up and down with the rolling stones

I have just whipped through Up and Down with the Rolling Stones by Tony Sanchez (and most likely his heavy-handed ghost-writer). This book by Keith Richards' former friend/ personal assistant/ drug dealer is very interesting. The dates are iffy and a bit confused and some of the details are blatantly wrong. It's melodramatic, sensationalized, and riveting like a soap opera. Yet I get the feeling that in general, most of what Tony Sanchez says is true. So here are some of the more striking quotations from the wild but undeniably fun read:

Brian Jones: "Our friends are questioning the wisdom of an almost blind acceptance of religion compared with total disregard  for reports related to things like unidentified flying objects which seem more real to me." Whoa.

"Keith Richard had discovered very quickly that money really could buy just about anything. After he had been fined for driving without a license, he had had a long, huddled conversation with one of his drivers. I never found out exactly what happened, but Keith bounced up to me one day, showed me his pristine driving license and announced 'Look Tony, I've passed my test.'" Bahaha.

Keith decides he wants a Hovercraft. Tony remarks, "I had learned long before that in the millionaire world of rock superstars every whim rapidly becomes reality, so I agreed that a personal Hovercraft sounded like an excellent idea." And so Keith of course got one and used it until it bored him.

Mick Jagger: "There should be no such thing as private property." Hah! Oh, Mick. Please. 

"Many of Mick's closest friends are men who, he knows, want to go to bed with him."

Anita Pallenberg on her baby son: "It's beautiful that Keith is so crazy about Marlon. But sometimes, just sometimes, it seems as though he loves him more than me."

Bianca Jagger v. reporters: "I have no name. I do not speak English." So much for that.

A priest, Father Baud, on Mick Jagger: "He has a great sense of religion, that boy. He really has a feeling for it." Tony remarks, "The priest liked Jagger." And why not?

"Anita's latest game was slipping sleeping pills into the Pimms cocktails Keith drank after dinner every night." Yikes. That's not good.

Mick Jagger's birthday: "Keith was taking the event extremely seriously; not only had he bought Mick an expensive piece of jewelry, but he was even wearing a suit..." That's sweet... but I don't know what to make of it.