Sir Mick Jagger has written a 75,000-word memoir – but he refuses to publish it.
The 73-year-old icon penned the memoir in the late 70s, when the Rolling Stones co-founder was handed as much as £1 million for the project before he decided against publishing it and handed the money back.
The memoir is currently in the hands of writer and publisher John Blake, who revealed in an article for The Spectator magazine he has it stored in a “secret hiding place”.
Of the memoir, John explained: “So far as I have been able to ascertain, a publisher rejected the manuscript because it was light on sex and drugs. In the early 1980s, when it was written, shock and awe was a vital part of any successful autobiography.
“Read now, however, it is a little masterpiece. A perfectly preserved time capsule written when the Stones had produced all their greatest music but still burned with the passion and fire of youth and idealism.”
John also claimed the book showed a more considered version of the rock legend.
He shared: “The book shows a quieter, more watchful Mick than the fast-living caricature. He describes the little room he’d retreat to backstage before a performance, where he’d hide away, sizing up the audience.
“All that famous partying had to wait till afterwards. Those extravagant feasts that rumour had it the Stones demanded backstage: caviar, vintage champagne, stuffed quails … they never ate any of it. They took their shows far too seriously for that.
“He had carbs for an early lunch. Then water, ‘maybe eight pints’, because he’d lose ten pints on stage.”
Meanwhile, Joyce Smyth, The Rolling Stones’ manager, has confirmed the existence of the book, but insisted John would not be allowed to publish it.
A statement read: “John Blake writes to me from time to time seeking permission to publish this manuscript. The answer is always the same: He cannot, because it isn’t his and he accepts this.
“Readers will be able to form a view as regards the matters to which John Blake refers when Sir Mick’s autobiography appears, should he choose to write it.”
Sunday World
The memoir is currently in the hands of writer and publisher John Blake, who revealed in an article for The Spectator magazine he has it stored in a “secret hiding place”.
Of the memoir, John explained: “So far as I have been able to ascertain, a publisher rejected the manuscript because it was light on sex and drugs. In the early 1980s, when it was written, shock and awe was a vital part of any successful autobiography.
“Read now, however, it is a little masterpiece. A perfectly preserved time capsule written when the Stones had produced all their greatest music but still burned with the passion and fire of youth and idealism.”
John also claimed the book showed a more considered version of the rock legend.
He shared: “The book shows a quieter, more watchful Mick than the fast-living caricature. He describes the little room he’d retreat to backstage before a performance, where he’d hide away, sizing up the audience.
“All that famous partying had to wait till afterwards. Those extravagant feasts that rumour had it the Stones demanded backstage: caviar, vintage champagne, stuffed quails … they never ate any of it. They took their shows far too seriously for that.
“He had carbs for an early lunch. Then water, ‘maybe eight pints’, because he’d lose ten pints on stage.”
Meanwhile, Joyce Smyth, The Rolling Stones’ manager, has confirmed the existence of the book, but insisted John would not be allowed to publish it.
A statement read: “John Blake writes to me from time to time seeking permission to publish this manuscript. The answer is always the same: He cannot, because it isn’t his and he accepts this.
“Readers will be able to form a view as regards the matters to which John Blake refers when Sir Mick’s autobiography appears, should he choose to write it.”
Sunday World
