Keith Richards, 82, welcomes great-granddaughter Luna Richards-Von Bismarck

Keith Richards has become a great-grandfather. “This is true! This is true!” he said during a video call from the Hit Factory studio in New York. The birth of his great-granddaughter, Luna Richards-Von Bismarck, came a couple of weeks ago.

“I’m a fantastic grandad,” he said. “Great-grandadding is … I try to let them hang with me for as long as humanly possible, then I hand ’em back.” He said he has been doing a lot of grandfathering lately and has three or four new grandchildren between one and five years old. “I lose track, you know,” he added with a chuckle.

Richards, now 82, said he listens to his body and paces himself. He quit smoking cigarettes six years ago and drinks in moderation. “It’s only a ton of heroin a day now,” he joked.

The band has a new album, Foreign Tongues, to promote. Richards said the record includes some songs that predate the death of drummer Charlie Watts and others recorded more recently in London. One track, Ringing Hollow, appears to comment on the United States under President Trump’s second term.

Richards credited producer Andrew Watt, 35, with keeping the sessions moving. “He’s a breath of fresh air and a kick up the ass,” he said. He also noted that relations with Mick Jagger have improved and that the two decided to keep recording after the momentum from their previous album, Hackney Diamonds.

Richards said he avoids most modern technology and dislikes synthesisers and phones. The new album includes a cover of Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good and a guest appearance by the Cure’s Robert Smith, which Richards said he learned about after the fact. It closes with a cover of Chuck Berry’s Beautiful Delilah.

Richards recalled meeting Berry in the 1960s. “He punched me once,” he said, after Richards reached for Berry’s guitar. He said he has been reflecting on his long career and family as he turns 82 but does not dwell on whether this could be the band’s final album.