Pubdate: Sat, 15 Jun 2002
Source: Pueblo Chieftain (CO)
Copyright: 2002 The Star-Journal Publishing Corp.
Contact:  http://www.chieftain.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1613
Author: Thomas Wagner

SATISFACTION AT LAST FOR SIR MICK JAGGER

LONDON (AP) - Mick Jagger, the rock 'n' roll bad boy who once outraged the 
British establishment with his wild lifestyle, was knighted on Saturday for 
his service to music.

Jagger, 58, will now be known officially as Sir Michael Philip Jagger. Also 
knighted were directors Trevor Nunn and Jonathan Miller, and painter Peter 
Blake. Playwright Harold Pinter received the prestigious companion of honor 
award.

Jagger, who is preparing for a U.S. fall tour with The Rolling Stones, said 
he was ''delighted at the news.''

He also said his 4-year-old son, Gabriel, was a bit confused about his 
father's new title.

Jagger said his son told his class that his father was going to be 
knighted, and when the teacher asked, ''What does that mean?'' Gabriel 
said: ''Well, he goes to the castle to see the king and gets to be a 
knight, and, from then on, gets to wear armor all the time.''

Jagger is the latest of several British pop stars who have received 
knighthoods.

Elton John was knighted in 1997, and Paul McCartney was knighted in 1996 
for his contribution to British music and society, including the charitable 
and educational causes he supports.

That happened despite the fact that Sir Elton has admitted using cocaine in 
the past and Sir Paul has acknowledged using marijuana.

The knighthood for Jagger, with a drug conviction of his own and a 
reputation as a womanizer, could reopen the debate about who is suitable 
for the queen's honors list, even though the award comes long after the 
Stones helped lead the antiestablishment movements of the '60s and '70s. 
However, few people would deny that Jagger and the Stones have been among 
the country's most valuable musical exports for 40 years.

The government chooses most of the honors that Queen Elizabeth II bestows 
twice a year. Official ceremonies for the knighthoods will be held in the 
coming months.

Pinter, 71, one of Britain's most important playwrights, was made a 
companion of honor, a very high award made to a limited group of people for 
''conspicuous service'' to their country.

Pinter is the noted author of seminal dramas such as ''Betrayal,'' ''The 
Caretaker'' and ''The Birthday Party.'' He was recently diagnosed with 
throat cancer.

Nunn, 62, artistic director of the Royal National Theater, has long been 
one of this country's leading theater directors.

He has two shows on Broadway - ''Oklahoma!'' and ''Les Miserables'' - and 
starts rehearsals Aug. 12 in London on a new production of ''A Streetcar 
Named Desire,'' starring Glenn Close.

For 18 years, he ran the Royal Shakespeare Company and has been at the helm 
of the National since 1997.

Miller, 57, has directed countless plays and operas. In the early 1960s, he 
found fame on Broadway as one of the original members of the Beyond the 
Fringe comedy quartet.

Blake is a painter and creator of collages who is best known for the cover 
of The Beatles' 1967 album, ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,'' 
featuring the group wearing brightly colored military uniforms.
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