Just pre-ordered it- I have been looking forward to this ever since Matt tkdl me he was working on it back when we saw Ronnie in Birmingham in 2019. So glad it's now done!

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john lomax
Just pre-ordered it- I have been looking forward to this ever since Matt tkdl me he was working on it back when we saw Ronnie in Birmingham in 2019. So glad it's now done!

Thank you John. I hope you think it's worth the wait. Sorry it's been so long,

The Mirror did a story on Matt, his book and collection/museum.

[www.mirror.co.uk]

Saw the Matt/Mirror story linked from Andrew Loog Odhams twitter.
Can get a bit trainspottery I suppose.

Congrats Matt, great article. Can't wait for my copy.

EXCLUSIVE: World's biggest Rolling Stones super fan to show off million pound memorabilia collection
Matt Lee, who is recognised by Guinness World Record as having the largest Rolling Stones memorabilia collection is showing all he has in a new publication


He's seen the Rolling Stones 200 times in 28 different countries, has spent millions on his 100,000-piece memorabilia collection and was even an executive producer on one of Ronnie Wood’s solo albums.

Brit Matt Lee is the world’s biggest Rolling Stones super fan, and even has the Guinness World Record for the biggest Rolling Stones collection to prove it.

The 45-year-old from London, who works at a marketing agency, has been collecting objects for over two decades.

And his amazing hoard even caught the eye of the band, including drummer Charlie Watts who passed away last week.

Matt says Charlie’s death at the age of 80 “feels like a friend has died”.



“I’m still numb and completely in shock. It’s the end of the band as I know it,” Matt says. “It’s not like I went to his house for Christmas dinner or anything, but since the year 2000 I met Charlie many, many times. He was very witty and had a dry sense of humour.

“Ronnie was the first Rolling Stones member I met, but Charlie was the second. I would take some of my memorabilia to gigs and showed it to the band when I met them afterwards. Charlie took a lot of interest in the stuff I had, and he would start recognising me.

“He was the heart of the band with his drumming.”

This October, Matt is releasing his book Hot Stuff: The Ultimate Memorabilia Collection and says Charlie was the first of the Rolling Stones to write a handwritten dedication for it.

“It was the first time the band had ever done anything like this for an independent book,” says Matt. “I had to give the others a prod, but I didn’t have to chase Charlie up - it meant a lot to me that he sent it back so quickly.

“The book features pictures of 1,400 pieces from my collection, and in typical blunt Charlie style he wrote back about the stuff in the book saying: ‘there’s a lot of it’.

Matt’s collection started off with gig posters and Charlie’s drumsticks that he had thrown into the crowd at gigs - Matt says he now has 14 of them.

Since then, it has massively grown and includes many rare items, from the shoes Charlie Watts wore on the Pyramid Stage at their 2013 Glastonbury headline set to one-off pressed vinyl, Ronnie Wood’s art and the L’Wren Scott-designed butterfly jacket worn by Mick Jagger at Hyde Park for their Rolling Stones 50 & Counting concert in 2013 which Matt bought for around £60,000 from Christie’s.

Matt has acquired the items from auction houses, buying or being gifted them from other collectors, and even catching them at gigs - like Mick’s t-shirt that was thrown at a Boston concert - and even from the band themselves.

He’s funded his passion from the proceeds of selling a company with his business partner a few years ago.



One of the most valuable items Matt owns - which he purchased privately and won’t divulge the price of, only saying it cost him “a lot” - is the Rolling Stones’ first contract that the late Brian Jones signed on behalf of the band.

In 2016, Matt loaned it to London’s Saatchi Gallery for their 2016 Rolling Stones showcase Exhibitionism, and it’s since toured around the world with the exhibition to cities including Tokyo, New York and Sydney.

“On the red carpet at the launch, Charlie said it was the most poignant thing for him to see because he’d never seen it before as Jones had gone along to sign it himself,” recalls Matt.

Matt has been a fan of the Rolling Stones since he was 12, when he heard Honky Tonk woman for the first time on cassette and got a drum kit so he could attempt to emulate Charlie’s playing himself.

His first gig was their Wembley concert in July 1995 when he was a student - and since then he’s travelled all over the world to see them, including to China, Argentina and Uruguay.


For Matt, the most memorable concert was the band’s one-off Havana, Cuba gig in 2016, saying he slept in a “windowless room” in the secretive country so he could attend.

And he’s been top of the guest list since 2007, after friend bassist Ronnie Wood handed him a laminated access all areas tour pass, which meant he can go to any concert he likes for free.

“I first met Ronnie at the Jazz Cafe in London in February 2000, and since then we’ve gone for dinner in restaurants and I’ve even gone to his house,” says Matt. “I’ve met Mick and Keith a few times too. People say never meet your heroes, but the Stones have always been very kind and very welcoming to me.”

Matt, who is single, is currently in the process of moving his collection to a private exhibition space. He is planning to open this as a free museum later in the autumn to tie in with his book’s release.

“The band have seen many of the individual items over the years, but they’ve never come to my house to see the collection,” says Matt. “They are very welcome to come round and see it if they are interested.

“The thing about the Rolling Stones is you can never complete the collection, for example you can’t buy every tour outfit. I see it as a sticker album you will never finish, but I’m still on the lookout for new stuff. I’ve probably spent hundreds of thousands this year alone.”

*Hot Stuff: The Ultimate Memorabilia Collection by Matt Lee is published by Welbeck on 14 October (£20, hardback).
[www.mirror.co.uk]

Doesn't even mention Ronnies Bentley (or was it a roller, I forget).

And this:

>after friend bassist Ronnie Wood

yeah bassist, like fifty/sixty years ago. Who writes this shit?


jb

Purchasing this to support you Matt! We've only met once or twice in passing, but you were kind enough to answer my emails and give some small advice during the Wyman auction last year.

Thank you and congrats!!

-Matt S.

Matt, I thought it was 18 drumsticks.


plexi

Congratulations Matt!

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jbwelda
Doesn't even mention Ronnies Bentley (or was it a roller, I forget).

And this:

>after friend bassist Ronnie Wood

yeah bassist, like fifty/sixty years ago. Who writes this shit?


jb

It's a Rolls. Matt can provide more detail.
But it's a solo item, related to one of his solo albums, so not Stones per se.

It's a Rolls Royce Wraith, there is a cool video on youtube that the dealer made:

Ronnie Wood Rolls Royce Wraith

Matt

Thanks Matt for answering questions when I came across a supposedly KR autographed guitar at a charity auction. I look forward to your book.

Can’t wait for the book Matt, congratulations! Love sparkly top

yeah I remember now, my friend has a similar (though obviously not personalized) one. Thanks Matt, and great news on your book.

jb

Well done Matt!

Matt, I gave you my photographer sticker after Ronnie his solo show in 2001 at SBE. From what I read it is also the start of your collection ;-) You got into the after show at a club. It was freezing outside. You handed me an ice cold beer bottle. Have you still got the sticker? Best, Ron

Hot Stuff by Matt Lee
The Ultimate Rolling Stones Collection Book
Review by Bjornulf Vik, IORR Editor
September 4, 2021

Bjornulf

If you are in Australia you can order it through Abbeys bookshop in Sydney for late October/ November delivery

Just ordered a copy

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ronkort
Matt, I gave you my photographer sticker after Ronnie his solo show in 2001 at SBE. From what I read it is also the start of your collection ;-) You got into the after show at a club. It was freezing outside. You handed me an ice cold beer bottle. Have you still got the sticker? Best, Ron

Hi Ron,

I had been collecting since 1995 but 2000/2001 were the start of the Golden years. I had spent most of 2000 meeting Ronnie, Charlie and Mick many many times and even Keith on the 19th of December. It wasn’t glamorous, I spent hours and hours almost every night on the streets of London, patiently waiting for them to finish dinner or whatever and have a few seconds of interaction on the street outside most often asking them to sign something special to me, giving them cool stuff they liked etc…. I was very lucky by 2001 being invited to a lot of things, I am glad I was at least able to get you a beer! For sure I will have your sticker, I save everything, I am a collector ;-)

Hi Matt, Yes I remember that too. You had Kilburn signed by Ronnie and Keith! Say hello to Sally for me. Just mention stroopwaffle and I am sure she knows who I am. Btw sent you an email! Looking forward to see the book! Best, Ron

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ronkort
Hi Matt, Yes I remember that too. You had Kilburn signed by Ronnie and Keith! Say hello to Sally for me. Just mention stroopwaffle and I am sure she knows who I am. Btw sent you an email! Looking forward to see the book! Best, Ron

Funnily enough at the time I gave Ronnie a CD of it (which he later released) but I had promised him the limited coloured LP. I only found a spare recently so gave it to him just before he left for the US. A 20 year promise kept ;-)

Enjoying the very rare unsigned edition in the Bahamas...




Hendrik

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Hendrik
Enjoying the very rare unsigned edition in the Bahamas...




Hendrik

Wow! Very nice. Enjoy the book and the beach!

Goldmine magazine gave Matt's book a GREAT review!
There's even an interview with Matt.

[www.goldminemag.com]

"Hot Stuff' presents the history of The Rolling Stones through the largest collection of Stones memorabilia

Superfan Matt Lee documents the history of The Rolling Stones in his book "Hot Stuff," which highlights the largest collection of Stones memorabilia ever amassed.

By Ivor Levene

The Rolling Stones are without peer in terms of both longevity and output, so it should surprise no one that they are one of the most documented bands ever. Their story has been told through many mediums: Music, video, books, magazine articles, et al. There are literally hundreds of books available to the consumer, but a new book by author Matt Lee tells their story in a way that has only really been touched on by Stones bassist Bill Wyman.

Hot Stuff, a book that documents the history of the band through memorabilia collecting is destined to become one of the most highly anticipated books on the band in decades. It's especially poignant now, since the death of Charlie Watts in late August. This is the last book on The Rolling Stones that he contributed to, and he had more than a passing interest in this book's content and Matt's collection. He (and the other band members) were emphatically impressed with Matt's collection, especially items from the band's early history. If you're a Stones fan, and you're looking for an authorized biography of them, this is probably as close as one will ever get. Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie are all contributors to the book. As Charlie states in the book, "It's all there."

Matt Lee is the Guinness Book of Records title holder for having the largest collection of Stones memorabilia in the world. How comprehensive is his collection? In 2016, the band put together a traveling exhibition of their own memorabilia entitled "Exhibitionism." It showcased some of their most sought-after memorabilia, the show was rife with rare items. The entire collection however didn't belong to the band. Roughly 15% of the collection was borrowed from Matt Lee. So when a Rolling Stone wants to display a rare item, there is a good chance its part of Matt Lee's collection.

Unlike many collectors, all of these objects aren't stored away in a warehouse somewhere. The thing that makes Matt and his collection stand out, is his desire to share it all with the world, via this book, his home-turned-museum in London, and the soon-to-open Rolling Stones museum in London that will showcase this incredible collection.

How rare are the items in this collection? Lee's collection contains rarities such as their first recording contract (signed by Brian Jones), an acetate of their very first recording, a composer contract for their very first Jagger/Richards-written song, "Tell Me," a set of Mick Jagger's maracas, an accounting ledger listing their profits and losses from a 1965 tour. Much of Lee's collection is filled with one-off items that need to be seen to be believed. Charlie Watts himself said of the recording contract, "It is the most poignant piece in the collection." The book is a chronology of the band's rise to fame, and their place in pop culture and music history.

The Guinness record states that Lee's collection numbers 2,789 items, but in reality, there are closer to one hundred thousand items in the collection. It would be nearly impossible to put a dollar value on the entire collection, although Lee estimates that he's spent well into seven figures acquiring all the items in his collection. Not only does the band endorse the book, but there are endorsements from Bill German. German is the author of Under Their Thumb, a book that's considered by both fans and band members to be one of the most accurate accounts of the band ever written. Hot Stuff is partially a passing of that torch from German, and from Chris Elborn, the previous ultra-collector of Stones memorabilia. Matt Lee was actually inspired by Elborn's collection to start acquiring all he could get his hands on, wanting "everything that was in Elborn's collection."

How exactly did he obtain these rare items? Essentially, he started carrying rare items around London for the band to sign, and eventually developed a friendship with guitarist Ron Wood, even acting as executive producer on one of Wood's solo albums. According to Lee, "I spent much of the year 2000 on the streets of London outside restaurants, theatres, etc... collecting autographs. They really don't like doing guitars and it took me a year to have the courage to ask Ronnie for one. Four years later when I asked him for another one, he remembered the first and wrote, 'Matt, this one's yours' on it." He obtains items from fellow collectors, industry professionals, and, of course, the band themselves. If you're hoping to obtain an outfit worn on stage by Mick Jagger, this is the closest you're going to come, and you'll never see something like that show up on eBay!

If you've ever been in the pit at a Stones show, chances are that you've run into Matt. His obsession with collecting band memorabilia is born from his absolute love of the band, and "Superfan" is a title he wears well. He's attended over 200 Rolling Stones concerts in 28 countries and has spent countless sums of money following the band from show to show, country to country. When asked if he was going to attend any of the rescheduled 2021 dates, he replied, "Hopefully all, but travel is very difficult at the moment. I haven't missed many shows for the last 10 years." Neither Covid nor wild horses can keep Matt away.

I managed to grab a few minutes of the author's time, in between trades, to ask him about the book.

Goldmine: What made you want to start collecting The Rolling Stones?

Matt Lee: I have always collected things, my first collection was pencils. When I first saw The Rolling Stones live in 1995 at Wembley I started to collect; never did I realize then it's an endeavor with no end.

GM: What's the longest a trade has ever played out?

ML: I have worked on deals or trades for over 10 years in many cases! I am still working on some...

GM: When the band needed to put "Exhibitionism" on, who reached out to you?

ML: The management team and curator and sponsor. I went to meet them at a private club in London and then they came to my home to choose the items they wanted to borrow.

GM: How were you compensated for the items you loaned to the band for "Exhibitionism"?

ML: No comment!

GM: Has there ever been a collaboration between you and a member of the band?

ML: I have done many great projects with Ronnie, from a live album to hand-painted guitars.

GM: Who else in the Rolling Stones, other than Bill Wyman, collects?

ML: Ronnie loves the stuff, For his last birthday I gave him a Bo Diddley / Ronnie Wood NYC Ritz poster from the 1988 Gunslingers tour and he loved it. He always has mementos everywhere.

GM: How long have you known Ron Wood?

ML: I first met him at the Jazz Cafe, Camden London, in February 2000 at an Ian McLagan gig. It started a chain of events where I met him around 50 times that year.

GM: When you deal with "other" Stones, do you deal directly with them?

ML: Only with Ronnie

GM: What's your most prized possession?

ML: Emotionally my first ever tour laminate but there are many more impressive or beautiful items.

GM: Is there an item out there that you know of, that you just can't obtain? If so, is it owned by a band member?

ML: Those are the trades I am working on ;-)

GM: What do you value your collection at?

ML: To me it's priceless, I enjoy the process of collecting and have had so many great times with so many interesting and passionate others around the globe that share my passion.

GM: Do you ever have band members sign things strictly for resale?

ML: Only ever the limited edition live album I did with Ronnie where he signed all 500 copies. The others are for my collection or close friends.

GM: What do you intend to eventually do with this collection?

ML: This year as well as the book I am opening my display space in central London, both projects are to help me share my passion with more people from around the globe.

Thanks for the interview, roller99 and mattleeuk! And thank you for sharing it, ChrisL!

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Topi
Thanks for the interview, roller99 and mattleeuk! And thank you for sharing it, ChrisL!

+1!

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ChrisL

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Hendrik
Enjoying the very rare unsigned edition in the Bahamas...




Hendrik

Wow! Very nice. Enjoy the book and the beach!

...and the cold drink!

Very Cool Matt. Bravo !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice one Hendrik - 'Exile on Main Beach'!