Rolling Stones Censored in China

By Ben Sisario | The New York Times
April 8, 2006

The Rolling Stones are being censored in China, and Mick Jagger is not surprised. "We kind of expected that," he said at a news conference in Shanghai yesterday, the day before the group's first concert on the mainland, The Associated Press reported. "We didn't expect to come to China and not be censored." The Chinese authorities told the Stones not to perform four of their classic songs — "Brown Sugar," "Honky Tonk Woman," "Beast of Burden" and "Let's Spend the Night Together" — as well as "Rough Justice," from their new album, "A Bigger Bang." The Stones appeared to acquiesce to the request. "Fortunately, we have 400 more songs that we can play," said Sir Mick. The Chinese news media have reported that most of the tickets for the Shanghai concert — at $37 to $370, they cost more than the monthly wage for most Chinese — have been sold to foreigners, and Sir Mick remarked sarcastically, "I'm pleased that the Ministry of Culture is protecting the morals of the expat bankers and their girlfriends."