Stones aide dies

Guitar technician collapses during band's North York rehearsal

SMALL NEWS AND BIGGER NEWS

SOLOMON BURKE will open the LA shows in November. His famous song "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" was covered by the Stones. He also wrote songs like "Cry To Me" and the lovely track "If You Need Me".

LONDON, AUGUST 12 2002 from Rolling Stones website: The first ever comprehensive retrospective album covering The Rolling Stones' greatest hits dating back to the very start of the band's recording career up to the present day will be released worldwide by EMI Recorded Music's Virgin Records label on October 1, 2002 in North America (September 30 outside North America and September 23 in Japan).

Entitled Forty Licks, the package consists of two 20-track CDs (CD1 on the ABKCO label and CD2 on the Virgin label) that represent an unprecedented joint cooperative venture between The Rolling Stones, ABKCO Records and EMI's Virgin Records in North America, and between The Rolling Stones, ABKCO, Universal Music International and EMI in the rest of the world.

Destined to confirm to both long time and new fans why the Rolling Stones have been acknowledged as 'The World's Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band,' the collection features digitally remastered classic Rolling Stones hits including (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Ruby Tuesday, Brown Sugar, Miss You and Start Me Up.

In addition to these historic tracks that reflect the Stones legacy, four new songs especially recorded by the band for this collection with producer Don Was are included in the set.

The Rolling Stones will kick off their Rolling Stones World Tour 2002/2003 in Boston on September 3rd. After over 40 dates in North America the band will head off to Europe, Australia and Asia where, in 2003, they hope to play their first ever concerts in China. Artists that will share the stage with The Rolling Stones as opening acts on the tour include No Doubt, the Pretenders, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang. The Rolling Stones hold the all-time records for the three best attended tours of all time - 'Steel Wheels', 'Voodoo Lounge' and 'Bridges to Babylon'

NEWS FOR THE NEXT DAYS - Blue Lena will send all news to the board for the next days, as Charlotte is on vacation and joining the STONES GATHERING PARTY on the roof of the Alps. Report will come in STONES PLANET NO. 10.

Pop Memorabilia sale - 3 October, Christie's London at 10.30AM
Contact: Helen Bailey 0207 321 3280 hbailey@christies.com

Lot 53 A rare early concert flyer All Nite Rave, Midnight to 6a.m....Sat., December 21st, DUSTY SPRINGFIELD & THE ECHOES, Sat., December 28th, THE ROLLING STONES... and others, Club Noreik, Tottenham, London, 1963 £400-600 click for enlargement of photo

Lot 52 A rare early publishing contract for the song Stoned, October 11th, 1963, the printed contract completed with carbon typescript details between Southern Music Publishing Company Ltd and Michael Jagger with Brian Jones, Charles Watts, William Perks, Keith Richards and Ian Stewart... giving their joint pseudonym - "Nanker Phelge", the composer section of the contract signed in blue ballpoint pen Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Ian Stewart, W.Perks [Bill Wyman], Ian Stewart and Charlie Watts £7,000-8,000 click for enlargement of photo.

The Rolling Stones have agreed to give their first live concert for an American television network, a show that will air on HBO in January. The pay cable network will present the Stones at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 18, 2003, one of the last stops on their ``Licks'' tour.

FORTUNE Exclusive: 

Inside the Business of the Rolling Stones
Story Reveals Why Stones Keep Touring--and How They Make More Money Than Any Other Band
Tuesday September 17, 11:05 am ET

"Spend time with the band's senior entourage and you quickly realize how the Stones got so market-wise," says Serwer. Though Mick Jagger attended the London School of Economics, "his greatest talent, besides strutting and singing, is his ability to surround himself and the band with a group of very able executives."

The Rolling Stones, reports Serwer, are a private and secretive organization, and many of their executives, such as chief financial officer Joe Rascoff, tour manager Michael Cohl, and Prince Rupert Lowenstein, a London-based banker who has been the band's business advisor for over 30 years, stay out of the public eye. But they are crucial when it comes to "interlocking" the various businesses linked to the band: touring, merchandising, publishing rights, etc. They oversee a group of four companies--based in the Netherlands, which has a more favorable tax code than the U.K.--each dedicated to a particular side of the business.

Touring, which today is totally professionalized, complete with immigration lawyers, a staff of travelling accountants, and real-time budgets, is the biggest money-making part of the Stones' operation. Since the 1989 Steel Wheels tour--when Cohl took over managing the band's shows--the Stones have grossed over $750 million on the road. Though exact profit margins are hard to come by, it's safe to say that tens of millions of that total flowed directly to the band members, according to Serwer.

When Cohl took over, new streams of revenue were created by selling skyboxes, bus tours, and TV deals, as well as through innovative merchandising. Cohl also brought in corporate sponsors like Volkswagen and Sprint. Most importantly, he stitched these operations together, through cross-promotion and the like, to maximize their earnings power. The Steel Wheels tour itself made over $198 million, a record for a rock tour.

On the new Licks tour, which kicked off in Boston last week, the band will play three types of venues: stadiums, arenas and small clubs, each with a unique set of songs (they've rehearsed over 130 for this tour), staging and lights. Revenues from Licks won't approach the monster Voodoo Lounge tour in 1994/1995, which brought in close to $370 million, nor the 1997/1998/1999 Bridges to Babylon tour, which did over $390 million. But merchandising will be more sophisticated than ever, with about 50 items available.

But with tours only happening every few years, the steady profits--"the Microsoft part of the Stones business empire," according to Serwer--come from performing rights. The Stones have dozens of songs that are played on FM radio, still a vibrant medium. And anytime a song is played--at a skating rink, on a jukebox, at a club--the Jagger/Richards cash register goes "ca-ching," says Serwer. All this--the tours, the records, the rights--have made the Stones the wealthiest rock band on the planet. Jagger alone is said to have a fortune of some $500 million.

"So what keeps the Stones going?," asks Serwer. "Money, yes. But the band could make big bucks simply by licensing commercials instead of touring. Going on the road is about ego gratification." And when the Stones stop touring, concludes Serwer, "it will mean not only the end of the world's greatest rock band, but also a winding down of the most successful enterprise this crazy business has ever known."

Complete interviews with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards will be available at www.fortune.com , along with related features not found in the magazine.

Auction Sept. 24

66
Promotional poster for the Rolling Stones' film 'Gimme Shelter'
omotional poster for the Rolling Stones' film 'Gimme Shelter'
An original Swedish promotional black and white poster for the Rolling
Stones GIMME SHELTER 20th Century Fox film, a documentary of the Stones'
1969 tour, with much of the focus on the tragic free concert at Altamont
Speedway, east of Oakland in Northern California.
Measures approx. 12 x 27.5 inch (30 x 70 cm.)
£100-150

67

A guitar signed by the Rolling Stones
A black E-ROS 12 string acoustic guitar signed in silver marker pen Mick
Jagger, Charlie Boy, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman and on the scratchplate in
gold marker pen Mick Taylor.
£600-800

68
Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus' poster
A large poster, produced by ABKO, to promote the 1996 release of Rolling
Stones Rock And Roll Circus December 11 1968 on CD and Video, mounted,
framed and glazed.
Overall measurement approx. 37 x 25 inch (94 x 65 cm)
£200-300
69
Autograph album, with various signatures including The Rolling Stones and Brian Epstein
A pink autograph album, signed throughout by many British sixties stars, to include; Billy J Kramer, Brian Epstein (The Beatles Manager), PJ Proby, Gene Vincent, Davy Jones, and others. Together with loose, folded page signed and
annotated Love to Lee Bill Wyman, Keith Richard, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Charlie Boy (Watts), all in different colour pens, dated Bournmouth 1964
in a different hand.
£600-800

70
Four Rolling Stones items
A copy of The Rolling Stones debut album Decca Mono LK 4605, (second
pressing sleeve lists Mona not I Need You Baby), together with a 1990 London
Records promotional Radio Sampler CD with 6 songs and two London Records
sales marketing sheets titled August 1988 is Rolling Stones Month with illustrations of seventeen Rolling Stones album covers. (4)
Various sizes

71
Ronnie Woods signed items
Two pages, each featuring a black and white image of Ronnie, signed each in
gold pen with a doodle Ronnie Wood together with two flyers for a Japanese
exhibition of Wood's paintings. (4)
£60-80

89
The Beatles and Rolling Stones 'The Great Pop Prom' concert
programme, 1963
A rare programme for a concert held at the Royal Albert Hall, London on 15
September 1963, organised by teen magazine Valentine in aid of the Printers
Pension Corporation. The Stones opened the show and the Beatles closed it.
This was the first time both bands performed together.
Condition: Near mint.
£1,500-2,000

You're trying to pay attention to Mick Jagger singing about the gin-soaked barroom queen in Memphis and the divorcee in New York City. You really are.

But it's hard, because your eye keeps wandering up to the cartoon image of the woman flickering on the screen over his head in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium.

Maybe it's because she's 20 feet tall. Maybe it's because she's sultry. Maybe it's because she's wearing only high heels and a black brief as she rides up and down on a long tongue that has snaked out from between two incandescent red lips.

Ah, yes, the lips. If the lips are back, the Rolling Stones can't be far behind, and even though a pair of seats will set you back a week's wages, they're the town's hot ticket tomorrow at the Garden, Saturday at Giants Stadium and, best of all, Monday at the intimate Roseland.

The way it works at Roseland is that, if you have extra tickets, someone will hand you a blank check. The going rate yesterday was $3,000-$4,000 a seat.

This isn't bad for a band that half the world thinks shouldn't be playing at all, that even some fans think hasn't made a great record in three decades and whose best-selling albums have, in 30-plus years, rarely sold more than a couple of million copies. The last Britney Spears CD, that many copies fell off the delivery trucks.

Whether or not you think the Stones are the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band - and in Philadelphia last week, they made their case - there's something more here than marketing and mythology.

Beyond Altamont and the blood-transfusion lore and Keith Richards waking up one morning to pluck the "Satisfaction" riff out of the passing air, the Stones created a deep, wide and granite-solid foundation of music and songs that are unlike anything else in the half-century history of rock.

Now, sure, all that music started somewhere else. It came from Jimmy Reed and Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly and Scotty Moore and a thousand others. It came from bluesman Robert Johnson, who before he died young in 1938 recorded the bleak "Love in Vain."

Last Friday in Philly, the Stones played "Love in Vain," a beautiful, aching rendition with Ron Wood on pedal-steel guitar.

Robert Johnson's songs aren't forgotten. But not many bands beyond the Stones play them today in arenas and stadiums.

Nor do a lot of bands sing, "I'll bet your mama was a tent-show queen/And all her boyfriends were sweet sixteen." Or "There will always be a space in my parking lot/When you need a little Coke and sympathy." What a line. Who else, anywhere?

This doesn't mean the Stones have a better repertoire than, say, Bob Dylan. It just means that, for all the bad boys who have strutted across rock stages over the years, none do it better than the Stones.

Posing? Of course. Mick and Keith are grandmasters of posing. In Philly, they were doing a new song, "Don't Stop," on which Mick plays guitar, and during a bridge he walked over to Keith, ready to fall into one of those guitar-buddy moments.

Keith took a figurative step backward and gave Mick a look. "You're not a guitar player," that look said. "I'm a guitar player."

It's theater, it's almost opera, and it works because it's riding such a solid foundation of music - songs that dig out our nastiest, most evil ruminations ("You're obsolete, my baby/My poor old-fashioned baby"), our bleakest fears ("You can't always get what you want") and yet somehow help us through the day instead of darkening it.

Someone who simply saw the set list from Veterans Stadium might shrug it off as just another greatest-hits show, since the most casual fan could sing along with 18 or 19 of the 21 songs.

But this wasn't the Beach Boys, bless their lovely harmonies. This wasn't a freeze-dried moment from 1972. When Jagger and backup vocalist Lisa Fisher exploded out of an ominous swirl of sound to sing "A storm is threatening ... my very life today," it could have been written off the morning papers.

The Stones have been following the raucous barroom workout "Tumblin' Dice" with Richards singing "Slipping Away" so wistfully it's reminiscent of Sinatra's "Angel Eyes." They've been singing Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," not a definitive version, just sly and witty. They do know how it feels to be a Rolling Stone.

"It's a wonderful night," Jagger said as he looked up at the late-summer moon and down at the crowd.

He gets no argument here.

And, oh, by the way, the girl. She rode the tongue for a while, then the lips swallowed her. A couple of beats later, they spit out a high heel.

Change will protect Keith Richards' privacy

The guitarist had complained that the path, popular with weekend walkers, ran within 10 yards of his property in West Wittering, allowing passers-by to see into the grounds.

West Sussex Council said Tuesday it has agreed to have the path moved to the other side of a nearby field.

"Someone well-known is more vulnerable than you or me. We are well aware of what the paparazzi do. We are well aware of what nutters can do," said Bill Acraman, chairman of the council's rights of way committee.

"Whether they be prime minister or pop star, they are more vulnerable than you or I. I strongly feel we should be able to go the extra mile."

Richards, 58, bought the thatched seaside house 75 miles south of London as a country retreat in 1966.

A spokesman for Richards, who is on tour in the United States with the Rolling Stones, said he was not available for comment Tuesday.

Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

LONDON (Reuters) - The first songs penned by Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richard were so sentimental they were ashamed of them, Jagger told BBC Radio in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday.

"We couldn't write rock songs. We just wrote these crap ballads," he told Britain's Radio Five Live, in extracts of an interview that were released before Sunday's 1130 GMT broadcast.

The band's first five hits were all cover versions of songs written by other stars, though imbued with the Rolling Stones flavor.

But manager Andrew Loog Oldham wanted them to write their own material -- and locked Jagger and Richard in a room until they did.

Jagger said the first song they produced, "As Tears Go By," was far from the heavy-rocker image they were cultivating, so they gave it to pop singer and Jagger girlfriend Marianne Faithfull (news), who had a hit with  it.

"It was pop and we didn't record it because it was crap," he said. "We had a successful crap ballad...I can say now it's a wonderful tune, but we didn't think it was that great at the time."

Jagger said he and Richard "were these two rebellious band members, and we would write nice little tunes, but sentimental stuff."

The dynamic song-writing duo -- whose creative skill and tireless drive has kept the band at the top of the notoriously fickle music business for four decades -- finally hit their stride in 1965 with "The Last Time."

"Eventually we got to grips with writing rock tunes, but it took a little time," Jagger said.

A string of hits followed, such as "Satisfaction," "Paint It Black" and "Get Off Of My Cloud."

The group, which began as a rebellion band but has long since become absorbed into the establishment, Jagger getting a knighthood earlier this year, has just released 40 years of remastered greatest hits.

Richard said the band had no intention of slowing down after a lifetime in the rock 'n' roll fast lane.

"Nobody has been scumbag rockers like us and lived to tell the tale. I wouldn't put it past us to keep on rockin'," he said.

Jagger and Richard, who will both be 60 next year, are currently leading the tireless Stones on another U.S. tour.

Keith on the cover of Rolling Stone

Maybe this cover from Rolling Stone Magazine was a little too much for Rod Stewart. At least he commented it the other day, and said, that Keith is almost 60 years, and should wear some more clothes.

New Rolling Stones Album Could Come Soon, Says Ron Wood

10/18/02, 3 p.m. ET) -- The Rolling Stones went into the studio in Paris, France, earlier this year, ostensibly to record a few new songs for the Forty Licks retrospective. The Stones wound up with more than two dozen new compositions, four of which are included on Forty Licks.

That seems to indicate that a new studio album shouldn't be too far away, and guitarist Ron Wood tells LAUNCH that the goods are there to turn something out relatively quickly. "We went there, in Paris, to do six songs, and we ended up doing 25. Like, we have another new album in the making, if you like, out of the Paris sessions. I would say it wouldn't take more than a few months to do the final vocals and mixing. There's not much needs doing to the basic tracks--you know, maybe an overdub here and there--but if we were forced, we could have it out in a couple of months."

Gary Graff, Detroit

Start Me Up, Danny

By Tony Kornheiser
Saturday, October 12, 2002; Page D01

Some months back I was chatting with Dan Snyder (owner of the Washington Redskins), making small talk about how the Redskins might do under new coach Steve Spurrier. Snyder was very  excited to have Spurrier. 
And then he told me he was very excited about something else: His favorite band, the Rolling Stones, was signed to play a  concert at FedEx Field in October. Snyder was ecstatic. "You like the Rolling Stones?" he asked me.
Do I like them? I named my son after Mick Jagger."
"Well, how'd you like to come to the pre-concert meal with the Stones?
They've got to eat something before they play. We can eat with them."
Ohmigod!
Oh, please this isn't another horribly self-indulgent  Kornheiser column about his life, is it? I hoped we were done with them when  he left Style. Come on, this is Sports!
You want sports? Wilbon will write another Redskins column in 24 hours.
Can you wait until then, or will you dry up and die from lack of in-depth Patrick Ramsey coverage?
So anyway, months went by. I never heard from Snyder.
I figured he'd forgotten about me. Then last week on the morning of  the concert, he called  and said, "Are you ready to meet Mick Jagger?" 
He explained he could bring four people to meet the  Stones before the concert. He had been allotted five minutes with them  hardly a generous gesture considering The Danny owns FedEx Field. 
"What about their pregame meal?" I asked.
"Apparently they don't eat a pregame meal," Snyder said.
"Have you seen them?" I said. "It doesn't look like they've eaten any meals since 1973."
I spent the rest of the day itching like a man on a fuzzy tree, as The King would say. The easy part was writing a check to charity for the tickets. The hard part was thinking what to say to Jagger, whom  I'd revered for 40 years. I wanted desperately to say something smart and witty that would give him a good impression of me. Here's what I
came up with:
"So, Mick, how many women have you slept with so far?"
(The correct answer is: "So far today?")
I actually met Mick once before, at the Meadowlands about 25 years ago.
Well, maybe "met" is a reach. I was covering Pele's  last game with the Cosmos in the old North American Soccer League.
After the game I was in the locker room, trying to get as close to Pele as possible. I was about 10 feet from him, in a crush of reporters, straining to make out what Pele was  saying. From behind, somebody kept pushing and  shoving me, and the      jostling was hampering me from taking notes. So I wheeled, ready to tell this guy if he shoved me again I'd deck him . . . when I realized the guy was Mick Jagger! He was the last person on Earth I expected to  see there. I have no idea why he was there, but I couldn't punch Mick  Jagger. So I babbled  something idiotic about how much I loved his music, and I turned back to Pele.
But now, 25 years later, I couldn't tell Mick that story. It would take too long. It came to no point. And there was a good chance Mick didn't  remember any of the '70s, let alone this one soccer  game.
Snyder was as nervous about meeting the Stones as I was. He had made Redskins jerseys for them, each individualized with  their names. He had helmets to give them, inscribed "Hail to the Redskins" and "Hail to the Stones."
"What are you going to say when you meet them?" I asked.
"I don't know," Snyder said. "That's why you're here. You're the writer." 
"Hey, this is casual conversation, not 'Moby Dick.'  We were told to be in the stadium tunnel by 7:30,  almost two hours before the Stones would actually perform. (One of the  Stones' handlers met us and said, "Wait here. We'll bring the talent to you."
Very edgy.) I stood there like a dope, holding a couple of helmets. I was completely
panicked. Snyder was counting on me to say something that would break the ice. All I had was,  "So, you guys taken any good drugs in the last hour?"
What Snyder wanted most was a photograph of him with the Stones. To that end he brought a photographer with him. (Oh,  like you wouldn't?) I  understood completely. I was prepared to jump through  fire to be in the shot.
Suddenly they were in front of us. Ron Wood and Keith  Richards, slouching and laughing conspiratorially. Charlie Watts, thin as a reed. And finally Mick. I  wasn't so much struck by how old they appeared, as  how miniature. Jagger  was the biggest and he fits in the glove compartment.  The most any of them  can weigh is 130. They seemed somnambulant. I had the sense that behind  their guitars, the second most important piece of equipment the Stones traveled with was a respirator. (Later they put on such a great, energetic show that it was impossible to believe these were the same people. We must have caught them in a cocooning period.) 
I tried to engage Keith in conversation. I mentioned  a "60 Minutes II" piece I'd seen on the Stones. I told Keith he came across by far the best. He appeared to smile at me, and some sort of sound came from his mouth that reminded me of what you get when you tape record  dolphins. I was sure Keith and I could be great friends if only we could
 find a common language. (I don't know if this comes across in videos, but Keith actually has fish hooks and sinkers tied to his hair. I didn't know whether to chat him up or weigh him!)
I handed a helmet to Watts, who seemed concerned.
"They wear these, don't they?" he asked me.
"Yes."
"Well, if we have them, what will they wear?"
"Don't worry," I assured him. "They have others. They won't go out on the field bare-headed." 
This seemed to mollify him. To my right Snyder and his wife Tanya were talking
to Mick. Tanya had brought a magazine with Mick on the cover, and she'd  asked him to autograph it.
"To Dan," she said.
"How do you spell Dan?" Mick asked. Sort of stops you cold, doesn't it?
"To, T-O, Dan, D-A-N," Tanya said. I leaned my head over. Snyder introduced me as
> someone on ESPN.  For all Mick knew I could have been the night manager at Burger King. "I  don't watch much ESPN," Jagger said. "Unless they have soccer on."
This, of course, would have been a perfect opening for me to tell the Pele story. Instead I opted for this gem: "It's an honor to meet you. I'm sure you hear this all the time, but I named my son after you."
Jagger regarded me warily. "That is so weird," he  said. And quickly brushed  by me.
 (He hears it all the time? Gaaack! He probably only  hears that when somebody hits him with a paternity suit.)
That's it? That's your big moment with Mick Jagger?
What a stooge you  must have felt like.
Uh, yeah.
But we were all thrilled at actually meeting the Stones and shaking their hands. I never expected to do that in my life. We  were bouncing with joy. 
Snyder told me the "To Dan" story, and I told him the helmet story.
"That was great, wasn't it?" he said. "Meeting the Rolling Stones!"
"Yeah, congratulations. And to think it only cost you  $800 million."

Wood art a rock show

Stones guitarist plies a mean brush

From globeandmail.com, Monday, October 21, 2002


DAVID MACFARLANE

 Departing briefly from what must surely be the most tedious question in the entertainment world (are the Rolling Stones too old, yawn, to play rock 'n' roll?), I thought I might instead address the subject of generosity.

However, I do so with the Rolling Stones in mind. We went to see them a few nights ago.

(Sound of furiously flipping pages, as my 25-to-35-year-old readers -- all seven of them -- head for the hills.)

And whatever critical debates anyone might have about the show, and whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to their music, there is one uncontestable fact about the Rolling Stones that I would like to draw to the attention of anyone still with me. They are extremely generous performers.

They play long, carefully-put-together sets. They choose their songs, and the order of their songs, with evident care. The technology of their concerts -- the sound, the lights, the big-screen, show-biz razzmatazz -- is slick and professional and designed to ensure that everyone, whether their tickets cost $300 or $50, feels that they are in good seats. On this tour, the band uses two stages -- one, arena-sized but blessedly simple; the other, a smaller, even more simple bar-band setup that rises from the back of the arena floor about two-thirds of the way through the show and that suddenly makes many not-so-great seats very good indeed.

More importantly though, the Rolling Stones throw themselves into their concerts with enthusiasm. Indeed, so enthusiastic was Keith Richard's throwing of himself onto the stage the other night, the indomitable guitarist went telecaster over tea-kettle before the band was past the first bars of the opening song. Still, he came up from being down with a smile and with a certain wobbly but undeniable panache -- as seems to be our Keith's wont.

Perhaps their camaraderie and their apparent delight in still being together after all these years is an illusion. Maybe they really hate one another, can hardly wait to get back to the hotel, are bored stiff, and are laughing all the way to their banks. But I doubt it, frankly. They play too well and appear to be having too much fun doing so to be merely pretending. They have discovered -- and, after the 40 years of playing, it is hardly surprising that they have -- how to combine being well-rehearsed with being exciting.

They know how to entertain, and their secret is simple: in sharing with us the obvious enjoyment they take in their music, they give their audience more than they are strictly required to give.

They don't have to work as hard as they do. They don't have to appear to be having so much fun. They don't have to begin the show at 9:30 and take their bows after midnight. They don't have to because, frankly, their most devoted fans would cheer themselves hoarse if the band mailed the show in. But the fact is, the Stones are gloriously generous entertainers. It's as if they've decided that if they're going to go to the trouble of putting on a show, they're not going to be skimpy about it.

Likely, the Rolling Stones are on my mind because my ears are still ringing with them. Possibly, though, their generosity of performance is a subject I want to raise because being generous seems a quality more observed in its breach these days. I don't think this is because Canadians are particularly selfish. I think it has to do with the fact that too many are sticklers when it comes to rules.

After all, generosity is a characteristic that has to do with bending rules -- which may be why the Rolling Stones are so good at it. Generosity has to do with deciding to give excessively if one so chooses, for no reason other than wanting to. Rules, on the other hand, frequently address themselves to bureaucratic efficiency and to the minimum requirement. They are the strictly measured shot glasses of behaviour.

A few nights before my wife and I attended the Stones concert, my more-extended family went to a fine restaurant near Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., for a Thanksgiving dinner. We made reservations for 10, but when we arrived -- due to an inexplicable miscalculation about how many people are in our family -- there turned out to be 11 of us.

No big deal you would imagine. But then you wouldn't be the pretty, smartly put-together, but humourless hostess we ran up against. She informed us coolly that 10 was the most that could be accommodated at a table. We assured her we did not mind crowding in. We said we would prefer to all sit together -- as families like to do at Thanksgiving.

She did not return our smiles. So we cajoled, we pleaded. But she would not be budged. So a few of us began to get huffy. Which only made things worse. Rules were rules, she said. And so, on a busy weekend night, with nowhere else to go, we sat at two tables.

I have been doing my best to forget about her. Life's too short. And anyway, the food and the wine were excellent, as was our friendly waitress, and we all enjoyed ourselves in spite of the pickle our hostess apparently sat on during her formative years. But she popped back into mind the other night as the audience filed from the Air Canada Centre after the concert, and I noticed how many people were smiling. Generosity has that effect. And it occurred to me that pretty, smartly put-together, humourless types who have not yet learned so important a truth about being human might do well to spend some time in the company of the Rolling Stones. I'm sure Keith could teach her a thing or two.

Hear Chuck Leavell's NPR radio interview

plus his own version of Tumbling Dice, as well as some jams with slide guitarist Roy Rogers (taped Friday October 25)

Rolling Stones sideman sues Nashville dentist

By CHRISTIAN BOTTORFF, Staff Writer

A Nashville tenor saxophonist who has played with the Rolling Stones for decades has accused a Nashville dentist of performing a faulty procedure that is keeping the musician off the band's tour and is otherwise damaging his music career.

Bobby Keys, known for his work on popular albums such as the Stones' Exile on Main Street and Sticky Fingers, blames caps that will not stay on his teeth for keeping him off the tour. The caps also kept him from playing on the Rolling Stones' latest release, the suit states.

His malpractice suit, which is seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages, was filed yesterday in Davidson County Circuit Court.

Attempts to reach Keys and his attorneys were unsuccessful yesterday.

The dentist identified in the suit, H. Larry Grissom, said in a telephone interview yesterday that Keys' teeth were in poor shape when he started seeing the saxophonist as a patient. Grissom said he started working on Keys' teeth a year ago to correct what another dentist had done.

''It was a mess,'' said Grissom, whose practice is on 21st Avenue South. ''Once I got all the old stuff out, then we had problems from there.''

The procedure was done around August of last year, Keys' suit states.

Grissom said he had not seen the suit and will be reviewing it with a lawyer.

In his lawsuit, Keys said faulty procedures caused him to lose ''thousands of dollars'' and threatened his career. Keys receives $5,000 per appearance, according to his suit.

The Rolling Stones have been on tour in the United States since early last month. They play in Atlanta this weekend and are scheduled for a Nov. 25 show at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

A Toronto dentist told Keys that Grissom ''ground away too much material, leaving stumps that were too small to hold the crowns in a stable condition,'' the lawsuit states.

Grissom, in yesterday's interview, also raised questions about whether Keys was biting too hard on a piece stuck on the end of his instrument, called a setup, which causes saxophones to make noise.

Keys had a history of similar dental procedures, Grissom said. Keys' teeth were breaking off and falling out, Grissom said. One tooth even had to be removed, Grissom said. The old dental work had to be taken out, he said.

Keys' suit said Grissom is ''negligent'' in that he ''repeatedly assured Keys that the procedure was routine, that (Grissom) had performed the procedure on numerous occasions and that there was no risk…'' it would keep Keys from working as a professional sax player.

Keys has been playing saxophone since the 1950s, with artists such as Buddy Holly, Sheryl Crow and B.B. King, according to the allmusic.com Web site.

After 40 years of rocking, Mick Jagger and company are still rolling

By Craig Seymour, Atlanta Journal 

AS CONGRESS BICKERS, FORESTS BURN

Chuck Leavell
-----------------------------------------------------------

Mother Nature is finally doing what Congress was unable to
do this session, putting out wildfires that have burned in
all 50 states, destroying nearly 7 million acres of national
forests.

The snowfalls that now are mercifully extinguishing the
fires contrast starkly with the icy chill President Bush's
Healthy Forest Initiative received on Capitol Hill, where it
has been stalled for months by partisan bickering.

 And, while Congress squabbled, the forests burned.

 When the issue is forests, the debate in Washington has
become all-too-predictable. Each side trots out the same old
arguments and the same old advocates, and the result too
often is gridlock. But, as America's 10 million family
forest owners know well - if you want to keep your forests
healthy and growing, doing nothing in the face of massive
threats just isn't an option.

 This year seemed to mark a turning point. Mr. Bush
introduced a sensible, scientifically sound plan for
preventing the devastation caused by unchecked wildfires on
federal forests. Then, for a hopeful moment, both sides
reached across party lines to find a compromise.

 Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, South Dakota Democrat,
took the first risk by inserting language into a spending
bill to exempt federal rules and allow a timber sale to
proceed in his home state. He understood that years of
suppressing wildfires had set the stage for catastrophic
fires in the future.

 Sen. Larry E. Craig, Idaho Republican, and Sen. Dianne
Feinstein, California Democrat, then worked together to pass
similar reforms in the Senate, while Rep. Scott McInnis,
Colorado Republican, and Rep. George Miller, California
Democrat, are still trying to reach a solution in the House.

 Taking the stand that careful harvesting can actually be
good for forest management was an important step for
Democrats this year. Mr. Miller and Rep. Peter DeFazio,
Oregon Democrat, made it clear to green groups during House
hearings that they believe it is time to actively manage
forests, and they have negotiated in good faith with
Republicans to find a solution.

 But as time runs out, it becomes clear this is a battle
that must be carried over into the 108th session of
Congress.

 The summer of 2002 was the second-largest fire season in
the last 50 years. More than 67,000 wildfires scorched the
earth. But few of those fires devastated family owned
forests. Why? Because, like my wife Rose Lane and me, most
family forest owners know the best stewards must be part of
the environmental equation. We actively manage our forests
by thinning, removing fuel buildup and performing carefully
prescribed burns every few years so we can prevent the kind
of disastrous wildfires we've seen this year on federal
forests.

 We're very proud of the stewardship at our family forest,
Charlane Plantation. We do a lot of the work ourselves, and
over the years we've made it a much better place, with
bountiful wildlife and healthy watersheds, and we're working
hard to make it even better. I believe our national forests
would be far healthier if they were managed like our
family-owned forest.

 The great pioneers that established the national forest
system, Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot and others, knew
long ago how important good stewardship is, and that it just
doesn't happen - you have to work at it. Our forests belong
to all Americans, and while trees cannot vote or send in
campaign donations, they deserve protection through
intelligent and active management, not by fencing them off
to human activity and watching them burn.

 Sadly, this year's congressional session answered the
age-old question: Millions of trees fell in the forests, and
Congress did not hear the sound.


 Chuck Leavell is an award-winning tree farmer and
world-renowned pianist currently touring with the Rolling
Stones. He is author of a book on American forests called
"Forever Green."

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rolling Stone Mick Jagger, a keen hoops player in his youth, has become the newest recruit to the National Basketball Association.

The veteran English rock band has joined forces with the NBA for a promotional campaign that will air throughout the league's season, which begins on Tuesday, both parties said on Monday.

A 30-second ``Love It Live'' TV spot mixing footage from the Stones' current North American tour with game action highlights, will debut on Tuesday when the Philadelphia 76ers play the Orlando Magic and the San Antonio Spurs take on defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers.

The ad will depict the group performing its new single ``Don't Stop,'' which is taken from its compilation album ``Forty Licks.''

NBA stars featured in the ad include Jason Kidd, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kevin Garnett, a statement said.

Jagger's father, a retired sports professor, helped make basketball popular in Britain, and he coached his son's high school team.

His bandmates, guitarists Keith Richards and Ron Wood, are better known for their prowess at the snooker table. 

(10/29/02, 7 a.m. ET) -- There's been no shortage of Rolling Stones books, tawdry and otherwise, released throughout the group's 40-year history. Guitarist Ron Wood tells LAUNCH that the band, currently on its Licks tour of North America, isn't expecting too many embarrassing revelations from the latest entry--the just-published Rolling With The Stones, a lavish coffee-table-sized book co-authored by former Stones bassist Bill Wyman. "No, I think it's a bit too late for that. No, I've seen excerpts in magazines. I mean, we all have a laugh when we see what could be in store."

The 496-page Rolling With The Stones--which features more than 3,000 photos, many of which were taken by Wyman himself--is the second Stones book from the bassist, who left the band in 1992. His previous offering, Stone Alone, was a more personal memoir that covered his life and the Stones' career until 1969, while Rolling With The Stones offers a full career overview.

Wyman is signing copies of Rolling With The Stones on Tuesday (October 29) at Book Revue in Huntington, New York, and on Wednesday (October 30) at Borders Books & Music in White Plains, New York.

The Stones next perform Thursday (October 31) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

-- Gary Graff, Detroit

Keith Richards Plays Surprise Gig In Los Angeles

By Phyllis Pollack  

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and two of the band’s back-up vocalists, Bernard Fowler and Blondie Chaplin, gave a surprise performance on Monday night, October 28 in Los Angeles , California at the Joint, a small club that only holds approximately a hundred people.  

The core band was comprised of longtime Stevie Nicks guitarist Waddy Wachtel, former Tom Petty drummer Phil Jones, and bass player Rick Rosas, who played on Neil Young hits including “Rockin’ In The Free World.”  Also lending support in the band were upstart vocalist Memphis , and veteran British singer Terry Reid, whose long list of performances includes having played at the wedding reception of Stones vocalist Mick Jagger to Bianca Perez Morena de Macias.  

Some of those who were in the audience had arrived at the gig, anticipating that something special would happen this evening, due to the fact that prior to his joining the current Stones tour, Fowler had been a member of this band that played at the club every Monday night for over a year.  It was not lost on many who were in the club that the Stones would be in town this week, gearing up for two Los Angeles shows.  For many who were present, this was essentially Fowler’s greatly anticipated homecoming, and his. return would have been enough for the stunned audience, let alone to also have the stage additionally graced by Richards.  Fowler credited Wachtel with inviting Richards to join the band for the evening.  Backstage, Wachtel quipped, “I didn’t start the rumors that Keith would be here. Really, I didn’t!  I can’t help rumors that start out there.”  

Fowler entered the club, coming through the back entrance, and upon seeing his fellow musicians, gave emotional long hugs and greetings.  Fowler would tell the audience, “I missed you all.  Damn, I missed you all,” as he introduced the band’s members to the audience.  

Richards, donning his trademark handcuffs, skull ring and other assorted silver jewelry, was clearly the life of the party, along with Fowler.  The Stones guitarist ascended the stage with a black Gibson, and then would later use Wachtel’s 1970 sunburst Gibson SG.  Richards and company broke into a rendition of the song “Key To The Highway,” a blues number written by Charles Segar and Willie Broonzie, a standard that has been covered by countless blues artists.  Richards and Fowler interacted on stage, and an animated Fowler grabbed Chaplin by his jacket and hugged him while the pair added vocal lines and harmonies interlaced between Richards’ vocals and guitar licks.   

“You know I know some of the guys here,” quipped Richards.  In addition to solo work and Stones projects that the Stones axe slinger has done with Fowler, Wachtel was Richards’ other guitarist in his side project, The X-pensive Winos, which embarked on tours in 1988 and 1992, and released two albums, yielding Richards’ solo hit “Take It So Hard.”  In addition to his performances with the Stones, Chaplin appears with Richards on the Grammy-winning Hank Williams tribute album, Timeless, on the track “You Win Again.”  

As the surprise ensemble broke into the Stones classic, “Jumping Jack Flash,” an energetic Richards looked as if he was performing it for the first time, as he showed endless energy on stage.  The intimately situated audience caught a close-up view of Richards, who donned various silver charms that were weaved into his hair.  Fowler pranced about the stage in his black leather jacket, singing lead on one of the song’s verses.  In addition to his work with the Stones, Fowler’s extensive discography includes recording with Yoko Ono, as well as co-writing and co-producing Stones guitarist Ron Wood’s Slide On This.  

When Richards left the stage, he joked, “Thank you very much.  I’ve got work to do now. Bye, ladies and gentlemen,” and with that, the guitarist of the greatest rock and roll band in the world departed the stage.  

Fowler stayed on to sing AC/DC’s metal anthem, “ Sin City ,” as Wachtel shredded power chords. Fowler’s mastery for captivating an audience had long been well known to members of the audience who had previously witnessed Fowler’s diverse vocal range, which allows him to seemingly effortlessly rock hard or to otherwise mesmerize an audience with his uniquely soulful introspective style.  

The elated audience happily left the memorable evening at the club, in anticipation of the upcoming Los Angeles Stones shows that were scheduled for Halloween night at Staples Center and November 4 at the Wiltern Theatre.

© Photos credit M. Sullivan and article by Phyllis Pollack may not be copied without permission from Stonesplanet.

ROLLING STONES GUITARIST RON WOOD MAKES SURPRISE APPEARANCE

by Phyllis Pollack  

Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood made a surprise guest appearance at a Hollywood nightclub, where he joined former Guns N’ Roses guitarist, Slash (October 30). After visiting with Woody and Slash backstage at the club, Fowler left to join his "other band" at Platinum Live, located in Studio City.  There he joined Waddy Wachtel and bandmates for a surprise rendition of the number "I Wanna Be Your Man," a track which has been recorded by both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Wood greeted Slash backstage, posing for photographers and socializing with Slash, and then remained there until he joined Slash to play the G & R hit “ Paradise City ” during Slash’s encore.

Slash’s repertoire during the evening was largely comprised of cover songs by Black Sabbath, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and other classic rock artists.

Slash has known Wood since he was thirteen years old;  his mother used to make stage costumes for Mick Jagger and other members of the group when he was very young.  Wood and Slash joined forces to play a show together last December in the UK at Sheppard’s Bush.  A portrait of Slash, painted by Ron Wood, can be seen on Wood’s website, which features the Rolling Stones’ artwork.  

Two nights ago, Stones guitarist Keith Richards made a suprise appearance, playing at a Los Angeles club, in tow with Stones backup singers Bernard Fowler and Blondie Chaplin. Fowler and Chaplin stopped backstage to greet Slash and Wood, then departed to see Stevie Nicks guitarist, Waddy Wachtel’s band.  

The Rolling Stones will be playing tonight at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Nancy Stetson: Sundry thoughts on the Stones

The Rolling Stones rolled through Florida last week, played the Office Depot Center in Sunrise Tuesday and the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami the following night. Here are a few thoughts and observations:

When Mick Jagger dances, he reminds me of that song by the Tom Tom Club: "The Man With the 4-Way Hips."

• Why is surliness so sexy on Mick and so repulsive on Eminem?

   

• Not only can Mick move, but he's got those pouty lips and a voice that makes everything sound so suggestive whether he's singing "I like it/I like it/Yes I do" or "If you can't rock me/Somebody will."

   

• Even names of places are advertisements now. The AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. The United Center in Chicago. And the formerly named National Car Rental Center in Sunrise is now the Office Depot Center. It sounds more like a place where you'd shop for stationery and ink cartridges than a place to hear music. Even Mick Jagger commented on it from the stage when the Rolling Stones played there last Tuesday, dripping with sarcasm: "It's nice to be here in the romantically named 'Office Depot Center.'"

   

• Remember when "Let's Spend the Night Together" seemed like a really racy song, and Ed Sullivan made them change the words to "let's spend some time together" when they performed it on his show? Remember Mick rolling his eyes every time he had to sing that line, as though he was saying to the audience: "Isn't this ridiculous? Both you and I know what I really mean when I'm singing this!"

   

• In both Florida venues last week, the Stones had blues music playing over the loudspeakers before they came out and performed. If my ears didn't deceive me, they had songs by John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Like many British artists (i.e. - The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton) the Stones were heavily influenced by the blues. Ironically, the blues artists back in the '50s and '60s weren't recognized by the American public but were championed by Europeans who greatly appreciated them. It took the British Invasion for us to begin noticing what treasures we had here on our own soil.

  If you listen to the Stones, you can hear not only rock 'n' roll, but heavy blues influence (sometimes with the honky tonk piano) and even country.

   

• I remember spontaneously bursting into song with "Brown Sugar" in Home Ec class in junior high with my best friend, Jean Fortune, when Mrs. Flaster mentioned brown sugar as an ingredient in something we were going to bake.

   

• The Stones are playing a variety of venues on this 2002-03 world tour. In New York the group played the Roseland Ballroom, and in Chicago, the Aragon Ballroom, both relatively smaller spaces. Seeing the Stones perform on those stages must have been heaven — just a bunch of talented guys playing good old rock 'n' roll.

  In the arenas, they have a smaller stage set up in the middle, and towards the end of each show, they walk out there via a runway and perform three numbers. Other than seeing them at the Roseland Ballroom or the Aragon Ballroom, it's probably the closest thing to seeing them perform the way they did when they first started out. The audience is up close and surrounds the stage, and the Stones are packed close together on the postage-stamp sized stage.

  In Sunrise, when Mick started singing the Muddy Waters tune "Mannish Boy" and played the harmonica, I thought, "This must have been what it was like 40 years ago, when they began."

   

• The Stones have been opening their shows with "Street Fighting Man," but last Tuesday opened with "Start Me Up," which seemed a better song to get the crowd cranked up.

  The concerts are ending with "Jumpin' Jack Flash," while millions of red confetti shaped like paper rose petals, fill the air. There were so many that they literally covered the middle of the small stage.

   

• After the show at the Office Depot Center, I, along with dozens of other people, was stuck in taxi hell. Though we were standing at the taxi pick-up area, no taxis arrived. People called on their cell phones, many numerous times, but the cabs never showed.

  I walked out to the main strip to catch one, but traffic was a muddle.

  So I walked over to the big shopping center across the street, to try to catch a cab outside of the movie theater. At least a dozen others had the same idea, and the taxis weren't showing up there either.

  So I went into the Hard Rock Cafe to grab a very late dinner and regroup.

  It wasn't my first choice, but it was open.

  It soon turned out to be exactly the right decision. I heard the Stones singing, and saw that the restaurant was playing a DVD of an old Stones concert on its many TV screens. And almost everyone in the entire restaurant began singing along to "Brown Sugar," "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "It's Only Rock and Roll" and others.

  It was an incredible, magical moment.

  It was the kind of thing you usually see in the movies, but the movies usually get it wrong — when they do it, it seems corny and contrived and off the scale on the cringe factor. But this was just a great, natural thing — over 100 strangers suddenly drawn together, all singing Stones tunes together, drunk on the wonder of rock 'n' roll.

Rockin' like they're 40

Laugh all you want, but the Stones are still the kings of soulful rebellion.

By Robert Hilburn, Times Staff Writer

What's up?

Ron Wood's brush with fame. 

Giant guitars help charity

By The Associated Press, November 13, 2002

CLEVELAND - Giant guitars designed by Yoko Ono, Keith Richards and Drew Carey took center stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame charity auction.

Ten-foot-tall replicas of Fender Stratocaster guitars had spent the summer on display throughout the city. A total of 90 guitars fetched about $800,000 Saturday night at an auction to benefit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the United Way and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS / **** (R)

November 1, 2002

Byron Tiller: Andy Garcia
Luther Fox: Mick Jagger
Dena Tiller: Julianna Margulies
Andrea Allcott: Olivia Williams
Tobias Allcott: James Coburn
Jennifer Adler: Anjelica Huston
Greg: Michael Des Barres
Samuel Goldwyn Films and Fireworks Pictures present a film directed by George Hickenlooper. Written by Phillip Jayson Lasker. Running time: 106 minutes. Rated R (for language and sexual content).

MOVIES BY ROGER EBERT

"Elysian Fields is an escort service. We tend to the wounds of lonely women in need of emotional as well as spiritual solace."

"Only women?"

"Call me oldfashioned."

It's not just the reply, it's the way Mick Jagger delivers it. The way only Mick Jagger could deliver it. There is a brave insouciance to it, and George Hickenlooper's "The Man from Elysian Fields" finds that tone and holds it. This is a rare comedy of manners, witty, wicked and worldly, and one of the best movies of the year. It has seven principal characters, and every one of them is seen sharply as an individual with faults, quirks and feelings.

With the craftsmanship of a sophisticated film from Hollywood's golden age, with the care for dialogue and the attention to supporting characters that have been misplaced by the star system, the movie is about what people want and need, which are not always the same thing. It contains moments of tender romance but is not deceived that love can solve anything.

Byron Tiller (Andy Garcia), the hero, is the author of a good first novel and now has written a bad second one. He is afraid to tell his wife Dena (Julianna Margulies) that his new novel has been rejected and that they desperately need money. In a bar, he meets a man with the obscurely satanic name Luther Fox (Jagger). Fox runs Elysian Fields, an escort service for wealthy women. Byron agrees to take an assignment, and he finds himself with the lovely Andrea Allcott (Olivia Williams). Why would she need to pay for companionship? It is a form of loyalty to her husband, who is old and diabetic, and who she loves. It would be cheating to go out with an available man.

Her husband is Tobias Allcott (James Coburn), who has won Pulitzer Prizes for his novels. He knows about his wife's arrangement, treats Byron in a dry, civilized manner, and enlists the younger writer's help with his current novel. Soon Byron is providing solace, of different kinds to be sure, to both of the Allcotts. He's a little dazzled by their qualities. And then there are two other characters, who add depth to the peculiar emotional complexity of the escort business: Jennifer Adler (Anjelica Huston), who pays for Luther Fox's services but doesn't want them for free; and Greg (rock star Michael Des Barres), a successful escort who gives Byron helpful tips on the clients.

The literate, sophisticated screenplay by Phillip Jayson Lasker understands that what happens to one character affects how another one feels; there's an emotional domino effect. By working for Elysian Fields, Byron supports his family, but it loses his attention. By risking everything in telling Jennifer that he loves her, Luther discovers his own self-deception. By accepting Byron's help with his novel, Tobias loses stature in his own eyes. Andrea fiercely tells Byron of the old man: "The only thing he has left is his reputation, and when he dies I want him holding onto it." Yes, but she saves it in public by destroying it in private. She isn't very sensitive that way.

This is a grown-up movie, in its humor and in its wisdom about life. You need to have lived a little to understand the complexities of Tobias Allcott, who is played by James Coburn with a pitch-perfect balance between sadness and sardonic wit. Listen to his timing and his word choices in the scene where he opens his wife's bedroom door and finds Byron, not without his permission, in his wife's bed. You can believe he is a great novelist. The scene is an example of the dialogue's grace and irony. Another example: "This business you're in," Byron asks Luther. "Does it ever make you ashamed?" Luther replies: "No. Poverty does that."

Julianna Margulies, as Byron's wife, has what could have been the standard role of the wronged woman, but the screenplay doesn't dismiss her with pathos and sympathy. Dena stands up and fights, holds her ground, is correctly unforgiving. Olivia Williams, as Andrea, has a hint of selfishness: Her concern for Tobias' reputation is connected to the way it reflects on her. There is a scene between Luther and Byron on the beach, where the older man shares a lesson he has just learned; it makes exactly the point it needs to make and stops. The movie is confident enough it doesn't need to underline everything. It makes its point about the Michael Des Barres character even more economically; for him, the song "Just a Gigolo" is sad or jolly, depending on his mood.

Andy Garcia's performance took some courage, because his Byron is not a very strong man. Not strong enough to tell his wife the novel didn't sell. Not strong enough to resist the temptations of Elysian Fields, or the flattery of Tobias' attention. By the time the ending comes around, we observe that it is happy, but we also observe that the movie has earned it: Most movies are too eager to wrap things up by providing forgiveness before it has been deserved. Not this one.

By Christian Ruettger

BERLIN (Reuters) - The Rolling Stones would have no chance on the music market if they were to start as newcomers today, the band's former bassist Bill Wyman said on Wednesday.

Wyman, who left the Rolling Stones after the band's 30th anniversary 10 years ago, said record companies would no longer sign people whose style was different to that of the charts.

"That's why many talented young people don't have a chance. The Rolling Stones would be too different today. They were different then but in those days the record companies and the media were open to new ideas," Wyman told Reuters in Berlin.

"Now it's completely closed to only two or three kinds of music. And if you don't play those you don't get signed by a record company and you are not played on the radio. So, the Rolling Stones would never make it now," he added.

Wyman, 66, who was in Berlin to present his new book "Rolling with the Stones," said he did not regret leaving the band and was still in good contact with the other band members.

"We are very good friends," he said, adding that drummer Charlie Watts  often phoned him from the band's tour.

"Charlie says: 'I was playing on the show tonight and I turned around to speak to you again and you weren't there. Come back."

He said he expected to see the band members when they come to England and they have been talking about a show together.

"A last time or something," he said.

While the remaining Stones -- Mick Jagger, Keith Richards,  Watts and Ron Wood -- have spent the past year preparing for their "Forty Licks" world tour, Wyman has been compiling what he hopes will be the definitive book on the band.

"Rolling With The Stones" is based on the diaries Wyman has kept all his life and features personal insights and insider information on the band.

"Nobody collected in the other bands. Nobody. And everybody thought I was crazy, stupid. They don't think now I'm stupid. It's very valuable. Now everybody starts to make a collection," Wyman said at the book's presentation in Berlin.

In his new book, Wyman writes about the band's music and behind-the-scenes history, including the death of founder Brian Jones in 1969, the drugs, the groupies and the fights.

Fashion and Licks 2002

Kimberly Stewart, daughter of rock star Rod Stewart models at he 'Fashion and Licks 2002' fashion show unveiling the latest line of Rolling Stones Rockware clothes, November 3, 2002 in Beverly Hills. The specially designed fashions were created by Buddhist Punk, Chrome Hearts and Agent Provocateur

Mick Jagger  arrives for the 'Fashion and Licks 2002' fashion show 

                
         Guitarist Ronnie Wood and wife Josephine

More photos from the fashion show:

 
Alexandra Richards, Lea Woods, Theodora Richards

 
Jewel                             Kimberly Stewart

 
Natasha Henstridge                           Val Kilmer      

A model poses at the 'Fashion and Licks 2002' fashion show unveiling the latest line of Rolling Stones Rockware clothes

Michigan judge goes on leave after admitting smoking joint at Rolling Stones concert

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan - A judge went on indefinite voluntary leave after admitting smoking marijuana at a Rolling Stones concert.

A woman told court officials she saw District Judge Thomas Gilbert smoke a joint passed along a row of people at an Oct. 12 concert in Detroit, 250 miles (400 kilometers) from Traverse City, where Gilbert works.

The woman was from Elk Rapids, a town near Traverse City that lies within Gilbert's district.

Gilbert, 45, admitted to the allegations during a meeting this week with Chief District Judge Michael Haley and District Judge Thomas J. Phillips. He left the bench on Wednesday.

"He's full of shame and regret and it's just a very sad day for the district court," Haley said.

"I broke the law by twice puffing on a marijuana cigarette during a rock concert," Gilbert said in a statement. "I deeply regret this error in judgment."

Gilbert will be on voluntary leave until at least Nov. 15. Once he returns, he will be limited to civil cases indefinitely, Haley said.

After an investigation by a state judicial commission, Gilbert could be censured, suspended or removed from the bench.

Mick Jagger denies 'pestering' Swedish model

Mick Jagger yesterday denied claims by a 17-year-old Swedish model that he's been bugging her with telephone calls and urging her to join the Rolling Stones' current tour of North America.

Caroline Winberg alleged on Swedish television this week that Jagger, 59, kept ringing her on her mobile phone after seeing her for the first time at a Paris fashion show last year.

"He's as old as my grandfather - and that's too old for me," the willowy blonde, who has a 20-year-old boyfriend, was quoted as saying today by the The Sun tabloid.

Rather than ignore Winberg's claim, Jagger unusually fired off a press statement which called Winberg's version of events "completely untrue and a misrepresentation of the facts".

"We have spoken on the telephone several times," he said.

"She said she was coming to the United States in the autumn and asked if I could get her and her friends some tickets for a concert, which I said I would try to help with," he said.

"To suggest that I have pestered her in any way is absolutely ridiculous."

Sir Mick, he was knighted last June, has been involved with five models in his life, including his second wife Jerry Hall and Luciana Giminez Morad, a Brazilian with whom he fathered a son in 1999 while still married to Hall.

We Love You

a tribute to Rolling Stones 

The Swedish record company Deaf & Dumb Records have released a double CD with a tribute to Rolling Stones. Release date Nov. 15. 2002.

Former Stones fan club secretary Per-Olov Tingvall reviewed the album in the local Swedish newspaper Expressen, as a very positive and great album.

Here is Charlottes review of the Double CD album:

The album starts with AlmgrenGordonAndersson "We Love You", a perfect cover number. Second is Stefan Sundström & The Nümphettes with "Down In The Hole", a rough and hot blues number. "Get Off Of My Cloud" with Caesar's Palace was recorded in a late night last October in Stockholm. A great track. Krister Åström is doing the lovely "She Smiled Sweetly" so sensitive and great. Heikki "Worried About You" Maria Eriksson in Heikki is giving this number a nice personal touch. Johan Lindström will "Play With Fire", and is doing a nice tribute of this old number. Sparta Stockholm chose the great "She's A Rainbow". Love Olzon "You Got The Silver", a nice version. Darrel Bath & Brother D's Testament "Flight 505" has always been one of my Stones favorites and Darrel Bath is doing a very great rock'n'roller version here. Bubble "Wild Horses" - Share Ross is absolutely doing a great version of the good old song. The $ 1000 Playboys "Ruby Tuesday" the ballad is a nice try from this band from Sundsvall in the northern Sweden. Winnerbäck, Dregen & Nord are giving the "Dead Flowers" a great touch. The most popular of the artists on the album is Mats Ronander and he plays the "Till The Next Goodbye" beautiful. The Concretes "Miss You" is swinning away. Swedehearts Together are doing a great version of the old "Congratulations". Nicolai Dunger "Coming Down Again" a very beautiful version indeed. Diamond Dogs plays the great "Connection" track. Hederos & Hellberg "Shine A Light" is the end of the cd.

Bonus CD:

We Love You CD do have a bonus CD as well with these following 8 tracks:

Revolution Riot do a great version of "Brown Sugar". Second is Sons Of Cyrus with "Street Fighting Man" will also here be one of my favorites. Leslie Wray and the Hardsouls "Happy" version is a great version of a great song. Part Time Posers "Start Me Up" with the typical rhythm inspired from Jamaica. Hymans gives us "2000 Man". 69  Duster "Bitch". American Heartbreak "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) and the final track on the bonus CD is from Double Park with the old wonderful "Angie".

The album is absolutely a great thing in the collection, and for us Europeans a good warm up for the common tour next year in Europe. The album with the bonus CD is only the first edition.

The record will be distributed by: 
MNW:Sweden
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Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Them Away From Stones Shows 

Tokyo Couple Gets Satisfaction From Following the Band; $60,000 in Tickets Alone ---- By Jim Carlton
 

The Wall Street Journal via Dow Jones
 
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Moments before the Rolling Stones stepped on stage
here, a band technician hurried down to the front row and slipped Tatsuo and Yukiko Ono a top-secret document: the group's set list that night.
 
 Mr. Ono refused to read it, carefully tucking it away as he explained to a
visitor: "I don't want to spoil the anticipation."
 
 Having attended about 300 Stones concerts, the Onos get to decide whether to be surprised by the band's choice of songs. They have pretty much heard them all, having followed the rockers for 13 years, five tours and across several continents. The Japanese couple is so attuned to Stones performances that when Ms. Ono heard a telltale guitar chord backstage, signaling the start of the show at the Oakland Arena a few nights ago, the Onos leapt to their feet. Most of the other 20,000 fans stayed in their seats, unaware of the cue.
 
"Now I am ready," Mr. Ono said, beaming as the lights dimmed and the
audience screamed.
 
It isn't unusual to see diehard fans at rock concerts. The Grateful Dead
had legions of Deadheads who followed them. The Stones, led by singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, have drawn the fanatically faithful in their four decades of performing.
 
But few fans match the tenacity of the Onos, who back home in Tokyo run a small business selling women's clothing and live in a rented two-bedroom duplex.
According to Stones' ticket handlers, the couple has attended more Stones concerts over a longer time than anyone they know. That devotion was put to the test recently: The Onos had to decide whether to follow the band on its current "Forty Licks" tour, which started Sept. 6, in Boston, after Mr. Ono's mother fell seriously ill with a brain condition.
 
They opted to join the tour, leaving it only for four concert dates to attend his mother's funeral. "My mom had told me not to worry about her, and to do what I want," said the 54-year-old Mr. Ono, an only child. "So I did."
 
The Onos are among about 30 Stones worshipers who band officials say follow the British group from country to country. They mostly know one another, and often are seated by band officials together up front. "There are those that try to dress like Mick or Keith," said Shelley Lazar, who coordinated VIP tickets for the Stones. "There is also quite a high number with tattoos" of the group's tongue symbol.
 
The Stones know most of these fans on sight, often looking to make sure they are in the audience. "They sort of become part of the family in a way," said Chuck Leavell, the band's keyboardist. "But if I wasn't in the band, I certainly wouldn't be traveling all over the world to see every show. It just seems crazy."
 
Friends of the Onos certainly think so. For one thing, they question the costs involved. "Some people say, `Aren't you thinking about your retirement?' " said the ponytailed Mr. Ono in his denim jacket and close-cropped beard. "But I say to them, `We don't know what will happen tomorrow.' "
 
To fellow Stones addicts, the Onos' obsession is entirely understandable. "Going to a Rolling Stones concert makes us feel alive," said Tamara Guo, a 35-year-old child-development specialist from Pittsburgh, who runs a Stones fan club and has attended several dozen concerts. "If I could, I would take a leave of absence from my job and follow the entire tour around the globe just as the Onos do."
 
The Onos decline to tabulate how much they've spent on their obsession. "We don't want to know," said the pigtailed 49-year-old Ms. Ono, in green Army jacket and black boots. But at an average of $100 per person per show, the tickets alone easily have cost $60,000 over the years. Then there are the hotels, meals and airfare.
 
Having each become hooked on the Rolling Stones during the band's 1960s prime, the Onos said their lives changed irrevocably after they attended their first Stones concert at the Tokyo Dome in 1989. "I lost myself in the show," recalls Ms. Ono, who has adopted her boyfriend's surname after 25 years of being together. Adds Mr. Ono: "We knew after that we needed more."
 
And they made sure to get it. Childless, petless and with nothing else holding them down but a business selling apparel door-to-door, the Onos dropped everything to follow the final leg of the Stones "Steel Wheels" tour as it went on to Europe. There, they caught performances in London, Germany, the Netherlands and elsewhere while two subordinates tended to the business.
 
For the Stones' 1994 "Voodoo Lounge" tour, they showed up for the first performance in Washington, paying $1,500 each to a broker for their first front-row seats. The Stones have since put the Onos on a VIP list of fans who get to pay face value for front-row seats in the U.S. Elsewhere, access to the front is often determined by who gets there first, and the Onos sometimes have to spend 15 hours waiting in line to see their heroes up close.
 
The Onos have missed hardly any concerts since they started following the Stones. They still lament having to miss some of the band's performances in Brazil during its "Bridges to Babylon" tour in 1998; someone stole their passports at a Stones show in Buenos Aires. "We were so disappointed," Mr. Ono said.
 
But their spirits lifted during the 1999 "No Security" tour when they finally met the Stones in person after a show official invited them backstage. They bagged autographs from Messrs. Jagger, Richards, drummer Charlie Watts and guitarist Ron Wood.
 
 But they hardly emulate the Stones lifestyle. During their three Bay Area appearances earlier this month, for example, the Stones stayed in $500-a-night suites at San Francisco's Four Seasons hotel. The Onos took a $69-a-night room in a seedy district frequented by drug addicts and prostitutes. To pass the time between shows, they said they mostly do mundane tasks such as washing clothes and making travel plans. They also keep a diary and other records of their concerts, including copies of local newspaper reviews, and a collection of guitar picks they catch when the performers throw them from the stage.
 
"This is just from this tour," Ms. Ono said, pulling out a bag of a dozen picks from her purse, several affixed with sticky notes on which she has written "Mick," "Keith" or "Ronnie" to denote who hurled them. "At home, we have many, many more."
 
The Onos said they don't drink, use drugs or engage in the rowdy behavior often associated with Stones concerts. They eschew the kind of one-upsmanship they said other diehards engage in. For example, Sjaak Jorritsma, a longtime tour follower from Amsterdam, sniffed when told of the Onos accomplishments, patting the backstage pass he said he gets at Stones shows. "They don't get to go where I go," he said.
 
In fact, a Stones official said the Onos haven't been invited backstage recently because they took too many pictures there once. But the couple doesn't seem to mind. They get passes to VIP rooms before each show, where they get free chips and drinks.
 
And when the music starts, they become completely transformed, singing, dancing and pumping their fists in the air -- seemingly oblivious to the thick clouds of marijuana smoke, fistfights and general delirium erupting from the crowd. "It's the energy," Mr. Ono said, "that attracts us."

Satisfaction never ends

DREW WHITE / STAFF

Even Chuck Leavell feels the unique aura that sucks the air from an arena, making it hard for fans to even breathe in anticipation. Waiting for Santa. Jumpin' Jack Claus . . .

''There is a certain magical feeling right before the band hits,'' says Chuck. ''You can sense it in the audience. It gets everybody a little tingly. . . .Then there's the explosion of the band playing the first song. It's fun from beginning to end.''

Chuck, a tree-hugger from rural Georgia, has experienced it hundreds of times during his 20 years as piano player for The Rolling Stones.

When reminded his publicist refers to him as ''the fifth Stone,'' Chuck shrugs it off.

''That's a flattering remark. I try not to think much about it. I'm going out there to do my best for those guys.''

Those guys are Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood: the core quartet of The Rolling Stones, who hit the Gaylord Entertainment Center Monday evening.

Of course, they have their huge entourage of musicians, including Darryl Jones (the bassist, who replaced Bill Wyman when he retired) and Chuck.

''After 20 years, you can't help but feel a part of the thing,'' Chuck says. ''I mean, these people are my friends. The Rolling Stones is a unique group. It's not like with a lot of bands that go out for a couple of weeks and then take time off.

''When you sign on with the Stones, you sign on for at least a year. You spend almost the entire year with all of these people.

''Not just the musicians, but the production people. . . . You travel together. You stay at the same hotels.

''Then at night, you see each other at the office, so to speak. And then you see each other after the office is closed for the night.''

Chuck, who spends his non-touring days either on his 2,200-acre tree farm in Georgia or working with the likes of Lee Ann Womack and Montgomery Gentry on their most recent recordings, is no rookie at the fame game.

He's been a member of the Allman Brothers and Sea Level. He's played with Clapton, Chuck Berry and George Harrison.

Still, even this rock veteran can't escape that pre-show tingle, perhaps the most exciting 10 minutes in show biz . . . punctuated by Keith's riffs on Satisfaction or Charlie's tom-tomming intro to Not Fade Away.

During those moments — as he looks around and sees himself surrounded by Mick, Keith, Ronnie, Charlie — Chuck's soul smiles.

''It's hard to believe it,'' he says, as he relaxes in his hotel room in San Antonio, Texas, where the band plays tonight, the last show before Nashville.

''My wife, Rose Lane, and I went down to the River Walk last night. We ate a nice meal and wandered around. Today, well, maybe I'll get a massage or something. Some of the guys went down to Mexico, the others went home for a few days. We just decided we'd stay here.''

A few years ago, he would have rushed home to be with his daughters, Amy, 27, and Ashley, a senior at Boston University, at the family farm south of Macon.

Now that his wife can spend time on the road, Chuck and Rose Lane try to enjoy life out there. Still their hearts belong at Charlane Plantation.

In fact, they have a new recording-and-words package celebrating their lives on the plantation called Forever Green/Forever Blue. That package, which includes a couple of books, some tree seeds and a solo recording by Chuck, is available at chuckleavell.com or charlane.com.

''It's so great down there. I miss it. I just called one of the guys who works for me yesterday. I know it's so beautiful down there now.

''It's all about being good stewards of the land,'' he says, noting that he and his wife first took over her ancestral farm two decades back and over the years have purchased another 1,000 acres. He has been much honored for his tree-farming and land-management techniques.

The semi-melancholy flavoring his voice will disappear when he gets back to the farm in December when the Stones take their holiday break.

Until then, he's living a dream as a member of The Rolling Stones.

''I think the stage, the presentation of the band is a little more stark this time. The focus is more on the band and the music. That's a positive thing.

''There are less distractions and the interaction of the band is so strong. There is a camaraderie on stage, we feel each other's vibe.

''It's amazing how much fun the band is having. And Ronnie Wood's sobriety has made a huge difference in the way the band sounds.''

He chuckles. ''From my perspective: I'm sitting here watching Mick perform. There's no one I've ever worked with who can hold an audience's attention like Mick Jagger. And the passion that goes into every chord Keith plays . . . And looking over there and seeing Charlie smile and hearing that wonderful backbeat that no one else could play . .

''It's a trip man, really. To think I was a kid playing the YMCA in Tuscaloosa and these guys were out here doing this.''

He recalls that 100 years ago, when Honky-Tonk Women came out, he was sharing a place on Nashville's Richland Avenue with a couple of other musicians.

''One of the fellows came running into the house yelling 'I've got it. I've got the new Rolling Stones single.'

''It was Honky-Tonk Women. We must have played it 29 times in a row.

''As it turns out that's the one song I get to play a nice solo on every night now,'' said Leavell.

''I love it. I never get tired of playing it.''

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC, Associated Press Writer

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia - It's still months away, but the event is top news: after years of waiting, the Rolling Stones are to give their first concert in Belgrade, organizers said Tuesday.

Newspapers front-paged the announcement after the popular British group confirmed it would perform in the Serbian capital next summer.

"Mick Jagger Among Serbs!" said one bannerline. Another newspaper titled its story: "The Stones: See Serbia, and Retire!" apparently referring to the rock-and-roll legends' age.

"The Stones on Credit," proposed another daily, alluding the 50 euro(US$50) per ticket price for the concert, extremely expensive for ordinary Serbs, whose average monthly salaries amount to no more than US$150.

Organizers of the concert — the Belgrade-based "Komuna" promoters — said those who cannot afford to pay for the tickets outright will be given a credit and can repay in three-month installments.

The organizers who are close to Serbia's pro-democracy government which ousted former dictator Slobodan Milosevic  in 2000, said the concert will be staged at Belgrade's sprawling horse racing grounds.

"Bringing the Rolling Stones to Belgrade is a real sign that we are a part of Europe," said journalist Ivan Ivackovic, one of many devoted Stones fans and the author of a book on Jagger and the band.

He said that Serbia, the dominant Yugoslav republic, is one of the last European countries where the Stones have not given a concert in their 40-year career.

"The Serbs are finally to see Jagger, Keith (Richards), Charlie (Watts) and Ron (Wood) face to face," said the Politika daily in its front-page article.

"The rock and roll legends ... the biggest rock band in the world of all times .. will stage a concert that exceeds ordinary rock shows," the main government daily said.

The Belgrade concert will be a part of a 22-city Stones tour that started in Boston in September.

No exact date has been set for the Belgrade concert, but it is expected to be in late July or early August, the organizers said.

"See Jagger and the gang and die," said Darko Djogovic, a 40-year-old Stones fan in Belgrade. "It's a dream come true. The show of the lifetime. I bet it will be the best atmosphere the Stones will have seen in their career!"

1969 Rolling Stones Concert Remembered

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Today marks the anniversary of the 1969 Rolling Stones concert at the Altamont Speedway outside San Francisco that left four people dead, including one man who was stabbed by a Hell's Angel.

Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman said it was the Grateful Dead who suggested they use Hell's Angels to help with security at Altamont.

He said the year that preceded the event was one of the best for the Stones. They had performed a free show in London's Hyde Park that was a highlight of their career, and their tour that year was their best ever.

Altamont was supposed to be the American version of the Hyde Park show. Wyman said even as things were getting ugly, the Rolling Stones kept playing, hoping things would get better, but they never did.

He calls the event "the most disastrous thing we ever did."

Wyman's book about the band, "Rolling With The Stones," is in stores now.

SYDNEY, Australia - Some lucky Rolling Stones fans got the ultimate satisfaction Wednesday — tickets to a one-off concert by the veteran British rockers in a 2,000-seat Sydney theater.

The coveted 60 Australian dollar (US$33) tickets for the Feb. 18 concert at the Enmore Theater were snapped up within minutes of going on sale via a special telephone line.

The Stones also sold out the 17,000-seat Sydney Superdome and the 15,000-seat Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, within 30 minutes, said David Morrison, spokesman for the Australian leg of the Stones' "Licks" world tour.

Second arena shows have been announced in both cites, he said, with tickets costing up to A$150 (US$84).

The Rolling Stones are scheduled to perform at Sydney Superdome on Feb. 20 and 22 and Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena on Feb. 25 and 27. They will also perform at Brisbane Entertainment Center on March 4.

Hey, you get off of my Claret!

Concert draw: Wood more than just a musical artist

By Spencer Patterson, Las Vegas Sun
Throughout their 2002 40th anniversary tour, the Rolling Stones have performed massive stadium concerts, medium-sized arena shows and small club dates.

And, in selected cities along the way, guitarist Ron Wood has taken it one step farther, hosting small one-man shows in the most intimate of venues.

Wood hasn't been staging solo musical ventures, however. Instead, the 55-year-old has taken time out from his band's busy schedule to show off his other career: one of the rock world's foremost visual artists.

Since the early 1980s, Wood has been moonlighting -- drawing, painting and printmaking by day and wielding his guitar by night.

Wood and the Stones are in Las Vegas for two shows on their 40th anniversary tour, tonight at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Wednesday night, Wood arrived at Entertainment Galleries at The Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes to thunderous applause, host of his latest one-man art exhibit.

"I go through different times of inspiration," Wood said in a telephone interview from a Las Vegas hotel room earlier in the day. "Sometimes I shelve the artwork and just concentrate on the music, and then other times, the art gets such a powerful influence on me that I have to start painting again."

Wood was a serious artist even before his career in music began. He attended London's Ealing College of Art and even worked briefly as a commercial artist prior to joining the Jeff Beck Group in 1967.

Music took precedence from there, however, and continued to take up most of his time after he and Rod Stewart left Beck to form the Faces in 1969. Wood became a full-time member of the Rolling Stones in 1976.

"I never really lost touch with my drawing and painting," Wood said, while explaining that he began to practice his craft more frequently in the 1980s. "It was a talent I was born with, so I thought I may as well exploit it. "(Music and art) both go pretty much hand in hand, even though they're two different forms of expression."

Similar to his musical endeavors with the Stones, Wood's appearance at Entertainment Galleries was received with a certain level of fanaticism, with a line of paparazzi and a throng of curious onlookers milling outside.

Even in the apparent safe haven of the invitation-only affair, he found himself surrounded by autograph seekers, all hoping for some brief face time with their hero before he escaped to a private room near the back with relatives and close friends.

Music in art

Though he depicts a variety of subjects, Wood's most well-known works of art are his celebrity portraits, most notably those of famous musicians, including Stones mates Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts; Bob Dylan, former Who drummer Keith Moon and self portraits.

Wood has also portrayed his wife, Josephine, boxer Muhammad Ali and filmmaker Alfred Hitchock.

One of Wood's signature pieces, an 83-inch by 60-inch original painting from the mid-1980s titled "Stones in Sepia," carries a $210,000 tag.

But not all pieces are big-ticket items. Wood offers art for collectors at a wide range of prices, with limited-edition prints from $200-$7,000. Originals start at around $25,000.

Wood said his own fame and experience as a musician affords him a unique perspective when depicting others in his field.

"There is a certain something that they convey to me that maybe they wouldn't convey to anyone (else)," Wood said.

That much was evident Wednesday night, with the gallery's walls adorned with stark black-and-white renderings of Jagger, Richards and Watts during some of the band's private offstage moments, along with more abstract images, such as "Sympathy for the Devil," a vivid likeness of Jagger performing onstage.

"Keith's always on hand, and he's always very interesting to do. Mick has got a difficult face to draw, and I like a challenge. And Charlie is cool, as well, to paint," Wood said.

Wood employs a variety of methods to capture his subjects, drawing and painting them up close when possible and -- particularly in the case of deceased musicians such as Moon, Jim Morrison and Buddy Holly -- working from photographs and personal memories.

And then there are Wood's legendary late-night sessions, during which he springs out of bed to capture his most recent thoughts on paper.

"I carry these water-soluble crayons with me everywhere, on the road. You can use them as light pencils or as watercolors," Wood said. "I've had some good inspirations. The same happens with lyrics, and music, too."

Wildlife awareness

In addition to his twin passions for music and art, Wood is also committed to the protection of endangered species. He regularly donates funds to ensure Kenya's white rhinoceros population does not become extinct.

"I keep them under constant protection, under guard. Those poachers don't care if they kill the last one," he said.

Not surprisingly, Wood has also devoted his artistic energy toward the cause.

"I've got a stack of endangered species (pieces) that I've been building up over the years. In fact, I was going to make a series of postage stamps out of them at one point. I still may do that," Wood said.

"I've been trying to track down where a lot of them are. I think they're all back in London. So I'm going to get onto that when we get back."

Also in Wood's plans when the Stones' finish touring next year: continued work on his largest piece to date.

"I've got this massive great mural that I'm working on. It's 18 feet by 5 of all the people that frequent this restaurant called the Ivy in London," Wood said. "People from the stage and screen and fashion and politics, 60 different subjects, all that I've sketched and done previous drawings of. Now I'm putting them into the big picture. "

And when that's completed, Wood's next project may take on a very familiar look to Las Vegas residents.

"I'm open to all kinds of different subject matter. Each day I see something else," Wood said. "The view from my hotel window in Vegas here, that's going to be a good one. Pretty outrageous."

MONTREAL - Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood will stage an exhibit of his artwork next month in Montreal.

The exhibit features self-portraits, as well as illustrations of fellow Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts by the classically trained artist, who specializes in silk-screen portraits.

The lithographs, silk screens, sketches and canvases will be sold, with proceeds going to charity. Prices range from $1,500 to $9,000.

Wood's work will be on display from Jan. 7 to 19 at the Musée Juste Pour Rire. The band will perform in Montreal on Jan. 8.

Wood has been known to exhibit his work in select cities during tours. He showed a collection while in Toronto in October.