Publisher: A Cappella Books, 2000
Supposedly,Nankering with the Rolling Stones is a "slightly emended" republication of "Phelge's Stones" which was published in 1998. Since I haven't read the original book, I can't comment on what was changed or why. But I do wonder.
I'd like to say that I liked this book. I'd like to say that I enjoyed reading it. But I can't. I found it tedious. Mind you, not as tedious as Bill Wyman's autobiography. I guess my biggest problem was I didn't like the author's style. Mr. Phelge was trying so hard to be funny in his "reading instructions" but he didn't strike me as anything but pretentious. I have to wonder about why he decided to take a swipe at John Grisham and Robert Ludlam. Phelge makes the mistake of comparing apples and oranges. I ended up wondering what I was reading. By comparing his book to those of two fiction authors, he implies that his book is fiction.
Maybe my expectations where too high. There are some interesting tidbits in here that gives you a peek into the early days of the Stones. For some reason I wanted more. I wanted pictures. I'm also the kind of person who likes to have dates when something I read is supposed to be a history. I have a problem with drunken conversations remembered verbatim but no dates to pin them down. I also wonder about small discrepancies in who lived in the flat downstairs. Phelge can't seem to remember the names of some of the people. At one point he also seems confused about the sex of the tenants below. A strange inconstancy for someone who "remembers" who was where on any given night.
I did like the fact that Phelge didn't try to make Brian Jones into as saint the way Wyman did. Unfortunately that one thing was not enough to make up for all the things I didn't like. For example, I didn't like the way women were treated. I didn't like the condescending attitude towards anyone who sees things differently than Mr. Phelge.
I hope that the surviving members of the Stones have grown up since their days in Chelsea. I guess I am a little disappointed in the fact that, if Phelge is telling the truth, I would not have liked Mick, Keith or Brian back then. They wouldn't have liked me either.
Go To Page: 1 2
