Blown Away: A No-Holds-Barred Portrait of the Rolling Stones and the Sixties

by A.E. Hotchner

Examines the mysterious death of Rolling Stones band member Brian Jones, the harsh reality of the myths surrounding the band's success, and how Jones' death marked the end of the idealism of the 1960s

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Rock N Roll

349 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1990

About the author

Aaron Edward Hotchner was an American editor, novelist, playwright, and biographer. He wrote many television screenplays as well as a biography of Ernest Hemingway. He co-founded with Paul Newman the charity food company Newman's Own.

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars might be too good for it, but it must have been just the diversion I was looking for, because I read it in less than 4 days and was entertained. More of a Beatles/Bowie girl myself, I was never a huge Stones fan, but I am fascinated by all that went on in the rock world in the ‘60s when I was at that “impressionable age.” (I’m not saying exactly . . . just that I was impressionable. Trust me.) I initially chose this to read as an introduction to Anita Pallenberg, whose name I only first heard 3 or 4 years ago. I was aware of the famous Mick Jagger/Marianne Faithfull pairing at the time they were a couple, but news of Brian’s and Keith’s liaisons was less prominent here in the States and I didn’t read newspapers then (only “Tiger Beat”!)

The first chapter of "Blown Away," which recounted events at Altamont in more detail than I’d ever heard before, just made me sad. Not only for the violence done there or the lives lost, but because the Stones did so little to take control of the situation, didn’t even seem to try. Perhaps they were helplessness to stop it once it was out of control, but their passivity and the way they seemed not to take responsiblity for any of it was disturbing.

The second chapter about Brian Jones’ drowning death ended with the proposition that the author would show it to be a murder. This was startling and felt a little like a tease. And it was, since this theory wasn’t mentioned again until the penultimate chapter and did not amount to much when it was fleshed out.

Most of the rest of this unauthorized book is comprised of one and two page excerpts of interviews with a wide variety of the Stones’ cohorts, colleagues, hangers-on, friends and lovers, managers and photographers, and anyone else Hotchner could get to talk to him, giving it a fairly authentic feel. These narratives are linked with some author commentary that is not particularly insightful. The author’s observations about the significance of the era (“cataclysmic”) are anything but ground-breaking, especially considering the book was published in 1990. Quotes and accounts from the band members themselves are also interspersed between the actual interview segments, but from other sources that are neither footnoted nor cited except in a general back-of-the-book bibliography. (I’m a stickler for references.) But the interviewees, which included the ethereal Marianne Faithfull, and the fairly poisonous Anita Pallenberg, ex-band member Ian Stewart , manager Andrew Oldham, fashion designer Mary Quant, gallery owner John Dunbar (the man who introduced John Lennon and Yoko Ono) and many more, talked not only about the Stones, but about each other. Very dishy. Gossip is still fun almost 50 years after. There is much said about the professional triangle of Brian/Mick/Keith, the personal triangle of Brian/Anita/Keith, and descriptions of Mick and Keith’s songwriting methods. There is, of course, lots about the drug-taking (but not by everyone) and the sex (not as much as you’d think). Hotchner also managed to include court records related to the drug busts (it does sound like the Stones were forever being set up) and even Brian Jones’ psychiatrist’s testimony. I definitely got a feel for the personalities involved and their sometimes unfortunate relationships.

The chapter on the effect of Brian’s death on each of the band members is just awful writing, pure and simple speculation, without a single attempt at a verified fact: the “Keith must have felt. . .” sort of sentence, duplicated many times.

The last chapter’s simplistic attempt to put the Rolling Stones and the 1960’s all in some sort of sociological context was just lame and rehashed. And the murder theory was dubious at best. But if you’re not looking for startling or deep historical analysis, it could be a fun summer read, especially for those of us whose youthful little psyches were shaped, for better or worse, by the British invasion and all that followed. A link to a interesting little video over what is my own favorite Stones’ song, Gimme Shelter: The decade in 4 minutes 33 seconds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3rnxQ.... Thank you, Merry Clayton. You were awesome.

[Super Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loads of inaccuracies!I just reread "Blown Away" after almost twenty years, it floored me back in the day but despite being interesting it just seems to fizzle now in comparison despite still being an essential Stones read.


I not only caught many mistakes when it came to basic class and historical aspects of the UK (eg:Cheltenham Spa is NOT or never was a "lower class suburb of London"-it is a perennially wealthy area almost two hours away tucked into the Costwolds countryside!) Nor was "John F Kennedy's speeches the catalyst for England's swinging sixties"! A.E. Hotchner was a great writer with his Sophia Loren bio being top shelf but he should have had a continuity/fact checker person working on this book with him. Hotchner also should have dropped the whole American anthem theme as well.

It is a good read though, DO check it out just keep the aforementioned drawbacks in mind. I DO NOT doubt for a second the parts about "Marty" and Frank Thorogood murdering Brian Jones. I DO believe it was a game of swimming pool chicken and horse play dunking that became at first bullying and then deadly. With a asthma and epilepsy Jones, despite his youth was very vulnerable. I think they wanted to scare him to death and sadly they did. The book contains great interviews, photos and cultural assessments that when taken along with the fact that Hotchner is an old timer, are actually interesting and unintentionally funny. Amazing that even as late as the 1990s, the Stones STILL were angering the establishment!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly unpleasant book - not the book itself but the lives of Brian Jones and his fellow Stones. I like their music, but their drugs and violence and excesses made me grateful that my son did not, as he tried to do, become a rock 'n roll star keyboardist. (He's now a theatre musician and musical director, not as glamorous but ultimately more liveable.)

Hotchner uses several series of interviews with commentary to tell the story. It's not a bad way to report it all, twenty years after the '60s. My lack of enthusiasm reflects not on Hotchner, whose other works I have enjoyed - King of the Hill especially - but rather on the sadness and even tragedy of the story he is telling.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blown Away is an interesting book about the Rolling Stones and, in the authors mind, how the rise and fall of the Rolling Stones was connected to the ideals of the sixties. I am not 100% in agreement, but Hotchner does lay it out in a interesting way. The book starts at the end, with the fateful concert in December 1969 at the Altamont Speedway in Livermore, California, where the Rolling Stones played a free concert to 300,000+ people with the Hells Angels providing security where chaos and the killing and beating for fans occurred. In the space of 6 months, starting with the death of Brian Jones in July, the Manson Muders in August and the Altamont Concert in December the peace and love of the 60's came crashing down.
The book goes back to the beginning, the rise of the Rolling Stones, the poverty of their early lives, the sex and drugs fueled by their meteoric rise and the grinding, grueling concert schedules through to Brians death and the aftermath which he describes as the Fall of The Rolling Stones. The interesting area for me was the investigation into Brians death, which was given as a drowning due to drug intoxication, but he talked to a lot of people that did not agree with this and new witnesses that shine a different more sinister light on the death.
This book was written in 1990, so it is hard to say that the Rolling Stones crashed when they are still going now so maybe that knowledge puts a different spin on this.
Even so, this was an enjoyable, well researched book with lots of interviews with people involved from friends, girlfriends and other stars like Marianne Faithful, to the Stones Manager from the early days.
If you want a different side to the 60's, an almost counterculture to Beatlemania and the sixties of peace and love, then this is a good book for you. I have never subscribed to the idea that you are either a Rolling Stones fan or a Beatles fan and you can't be both.
I enjoyed reading this and there is definitely food for thought in a lot of the ideas it gives.

[Jane Manns · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the beginning of the book lovely! With its history of rhythm n blues and how they styled themselves after this American music. The middle slowed and got kind of gossipy. It seems that the only member that wasn’t interviewed for the book (other then Brian Jones on account of his death) was Jagger. The end just seemed like one giant hate on Jagger festival. I also didn’t care for the authors summary of how the 60’s kid’s and there grand ideas all failed and died into conservatism. The author also dogs on the band members for leaving Brian Jones out to dry but, any substance abuse counselor would tell u to set that boundary and move on. The addict has to take charge of their own recovery. One last tidbit, I had no idea that at the time Mick Jagger’s style was often considered cross dressing or bisexual the author often points this out and not in a positive way which annoyed me. It is truly sad about Brian Jones just as it is truly sad what happened at The Rolling Stones free concert in Altamont.

[Don Annand · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the Rolling Stones, specifically the role, character and influence of Brian Jones. Through the commentaries of friends and girlfriends, we see how the central power trio (Brian, Keith and Mick) shaped each other’s destinies and that of the Stones. The Stones become an analogy for the sixties, beginning in rebellion through freedom and wonder back to the harsh reality of personalities formed by ambition, greed, jealousy and addiction.

[Stan Lanier · Rating 2 out of 5]

A. E. Hotchner founded Newman's Own with Paul Newman, so I don't want to trash him. I found this to be a somewhat disappointing book, however, as I did not find it trenchant about the era or about the Stones. The best parts for me were the comments of Ian Stewart of whom I had seen pictures but had never heard his viewpoints or commentary

[Sarah Hjertquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it when it was first published and really enjoyed it. Was an easy and interesting read. annoyingly I lent the book to someone who never returned it but do hope to read it again sometime as forgot so much since then 😆

[Roel Vandommele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het verhaal van Altamont en alles wat er aan vooraf ging.
RIP Brian Jones...

[Leo Mccarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, many first hand accounts

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite Vietnam, civil rights and an itchy trigger-finger political climate, this book shows a lot of the "peace and love" counterculture was rooted in selfishness. While a tremendous amount of good was done to advance human rights and eventually end the Vietnam war, a lot of the '60s idealism proved to be a mere exercise in self-indulgence of any kind, often at a tremendous cost to others, and especially if one had an audience. The Altamont concert is a perfect example. It happened again at the Isle Of Wight concert in 1970, and soon violence became commonplace at rock concerts. Some amazing cultural and artistic things happened during that era for sure, but this book proves that everything good about the '60s was to be a flash in the pan.

[Ralph Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent a long time trying to figure out Hotchner's intentions, seeing as he blames Jagger for the entire debacle but then to his credit includes loads of testimony praising Jagger. He still comes down hard on Mick, considering the lead singer was about to die at Altamont and probably would've done had it not been for the Hell's Angels. Yes, this book is salacious but it's also a great read and at times the Stones give Zeppelin a run for their money in the seedy stakes; if such a thing is to be proud of.

[Lynn MacIntosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting information on the Stones. However, the author clearly does not like Jagger, nor the Rolling Stones in general. His "murder" theory concerning Brian Jones and "evidence" to support this theory is weak if not runours.
I fully understand why the Stones did not authorize this book.

[Jacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pure entertainment! No wonder the Stones didn't endorse it! The author uses interviews without dates, which makes it a questionable arrangement for argument about authenticity. But I enjoyed the gossip, found several discrepancies and the conspiracy theory is just that...a theory.

[Althea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another Rolling Stones bio. This one, written by A. E. Hotchner, uses personal interviews with friends, contemporaries and significant others to flesh out the facts about the death of Brian Jones, albeit twenty years after the occurrence.

[Elise Zwart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book to read!

[Josi Rebar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Jones drowned in a pool after partying too much.