Lip Service

Episode 12: Chris Kimsey

Today’s guest is Chris Kimsey, the studio engineer and producer behind many of The Rolling Stones’ most celebrated recordings. Kimsey began his career as a teenage tape operator at London’s Olympic Studios in the late 1960s, learning the craft of recording from the ground up inside one of the most important studios of the era. By the 1970s he had become one of the most in-demand engineers on the London scene, working with artists including Led Zeppelin and Peter Frampton, and would go on to collaborate with a wide range of major acts including Peter Tosh, Duran Duran, and INXS. In this episode he reflects on those formative studio years and the lessons that shaped his approach to making records. The conversation explores his long association with the Stones, beginning with his work as an engineer on sessions for their landmark album ‘Sticky Fingers’, before moving into his later role as producer on ‘Some Girls’ and ‘Emotional Rescue’, when the band were pushing beyond their late-’70s rock revival into more experimental territory. He discusses the band’s creative resurgence around ‘Tattoo You’, and the process of shaping songs from earlier recordings and bringing them together into one of the Stones’ most successful albums, then expounds on the strained dynamic during the making of ‘Undercover’, before recalling the renewed focus that fuelled the band’s late-’80s comeback with ‘Steel Wheels’. Kimsey shares detailed memories of life inside the studio with the band: the recording techniques, the creative atmosphere, and the personalities that shaped some of rock’s most enduring music. It’s a fascinating look behind the scenes at how classic Rolling Stones records were made, and the craft of capturing lightning in a bottle with one of the greatest and most unpredictable bands in rock ‘n’ roll history. This episode was recorded live in Olympic Studios [https://www.instagram.com/olympicstudios/]. For more on Chris Kimsey, visit his website [https://chriskimsey.com/]. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper [https://www.instagram.com/mrsimonharper/]. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stoneslippod] X [https://x.com/stoneslippod] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stoneslippod] Threads [https://www.threads.com/@stoneslippod] Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/stoneslippod.bsky.social]

Episode 11: Karl Denson

Today’s guest is Karl Denson, saxophonist with The Rolling Stones since 2014, when he stepped into the role made legendary by the late, great Bobby Keys. Rooted in jazz improvisation and deep funk traditions, Karl earned a reputation as an esteemed double threat: a highly gifted musician equally confident leading from the front as elevating from within a group as an indispensable sideman. From the late 1980s he toured extensively with Lenny Kravitz, before helping establish The Greyboy Allstars and later fronting Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, projects that helped re-energise groove-based music for a new generation. In this episode, Karl charts the path from early professional breaks to sharing stadium stages around the world. He discusses adapting to different musical environments, balancing leadership with support roles, and the discipline required to sustain decades on the road. He reflects on the experience of joining an established institution, interpreting parts that audiences know by heart, and developing trust within a group operating at the highest level. He shares memories of Charlie Watts and their shared appreciation of jazz, and discusses how watching Mick Jagger night after night has subtly informed his own approach as a frontman. Karl offers an insight into life inside one of rock’s most enduring live acts, and what it really takes to hold down the horn chair in the biggest band in the world. Follow Karl on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/karldensonstinyuniverse/]. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper [https://www.instagram.com/mrsimonharper/]. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stoneslippod] X [https://x.com/stoneslippod] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stoneslippod] Threads [https://www.threads.com/@stoneslippod] Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/stoneslippod.bsky.social]

Episode 10: Stephen Kijak

Today’s guest is Stephen Kijak, filmmaker and director of Stones In Exile, the beloved fan-favourite documentary that explores The Rolling Stones’ self-imposed exile in the south of France and the making of their classic 1972 album, ‘Exile On Main St.’ A director whose work sits at the intersection of music, journalism and cinema, Stephen first emerged with his 1996 feature Never Met Picasso before turning his focus to documentary filmmaking. His subsequent films - including Cinemania, an affectionate portrait of obsessive New York cinephiles, and Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, a study of one of pop music’s most enigmatic figures - established him as a filmmaker drawn to stories shaped by obsession and cultural identity. It was 30 Century Man that brought Stephen to the attention of The Rolling Stones and led to him being invited to direct Stones In Exile. Tasked with documenting one of the most mythologised chapters in rock history, Stephen approached the project as an immersive experience, drawing on exclusive photography and footage from the time - including that from Robert Frank’s infamous C*cksucker Blues film - to create new scenes that blur the line between present-day interviews and historical footage, and keeps the audience absorbed in that sweaty ’70s basement vibe. In this episode, Stephen reflects on his first meetings with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, earning their trust, and being granted access to the Stones’ vast private archives. He discusses speaking with everyone connected to the Exile story, the challenge of shaping decades of memory into a single film, and the realities of working under the constraints of a TV-feature runtime. He recalls almost missing the film’s premiere at Cannes with Mick Jagger, and what it was like watching that period of the band’s history return to the public consciousness. Stephen also considers how the experience of making Stones In Exile went on to inform his later films, including projects on Jaco Pastorius, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Backstreet Boys and Rock Hudson, shaping his approach to access, archive and storytelling around cultural icons. Follow Stephen on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stephenkijak/]. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper [https://www.instagram.com/mrsimonharper/]. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stoneslippod] X [https://x.com/stoneslippod] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stoneslippod] Threads [https://www.threads.com/@stoneslippod] Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/stoneslippod.bsky.social]

Episode 9: Robert Greenfield

Today’s guest is Robert Greenfield, author of STP: A Journey Through America With The Rolling Stones, one of the most vivid accounts of The Rolling Stones at their magnificent, hedonistic peak, and the first book ever written from inside a major rock tour. As the UK’s Associate Editor for Rolling Stone in the early 1970s, the New Yorker earned rare access to the band at a pivotal moment in their history. He joined them on their 1971 ‘Goodbye Britain’ tour, before travelling to the south of France later that year, where he conducted what became Keith Richards’ first truly in-depth interview at his villa, Nellcôte, during the recording of ‘Exile On Main Street’. That trust culminated in Robert travelling with the Stones on their infamous 1972 US tour, which he documented in his cult classic, STP. Rather than mythologising the excess, the book captured the day-to-day reality of the tour from its core: the songs, cities, excess, humour, and human fallout of life on the road at its most extreme. In our conversation, Robert reflects on his formative years as a writer, the stark contrast between the Stones’ final days in Britain and their explosive return to America, and the extraordinary cast of characters that surrounded the band. He shares personal insights into Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, and Mick Taylor, the realities behind the infamous C*cksucker Blues documentary, and how a lifetime spent inside other people’s stories has shaped his own. This is the sensational Stones of the ’70s up close and unfiltered, told by someone who was there, paying attention, and writing it all down. STP: A Journey Through America With The Rolling Stones is available to buy here [https://www.amazon.co.uk/S-t-p-Journey-Through-America-Rolling/dp/0306811995]. Robert’s piece on the 1971 tour is available to read on The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/06/goodbye-great-britain-the-rolling-stones-on-tour], while his Rolling Stone interview with Keith is available here [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/keith-richard-the-rolling-stone-interview-238909/]. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper [https://www.instagram.com/mrsimonharper/]. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: ⁠Instagram⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/stoneslippod/] ⁠X⁠ [https://x.com/stoneslippod] ⁠TikTok⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@stoneslippod] ⁠Threads⁠ [https://www.threads.com/@stoneslippod] ⁠Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/stoneslippod.bsky.social]

Episode 8: Ray Winkler

Today’s guest is Ray Winkler: architect, designer, and CEO at STUFISH Entertainment Architects, who has helped conceive and shape The Rolling Stones’ live stages for over 30 years. Mentored by the late Mark Fisher, Ray began working with him in the mid-1990s at the company that would later evolve into STUFISH, before joining the Stones’ touring family for the first time on the ‘Bridges To Babylon’ tour. From that point on, he became central to translating the band’s identity into vast, immersive stage environments. In this episode, Ray talks about the trust required to design for a band like the Stones, and the collaborative process behind some of their most ambitious stages. He reflects on how ideas move from sketch to steel, and the lessons learned from Mark Fisher about clarity, discipline, and knowing when to simplify. Ray also shares what it’s like responding to the band’s instincts, adapting designs as tours evolve, and how keeping up with technology, sustainability, and audience expectations is future-proofing the company. Having also worked with Adele, Elton John, U2, ABBA, and Beyoncé, it’s a fascinating insight into the man in demand behind the spectacle. Follow STUFISH on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stufishstudio/]. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper [https://www.instagram.com/mrsimonharper/]. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stoneslippod/] X [https://x.com/stoneslippod] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@stoneslippod] Threads [https://www.threads.com/@stoneslippod] Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/stoneslippod.bsky.social]