A lot of musicians cite difficult or strange relationships with parental figures as the inspiration for their art or actions.

It's unlikely however, that many have quite the connection with their fathers that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards recently claimed to.

Though a spokesman for the legendary rocker denied the claim Wednesday, a curious statement in which Richards suggested he snorted his father's ashes along with a little cocaine has many people shaking their head.

"The strangest thing I've tried to snort? My father. I snorted my father," the 63-year-old was quoted as saying in an interview with British music magazine NME.

Richards' camp has immediately gone into damage-control mode, claiming the remark was merely a joke, which at worst was made in poor taste.

"It was an off-the-cuff remark, a joke, and it is not true. File under April Fool's joke," said Bernard Doherty of LD Communications, which represents the Rolling Stones.

Fair enough, but many are still curious about why Richards would make such a statement at all, especially in the manner in which he did.

Doherty declined to elaborate.

Meanwhile, Richards' explanation is both disturbing, and perhaps a little humourous given what we've come to know about the eccentric rocker.

"He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn't have cared ... It went down pretty well, and I'm still alive."

Richards' father, Bert, died in 2002, at the age of 84.