Marianne Faithfull and Mick Jagger were one of the premier power couples of rock ‘n’ roll in the late 1960s and ‘70s, for better or worse. They were musical, style, and attitude icons of their time. But that also meant they were at the front lines of the debauchery and promiscuity popular in that day and age. Jagger managed to strut his way through this tumultuous period mostly unscathed. Faithfull wasn’t so lucky, enduring a brief stint as a homeless heroin addict following her high-profile breakup with Jagger.
Decades later, Faithfull disclosed one of her life’s biggest regrets that rolled Jagger, drugs, and the 1960s rock scene into one.
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Marianne Faithfull Regretted Choosing Mick Jagger Over Other Rocker
Marianne Faithfull’s role as Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger’s primary muse and partner is as big a part of her lasting legacy as her own chart-topping singles and film performances. Between 1966 and 1970, Faithfull and Jagger were two peas in a partying pod. But during one fateful night at a London club, a life separate from Jagger flashed before her eyes. In retrospect, her decision not to pursue that alternate timeline became one of her biggest regrets. Because for a brief moment at the Bag O’Nails on Kingly Street in SoHo, sparks flew between Faithfull and Jimi Hendrix.
Although other rockers would recall this same moment, Faithfull told Classic Rock in 2022 that she was one of the only people in attendance at Jimi Hendrix’s Bag O’Nails debut in the late 1960s. Whether she truly was the only guest outside of Hendrix’s entourage or it just felt that way to her, Faithfull said she, Hendrix’s roadies, and his manager, Chas Chandler, were the sole attendees. “Obviously, he saw me there,” Faithfull remembered. “He did this whole show to me. It was magical. I met him quite a few times, and he always came on to me a bit strong, and I couldn’t do anything.”
She couldn’t do anything, of course, because she was with Mick. But she admitted, “I would’ve loved to. Actually, quite frankly, if I hadn’t been with Mick, I would’ve gone off with him. Jimi is my biggest regret.” And indeed, it’s fascinating to consider what sort of “butterfly effects” would have rippled from that decision had she actually made it. With such major rock ‘n’ rollers involved, the entire trajectory of the genre could have feasibly changed.
The Same Story, But From A Different Perspective
Although Marianne Faithfull claims to have been the only one in attendance when Jimi Hendrix played the Bag O’Nails in London’s Soho district, Pete Townshend of the Who has a pretty clear memory of that same night. But memories are fickle, and based on Faithfull and Townshend’s accounts of the interactions between the “As Tears Go By” singer and Hendrix, it’s no wonder Faithfull would get a few details mixed up. In Townshend’s autobiography Who I Am, the guitarist set the scene. Mick Jagger had been there, presumably with Faithfull, but he eventually left, leaving his partner behind.
Of course, if he had known what sort of chemistry would start brewing between his girlfriend and the American rocker, Jagger might’ve stayed. “Jimi sidled up to her after his mind-bending performance, and it became clear as the two of them danced around together that Marianne had the shaman’s stars in her eyes. When Mick returned to take Marianne out to a car he’d arranged, he must’ve wondered what the sniggering was about.”
“In the end,” Townshend continued, “Jimi himself broke the tension by taking Marianne’s hand, kissing it, and excusing himself to walk over to Paul and me. Mal Evans, the Beatles’ lovable roadie-cumaide-de-camp, turned to me and breathed a big, ironic, Liverpudlian sigh. ‘That’s called exchanging business cards, Pete.’”
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