Mick Jagger Thinks Machine Gun Kelly Is the Future of Rock

There’s gotta be some sort of happy medium between “rock is dead” and this.

In a recent interview with Swedish radio station P4, as reported by The Independent, Mick Jagger declared Machine Gun Kelly and Yungblud as the future of rock ‘n’ roll.

“In rock music you need energy, and there have not been a lot of new rock singers around. Now there are a few,” the Rolling Stones frontman said. “You have Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly. That kind of post-punk vibe makes me think there is still a bit of life in rock and roll.”

While we’ve got to hand it to Jagger for not falling into the same, tired old-rock-guy habit of declaring rock to be dead simply because the genre looks different than it did during his heyday, as well as attempting to keep his finger on the pulse of what’s going on in contemporary music, surely he can do a little better than Machine Gun Kelly. There are countless acts currently making vital rock music. What about, say, IDLES, who even hail from Jagger’s native U.K.?

And while he’s got the future of the genre on his mind, Jagger made it clear during the interview that he has no intention of going anywhere any time soon, noting that the Stones’ upcoming 60th anniversary European tour will not be their farewell jaunt.

“I am not planning it to be the last live outing,” he said. “I love being on tour. I don’t think I would do it if I did not enjoy it. I enjoy going out there on stage and doing my stuff. That is what I do. I want everyone to enjoy themselves and forget the troubles in their lives for a couple of hours and just chill out and have a great afternoon and evening.”