FEATURE ARTICLES

OK, OK. What About Keith Richards?

Stefan still maintains contact with many of his friends in the concert business. Although he tired of living out of a suitcase in the ‘70s, he still kept in touch with people who are on the road with bands.

One of his good friends—Patrick Woodroffe, a lighting designer for the Rolling Stones—told Stefan about a house Keith was building in Connecticut, and introduced the two.

“I ended up working with him and the whole design group for a couple of years. It developed into a pretty good, interesting personal relationship with Keith and his wife, Patti Hanson. We’d go out there for design meetings, and because of my concert background, we had fun exchanging road stories. Unlike his image, he’s very down-to-earth, warm, gracious and humble. A wonderful person.”

Who knows? The next headliner might be Stefan himself. One of the ways he unwinds from the world of lighting design is with a group of local musicians. They’ve formed a rock-and-blues band, and get together “to make loud noises in the basement and bars.”

It’s a lot of fun, hard work and no pay. In reality, Stefan doesn’t think he’ll be quitting his day job anytime soon. It’s too much fun, too.