Hi guys,

Bill german answered some asks about his book Under Their Thumb to Stones Planet Brazil. The readers sent questions and Bill answered the asks by e-mail.
You can read the interview in English here or in Portuguese here.

"Under Their Thumb - Como um garoto legal se misturou aos Rolling Stones e sobreviveu para contar" can be ordered in a lot of Brazilians stores like Saraiva and Cultura.

I am sure is a good news for book's collectors.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-29 22:01 by carlostones10.

If is better for you the interview is below:


Stones Planet Brazil - The real like of the Stones is much different from what the fans imagine. To
which extent the things that you experience with them ruined your fantasies
about the band or confirmed them?
Bill German - The biggest surprise for me regarding the Stones' lifestyles was how
normal they actually were. Obviously, I'd read all the wild stories about
them in the 1970s and had seen films like "CS Blues," etc. But by the time I
got to know them in the early and mid 1980s, they were just regular guys, with
wives/girlfriends and young kids. They may have traveled around a lot and had
some "strange" friends, but they were basically decent guys who lived and
worked in New York.

SPB - Which was the most magical moment of your experience with the Stones in terms
of music?
Bill German - Musically speaking, there were a lot of magical moments for me,
usually in very private situations. So, although I may have loved some of
their arena and stadium concerts, the moments I truly cherish include sitting
around Ronnie's kitchen or basement when he and Keith were jamming on acoustic
guitars, playing Beatles and Buddy Holly songs. Or being in the studio when
Keith and Ronnie and Charlie were just jamming for the fun of it. No
pressure, no thoughts about selling records/tickets, no worries about critics
or the media.

SPB - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards did not participate in the recent tribute to
Ian Stewart. What do you think about the absence of the Glimmer Twins?
Bill German - I think it really would have been nice if they both could have been
there. But I guess they are busy guys. I won't speculate on why each of them
couldn't make it, and I can't get into their heads about it. Maybe they felt
that it was enough to do the tribute to Stu in 1986 (at the 100 Club in
London, also one of my favorite musical moments). Obviously, for public
relations reasons, they either both had to be there or they both had to skip
it. It would not have been a good situation if one came and the other didn't.
(I would assume they even checked with each other.) In the end, maybe it was
a good thing they both couldn't come. By not having Mick and Keith there, the
focus was more on Stu.

SPB - Much of the material you had for Under Their Thumb could not be published. Do
you consider releasing a second volume of the book with this missing stories?
Can you tell us one of this stories?
Bill German - I had to cut a lot out of "Under Their Thumb," but only for space
reasons. Everything I cut out had more to do with my own personal stories
than with the Stones. For instance, I had some stories about my best friend,
who was a singer. In 1982, I convinced Andrew Oldham to come see his band
play, and Andrew signed them to a management contract. So, completely apart
from the Stones, I got to know Andrew Oldham when I was 19 years old. And
then, in 1986, I brought my friend to Ronnie's birthday party, where he
embarrassed himself by interrupting a jam session between Ronnie and Mick
Jones (from Foreigner) and singing too loud. These were stories that were
related to the Stones, but seemed to be more about my friend. I can probably
do another book of all these crazy types of stories.


SPB - How difficult was it to write Under Their Thumb?
Bill German - It was very difficult to write "Under Their Thumb" because I had
too many stories to tell. I had to decide which ones were important for this
book and which ones were not. It was also difficult for me to write about
some of my disappointments. Another hard part was knowing that some people
might not be happy with me writing the truth.


Luciano Gomes, Rio de Janeiro. Do you believe that today another person could have the opportunity to be
close to the band and follow them as you did?
Bill German - No, I don't think that what I did with the Stones could be done
again today. There are just too many people that surround them now,
especially on tour. Business people, bodyguards, etc. When I got to know
them, everything was more casual. Mick, Keith, and Ronnie were hanging around
New York just like regular guys. And as strange as it sounds, I think they
needed some friends at that time. They were a little lonely, and unsure about
what was going to happen with the Stones.

Leandro Siqueira, São Gonçalo - Rio de Janeiro. If you could live again some experiencie with Stones, what would it be?
Bill German - If I could relive any of the moments I spent with the Stones, it
would be those great musical moments, like watching them jam in the studio or
jam in Ronnie's kitchen or playing blues songs at a small nightclub with
Clapton, Beck, and Townshend.

Nelio Rodrigues, Rio de Janeiro (author of the books Os Rolling Stones no Brasil and Sexo, Drogas e Rolling Stones)
Do you still keep in touch with the guys?
Bill German - I know it's hard for a fan to understand, but while I was writing
"Under Their Thumb," I had to separate myself from the Stones, so that I could
think about my experiences honestly and impartially. I haven't spoken with
any of the Stones in person for a few years. But I occasionally see people
who are very close to them and I send my regards. And one of Keith's
relatives is saying that we should all get together for dinner soon. So we'll
see if that happens.

Tamara Guo (Blue Lena), Pittsburgh - USA
Did you ever hear from Keith or anyone else in the band who has read your
book, if so, what was their response to it?
Bill German - The only one I sent the book to was Keith, but I haven't yet heard
from him about it. As you know, Keith is not the kind of guy to pick up the
phone or to send an e-mail or text message. Some people who are close to
Keith have told me that he is okay with the book. Sometimes I think he'd be
happy about the book (since he comes off so well in it) and sometimes I think
he'd be upset (since I talk about things he might have preferred be kept
quiet). Ultimately, my goal was to write a book that thousands of Stones fans
would enjoy, not a book that four or five Stones would enjoy!

Manuela Pierro, França
Who composed the lyric of Jumpin´ Jack Flash? Which is the meaning of the song for you?
Bill German - If Keith says he wrote "Jumpin' Jack Flash" about his gardener, then
I will believe him! Kidding aside, I try not to speculate about what the
Stones' lyrics -- or anyone's lyrics -- are about. Like any great art, Stones
songs can be interpreted in many different ways by the people who hear them.
An artist's job sometimes is just to tease you and to get you thinking, not to
provide all the answers.

Alvaro, Rio de Janeiro
Of all the members of the band, who was the hardest to deal with? Do you agree with Keith when he said that Mick became very hard to deal with in the
1980s?
Bill German - Yes, Mick was pretty hard to deal with at times in the 1980s. But he
did some nice things for me, too. I have a chapter in the book about Mick
called "A Nice Bunch of Guys," because that's what Keith and Ronnie would call
him. "A nice bunch of guys." Because his personality could change so quickly
from nice to nasty. But I think a lot of Mick's attitude has to do with
business. He can be nice when he needs to be nice, and mean when he needs to
be mean. We also must remember that Mick has more demands on his time than
Keith or the others, because he is more famous. (What I mean is, if you ask
some old lady on the street to name one Rolling Stone, she'll name Mick.) By
the way, as you can read in "Under Their Thumb," Charlie was also hard for me
to deal with, but not because he was ever mean -- it was because he was so
shy. (It's actually one of the funny parts of the book.)

Rolando Rebelo, Portimão - Portugal
Keith said that we have the moon, the sun and the Rolling Stones! But how
would be the world with the moon, the sun and without the Rolling Stones?
Would Rock´n Roll be the same?
Bill German - No, rock 'n' roll would not be the same without the Stones. They
contributed so many things to rock 'n' roll that people take for granted
today. Before the Stones, bands all wore uniforms. Men could not have long
hair. Certain topics (such as sex and drugs) could not be discussed in songs.
Bands did not use their own sound equipment at concerts. Bands did not have
sponsorship deals. (I'm not saying all of the Stones' ideas were good ones!)
The Stones were the first to do so many things for rock 'n' roll, and there
have been hundreds of bands who have been influenced by them in the past 49
years.

Rolando Rebelo, Portimão - Portugal
Based on your experience with them, Mick and Keith's relationship is only business related or is there is friendship between them?
Bill German - I am sorry to say that I think Mick and Keith's relationship is
pretty much just a business partnership now (and for the past 25 years or so).
They do not spend time together like friends. But in another way, they are
like brothers, who can never be fully separated. They will always be in each
other's lives. Love or hate.


Júlia Cavalcante, São Paulo
I'd like to know what you wanted to highlight about the Stones when you wrote the book. Some books are about great scandals, some are about their personal lives, other books even include testimonials of people who are close to them,
and other books report obscure and unknown facts. The Rolling Stones have a very long history, which aspect of the band did you intend to highlight?
Bill German - One of the themes of the book was to capture the Stones as just
regular human beings, because that is how I saw them. But the book also
captures a time period that is not written about in other books: The time when
it looked like the Stones might break up (mid-1980s), and then, in 1989, when
they came back together for the most successful tours of their career. (Some
might say it was for money, some might say it was for the legacy of the
Rolling Stones, and some might say it was because they love the music.)
Throughout all the ups and downs, the book reveals MANY obscure, unknown, and
humorous facts about the band.

Danielle Todeschini, Porto Alegre - Rio Grande do Sul
Bill, could you tell us a little about how was the band routine during the time you were close to them?
Bill German - The band went through so many different phases during my time
around them that it is hard to describe a routine day for them. During the
"Dirty Work" sessions, Mick and Keith rarely saw each other. Mick would go
into the studio around 7 or 8 o'clock at night and leave around midnight, just
as Keith and Ronnie were showing up. Keith and Ronnie would stay until
morning. But during the "Steel Wheels" sessions, Mick and Keith worked a
little closer together. During the tour that year (1989), the routine usually
went like this: Mick would be up early in the morning, jogging and then
meeting with all the business people, while Keith was still sleeping. But at
3 o'clock, everyone would gather inside the hotel and they would leave for the
stadium to do a sound check. Mick and Keith would then argue about what songs
to do at the concert that night. Keith once told me that the most peaceful
time for him was once the concert started!

Victor Serak, Recife - Pernambuco
"How do you analyse Bill Wyman's role in the band in his last decade "81-91 period" ?
Bill German - Bill Wyman's role in the Stones was always
important, up until the last concert (1990) and recording sessions (1991) he
did with them. His and Charlie's rhythm section was the best ever in rock 'n'
roll. I think Bill is very proud of his work with the Stones, but he just felt
he had enough of the business and "politics" and airplane travel that goes
with being a Stone. He was always very nice to me during my years around the
Stones (and even when I met up with him again in 2002), but I didn't get as
close to him as I did to Keith and Ronnie because he lived so far away.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-04-29 22:09 by carlostones10.

Thank you for posting, Carlo. Great interview. Mr. German always makes for a good read.

Yes, great interview!! Many thanks.

I want that book!

Very interesting, thanks. I purchased a copy of "Under Their Thumb" on eBay just the other day and look forward to reading that book.

Thanks friends for all nice messages.

Great interview André!
It´s a very interesting article.
This interaction with readers is fantastic!

Cheers

Fabio

Thanks, Fabio.

Let me to say your new painting is very nice. Congratulations.