top of the bill ; Ahead of his NI gig, former Rolling Stones' bass player Bill Wyman tells Jane Hardy he's really a Renaissance man
(c) 2010 Belfast Telegraph.
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http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/143606498

What can you do with a former Rolling Stone for 15 minutes? Don't answer that. In point of fact, Bill Wyman (74) sounds mellow, informed and happy to rap about anything from archaeology to French 20th century art down the line from Suffolk.

He says in that unmistakable London rocker accent, the authentic forerunner of pop star mockney: "I'm sitting in my country house in Suffolk at the moment which I've had for about 40 years."

Although the press office has specified that Bill Wyman only wants to discuss The Rhythm Kings, the jazz and blues outfit he founded in 1997 which is touring Northern Ireland this May, he seems happy to talk about other things, including politics, now consuming all the airwaves and TV channels.

"Yeah, I'll be voting, and I'll vote the way I always vote. Not Labour, no, you're joking, Tory. I've suffered from Labour taxes forever, it was 93% at one point, and has been getting back that way with Gordon Brown. Would you vote that in? No, I shall never vote Labour ever again."

Wyman reveals with a touch of satisfaction that Andrew Neil of The Daily Politics television show has invited him to appear on a boat with a load of other people on election night to analyse what's happening. "It should be nice. I'm not like fanatical but politics is entertaining."

Returning to The Rhythm Kings, Bill reveals that performing is a passion and that he honestly wouldn't be involved at this stage of his career if he didn't enjoy it. "I started the band over 10 years ago, and we have a good time. It's not a career move, well obviously not," he says with a smile. "We get good crowds and always play a variety of music, great songs, which we change every session, moving from blues to gospel to jazz and rock and roll."

Is this the stuff that William George Perks (his real name) was listening to in the 1940s and 1950s? "Yes, it's all roots music that I listened to as a youngster. It's also what the Stones were doing in the first two years.

"They always had the odd reggae number and some blues. But the young bands play one type of music -- the same tempo, the same keys, with songs that could be the same, it's just boring."

'Boring' is Wyman's chief term of criticism. It's easy to understand why when you look at the man's CV and his range of interests.

This summer, Bill Wyman is holding two shows of his photographs at a special exhibition in St Paul de Vence, a part of the South of France that has been lousy with artists since the Twenties. "Have you been there? It's beautiful, between Cannes and Nice, and when you go there, you'll see Michael Caine, Richie Benaud the ex- cricketer, Joan Collins."

It's the art that really turns Wyman on. "They have Picassos, Legers, Braques there, and I've been going there for 40 years, so they've asked me to put on what they're calling Bill Wyman's St Paul. It'll be a one-off."

French culture has been part of Bill Wyman's life for quite a while. In 1971, he and his then girlfriend Astrid Lundstrom went to Nice to buy a property. The love affair with the country continued - - he is married to French woman, Suzanne Accosta -- and Bill Wyman speaks French "not badly -- I can get by". Of course he can; this is the author of (Si Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star, the 1981 top 20 hit. Initially, the French didn't want it to go out as written, with its deliberately goofy language.

Bill reveals: "They said 'You can't have the lyric 'I avais une residence'. They didn't get it was a joke, ha ha ha'." We agree that the French who keep a tight grip on their linguistic purity via the Academie Francaise don't find variations funny.

One of Bill Wyman's seven published books is Chagall's World -- Reflections of the Mediterranean, now sadly out of print, which consists of his photographic portraits of the noted Russian-French artist who became his friend. "I got to know Marc Chagall and his wife Vava very well. We'd meet for tea, I took him out, he was a lovely man."

Is this guy a real Renaissance rocker?

Of course, he will forever be known as the bassist of the Stones, the guy who attended Brian Jones' funeral alongside Charlie Watts, who provided throbbing background sound for numbers such as Jumping Jack Flash, Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Woman.

Yet Bill is also a famous diarist, having recorded the Blitz and all the "bombs and stuff" he experienced when living with his grandmother in London as a child, and now recording his charmed life on a daily webcam.

In 1992, Bill Wyman left the Stones, and the second phase of his life started. He says he couldn't be happier these days, in spite of being past his three score years and ten. "People ask me why I keep on doing so much, but I enjoy it. I have a wonderful wife who's much younger, 50, I think, a very young 50, and have three beautiful young teenage daughters. I've been married 17 years, and life couldn't be better."

Wyman lists his reasons to be cheerful: his successful restaurant in Kensington -- Sticky Fingers, his family, his photography, his archaeology (Wyman has discovered hoards of Roman coins near his home and uses a metal detector to unearth bits of history) and his music.

CAPTION: Back in the day -- The Rolling Stones in 1964, (from left) Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman (sitting), Brian Jones and Charlie Watts

(c) 2010 Belfast Telegraph. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Thank you for posting this.  I found it quite interesting.  I have a high opinion of Bill.

Great  read......I agree about Bill. :) Thanks! ;D

At least he's happy.

dudes olde

He bagged allot of chicks though.

I read this in the Belfast Telegraph last thursday, I think it was. The Rythmn Kings were playing in Derry (a city in Northern Ireland) but there wasn't much about them in the article. Not much stones stuff either really, but there was a really nice pic of Bill that took up a good bit of the page!! :)

Shit Bill don't admit you've found the roman coins on your property!! That's grounds for confiscation over there isn't it?

SoulPlunderer wrote on Apr 21^st, 2010 at 12:49pm:

I read this in the Belfast Telegraph last thursday, I think it was. The Rythmn Kings were playing in Derry (a city in Northern Ireland) but there wasn't much about them in the article. Not much stones stuff either really, but there was a really nice pic of Bill that took up a good bit of the page!! :)

Would have liked to have gone up to one of the two gigs he's playing there, but cant get back to Belfast the same night unfortunately.

He STILL hasnt played here yet.

I know what u mean Gazza, if they'd of played Belfast I would have certainly tried to go! That's a bit if a dissapointment cause it would have probably been in a small venue (st Georges Market maybe) and not too expensive!  :Youmakeagrownmancrylikejoey