Reviewed by: BigAl
Genre: Memoir
Approximate word count: 120-125,000 words
Availability
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Author:
One of the
original “tycoons” of rock and roll’s 1960s golden age, Andrew Loog Oldham has
taken to writing memoirs in his later life. His previous offerings are Stoned and 2Stoned. Oldham currently splits his time between his wife’s
hometown of Bogota, Columbia and Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Description:
“At the age
of 19, Andrew Loog Oldham discovered the Rolling Stones and became their first
manager and producer. One of the Sixties’ original tycoons of teen, Oldham
absorbed the art of the hustle firsthand from such mentors as Brian Epstein,
Albert Grossman, Don Arden, and Phil Spector.”
Appraisal:
They
weren’t the only act he worked with, but Andrew Loog Oldham’s name will forever
be associated with the Rolling Stones and, despite Stone Free not being about the band he “discovered” and helped
usher onto the world stage, Stones fans will still find plenty of discussion
about Mick and the boys here. However, these mentions are incidental and mostly
told as examples illustrating the focus of Oldham’s reminiscing, which is about
what he calls “the hustlers” of the music business.
The
hustlers (or pimpresario, to use the
term Oldham coined) are managers, promoters, label owners, and others who
through their hustle drag their acts into the spotlight for fame and (at least
for somebody) fortune. Hustle in this sense is both a positive (they’re driven
and have single-minded focus on their goals) and negative, with a bit of P.T
Barnum con in much of what they do. Stone
Free isn’t a book for everyone, but for those interested in the personalities
and history of the music business, especially that of the 60s (and I’m
definitely in that target audience), this is a book that should hit your sweet
spot.
FYI:
Contains
some adult language.
Format/Typo Issues:
No
significant issues
Rating: **** Four stars
2 comments:
'Pimpresario' is a great word.
I agree, Walter. The combination of pimp and impresario that it evokes is exactly what he was going for with the word.
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