
Elsewhere in the Q&A, Ronnie addressed the long-standing rumours of a potential reunion of his old band The Faces, but said it was Rod Stewart’s financial demands which were hampering a comeback for the group.
He added: "Rod’s manager is a hell of a person to deal with … he makes everything about money.
"We are trying not to do that. Why can’t the three surviving guys just get together and just play for people?"
The collector’s edition of How can It Be? A Rock & Roll Diary by Ronnie Wood can be ordered from ronniewoodbook.com now. The hardback edition will be in stores from September.
Ronnie Wood ‘feels sorry’ for X Factor contestants
