(New Delhi) One of the most famous rock band emblems in the world, the famous scarlet tongue of the Rolling Stones, 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 originated in the figure of the Hindu goddess Kali with her tongue out and red lips, the rock icon told 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 gave me a few books to read,” the rock star told the Indian daily in an interview in Bombay.
“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 watch England beat Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup on Saturday.
However, he did not share photos from the Cricket World Cup on social media, 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, Mick Jagger having been won over by his creations. 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 album Hackney Diamondthe first since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2019, also the first original studio album since A Bigger Bang in 2005.