The peoples' democratic blog of Matt Hayward

Yes peeps yet another rock star bio to review. This phase I’m going through has lasted about 4 years now! In short, don’t hold your breath waiting for a Mick or Keef autobiography. Those guys will be taking their tales to the grave no question. But Ronnie is the ever chirpy, affirmable and lovable face of the Stones. He’s not as eccentric as Charlie or Bill, as reckless as Keef or as high profile as Mick, but he has an incredible life story.

If you were to quantify the themes of this book it would be:

• 10% his upbringing in a London council house
• 20% ongoing life on the road with the Stones
• 5% shits and giggles anecdotes with other band members
• 5% talking art
• 10% life with the Faces/Small Faces/Rod Stewart
• 50% life on the crack pipe told via bizarre, mafia tinged, paranoid drug stories

Given Ronnie is the affirmable ‘little brother’ of the Stones, you’d hate to hear Keith’s drug stories. But for a good 10 years Ronnie was heavily addicted to crack. There are some amazing stories of getting arrested in interesting and exotic locations from the Deep South in the Sixties to St Maarten in the 80s. Plenty of mafia henchman crossed his path and equally well dressed henchman as his managers that ripped him off.

Scarily, for most of his life in the Stones, Wood claims to have been living on a stypend of $200 a week, selling his art for grocery money. Because of his amazing lack of ability to put a crack pipe down and read a letter, he has been fabulously bankrupt for most of his life as millionaire rocker.

Rock stars that get an honourable mention in this book include Rod Stewart, Keith Moon and Slash. But they are passing footnotes in his life history. None that are really worth a mention.

Probably the most interesting part of the book is the first few chapters. Like the Keith Moon bio ‘Dear Boy’ this book says a lot about life in post war England and how rock and roll came to be for British rockers. If you’re a fan of history lessons, you will really enjoy this book, as Ronnie really paints a picture of what life was like as a teenager back in the day.

Finally you wouldn’t have to be a fan of the Stones to really get into this book. But it helps. If you like a bit of fear and loathing on the rock and roll circuit, check it out. 3.5 out of 5.