This is taken from today's Mail On Sunday
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Former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman thinks it's time his ex-band mates called it a day.

Last night 69-year-old Wyman, the group’s bass guitarist until 13 years ago, said their current World tour was "foolish".

And he reckoned Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, both 62, were just doing it
"Because they needed to have people telling them how great they are"

He added: "It's time they gave up. I don’t miss the adulation in my life. I think Mick and Keith need it in theirs. They need to be adored daily".

The guitarist, who now enjoys metal detecting also revealed he had been to see the band only twice since he left the Stones.

"I only go to see the crew and the staff really but it’s just like going to see any other show for me".

The Stones often referred to as "The Strolling Bones", have a combined age of 246.

uhm to me those wordz hide some kind of jealousy! I'm pretty sure mick and keith do it just cuz they love music, touring, their songs and why not, they like to feel how much people still love them...woz wrong with it? everybody likes to feel to be loved by someone!

I think Bill just needs to keep his big mouth shut it sounds to me like he is jealous because he no longer has the ability to perform at such a high level like the Stones.

Stupid Boy..... what´s he need sell now?? A book?? A cd??? Underwear??? Common.... at least Stones are more decent than him.. Cause if you decided don´t be a Stone anymore.. what´s the point of talk about them for sell your stuff?? Not fair...

Bill is a fantastic guy. Love his " Sticky Fingers" restaurant. I think he just miss The Stones, but speaks it not the best way.

jealousy? i think the story is that bill left on his own free will and declined to return when he was asked. could be some long held animousity still coming out that he didn't get what was coming to him. i don't like to see the guys getting slammed, but i'll say bill was a lot closer to them than any of us and knows them a lot better, so you can't just throw his comments out.

How is it 'jealousy' when the guy walked away from the band of his own free will and has turned down several overtures from them to reconsider??

He's right about them needing the adulation, though - although if theyre still capable enough of doing what they do, theres no reason why they shouldnt continue to do so.

If people thought the Stones were past it, no one would buy tickets. Would they Bill.

He can't see it why Stones tour beacuse he was bored and go a long time ago.

Bill like anyone else has the right to express himself. He was in the band a long long time and will always be one of "the boys". If Mick and Keith still want to play it is their gig to continue on as they choose. The like to play,the $$, and the attention. So what's wrong with that? They are living life as they want to and that my friends is what we all aspire to right? While Bill comes off as snippy with some of his comments about the Stones, who really cares anyway. He has his metal detection hobby, his books and lots of free time.

then why has he been hinting about coming back, was he turned down ,
and now feels he has to slam them , i wonder about that

Maybe he likes the attention....

It's really disheartening to see one of their own do that, even if he has been gone for 13 years. There's probably more to their beneath-the-surface relationships that we don't know, so that makes it a little more understandable, but still - for someone to try and steal someone else's thunder is something that I don't approve of, in any case. If they're happy doing it, let 'em do it I say. And that goes for anyone, with anything. Sure, Bill may be using it as a marketing ploy, which just makes it all the more heartbreaking for him to say those things. That's just my two cents.

I guess all we can do is ignore those comments and just know that it's good to have people who at a combined age of 246 are doing what they love to do.

The world would be better off if there were more people like that

Wyman is an idiot... I wouldn't say that the first time I read such statement, second time... but this is becoming ridiculous.
I don't miss him, cause I don't remeber him, for me he's not "one of the boys" (well, of course he was, and what a bassist, sure, I just have no sentiment for Bill whatsoever, in my book).
HE doesn't miss it... so what? Because he doesn't miss it they should call it quit?
Of course they love adulation, agree, but they don't get it for free... they love what they're doing, and with the number of people who attend their concerts, and with such album as the last one, why the hell should they give it up?
Does he really mean it? Sorry, Bill, if you feel it's not appropriate for them at such age, it's just your opinion. The Stones have fans among teenagers, so age is not the issue. I hate the "argument" about age, the only important thing is if you're still cool or not.
Or maybe he doesn't mean it and is desperate for attention. Because he says exactly the same thing about the Stones on tour every couple of months. All in all, to experience the Stones on stage is anything but "foolish". Wyman is.

I think when Bill left the stones, he thought the band would be finished as a living and working Rock`n & Roll band....he thought, that, after the Comeback tour of 89/90 nothing more, or nothing spectacular would come maybe.

Since he left, we have seen 3 studio albums and 4 worldtours, which he never expected I guess.... he seems to be kind of jealous,IMO.

good post, Gazza. spot on. Bill's still cool.

Who is Bill Wyman?

Wyman should stop before the Stones do,simply because the Stones are better & there are more people who would enjoy future Stones shows than more Wyman shows.

I'll add that it would be much easier for the Stones to justify continuing if they were to show that they had more of a purpose than to run through the same 15 songs every night.

If I want adulation all I do is look in the bathroom mirror and 60,000 of my personalities tell me I'm GOD!

"The wonder of Jimi Hendrix was that he could stand up at all he was so pumped full of drugs." Patsy, Patsy Stone

Sticky Fingers seems to me like its like a resturaunt here in the U.S. called "TGI-Fridays." or The Hard Rock Cafe. Id like to Go to England some time. If im theyre Id like to go to sticky fingers. not necessarily for the food, but just because its Bills place.

Bill is OK. Look, it has been reported that he is worth 50 million dollars. That doesn't bring jealousy. I think he believes what he says, and, there may be a bit of truth in there. Let's face it, Bill knows these guys better than we do. And, he is about the only one, besides Anita, who can make these statements and get away with it.

bills gone 16 years,who gives a damn what he thinks,i don't.he was a small player in the grand scheme of things.the stones are just as good without him.im not saying he wasn't greaT,JUST NOT VERY DIFFICULT TO REPLACE.

john scialfa

backstreetboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bills gone 16 years,who gives a damn what he
> thinks,i don't.he was a small player in the grand
> scheme of things.the stones are just as good
> without him.im not saying he wasn't greaT,JUST NOT
> VERY DIFFICULT TO REPLACE.

I know what you are saying, and from that angle, you are correct. But, we are discussing a magic band. From that angle, none of them can be replaced.

>> JUST NOT VERY DIFFICULT TO REPLACE.
And that is absolutely not true...

awww, big Al!

you beat me to it! ;o)

i feel like a goof! i went and posted the same thing already - i really oughtta check the other posts before i go shooting off my own 2 cents, huh?

mine's called "mr. sympathy". it's pretty much the same thing.

but anyway, yeah - what an utter A-hole, if you ask me.

bitter boring old fart. (older than any Stone, anyhow!)

carnaby i agree with you,they are very magical,and i was very upset when bill quit.at the time it made no sense,steel wheels urban jungle tour just ended and they were due for a 2-3 year layoff,which happened.why didn't he take a break then decide.i would love to see taylor and bill both still play,i know they could both still do it.its just that im annoyed that bill makes such stupid comments,abb is there best album in atleast 25 years by a landslide and there live shows are still great,just cause you left which you were entitled to,don't knock the other guys for excelling at what they love.i give taylor alot of credit,to my knowledge he does not bad mouth the stones,i had the pleasure of hanging out with him in atlantic city after his show at the trump marina,about 5 years ago,a real class act.

john scialfa

Gazza I didn't know the Stones kept offering Bill to come back. Is it so? Do you know roughly when / on what terms? It is curious, since all four Stones would be making less money if Bill comes back.

Jumpin'JackFrash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's really disheartening to see one of their own
> do that, even if he has been gone for 13 years.
> There's probably more to their beneath-the-surface
> relationships that we don't know, so that makes it
> a little more understandable, but still - for
> someone to try and steal someone else's thunder is
> something that I don't approve of, in any case.
> If they're happy doing it, let 'em do it I say.
> And that goes for anyone, with anything. Sure,
> Bill may be using it as a marketing ploy, which
> just makes it all the more heartbreaking for him
> to say those things. That's just my two cents.
>
> I guess all we can do is ignore those comments and
> just know that it's good to have people who at a
> combined age of 246 are doing what they love to
> do.
>
> The world would be better off if there were more
> people like that


i love this post; thank you.

am always touched moved and absolutely rocked by bill's genuis...
always and indelible...get upset when he's under-rated or dissed.
i mean i don't know the guy at all except for the music (which is enough!!!)
but that seemed like a real shitty thing to say...

but your post and gazzas and others gives real sensitive perspective for me.
i mean sometimes i know what he means...but sometimes i am so excited by what they can still do quite enormously...i don't watch and watch that 2003 hbo thing over and over because it sucks...it kills...

tho i freely admit that generally speaking their prime as writers and performers were earlier periods 4 sure...but them was different dynamix and alla that sheeit...and i would of course include all the brian and mickt stuff especially but also love much of the first 3 with Ronnie...

so shut up bill and encourage your mates, appreciate 'em...
go your own way...who knows the inside story on marriages so heavy...
what they all went thru together, and for so long, was so historically incredible and indelible, as we all know and gather round to do the tell.

I was a little pissed about Bill's comments, and then I listened to a few tracks from Hampton '81.

Now all is forgiven.