I just finished Bill German’s wonderful Under Their Thumb -book. It was excellent, but an insider’s look more on Keith and Ronnie than Mick. I started wondering if there’s an insider’s book from Mick’s camp? It would be interesting to read that now for comparison.
Actually for some strange reason I seem to have skipped all the book focused on Mick. Which one would you recommend: the Marc Spitz’s or Philip Norman’s take?

There isn't one.

My shelves are weighed down with valueless writings about Jagger - many of them nothing more than compilations of cuttings files from the tabloid scum.

Mick has said he (personally) can't write one (he tried and gave up and had to return the advance), and he doesn't seem to be able to trust biographers ( and I don't blame him).

(And yes, Bill German's book is tremendous, as is Chip Monck's)

--
Captain Corella
60 Years a Fan

I hope someday he'll release one.. he's led one of the most remarkable lives, and he doesn't seem to want to look back at it..

When he returned the advance for his prospective auto biography, didn't he say at that time that he couldn't write such a book while the people appearing therein were still alive?

EDIT: orthography



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-03-30 16:50 by dead.flowers.

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dead.flowers
When he returned the advance for his prospective auto biography, didn't he say at that time that he couldn't write such a book while the people appearing therein were still alive?

EDIT: orthography

They must have had smaller "todgers".

For accuracy - read Wyman's biographies. For the tales - read Richard's biography. There will never be a Jagger autobiography. Most of the Jagger biographies out there seem to be gossip orientated.
And some of them are more or less copy and paste jobs. If you have read one you have read them all, so to speak.

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Stoneage
For accuracy - read Wyman's biographies. For the tales - read Richard's biography. There will never be a Jagger autobiography. Most of the Jagger biographies out there seem to be gossip orientated.
And some of them are more or less copy and paste jobs. If you have read one you have read them all, so to speak.

For the really tall tales, read Ronnie’s autobiography.

Yep, Ronnie's, Keith's and Bill's autobiographies are read. Wonder when Charlie does his... :-)

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padre69
Yep, Ronnie's, Keith's and Bill's autobiographies are read. Wonder when Charlie does his... :-)

In the nineties Watts said in an interview: "I hope we are not all going to end up writing our memoires."

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windmelody

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padre69
Yep, Ronnie's, Keith's and Bill's autobiographies are read. Wonder when Charlie does his... :-)

In the nineties Watts said in an interview: "I hope we are not all going to end up writing our memoires."

I don't see why Charlie would say that; I would welcome a bio from him.

As for Keith's, not sure what the problem is, I read it cover to cover and thought it was the greatest book on the subject ever, and thats after reading most every book of merit on them and/or Keith Richards. I think I believe most if not all of what Keith says, giving some slack for memory loss.

I think Jagger's would be mostly about where his dick ended up at any given time, and thats not all that interesting to me.

jb

If Jagger released an honest biography now he would be lynched by the woke mob for bedding 4000 girls

i enjoyed this one because it isn't quite as trashy as a lot of these jagger bios are or as mean to him though it is a little harsh on keith

wikipedia

isn't phillip norman's books the ones that have a picture of a baby charlie mislabled as mick either way his are very trashy but if you want something real crazy just for the fun of it read this

amazon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-03-31 02:21 by ProfessorWolf.

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ProfessorWolf
but if you want something real crazy just for the fun of it read this

amazon

I am a book person.

My partner is a book person.

We met at book-binding classes over 45 years ago.

When we moved recently we had over 6,000 books.

I have a database of over 1,000 "music" books that are on my shelves.

I buy books and I KEEP books.

Except one.

The ONLY music book I have ever literally thrown away as being worthless was that Scaduto book.

--
Captain Corella
60 Years a Fan

Quote
ProfessorWolf
isn't phillip norman's books the ones that have a picture of a baby charlie

I have Cristopher Andersen's Jagger biography and at least that has baby Charlie’s photo labeled as Mick. Funny if that continued in Norman's book. :-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-03-31 17:00 by padre69.

I have Norman's book but I don't think I've finished it. But I watched his interview about the book and you know what, I liked it. He admitted he never spoke with Mick for the book and made his research via studying Mick's interviews through the years. Norman seemed down to earth, pretty serious and focused. No tabloid stuff or something. I think it's on YouTube, you can watch it to get your impression before making your choice.

As far as I remember, the only book Jagger reacted on, was Everybody's Lucifer. Mick and Keith both said the book was load of crap.

I read Norman's book, and the end is that wild playboy Mick has now been tamed by L'Wren and he's settled down with her.. well that turned out to be fake news

I think the comments above regarding there not being any substantive Mick Jagger biographies out there other (than your gossipy/tabloid fare) are probably accurate. Early in my Stones obsessed life, I collected a lot of them that are either thrown out or collecting dust. The best books I enjoyed about the Stones (that INCLUDED or had little snippets of insight re: Mick Jagger) were authored by Bill German, Stanley Booth, Robert Greenfield, and Bill Wyman.

However, not being a book itself, the closet I got to a great read about Jagger was the extensive interview he did for Rolling Stone magazine that came out in 1995 at the time of the Voodoo Lounge tour. From my perspective, that one was one of the more revealing interviews he had done up to that point.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-03-31 22:36 by Sighunt.

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Sighunt
I think the comments above regarding there not being any substantive Mick Jagger biographies out there other (than your gossipy/tabloid fare) are probably accurate. Early in my Stones obsessed life, I collected a lot of them that are either thrown out or collecting dust. The best books I enjoyed about the Stones (that INCLUDED or had little snippets of insight re: Mick Jagger) were authored by Bill German, Stanley Booth, Robert Greenfield, and Bill Wyman.

However, not being a book itself, the closet I got to a great read about Jagger was the extensive interview he did for Rolling Stone magazine that came out in 1995 at the time of the Voodoo Lounge tour. From my perspective, that one was one of the more revealing interviews he had done up to that point.

I think I posted on that interview before...what it called "Jagger Remembers"?

Quote

Re: Which Mick biography? new
Posted by: padre69 ()
Date: March 31, 2021 12:20

Quote
ProfessorWolf
isn't phillip norman's books the ones that have a picture of a baby charlie

I have Cristopher Andersen's Jagger biography and at least that has baby Charlie’s photo labeled as Mick. Funny if that continued in Norman's book. :-)

oh your right my mistake meant that one
norman's is ok

Quote

Re: Which Mick biography? new
Posted by: CaptainCorella ()
Date: March 31, 2021 06:04

Quote
ProfessorWolf
but if you want something real crazy just for the fun of it read this

amazon

I am a book person.

My partner is a book person.

We met at book-binding classes over 45 years ago.

When we moved recently we had over 6,000 books.

I have a database of over 1,000 "music" books that are on my shelves.

I buy books and I KEEP books.

Except one.

The ONLY music book I have ever literally thrown away as being worthless was that Scaduto book.

--
Captain Corella
50+ Years a Fan

i agree totally belongs in the trash got mine at all place a church sale for free the bit where he's describing the msg 69 show it is just cringe inducingly awful but i keep the book because i admire that something this terible every got published in the first place maybe the worst book ever writen about any of them and thats some tough competition

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treaclefingers

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Sighunt
I think the comments above regarding there not being any substantive Mick Jagger biographies out there other (than your gossipy/tabloid fare) are probably accurate. Early in my Stones obsessed life, I collected a lot of them that are either thrown out or collecting dust. The best books I enjoyed about the Stones (that INCLUDED or had little snippets of insight re: Mick Jagger) were authored by Bill German, Stanley Booth, Robert Greenfield, and Bill Wyman.

However, not being a book itself, the closet I got to a great read about Jagger was the extensive interview he did for Rolling Stone magazine that came out in 1995 at the time of the Voodoo Lounge tour. From my perspective, that one was one of the more revealing interviews he had done up to that point.

I think I posted on that interview before...what it called "Jagger Remembers"?

Yes, I believe Jagger Remembers is what it was called. Good call! It really was a great read.

Here's a 2021 Documentary (by German public TV-Broadcaster ZDF) - "Mick Jagger - The made rebel?" :

Video: [iorr.org] , English translation: [iorr.org] .

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Sighunt

Quote
treaclefingers

Quote
Sighunt
I think the comments above regarding there not being any substantive Mick Jagger biographies out there other (than your gossipy/tabloid fare) are probably accurate. Early in my Stones obsessed life, I collected a lot of them that are either thrown out or collecting dust. The best books I enjoyed about the Stones (that INCLUDED or had little snippets of insight re: Mick Jagger) were authored by Bill German, Stanley Booth, Robert Greenfield, and Bill Wyman.

However, not being a book itself, the closet I got to a great read about Jagger was the extensive interview he did for Rolling Stone magazine that came out in 1995 at the time of the Voodoo Lounge tour. From my perspective, that one was one of the more revealing interviews he had done up to that point.

I think I posted on that interview before...what it called "Jagger Remembers"?

Yes, I believe Jagger Remembers is what it was called. Good call! It really was a great read.

I recently posted this in the Mick Taylor thread a few weeks ago in regards to Mick J commenting on MT, but it covers SO much more.

Mick Jagger Remembers

RollingStone, 1995

In one of his most in-depth interviews ever, the Rolling Stones frontman
looks back on 30 years in the world’s greatest rock & roll band

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021-04-03 23:23 by Hairball.

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Hairball
I recently posted this in the Mick Taylor thread a few weeks ago in regards to Mick J commenting on MT, but it covers SO much more.

Mick Jagger Remembers

RollingStone, 1995

In one of his most in-depth interviews ever, the Rolling Stones frontman
looks back on 30 years in the world’s greatest rock & roll band

What a wonderful interview that was! It seems Jann would be the right person to write Mick’s biography, if there ever was one.

Keith’s Life, like Elton’s and Steven Tyler’s book were entertaining to read, but it was very refreshing to read the Mick interview that concentrated on the music, not the drugs and arrests.
I think also that the most interesting part of Tyler’s book was the life from 90’s on. Life after the party was over and you still have to go on. Storys about the daily routines on the tour and how does it feel to get older and more easily injured and still keep the band going.
Motley Crue’s Dirt was fun to read back then, but after that many of the artist biographies have leaned a bit too much on the shock value, non-musical things. Less sex and drugs, more rock’n’roll, please.

I’d love to read a whole book on Mick with the same approach as that Rolling Stone interview.

Of course everyone's forgetting the TV special... "Being Mick"

Right, it was 100% controlled by Mick, so it has to be unbalanced, but he did allow a scene when Pete Townshend and others were ribbing him about how he had no idea how to use public transport.

Balanced against that was a scene where he was ranting about someone in his inner circle who had leaked stuff to the media.

I actually enjoyed it, but realised it was limited.

--
Captain Corella
60 Years a Fan

Quote
jbwelda

I think Jagger's would be mostly about where his dick ended up at any given time, and thats not all that interesting to me.

jb

Well, Jagger himself seemingly had similar account on that as you do. Namely, seemingly that was the problem with the manuscript of his autobiography - short on sex and that kind of dirty, private stuff, and that's why the publisher didn't want to publish it.

But instead Mick revealed stuff like that in his first band he played bass.

It was "boring", they said. "That's not what interests people". Into which Mick replied "fvck you" and that was the end of it.

- Doxa

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Doxa

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jbwelda

I think Jagger's would be mostly about where his dick ended up at any given time, and thats not all that interesting to me.

jb

Well, Jagger himself seemingly had similar account on that as you do. Namely, seemingly that was the problem with the manuscript of his autobiography - short on sex and that kind of dirty, private stuff, and that's why the publisher didn't want to publish it.

But instead Mick revealed stuff like that in his first band he played bass.

It was "boring", they said. "That's not what interests people". Into which Mick replied "fvck you" and that was the end of it.

- Doxa

Almost, but not quite.

He also had to return the advance he had been given.... and that really must have hurt him.

--
Captain Corella
60 Years a Fan

Quote
Doxa

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jbwelda

I think Jagger's would be mostly about where his dick ended up at any given time, and thats not all that interesting to me.

jb

Well, Jagger himself seemingly had similar account on that as you do. Namely, seemingly that was the problem with the manuscript of his autobiography - short on sex and that kind of dirty, private stuff, and that's why the publisher didn't want to publish it.

But instead Mick revealed stuff like that in his first band he played bass.

It was "boring", they said. "That's not what interests people". Into which Mick replied "fvck you" and that was the end of it.

- Doxa

Oh I see. In that case, sounds like something I would like to read. Too bad those publishers need the sizzle to sell. Frankly I am a bit surprised to hear Mick resisting that angle, but hearing it just increases my sometimes slipping respect for him.

jb