MovieChat Forums > The Quiet One (2019) Discussion > Surprised this exists...

Surprised this exists...


Like the title states, I was surprised to see that we're now being treated to a Bill Wyman video biography. Well, sort of surprised. There are so many analogous videos on Netflix these days centering on relatively obscure figures that it's only logical they'd eventually start plumbing the depths and arrive at the rhythm section of famous bands. This is not to slag on Bill Wyman, who I think is an excellent bassist, but an unremarkable one given his nature and what he was allowed to do within the Rolling Stones. However, if you're a fan of classic rock then the stories of Bill Wyman, John Entiwistle, Ginger Baker, Ray Manzarek, Paul Simonon, Tyson "Billy Zoom" Kindell, Don van Vliet, etc. might prove much more interesting since you'll already be well versed in the most interesting stories surrounding Keith Richards, Jim Morrison, Lou Reed, Pete Townshend, and company.

That said, I was compelled to post on this forum because the existence of this bio reminded me of the great time I had reading both Bill Wyman's "Stone Alone" and Keith's "Life." Wyman's book came out first, and my initial reaction was that Bill Wyman was a deluded megalomaniac who had an ax to grind with his former bandmates. First, it's filled with boasts of his conquests of groupies. He even provides data of the number of women he and every other Rolling Stone had conquered up to some point in the band's early phase when Brian Jones was still at least a co-leader (Wyman of course came out well on top; Charlie had a score of zero, if I remember correctly). This angle got tedious fast, as you'll quickly arrive at the impression that Wyman wants to be sure that everyone understands he was the real chick magnet. Way to go Bill. Later, you'll hear him shred Keith and Mick for their vanity, supported by numerous stories that probably all have a kernel of truth to them. Wyman will also tell you that he and Brian Jones came up with the main hook to Jumping Jack Flash, and only later Keith filled in the details. Wyman's basic motivation was to complain about a lack of songwriting credit, which itself is believable since Mick Taylor later (justifiably) complained about the same thing. Wyman has some corroboration from the Stones's biographer Martin Elliot, but I'd hardly consider that legitimate evidence unless he happened to be in the studio with them, which I doubt he was. In any case, you get the idea. Wyman tells a lot of interesting tales spanning his female conquests, songwriting credit he was cheated out of, Keith and Mick's cruelty to Brian Jones and others, and so forth. It's a great read even if you get sick of the boasting and don't quite believe Wyman's spin most of the time.

Keith's book "Life" I found equally interesting but much more palatable. While I do believe that he and Mick were rather nasty to their co-founding member Brian Jones, it seems to me that Jones was often quite a jerk himself and was asking for it to large extent. That aside, I've always found Keith to come off in interviews as extremely intelligent, down to earth, musically insightful, and even generous (e.g. his Chuck Berry concert). When I was a youngster first getting into the Rolling Stones, I knew only of Keith's notorious drug habits and had assumed he would be an inarticulate wastoid if I ever did hear him speak about anything. Through this book and the numerous interviews that eventually would surface on YouTube, I was disavowed of this prejudice. He's a fascinating, extremely intelligent, down-to-earth guy. It's reflected very well in his autobiography "Life."

In short, I highly recommend that any Stones fan reads both "Stone Alone" and "Life." They're both filled with great stories from two very different characters. Both books are worth a read even if you find one or both of their personalities off-putting.

reply