'My Life As a Rolling Stone' on Epix: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and their best revelations

“I’m going to try to keep it light,” Mick Jagger says with a rubbery grin at the start of “My Life As a Rolling Stone.”

How to encapsulate one of music’s behemoths while staying breezy is, of course, a challenge given the band’s hefty history. But the four-part docuseries on Epix tenders a comprehensive overview of how the Rolling Stones became the ROLLING STONES with vintage performance footage and interview clips, plus new commentary from Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood.

The series launched earlier this month with the Jagger installment, which will air free for 90 days on Epix.com and the app, as well as Apple TV, Amazon, Roku and most cable outlets. Richards' spotlight debuts on Epix Sunday (9 p.m. EDT/PDT), with Woods and the late Charlie Watts to follow the next two weeks.

Review: The Rolling Stones get emotional on first tour without Charlie Watts

Here are some insights:

Tina Turner didn’t think Mick Jagger would 'amount to anything'

Soul legend Tina Turner recalls Jagger attending her concerts in London, where he would watch from behind the speakers as she and Ike Turner performed. P.P. Arnold, one of the vaunted Ikettes, says the “sexy” and “cool” Jagger would also come backstage to learn dance moves.

But Turner was unimpressed with Jagger’s early displays of showmanship.

“He was OK, but I didn’t think he was going to amount to anything,” she says. “Sorry, Mick!”

Later in the documentary, Turner updates her opinion after seeing Jagger perform again with years of seasoning.

“Mick was not the same person that I met in London when he was hiding behind the speakers. He had come out of his shell,” she says. “Mick became Mick Jagger.”

Mick Jagger's latest: A TV theme song for Gary Oldman spy series on Apple TV+

The Rolling Stones' Redlands drug bust became a career boost

In 1967, the band retreated to Redlands, Richards’ estate in Sussex, England, for a “lovely party.” But it quickly turned scandalous: a high-profile drug bust.

“There were a LOT of drugs there. LSD, hash, and the fuzz busted in,” Jagger recalls. “Being busted on acid is really weird.”

The incident made Richards wary of authority. “I still carry a chip,” Richards says with a throaty cackle. “I could use a joint right now!”

The scenario added to the mystique of the Rolling Stones as the rebellious foil to The Beatles.

“They got cleaned up by their manager,” Richards says of the British quartet. “Otherwise, they were exactly the same as we were – filthy swine!”

Mick Jagger calculated his moves to look good on TV

When the Rolling Stones were invited to play on ’60s-era TV music show “Ready Steady Go!,” Jagger seized the opportunity as a way to “work the medium” and beam into people’s homes.

“I could see how important this was,” he says. “You’ve got to figure out how you’re going to make an impression.”

Over footage of the fledgling Stones performing “Little Red Rooster,” Jagger shares how he got the band to look like perfect rock ’n’ rollers: He would visit the show's set to study the camera angles, then go home and practice his spidery moves to best translate on TV – a calculated exercise created to look effortless.

The Rolling Stones logo has nothing to do with Jagger’s lips

During the creation of the “Sticky Fingers” album cover, Marshall Chess, founding president of Rolling Stones Records, decided it was time for the Stones to become a brand.

Art designer John Pasche was recommended by the Royal College of Art in London to fashion a poster for the Rolling Stones’ 1970 European tour. In the process, he created the iconic tongue and lips logo, which he says had nothing to do with the prominent pillow-y features of the band’s frontman.

“People believe the lips are based on Mick. That’s not true. I saw it as a symbol of protest, like a kid sticking his tongue out,” Pasche says.

Turning 50: Landmark albums from the Rolling Stones, Elton John hit the milestone in 2022

Keith Richards addresses the elephant in the room – literally

The Stones are credited as the inventors of the stadium rock spectacle in the 1970s, and Jagger was integral in shaping the band's stage designs because he wanted “a playroom for myself.”

But even one of rock’s mightiest power players had to be told “no” sometimes, and it was left to Richards to steer Jagger from one of his loftiest ideas: having an elephant come on stage to present him with a rose from his trunk.

“The sigh of relief,” Richards recalls with a chuckle, “almost blew the building down.”

'The Beatles changed this whole thing'

When The Beatles burst onto the charts with "Love Me Do," Jagger and Richards had to determine if they would stick with their blues roots or detour toward the pop sounds the Fab Four were delivering.

"Keith, he played The Beatles all the time. Drove me absolutely batty," Jagger says. "We were undeniably a blues band, but we knew we had to be a pop band."

Richards admits to feeling envious about The Beatles' expanding fame, but also acknowledges the motivation that arose from their rivalry.

"Without The Beatles," he says, "the Stones would never have been here."

Richards says his 'refuge was heroin'

While Jagger relished the spotlight, Richards struggled with fame and used his shyness "as a weapon."

But his introversion led to heavy drug use, culminating in a 1977 drug bust in a Toronto hotel room - a pivotal incident for the band.

"The history of the Rolling Stones changed on a dime," says Richards' manager, Jane Rose.

The guitarist reflects on why he turned to serious drugs to "deal with the adoration."

"I thought as long as I kept myself to myself, there was no reason for (anyone) to make any big fuss about it," he says. "My refuge was heroin and I stayed there as long as I could."

While he "wouldn't recommend' drugs as a way to hide from problems, "it's a personal choice," RIchards says.

"It's a rough old world and sometimes you need something to blank it out," he says. "And it probably ain't worth the ride."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards share 'My Life As a Rolling Stone' on Epix