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Ronnie: The Autobiography
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Product Description
The first of his family to be born on dry land, Ronnie Wood came from a family of water gypsies and was raised in a council flat near Heathrow Airport. Growing up only wanting to paint and play music, Wood was always talented. And in the 1960’s, he was often in the right place at precisely the right time—becoming the guitar player for everyone from the Birds to Jeff Beck to the Faces and then to Rod Stewart . But Wood and his guitar-playing became super-charged when he joined The Rolling Stones. They were rock royalty from their earliest days, and from the first time Wood performed with the band, careening down New York City’s Fifth Avenue on a flatbed truck Wood has been at the center of the court and in the middle of the ferment. No band has ever combined the Stones’ success--both artistically and materially—with their longevity. No other band has ever survived the creativity and clashes of such big personalities.
But with success came excess—and as mayhem and hysteria followed Ronnie on his adventures through the extremes of rock ‘n roll, the drugs got harder and his relationships—especially with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the women in his life—became increasingly complex.
A fascinating portrait not just of the Stones, but of the greatest rockers of the 1960’s and beyond—from Eric Clapton to Rod Stewart, Jimmy Page to Keith Moon, Jimi Hendrix to Pete Townshend—RONNIE is a rich, revelatory book. Readers have never had a view of the rock world like this before.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #112722 in Books
- Published on: 2007-10-02
- Released on: 2007-10-30
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 384 pages
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Like any good memoirist, Wood is shamelessly honest."—The New York Times
"Wood's wildly entertaining book is peopled with virtually every major British and American rocker since the early '60s."—Rush and Malloy, New York Daily News
"Wood is a classic classic rocker, and his story has just that kind of 'behind the music' arc."—The Associated Press
"Features candid tales about Wood's long career in rock 'n' roll...and his own drug, alcohol, and financial problems. 'It's been an adventure for me, ' Wood said."-U.P.I.
"Forthright and revealing...plenty for fans to chew on."-VNU Entertainment News Wire
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Weave On, Little Brother
As an avid fan of Ronnie Wood's music-- with the Stones, the Faces, those early great Rod Stewart records (I still see them as Stewart/Wood records), solo, sitting in with rock's royalty-- I dove into this book with much relish (and a little mustard). Sure, I knew there'd be debauchery (the story of Woody showing up for his romantic liaison at future wife Jo's Paris hotel with Keith in tow is priceless, and if you're just browsing over a latte at Barnes & Noble, its on page 153). This guy is, I think it is safe to say, THE Good Time Charlie of rock'n'roll.
But for all the star cameos from the ranks of Britrock (e.g. all the Beatles) and American roots rock, blues and R'n'B (Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis), there just wasn't enough musical grit for me. Not word one, for example, about any of those Stewart records. I was hoping to read about the creative process by which so much of my favorite music was birthed-- inspirations in the studio, how he got such-and-such a guitar sound, what take was that "Lost Paraguayos" solo... stuff like that. You get a little of it, but I wanted a whole lot more. I mean, and I can't stress this enough, I love the guy. But the reason his autobiography merits a read is because of the music he's made (sorry Woody, but you have to die before your painting rates.) I wanted more of a musician's eye view.
That said, as a fan I found that the insight into his formative years shines some light on the life that resulted, and on the music. Notably, he grew up with older brothers who drew him into both art and music, and those relationships clearly shaped his musical persona; whether Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, or Keith Richards, his most enduring work always seems to come as Robin to someone's Batman. His home as a child was filled with music and, although he doesn't say it this way, alcohol abuse. He writes with great candor about his own substance revelry, and as decedent as you might have expected life as a Stone to have been in the late 70s, you might even be underestimating it. He writes unflinchingly about his descent into freebase addiction in the early 80s (but not a word about, for example, 1234, recorded at the same time and which had at least one ripping tune on it.)
But he devotes a surprising amount of time to the saga of the New Barbarians, which was nice because I saw and loved that ill-fated combo when they came through NYC. And also, to his tour with Bo Diddley, another high point for this reviewer.
Oh, and if the chance ever comes up, do NOT let him manage your money, and NEVER invest in a club with him.
If you are a fan, you need to read this. If you aren't, I'm recommending the latte at Barnes & Noble. But I'm also recommending Some Girls, Voodoo Lounge, all the Faces records, Gasoline Alley, Never a Dull Moment, Every Picture Tells a Story, the New Barbarians live recording which came out in '06, I've Got My Own Album to Do...
ronnie wood
This is a great book and fun to read. No wonder everyone from jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, all of the Rolling Stones and many more wanted to hang out as friends and play with this man. It comes across in this book. There' also a lot of history on the early days how all the early groups in England got there start and Ronnie was there. Most of all no matter what anyone thinks of the life of a rocker his family comes across as the most important thing in his life. This is a very good book and worth the buy.
Fun To Read
I enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to read about his early days, playing with Faces, his solo albums, and with the Rolling Stones. Wood actually sheds more light on the George Harrison/Patti Boyd/Eric Clapton love triangle than Clapton does in his own autobiography.
A relevant companion-book to this would be ALL THE RAGE, the autobiography by fellow Faces bandmate Ian MacLagen.
