What do you think?
Rate this book
Stoned : A Memoir of London in the 1960s
In 1963, Andrew Loog Oldham was a precocious hustler of genius on the London scene, with a keen eye for the next look and a willingness to gamble on it. He was all of nineteen when Brian Epstein took him on to be the Beatles’ London press agent, and already regarded as someone who could make things happen. But it was when he went to hear a relatively unknown blues combo perform that Oldham found his true calling. “I met the Rollin’ Stones,” he recalls simply, “and said hello to the rest of my life.” He took on more than a band; he took on an irresistible force that, with his vision, would become the Greatest Rock ’n’ Roll Band of All Time.
In addition to indelible portraits of Mick Jagger and crew, Stoned regales the reader with candid memories of John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Marianne Faithfull—whom Oldham also created. Joined by contemporaries such as Pete Townshend, Vidal Sassoon, Diana Vreeland, Nik Cohn, and others who counted, Oldham gives us a privileged, brilliantly clear-eyed, and unmistakably authentic view back to where, for generations of music fans, things first started rolling.
In addition to indelible portraits of Mick Jagger and crew, Stoned regales the reader with candid memories of John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Marianne Faithfull—whom Oldham also created. Joined by contemporaries such as Pete Townshend, Vidal Sassoon, Diana Vreeland, Nik Cohn, and others who counted, Oldham gives us a privileged, brilliantly clear-eyed, and unmistakably authentic view back to where, for generations of music fans, things first started rolling.
384 pages, Paperback
First published May 25, 2000
20 people are currently reading
501 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 4, 2011
Fascinating glimpse into the life of the manager of the Rolling Stones. The guy is an interesting, ego-mad hustler, but smart as hell (he's also my favorite DJ on Sirius Satellite Radio). A lot of what he did with the Stones was taken to the nth degree later by people like Peter Grant and (especially) Malcolm McClaren with the Sex Pistols. Still this is a breezy, gossipy read with some of the most fascinating rock and roll characters ever, including the Beatles (he was their London publicist for a short while), members of Led Zeppelin (he used Jones and Page in session work), Phil Spector, on and on. The Stones don't even come in until page 180 or so and the book ends in the Spring of 1963 when, career-wise, things are just starting to get interesting.
The structure is unique - he's taken quotes from other people (both interviews and existing works) to provide context of what he was doing. One of them made a comment I hadn't considered before about the Beatles and the Stones - basically saying that the Beatles were lower-to-middle class kids pretending to be upper class while the Stones were upper class kids pretending to be lower class.
The structure is unique - he's taken quotes from other people (both interviews and existing works) to provide context of what he was doing. One of them made a comment I hadn't considered before about the Beatles and the Stones - basically saying that the Beatles were lower-to-middle class kids pretending to be upper class while the Stones were upper class kids pretending to be lower class.
September 13, 2007
I love Andrew Loog Oldham. "Stoned" is an uber-fascinating memoir of a talented man in a very gray London circ. 1950's, who helped move that city and pop culture into a world of technocolor.
For those who don't know, Oldham was the manager and record producer for the Rolling Stones circ. the 1960's. I can't think of another book that brings London culture in such sharp focus.
For those who don't know, Oldham was the manager and record producer for the Rolling Stones circ. the 1960's. I can't think of another book that brings London culture in such sharp focus.
February 5, 2017
(2) I think the best word to describe this book is choppy. I have had this title on my to read list for about 3 or 4 years and I am glad I finally got to it even though I am pretty disappointed in the end. There is about zero flow here, just bits of journal entries. A little bit of of family, music and business associates make the text along with about 50% or so from Oldham himself. Lots of very fun photos help ease the pain. The third or more of the book leading up to his encounter and start of the relationship with the Rolling Stones drags pretty hard, and the second half is much more entertaining. This one is for fairly hard core music nuts like me.
October 14, 2016
I quite like reading books about the music industry. This book deals with the author's life up until 1964. Interestingly about a quarter of the text consists of quotes from other people - some lifted from other books and some from interviews presumably solicited for this book. A fascinating read and I have the follow up book to read next.
August 29, 2012
Fast talkin', jive-flippin, hipster of a book. Great context and interesting characters, nice peek-a-boo to swingin' London. Great testimonials of contemporaries.
March 13, 2025
Lots of British music history. Lots of 50s-60s pop culture references went over my head. But it was inspirational. Definitely would’ve been better as a documentary.
June 11, 2021
A lot of us will never forgive Oldham for his greed when it comes down to The Verve's Bitter Sweet Symphony - have a share by all means, you deserve that, but don't take it all, Andrew - but nonetheless as the manager who helped take The Rolling Stones to the very top, he has a story worth telling. And with the help of a large cast of friends and former colleagues, etc, that story is well told here. OK, Oldham maybe tries a little too hard and comes on a little bit too flowery in his style at times, but overall that isn't too off-putting and there is much to enjoy if you are interested in 60's Pop and Fashion. Stoned ends rather suddenly but it does leave us wanting more. So I guess I will have to read the sequel sometime!
November 4, 2017
I have read 3 of ALO's books. This was his first, following by 2Stoned and Stone Free.
Stoned tells how he came to know the Stones and, using a combination of strong will and connection in the Music Biz, set them on the road to stardom.
The format of the book is unique in my experience, consisting entirely of paragraphs of quotes from all the main players, backed up with a massive index... Don't worry though, you'll be used to it after 30 minutes.
I've never been a great fan of Sixties culture (I'm just a little too young), but ALO made me interested in that this book was hard to put down, the sign of a great writer. You can't ask for any more than that...
Stoned tells how he came to know the Stones and, using a combination of strong will and connection in the Music Biz, set them on the road to stardom.
The format of the book is unique in my experience, consisting entirely of paragraphs of quotes from all the main players, backed up with a massive index... Don't worry though, you'll be used to it after 30 minutes.
I've never been a great fan of Sixties culture (I'm just a little too young), but ALO made me interested in that this book was hard to put down, the sign of a great writer. You can't ask for any more than that...
May 28, 2013
A tough read due in part to the herky-jerky style of interconnected and random quotes and the many dated British phrases and expressions. It does offer a great history of the period, especially as it pertains to Oldham and his connection with the Stones but... It can get tedious and self congratulatory at times. But then again, it is about HIM.
December 24, 2013
Manik-þunglyndissjúklingur og tískufrík sem uppgötvaði Stones og fleiri bönd in ðe sixtís. Mjög nákvæmlega er sagt frá öllu fram að ákveðnum tíma (1964) en svo er bókin bara búin þegar mesta fúttið er að fara að byrja -- frægðin rétt að byrja og karlinn að byrja að verða illasukkaður sukkari. Semsé, þétt framan af en ferlega endaslepp.
September 22, 2019
It's a pity the book stops in 1964. Andrew's solo album, with accompanying guest stars, sings his song of self. Oldham is always fascinating, although at times he's too infatuated with his own cleverness. However, anyone who can explain what publishing really means in the music business can be forgiven a lot. Even if he is too hard on Brian Jones.
September 10, 2010
I couldn't even finish it. The thing is lazily constructed as an "oral history", i.e., a collection of comments and recollections from various individuals arranged according to a timeline. Surely Loog Oldham could have more to say about Brian Jones. Top marks for such an inspired title.
March 17, 2012
Lucky fad !!! Unforgivable - this bum claimed all rights on Verve's Bitter Sweet Symphony because he owned the paperwork of the instrumental. Every time u hear that tune on boring commercial, Andrew is cashing in!! Sorry for him, but I consider Oldham closer to a Simon Cowell than a Phil Spector.
Read
May 23, 2015Im having a hard time getting through this book. I think the next few are a bit funnier and more in keeping with the ALO on XM radio. The book jumps around from person to person talking about Andrew.
August 11, 2013
Took this one up expecting the same old swinging sixties anecdotes. I love to be proved wrong. A riveting and inspiring read. You can tell where the editor has slashed areas that could very well have been of much interest to us all but overall this book is a keeper.
July 6, 2015
It was good and entertaining. Interesting life. I think I'm just rock biography done for a bit. I kept putting this down to start other things and it felt like a chore rather than a joy...Perhaps I'll revisit another time.
July 8, 2007
This is The Sweet Smell of Success of Rock and Roll.
Read
June 7, 2012Ottima come sempre la traduzione di Anna Mioni.
January 5, 2013
Enjoyed
August 4, 2014
One of the best books about the early 60s, full of juicy anecdotes from people who were there. He's hardly got to the Stones by the time the book finishes. On to Volume 2.
December 13, 2021
What do you get when someone publishes a half-baked, half-finished, bait-and-switch compendium of quotes disguised as an autobiography? You get something "by" Andrew Loog Oldham, the former manager of The Rolling Stones, entitled: "Stoned: A Memoir of London in the 1960's." As both the title and its "author" are both misleading, so is the book itself.
I hate books like these. It's promoted as a "memoir" but it's actually a "produced by" or "starring in." Rather have Andrew Loog Oldham fill the entire "memoir" with his words, the author hands over the book to a hundred other men and women to share their thoughts and remembrances of events. Keith Richards did that with his book, "Life," yet most of that book contained his actual words. With "Stoned: A Memoir of London in the 1960's," it seemed that Andrew Loog Oldham's writing contributed to less than half of the book.
The majority of "Stoned: A Memoir of London in the 1960's is filled with recollections from the author's friends and associates like Lionel Bart, Pete Townshend, Don Arden, John Paul Jones, Gene Pitney, Sheila Klein, Kenny Lynch, Tony Meehan, Jett Harris, Chris Stamp, Vidal Sassoon, Keith Altham, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Peter Noone and more...plus the author borrowed quotes from other books in order to get the story from people like Keith Richards and Marianne Faithful.
Worse, when Andrew Loog Oldham takes over the reins and writes portions of the book on his own, his playful prose tries too hard to appear clever and cheeky, when instead it reads transparently self-conscious and empty, rarely informative at all. Tellingly, the author's memories from his storied youth are suspiciously cloudy when they need to be, yet surprisingly vivid when it came to what everyone was wearing.
Far from "A Memoir of London in the 1960's" Andrew Loog Oldham takes up HALf of the book outlining his storied youth as a bastard child who too soon became a hustler and juvenile delinquent in Europe. Too often the author goes off on tangents, and on and on about fashion, and the look of things, which is fine BUT...by the time the reader is entreated to stories about the 60's, swinging London, and The Rolling Stones, the book is halfway over. In fact, the author wastes so much time on both his backstory AND everyone else's backstory, that the bloody book ends in spring 1964! WTF? We do not even GET the full story of Andrew Loog Oldham, nor London in the 1960's, nor Andrew Loog Oldham's time with The Rolling Stones! What a ripoff.
Even WORSE, was the fact that "A Memoir of London in the 1960's" was not an easy read. There's so much short-hand, and British slang in the book, coupled with the author's cryptic prose mixed with poorly edited quotations from a hundred different people that there were times I did not understand what I was reading. On top of that, Andrew Loog Oldham was prone to dropping bombshells and then leaving the reader hanging forever afterward. I seem to recall there was a suicide attempt when Oldham was young, yet the aftermath was never discussed. Ditto: the author's mid-book revelation that he is manic-depressive, and later when out of nowhere Andrew Loog Oldham turns violent gangster.
"A Memoir of London in the 1960's" does indeed have SOME interesting stories in it, about the music business, about London, about The Beatles, and about the early days of The Rolling Stones. Yet the majority of the book lacks focus, and depth. It goes off on way too many tangents that contributed nothing to the core story, if there was one. I loathed both the style of the book, and the fact that it ends in fekking 1964! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccck...What? Now I have to go get a copy of Andrew Loog Oldham's follow-up book "2Stoned" to read the rest of the story? Yup, the author's a hustler alright.
I hate books like these. It's promoted as a "memoir" but it's actually a "produced by" or "starring in." Rather have Andrew Loog Oldham fill the entire "memoir" with his words, the author hands over the book to a hundred other men and women to share their thoughts and remembrances of events. Keith Richards did that with his book, "Life," yet most of that book contained his actual words. With "Stoned: A Memoir of London in the 1960's," it seemed that Andrew Loog Oldham's writing contributed to less than half of the book.
The majority of "Stoned: A Memoir of London in the 1960's is filled with recollections from the author's friends and associates like Lionel Bart, Pete Townshend, Don Arden, John Paul Jones, Gene Pitney, Sheila Klein, Kenny Lynch, Tony Meehan, Jett Harris, Chris Stamp, Vidal Sassoon, Keith Altham, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Peter Noone and more...plus the author borrowed quotes from other books in order to get the story from people like Keith Richards and Marianne Faithful.
Worse, when Andrew Loog Oldham takes over the reins and writes portions of the book on his own, his playful prose tries too hard to appear clever and cheeky, when instead it reads transparently self-conscious and empty, rarely informative at all. Tellingly, the author's memories from his storied youth are suspiciously cloudy when they need to be, yet surprisingly vivid when it came to what everyone was wearing.
Far from "A Memoir of London in the 1960's" Andrew Loog Oldham takes up HALf of the book outlining his storied youth as a bastard child who too soon became a hustler and juvenile delinquent in Europe. Too often the author goes off on tangents, and on and on about fashion, and the look of things, which is fine BUT...by the time the reader is entreated to stories about the 60's, swinging London, and The Rolling Stones, the book is halfway over. In fact, the author wastes so much time on both his backstory AND everyone else's backstory, that the bloody book ends in spring 1964! WTF? We do not even GET the full story of Andrew Loog Oldham, nor London in the 1960's, nor Andrew Loog Oldham's time with The Rolling Stones! What a ripoff.
Even WORSE, was the fact that "A Memoir of London in the 1960's" was not an easy read. There's so much short-hand, and British slang in the book, coupled with the author's cryptic prose mixed with poorly edited quotations from a hundred different people that there were times I did not understand what I was reading. On top of that, Andrew Loog Oldham was prone to dropping bombshells and then leaving the reader hanging forever afterward. I seem to recall there was a suicide attempt when Oldham was young, yet the aftermath was never discussed. Ditto: the author's mid-book revelation that he is manic-depressive, and later when out of nowhere Andrew Loog Oldham turns violent gangster.
"A Memoir of London in the 1960's" does indeed have SOME interesting stories in it, about the music business, about London, about The Beatles, and about the early days of The Rolling Stones. Yet the majority of the book lacks focus, and depth. It goes off on way too many tangents that contributed nothing to the core story, if there was one. I loathed both the style of the book, and the fact that it ends in fekking 1964! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccck...What? Now I have to go get a copy of Andrew Loog Oldham's follow-up book "2Stoned" to read the rest of the story? Yup, the author's a hustler alright.
September 5, 2023
Andrew Loog Oldham was a determined angry young man, seeking to blag his way to the top. With only his motormouth and a sense that the world of entertainment is run by boring old men. With no discernible talent, he finds others he can mould to take him to fame and fortune. By some of the old hands he is cheated, so he learns to cheat others in his turn.
This book is itself a model of Oldham’s style. It is other people who have done all the interviewing. It is other people who have gone through the cutting libraries to get quotes from those who wouldn’t be interviewed ( most noticeably the Stones themselves). It is other people who have edited it all together. It is Oldham’s name on the front.
It gives a wonderful social history of the beginning of the swinging 60’s, when the ‘scene’ only numbered tens of people. Oldham doesn’t come across as a nice guy, more of a chancer with some dodgy thugs around him. It is to his credit that he doesn’t care if he is likeable.
The story only goes as far the Stones’ first album, stopping before the conquest of America. More to come.
I note that Oldham thanks L Ron Hubbard and the Scientologists. They are not thanked in the sequel. Was the conman conned, or did he find that there was no way to profit from the con.
This book is itself a model of Oldham’s style. It is other people who have done all the interviewing. It is other people who have gone through the cutting libraries to get quotes from those who wouldn’t be interviewed ( most noticeably the Stones themselves). It is other people who have edited it all together. It is Oldham’s name on the front.
It gives a wonderful social history of the beginning of the swinging 60’s, when the ‘scene’ only numbered tens of people. Oldham doesn’t come across as a nice guy, more of a chancer with some dodgy thugs around him. It is to his credit that he doesn’t care if he is likeable.
The story only goes as far the Stones’ first album, stopping before the conquest of America. More to come.
I note that Oldham thanks L Ron Hubbard and the Scientologists. They are not thanked in the sequel. Was the conman conned, or did he find that there was no way to profit from the con.
July 4, 2019
It takes a certain type of genius to turn the late 50s - early 60s music and social revolution into a drab, turgid and frankly very stale book. This appears to have been loosely written by such a genius; ALO, but hugely embellished with large quotes from other sources giving a very uneven and choppy feel.
Skim read the final 50 or so pages as the longer the book drew on the more irritating it became. Massively disappointing unless you enjoy shopping lists of names being dropped and second hand accounts and recollections.
Jimmy Saville makes an appearance late in the day jut when the reader thinks the book couldn't possibly get much worse.
Skim read the final 50 or so pages as the longer the book drew on the more irritating it became. Massively disappointing unless you enjoy shopping lists of names being dropped and second hand accounts and recollections.
Jimmy Saville makes an appearance late in the day jut when the reader thinks the book couldn't possibly get much worse.
June 29, 2025
A lost opportunity
More of a homage to Loog Oldham by Loog Oldham. I was hoping for some impartial insight into the early days of The Stones .What you get is endless yarns all of which only serve to try to convince you that Mr Oldham was at the nucleus of the pop world ,its fashion trends and was a svengali like figure without whom the 1960s and early 70s wouldn't have happened. I struggled to finish this book because I knew the last few chapters were going to be as joyless as the first. Note to self ; autobiographies are a great opportunity for people to re-write their part in history and this tome seems to be a case in hand .
More of a homage to Loog Oldham by Loog Oldham. I was hoping for some impartial insight into the early days of The Stones .What you get is endless yarns all of which only serve to try to convince you that Mr Oldham was at the nucleus of the pop world ,its fashion trends and was a svengali like figure without whom the 1960s and early 70s wouldn't have happened. I struggled to finish this book because I knew the last few chapters were going to be as joyless as the first. Note to self ; autobiographies are a great opportunity for people to re-write their part in history and this tome seems to be a case in hand .
July 20, 2025
A mad romp through his life, London, the music business and the formation and initial success of the Rolling Stones. It's weirdly written with the views /observations of others being "copy and pasted" from other memoirs/books. Even if only 50% of it is true or at least not over egged it's quite a ride. At times it does dwell a lot on the business side but this makes sense as how the industry was set up at the time with old farts at Decca and people rooted in the past of the Butlins/variety circuit and sheet music was not an insurmountable barrier to ALO/Stones/Beatles etc. He's still alive and a bit of a Scientologist now.....I'm not surprised he seems a bit mad.
February 14, 2023
This autobiography book, covers the years from 1944 to 1964 and in particular when he became the Rolling Stones first manager and producer ,he was flamboyant ,a self -proclaimed hustler with drive and ambition who did not suffer fools gladly, who reached the top at such a young age.
A good read regarding what life and music was also like, in London in the early sixties with lots of quotes and information on other recording artistes and celebrities.
The stones must be happy and grateful that in the early years(before fame) it was he who set them on the road to fame .
A good read regarding what life and music was also like, in London in the early sixties with lots of quotes and information on other recording artistes and celebrities.
The stones must be happy and grateful that in the early years(before fame) it was he who set them on the road to fame .
August 14, 2019
very enjoyable if kaleidoscopic view of the early years of the manager/publicity genius/producer of the Rolling Stones.
I wish there had been more depth into his later life - both personal and professional - you get glimmers of it, hints but lots of questions left at the end of the book.
Fascinating, just the same.
I wish there had been more depth into his later life - both personal and professional - you get glimmers of it, hints but lots of questions left at the end of the book.
Fascinating, just the same.
October 16, 2022
Often an interesting read, great insight into the early music business and how ALO became the manager of the Stones, helping them record their early singles and also forcing them to start writing songs. Starts a bit slow with ALO’s early school and career but picks up when the Stones enter the picture. Recommended read for fans of the Stones.
March 14, 2020
Excellent insights into the details of how the Stones were first handled, what Oldham saw in them and recognized as supreme talent, with an immense future ... but who would handle them, and how? Oldham also displays a fine talent for the craft. Highly enjoyable.
May 12, 2019
Essential reading for any Stones/60s heads. Excellent soundbite contributions by key figures of the era, but Oldham's energetic, stylish prose is the star of the show.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews