“It was pretty dismal”: Bill Wyman reflects on what it was really like touring with The Rolling Stones in the 1960s
Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has revealed what it was like to tour with the legendary rock band during their heyday in the ’60s.
In a new interview with Classic Rock, Wyman – a member of The Rolling Stones from 1962 to 1993 – opens up about the difficulties of touring around the world.
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“It was pretty dismal, because you never really saw anywhere. You flew into a town, you’d be straight into limousines at the airport and then straight into the underground car park of the hotel,” he says.
“You then had to wait while they cleared all the girls out of the corridors – and the rooms sometimes – before you could go up to your room, and then you were stuck in your room until you went to do the show. You did your show, went straight back to your hotel room, where you stayed until you got up in the morning and left for the airport to go to the next town.”
However, it doesn’t all sound like a bad time – Wyman also reflects on the crowds of fans who followed the band as they toured from city to city. “There were always girls everywhere, in the elevators, on all the floors, trying to find which rooms you were in,” he recalls. “Sometimes they climbed the bloody drainpipes and fire escapes to get to your rooms. But it was all kind of fun, particularly for Brian [Jones, Rolling Stones founding member]. He thought it was hilarious. You can see him laughing in all the pictures.”
Wyman also comments on the role of former bandmate, Brian. “[Stones manager ’63-’67] Andrew Oldham decided to get Mick [Jagger] and Keith [Richards] to start writing songs because he realised that Mick, being the frontman, would probably be the most famous later,” he says.
The former Rolling Stones bassist adds that Jones, initially, was more popular with the fans. “Brian originally got much more fan mail than the rest of us. All the girls went for Brian. But he was pushed aside. Then Andrew stopped me, Brian and Charlie doing interviews, which also elevated Mick and Keith’s profile,” he says.
“Obviously it was ultimately beneficial for Mick and Keith to take on the music, but Brian, who I shared a room with at the time, was always a bit sad, upset that we weren’t doing the kind of music he really liked because we started out doing real blues and he was a blues purist.”
As the roles of The Rolling Stones began to shift, Wyman suspects Jones didn’t always feel like a part of the thriving band. “He’d kind of lost the band and he didn’t feel like he was part of it sometimes. Which was very sad. Mick and Keith shared a room, Andrew Oldham and Charlie, and me and Brian,” he says.
Adding, “That’s the way we always did it. So it was me and Brian that went out to clubs, played with local musicians, picked up girls and had more fun than the others, who used to just stay in the hotel, basically. Mick and Keith used to be writing, they’d come out occasionally, but me and Brian were always out and about.”
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