I agree...Mathijs is right. Most of it is true. A very entertaining book!!! How do I know this? Because I know people.

"Truth is stranger than fiction"
And I'm pretty sure Spanish Tony only saw 5% of what really happened...

He died of heart failure, as everyone does, ha ha.

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Mathijs
In fact, I think Tony's book is about as close as you can get to the Stones in those days, as is Stanley Booth's book. Of course, it is written badly, but the events described are not invented by him, they most probably actually happened. Truth is stranger than fiction.

Mathijs

I think you're right. Main facts,true. Little details and quotes, maybe exaggerated or made up.

It was him who came up with Keith's blood exchange story?! (True or not true)

Whatever the merits or flaws of his book, it played a great part in turning me on to the Stones, probably just as much as the music did. And at least it does a great job in capturing the spirit of it's main characters, just as Mathijs pointed out.

So in this respect, I'd call it essential for any Stones fan, just as much as the great books by Booth, Greenfield and David Dalton.

One further thought: In a way you can call Sanchez' book an autobiography, the typical memoir of a sidekick. So, quite naturally, it's views are subjective, exaggerated and self-centered, just like any other example of it's kind. Anybody who'd expect just plain facts from such source would be pretty naive.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2009-03-25 15:57 by Greenblues.

I believe - the refernce maybe MARIANNE - that Tony's wife also died many years ago.
Another victim of the drug scene?

dominguez14 is Tony's grandson, so a decorum of respect would be cool. He said earlier that Tony's wife is still alive.

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JJHMick
It was him who came up with Keith's blood exchange story?! (True or not true)

No, the rumour had been around for some years.

Sanchez's book does state that it DID happen, though.

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His Majesty
dominguez14 is Tony's grandson, so a decorum of respect would be cool. He said earlier that Tony's wife is still alive.

O.K.Profound apologies.
I'm sure I read it in some Stones related book or article though...just shows don't believe everything you read.

Could the woman who died have been Madelaine D'Arcy? Marianne Faithfull in her song 'Lady Madelaine' about her friend who OD'd (I think) sings "Spanish Tony don't know what to do; his strange world has all fallen through"

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Tseverin
Could the woman who died have been Madelaine D'Arcy? Marianne Faithfull in her song 'Lady Madelaine' about her friend who OD'd (I think) sings "Spanish Tony don't know what to do; his strange world has all fallen through"

The part about Madelaine D'Arcy is defintely in the book. I agree that this book is essential reading for any Stones fan, in fact, I think with the exception of the first book by Stanley Booth and the first book by Greenfield, it is the best Stones book, because as was pointed out, it was based on a first person account, albeit slanted. Keith stating (more than once) that the gist of the book is basically accurate is pretty decent corroboration---though, clearly Keith seems to have come to enjoy perpetuating some of the myths.

I also had a similar experience to Greenblues---I read this book just as I was getting into the Stones and it went a long way towards generating the fanaticism that followed, lol.

Maybe most of the book is true, but is badly written. I do not want to say bad things about people who are dead, but I have little respect for people who hang around with more or less famous people and write a book about some incidents later on. He is attacks Wyman and Watts in the book, probably because they did not buy drugs from him. The most embarrassing thing about the book is that he writes about a wonderful affair with Faithfull, and she described him later as a disgusting man with whom she slept only to get some drugs.

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windmelody
The most embarrassing thing about the book is that he writes about a wonderful affair with Faithfull, and she described him later as a disgusting man with whom she slept only to get some drugs.

That says more about Marianne than it does Tony though.

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His Majesty

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windmelody
The most embarrassing thing about the book is that he writes about a wonderful affair with Faithfull, and she described him later as a disgusting man with whom she slept only to get some drugs.

That says more about Marianne than it does Tony though.

It says a lot about the two, let us put it that way.

She also said it's the perfect book on the Stones: the drug dealer's pov.

I seem to recall that it wasn't Tony, but instead that Johnny Braces/Jean De Betreuil person Marianne had a relantionship with.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-03-25 19:08 by Sohoe.

Both I think

Well that's another possibility, obviously.

Marianne Faithfull has written a book too, as most of you know. There you can find out things...what the song "Lady Madelaine" is all about and so on.

My wife(who was my girlfriend at the time) knitted me a picture of the stones tongue and the quote "Do you indulge" from the Sanchez book! Hey, we were young and Stones freaks!

quote=dominguez14]
tony is dead, no doubt about it and his wife is still alive,, i get a christmas an birthday card from her every year as shes my nan and hes my grandad and i got all the pictures of the stones an beatles to prove it,[/quote]


Master Dominguez Sanchez (or whatever name you go by,) your grandad wrote a very entertaining book. When debating the Stones' place in history/their legacy, I would suppose the Up and Down book marks a 1st time a, well you know, fellow such as your grandad, divulged certain details on well, you know... (Firsts are always of import.)
So, are you friends with Brian's many kids (and are they on this site, too?)

i cant say i know bryan, jones im quessin, and to be honest i havent read the book on the stones as i am only young, but would love to ass from here it sounds like a great book,although i deffinatly think some storys have gone untold about all this, an im gettin really nosey with all the possesions he left me, such as paper articles about him books with his name, letters from people, list's of things he had to do
quite interesting really



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-03-26 10:21 by dominguez14.

Dominguez14, would you please tell us the circumstances of your grandfather's death?

Was he a good grandad?

he wasnt a great grandfather,but never a bad one, its was a strange family situation, but he either died of old age ass he was getting on, and or drink related

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scottkeef
Seems like I read in some interview Keith gave that he laughed and said its kinda exagerrated but most of it was true. Wish I could remember where I read it.

You might have read it in Victor Bockris "Keith Richards - The Biography" - pages 234-235 ;-)

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dominguez14
he wasnt a great grandfather,but never a bad one, its was a strange family situation, but he either died of old age ass he was getting on, and or drink related

my sympathy to you for your grandfather . i enjoyed his book greatly .

I believe Tony even claimed to have had a threesome with Madeline and Marianne, giving one of them the clever line "why Tony, you're as hard as Chinese algebra."

It's been years since I read the book, which I did so frequently it fell apart, but I don't remember him attacking Bill and Charlie anywhere in it.

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Stone601

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Silver Dagger
The book was ghost written by the the pop columnist who worked on London's Evening Standard in the 80s. Forgot his name but apparently he's very rich now and owns a yacht.

John Blake ?

who is this blake,, i have a letter from him, about a german tour,parently tony gave him great laughs, and how everyone was miserable, i cant make out the signature its like

j o or a l or could be j.d ? any ideas ?