(New Delhi) One of the world’s most famous rock band emblems, the Rolling Stones’ famous scarlet tongue, was inspired by the Indian goddess Kali, Mick Jagger told the Indian press.
Britain’s Victoria and Albert Museum, which holds the original work in its collections, calls it “one of the world’s most instantly recognizable symbols of rock and roll.”
The inspiration comes from the figure of the Hindu goddess Kali with her tongue sticking out and red lips, the rock icon told the Times of India in an interview published Wednesday.
Kali, a goddess with blue skin and four arms, sticking out a long scarlet red tongue, is the Hindu symbol of destruction and time.
“My brother was one of the first to travel to India. He would give me some books to read,” the rock star told the Indian daily in an interview in Mumbai.
“In 1969, I was looking for an image that would catch the eye, and I saw this image of the tongue of a disembodied Kali,” he continued, according to the newspaper, “I thought it might be a source of inspiration. Then designer John Pasche created this modernist version of the tongue logo.”
In Bombay, Mick Jagger went to see England beat Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup on Saturday.
However, he did not share photos of the Cricket World Cup on social networks, but rather a photo of himself standing in front of a statue of Kali.
British artist John Pasche was commissioned, for around 50 pounds sterling ($85), to create the group’s emblem, with Mick Jagger having been won over by his designs. Two years later, he received an additional 200 pounds ($340) in recognition of the success of his iconic language.
In 2008, the Victoria and Albert Museum bought the original work from him for 50,000 pounds ($85,000).
The Rolling Stones were formed in London in 1962 before becoming the most famous rock group in the world.
Last month, the band released the Hackney Diamond album, their first since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2019, also their first original studio album since 2005’s A Bigger Bang.
