Mick Jagger shares the John Lennon advice that cost him a meeting with Elvis Presley

Mick Jagger is full of amazing stories. As the frontman of the Rolling Stones, Jagger, 82, has been immersed in the entertainment industry since the '60s, having contact with some of the biggest figures in the history of music. 

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In an appearance on the podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend," Jagger revealed one of his conversations with John Lennon, one of the members of The Beatles, another major British band of the '60s, who advised him not to meet one of his idols, Elvis Presley.

“I remember John telling me, yeah, you should never meet your heroes,” Jagger said. “‘I would never meet Elvis, Mick, if I were you.’ And so I didn’t. I took John’s advice.”

Jagger said that taking the advice “was really stupid of me” and that he would “have loved to have met Elvis.”

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Still, Jagger said that at the time, the advice seemed to ring true. “He told me all this story more than once," said Jagger. "So it put me off. So I wanted to keep my Elvis to myself, my version of Elvis. So I didn’t want my version of Elvis shattered like John’s was, but maybe my Elvis version would have been different.”

Elvis Presley had his breakout in the late '50s, becoming one of the biggest stars in the world. He died in 1977, during a time when he didn't have as much presence in the charts. He was 42 years old. 

Jagger and Lennon's relationship

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Jagger and Lennon were two of the most famous faces of their era, with both being a part of two of the biggest bands in the world. At the time, there was a rumored rivalry between the two bands, which Jagger acknowledged in a recent interview. 

“I think there was an element of truth in it,” Jagger said in an interview with the Today Show. “But I think there was an element of PR in it, too. But it was also London versus Liverpool, so it’s a bit like L.A. and New York," he said, referencing the cities where they came from. 

"Obviously, that was a good talking point for the press to get on," Jagger concluded. 

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