Is it really 40 years since The Rolling Stones formed

A.� It's actually longer than that�- but 12 July 2002 will be the 40th anniversary of the band's first performance at the legendary Marquee Club in London, and the band propose to mark with occasion with -�what else -�a concert tour.

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Q.� How have they managed to keep going for so long

A.� The simple answer, which you would certainly get from Keith Richards, is that the Stones love playing together, and have seen no good reason to stop altogether, although their lives have not been without drama over the years.

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Q.� Isn't it faintly ridiculous for men of their age to still be performing in a pop group

A.� The Stones would argue that they never were a pop group, they've always been a rhythm and blues band, and their heroes have all been happy to play on well into their later years, some performing right up until they died of old age�- Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker being two prime examples. Another of their major influences, Chuck Berry, continues to play live, turning in more or less the same style of show as he always has. Put up against a backdrop of venerable

R'n'B contemporaries, the Stones seem to fit right in.

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Q.� It's not the original line-up though is it

A.� The Rolling Stones will always be The Rolling Stones as long as Keith Richards plays rhythm guitar, and Mick Jagger sings, although they both reckon that their rock-solid serious-faced drummer Charlie Watts is the real power behind the band and if he left, the band would cease to exist. Into their 40th year however, that nucleus continues to work together, although others have come and gone along the way.

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Q.� Who are some of the former members

A.� Most famous is probably Brian Jones, the golden-haired guitar god from the earliest days, ousted when his drink and drug problems overtook his musical input, and dead in a drowning accident a few months after his departure.

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Long-standing bassist Bill Wyman, who has just reached pensionable age, finally left the band after years of low-key discontent, never really feeling that he belonged to the band, and frustrated that his own musical compositions were never considered for inclusion on the band's albums. Wyman can content himself with being the only Stone thus far to enjoy a hit single as a solo artist.

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Other notables have included piano player Ian Stewart, ditched by the band's manager Andrew Loog Oldham for having the wrong image of the band�- Stewart's large build and craggy features deemed to be at odds with the mean and moody look Oldham was busy creating. The ruthless streak that runs through the Stones' career has seen a number of damaged egos, and truncated contributions, but the essential spirit of the band has never really wavered, a tribute to the

R'n'B ethic that has always provided their raison d'etre.

Q.� Surely they don't need the money

A.� The Rolling Stones probably stopped touring and recording for financial reward decades ago. The sheer enjoyment of playing together is what keeps them going, and what will take them out on the road for what pundits assure us will be their last ever tour. But of course, the Stones have been embarking on their 'last ever' tour for over 30 years now, so there's no reason to assume that this one will be the last.

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Q.� So are they any good these days

A.� The Stones' recorded output has always fluctuated in terms of critical and commercial success. They would be the first to admit that they have released their share of stinkers�- Their Satanic Majesties Request is acknowledged as one of the worst rock albums of the 1960s, as well as one of the worst the Stones have made. In the 1970s Goat's Head Soup and Black 'n' Blue received lukewarm responses from fans and critics alike, but in the late 1980s the band were back on form with Steel Wheels, restoring their fans' faith in them as an albums outfit�- their live reputation has never ever been in doubt.

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Q.� Can The Stones keep rolling

A.� There's no reason why not. They are obviously still enjoying the buzz they get from touring�- Mick Jagger in particular confesses enjoyment from the pre-tour arrangements, overseeing the complex machinations that create an operation the size of the Stones' world tours. Richards and Watts still enjoy the time on stage, perhaps less so the travelling and waiting�- Watts memorably commented after being asked what it had been like to play with the Stones for 25 years: 'It's actually about five years playing with the band, and�20 years hangin' around!'

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Jagger is obviously keen to maintain the extreme levels of fitness required to produce the live performances his fans flock to see, and his fellow musicians show no sign of physical frailty, so they could conceivably continue for some years to come. Whether the new generation of fans will want to pay to see a man old enough to be their grandfather sing about 'satisfaction' remains to be seen.

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�By� Andy Hughes