The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones were the antithesis of
The Beatles. It's very difficult to imagine how any two groups could
have been more different ; The Beatles came from Liverpool, The Stones
didn't. There were four Beatles and five Stones. Nobody in The Stones
was called George Harrison. The Stones didn't have The One With The Big
Nose, they had The One With The Big Lips. His name was Mick Jagger and
astonishingly, all these years later, it still is. But much else has
changed in that time.
For a start, 4 of those 5 original Stones
are now over 40 years older, but despite their age they still "rock"
and still take delight in shocking - They perform shocking concerts,
give shocking interviews and make shocking records . . . (and Bill
Wyman still has sex with young girls less than half his age -
including one or two who are barely into their thirties!). And
although Brian Jones is long dead, Keith Richard is NOT - despite the
fact that he's had more drugs than ICI in his lifetime. Work that one
out!
So while The Rolling Stones are (very)
arguably 'the best rock and roll band in the world', they are
incontestably the oldest rock and roll band in the world.
In the 60s, The Stones became the living
symbol of rebelliousness. Everywhere they went they caused offence
with their threatening behavior, foul language and blatant
promiscuity. They were the archetypal Bad Boys Of Rock.
Following a gig on July 1 1965, the group
pulled up at the all-night Francis Service Station on Romford Road,
Stratford. After being told the lavatories were being renovated and
being refused permission to use the private toilet, Bill Wyman
"urinated against the boundary wall of the service station",
with Mick Jagger and Brain Jones following suit further down the
street. The trio were charged and stood trial - during which the press
had a hoot after it was revealed that, during the incident, Jagger had
sneered: "we'll piss anywhere, man". The Stones were ordered
to pay £3 each plus costs.
The group survived the 'scandal' but were
brought to book for drug-related offences in 1967. There were also sex scandals
(mention a Mars Bar to Mick and he'll automatically think of Marianne
Faithfull), riots, and even murders in the audience.
You can say what you like . . . I reckon
they haven't had a decent record since 1967. |
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