Earlier this year Mick Jagger caused a sensation after it emerged that he went unnoticed at one of the most popular dive bars in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The only shred of evidence that he had even been at the Thirsty Beaver Saloon was a photo someone had snapped, and which Jagger later shared to his Instagram, of him standing on his own drinking a beer. Some speculated that perhaps the musician had rented out the bar, or that he had asked people to act like they did not know him but in an interview with The Washington Post, Jagger explained that he genuinely went unnoticed.
"There’s hardly anyone there. It’s dark. It’s not like really grand," Jagger explained. "I’m not in a big, huge limo. I just walk the block and then just go down there. And I can’t go inside the room because the COVID rules of the tour don’t allow me to go in a saloon. And that’s a promise we made. But I could stand [on the patio] outside the saloon. And I’m far away from the people."
Jagger explained that locals had told him about the bar and while he would normally "do the typical tourist thing" he did not want to go inside the bar because of COVID. Jagger has approached the pandemic with caution, following safety protocols and getting vaccinated. He also took aim at anti-vaxers and conspiracy theorists in the song "Easy Sleazy" — which was a collaboration with Dave Grohl.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, Jagger said he was inspired to write the song's lyrics after friends and family began believing conspiracy theories.
"It just seems to be that even people you know that are relatively sensible about a lot of things have one thing that they just don’t kind of get," he said. "I have several friends and relations and they go off on these things that just doesn’t … They’re just irrational."
Jagger added that there was "no point in speaking to people about it," which is why he wrote a song.
"They don’t get it. They got what they believe in, and they believe in that. And it doesn’t matter what you say; they’re gonna believe in it. And rational thought doesn’t work."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.