Sunday February 21, 1999

Wyman keeps Rolling along

Former Stone's new album signals his return to the music scene

By JOSHUA OSTROFF / Ottawa Sun

Former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman may have retired his steel wheels but he has yet to gather any moss. While his bandmates continue to sell-out stadiums and provide juicy tabloid fodder, Wyman has returned to his one true love -- music.

After ditching the band in 1992, the oldest Stone retro-fit his lifestyle. He got married, started a family and concentrated on non-musical pursuits. He wrote an autobiography (Stone Alone), published a book of photography (Chagall's World) and opened up three restaurants dubbed, wait for it, Sticky Fingers.

But music kept calling. "After a couple of years working on other projects, which I found interesting because I was doing things I had delayed over the years (because of the Stones), the urge came creeping back," explains Wyman on the phone from his country home in Suffolk, England.

"It's just good time music for the reason we all first started playing. We didn't think about fame and fortune and money and stuff. We thought about playing music we loved and hoping that other people might enjoy it too. And if they didn't, too bad."

Wyman is discussing his new album Anyway the Wind Blows, a musical time-travel to the pre-WWII era of blues, jazz and R&B. But since he is an ex-Stone, Wyman was able to get a little help from his friends, a patchwork group he dubbed the Rhythm Kings including such royalty as Peter Frampton, Chris Rea, bluesman Albert Lee, Procol Harum's Gary Brooker and Eric Clapton. The new album is the second part of a three-album series, recorded over a year, that combines covers of songs by artists such as Mose Allison, Willie Dixon and J.J. Cale with Wyman originals.

Wyman, who composed in the style of the era, gets frustrated people respect classic books, plays and paintings but derisively dismiss old musical styles as retro.

"The only thing that's supposed to be listened to is what's happening this week," he complains. "People think we don't want to hear that old stuff, that we only want to hear dance.

"So I'm filling in a few holes here, the same as the Stones were in the '60s. We were trying to play an earlier music, which was '50s Chicago blues, and recreate it in our own style. And nobody in England knew what it was. There were no records for sale, you never saw it on TV or heard it on the radio. It was a forgotten music."

Wyman's even started performing live -- something he hadn't done since leaving the Stones -- playing small clubs and planning a brief summer tour of England.

"You're reliving those early times and enjoying music for the love of the music instead of worrying about big entourages, new stages, tours, whether this'll go in the charts, whether the record company will be pissed off if it doesn't. There's none of these pressures anymore, it's just good fun music."

But doesn't he miss the big time?

"No, of course not," he exclaims. "I'm still great mates with the band, we're in touch all the time and I see(drummer) Charlie (Watts) an awful lot.

"I went to see them '95 in Wembley Stadium with 72,000 people. I enjoyed the concert but I didn't miss for one minute being on the stage. I'm not into that egomaniac, fame, up-front thing. I was always in the shadows at the back, out the way and just do me duty. Same as Charlie. It's been so nice since I left that I often wonder why I didn't leave earlier."

Part of the reason was group solidarity. Wyman didn't want to be the one who broke up the Stones. But he soon realized his departure wouldn't stop them ("you can always replace a bass player").

And, of course, the Stones kept on rolling.

"Without being rude or anything, I think it's because there's nothing else in their lives that's any more important. Whereas in my life there was, I was always doing other projects. I didn't want to do it just for the money. I saw no reason to stay because I didn't see anything more to achieve within that band apart from increasing my bank balance. We'd achieved everything we wanted to do. There was nothing more to aim for. And I wanted to move on I was getting older then the rest of them."

Despite his advancing age, the sixtysomething Wyman is certainly no Viagra posterboy. His young wife Suzanne (his third) has given birth to three daughters in the past four years and he finally has time to devote to his new family.

"Your life really isn't your own if you're in a band because there's five of you. You all have to fit into what the band's doing and drop everything else and I didn't want to do that anymore."

And though he credits leaving the Stones with helping him settle down, Wyman doesn't think the band makes Mick Jagger's recent behaviour any more excusable.

"We had Jerry and the kids over for lunch last weekend actually," he admits. "I don't really want to comment on (the divorce) but they always say a leopard never changes its spots. But I had that kind of reputation too and I changed my spots when I found something that was important enough for me to change my life and get back to a sort of normality.

"Let's hope Mick does the same thing."