The Rolling Stones are celebrating 50 years in music, and you don't get to that stage without doing something right. The group dropped by the NBC's 'Today' show on Thursday morning (Nov. 15) to reflect on what initially drew them together and where fame has taken them.

When host Matt Lauer asked the band if they ever got caught up in their "bad boy" perception and wished for something different, drummer Charlie Watts explained, "I never took any notice of it particularly. It's never something I've thought about. I just loved playing in a band, playing drums." Singer Mick Jagger interjected, "You've got to remember, what brought us together at the beginning was playing music. That was our mission. Our mission wasn't to be rebellious and to be socially off," before guitarist Keith Richards concluded, "It was to turn people onto the blues -- to rhythm and blues and to the wonderful music that America had on its own doorstep but wasn't listening to."

The band wasn't initially accepted, but became a band of the people over time. Richards recalled, "There was something in the air and I guess we were the focus of it. After all, if you're pissed off at something, you've got to find the focus for it. We were there at the right time for that."

Looking back on the past and where it's taken them, Jagger added, "When we started off, I think that we wanted to be musicians first and foremost, but we knew if we were successful, fame would come our way and we always knew that, so you have to accept that." Guitarist Ron Wood concluded, "I liken it to an adventure to cherish. It's good fun. You get out of it what you try to give off."

The Rolling Stones are celebrating their 50th year with a handful of performances. They just added a Dec. 8 New York performance to their previously announced four shows in London and New Jersey.

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