“Exterminate all the brutes!” With these words, borrowed from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Hunter S. Thompson concluded his violent, macabre 1967 book Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga. Thompson had spent months with the outlaw biker gang and ultimately paid for his persistence when members gave him a brutal beatdown (which, Thompson being Thompson, he seemed to enjoy just a little). The king of Gonzo had gotten closer to the Angels’ inner sanctum than just about anyone else had, a feat that the new A&e docuseries Secrets of the Hells Angels...
- 4/14/2024
- by Chris Vognar
- Rollingstone.com
The music of The Rolling Stones has always been filled with controversy and innuendoes. However, some of their most iconic songs contain lyrics that are massive red flags. One, in particular, stands out: “Under My Thumb” continues to spark debate among fans.
The Rolling Stones ‘Under My Thumb’ lyrics are about controlling a partner
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and The Rolling Stones have long been considered one of the forerunners of the legacy of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Many of their lyrics are littered with sexual innuendoes.
However, one song, in particular, takes a theme of control too far. “Under My Thumb” features lyrics that are all about controlling a partner.
“It’s down to me, yes it is/The way she does just what she’s told/Down to me, the change has come/She’s under my thumb,” Mick Jagger sings. He also refers to the...
The Rolling Stones ‘Under My Thumb’ lyrics are about controlling a partner
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and The Rolling Stones have long been considered one of the forerunners of the legacy of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Many of their lyrics are littered with sexual innuendoes.
However, one song, in particular, takes a theme of control too far. “Under My Thumb” features lyrics that are all about controlling a partner.
“It’s down to me, yes it is/The way she does just what she’s told/Down to me, the change has come/She’s under my thumb,” Mick Jagger sings. He also refers to the...
- 10/26/2023
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Keith Richards rose to fame with The Rolling Stones at the same time as The Beatles. Their success throughout the 1960s led to rumors of competition between the two bands. While they’ve both said the media blew the reported feud out of proportion, the bands tracked each others’ careers closely. Richards drew a distinction between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, calling the former a recording band. He believed that they reached their peak as performing artists before they were even famous.
Keith Richards didn’t think The Beatles were performing artists for much of their career
The Beatles stopped playing live performances in 1966. Even three years after their performance break, Richards thought touring was out of the question for them.
“I think it’s impossible for them to do a tour,” he told Rolling Stone in 1969. “Mick [Jagger] has said it before, but it’s worth repeating … the Beatles are primarily a recording group.
Keith Richards didn’t think The Beatles were performing artists for much of their career
The Beatles stopped playing live performances in 1966. Even three years after their performance break, Richards thought touring was out of the question for them.
“I think it’s impossible for them to do a tour,” he told Rolling Stone in 1969. “Mick [Jagger] has said it before, but it’s worth repeating … the Beatles are primarily a recording group.
- 7/20/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
What’s the darkest moment you’ve ever seen in a rock ‘n’ roll documentary? Up until now, I’d have said the answer was obvious: the sequence in “Gimme Shelter” where Meredith Hunter, in his lime-green suit, rushes the stage at Altamont with a gun in his hand and gets stabbed in the back, half a dozen times, by a member of the Hell’s Angels. For pure heart of darkness, what could top that? But I’ve just seen “Catching Fire” (formerly titled “Anita”), Svetlana Zill and Alexis Bloom’s very good documentary about Anita Pallenberg — beautiful and imperious scenester of the ’60s and ’70s, Hollywood actress and icon of scruffy-chic rock royalty, partner of Keith Richards, muse to several of the other Rolling Stones. And there’s a moment in it that made me suck in my breath in shock and horror as much as “Gimme Shelter” does.
- 5/31/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
The Rolling Stones are typically not a band known for stirring the pot. However, there were times when the band caused controversy, angering television censors, the radio, and even the government. It may not have been their intention, but a few of their songs did cause outrage.
Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, Steve Jordan and Keith Richards | Javier Bragado/Redferns Here are 5 Rolling Stones songs that created controversy ‘Street Fighting Man’
Except for songs like “Gimme Shelter”, The Rolling Stones generally didn’t get too political. However, “Street Fighting Man” was one of their most provocative tracks, debuting around the same time protests were heating up in the U.S. and France. The song was released in the U.S. as a single one week after a violent collision between police and anti-Vietnam war protestors at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Worried that the lyrics would incite more riots, Chicago...
Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, Steve Jordan and Keith Richards | Javier Bragado/Redferns Here are 5 Rolling Stones songs that created controversy ‘Street Fighting Man’
Except for songs like “Gimme Shelter”, The Rolling Stones generally didn’t get too political. However, “Street Fighting Man” was one of their most provocative tracks, debuting around the same time protests were heating up in the U.S. and France. The song was released in the U.S. as a single one week after a violent collision between police and anti-Vietnam war protestors at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Worried that the lyrics would incite more riots, Chicago...
- 3/23/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Over the years, multiple documentaries have been made about The Rolling Stones. Films have tracked the band’s performances, dynamics, and disagreements as far back as the 1960s. Here are four documentaries about The Rolling Stones that fans of the band should watch.
The Rolling Stones | Paul Natkin/Getty Images 1. ‘My Life as a Rolling Stone’ is a documentary series
My Life as a Rolling Stone is a four-part documentary series that dedicates one episode to each member of the band. While the episode that focuses on Charlie Watts relies on archival footage, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood sat for interviews.
The series touches on the history that fans know well — drug busts, notable performances, and tax exile, for example — but also presents the members of the band as individuals. This approach allows viewers to see each of their contributions to the band, which has remained together for decades.
The Rolling Stones | Paul Natkin/Getty Images 1. ‘My Life as a Rolling Stone’ is a documentary series
My Life as a Rolling Stone is a four-part documentary series that dedicates one episode to each member of the band. While the episode that focuses on Charlie Watts relies on archival footage, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood sat for interviews.
The series touches on the history that fans know well — drug busts, notable performances, and tax exile, for example — but also presents the members of the band as individuals. This approach allows viewers to see each of their contributions to the band, which has remained together for decades.
- 3/9/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Sonny Barger, founder of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels and the public face for the motorcycle club in the aftermath of the Altamont tragedy, has died at the age of 83.
Barger’s former attorney Fritz Clapp confirmed to NBC News that the longtime Hells Angels president died at his home Wednesday following a bout with liver cancer. Barger himself announced his own death Wednesday in a pre-written statement posted on his public Facebook page.
“If you are reading this message, you’ll know that I’m gone. I...
Barger’s former attorney Fritz Clapp confirmed to NBC News that the longtime Hells Angels president died at his home Wednesday following a bout with liver cancer. Barger himself announced his own death Wednesday in a pre-written statement posted on his public Facebook page.
“If you are reading this message, you’ll know that I’m gone. I...
- 6/30/2022
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Sonny Barger, the notorious founding member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, author, ex-convict, occasional Sons of Anarchy actor and one of the bikers who provided the violent, bloody security at the infamous 1969 Rolling Stones Altamont concert, died of Wednesday of cancer. He was 83.
Barger announced his own death in a pre-written message subsequently posted today on his Facebook page: “If you are reading this message, you’ll know that I’m gone. I’ve asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing. I’ve lived a long and good life filled with adventure. And I’ve had the privilege to be part of an amazing club. Although I’ve had a public persona for decades, i’ve mostly enjoyed special time with my club brothers, my family, and close friends.
“Please know that I passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer. But also know that in the end,...
Barger announced his own death in a pre-written message subsequently posted today on his Facebook page: “If you are reading this message, you’ll know that I’m gone. I’ve asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing. I’ve lived a long and good life filled with adventure. And I’ve had the privilege to be part of an amazing club. Although I’ve had a public persona for decades, i’ve mostly enjoyed special time with my club brothers, my family, and close friends.
“Please know that I passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer. But also know that in the end,...
- 6/30/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
“1971: the Year That Music Changed Everything” is streaming now on Apple TV+ and it covers a wide array of events that somehow all happened in or around 1971, including some of the most turbulent times in the Rolling Stones’ career as a band.
The Stones are one of the most prominently featured bands throughout the “1971” docuseries, which is eight episodes long. The docuseries dives deep into their history, including the band’s jet-setting lifestyle around the world as they became the targets of various governments, and covers the band’s descent into battles with drug addiction.
Here are a few of the Stones’ most outrageous (or alarming) stories that “1971” brings up.
Going broke and leaving Britain to avoid taxes
“1971” picks up in the spring of that year with the Rolling Stones when they arrived in the South of France as exiles from Britain. Beginning in 1971, Britain had enacted a vicious...
The Stones are one of the most prominently featured bands throughout the “1971” docuseries, which is eight episodes long. The docuseries dives deep into their history, including the band’s jet-setting lifestyle around the world as they became the targets of various governments, and covers the band’s descent into battles with drug addiction.
Here are a few of the Stones’ most outrageous (or alarming) stories that “1971” brings up.
Going broke and leaving Britain to avoid taxes
“1971” picks up in the spring of that year with the Rolling Stones when they arrived in the South of France as exiles from Britain. Beginning in 1971, Britain had enacted a vicious...
- 5/26/2021
- by Samson Amore
- The Wrap
Apple TV+’s docuseries 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything makes it seem like The Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main Street album was more fun to record than listen to, and that sets a high standard. The record distills the band’s sounds, from acoustic world music political ballads, through deep heartfelt blues, to honky tonk so funky you have to shake your ass. The group plays country, Southern blues, R&b, and the almost-punk-before-punk “Rip This Joint.” “Tumbling Dice,” is a radio staple. Keith Richards even took the lead vocals on a track to keep you happy. There was so much material, it came out as a double album. What could be more fun than that?
Richards’ Nellcôte mansion, on the Côte d’Azur in the South of France, was the hardest rocking musical getaway paradise in 1971. It was a Rock and Roll Main Street, and even the...
Richards’ Nellcôte mansion, on the Côte d’Azur in the South of France, was the hardest rocking musical getaway paradise in 1971. It was a Rock and Roll Main Street, and even the...
- 5/21/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Gimme Shelter, directed by Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwein, is widely considered one of the greatest music documentaries of all time.
The film, which chronicled the Rolling Stones’ U.S. tour in 1969, culminating in the Altamont Free Concert in San Francisco, premiered 50 years ago this week and comes 51 years after the controversial show, where Meredith Hunter died at the hands of the Hells Angels.
Gimme Shelter captures onscreen both how the concert was put together and the moment that Hunter was stabbed by the bikers, who were providing security at the event.
The film explores a fascinating moment in time — the end of the 1960s and the peace and love explosion, coming months after Woodstock — and showcases the uglier side of America, fresh from riots. It also captures one of the most iconic rock ‘n’ roll bands in their prime both in the studio and live.
Porter Bibb produced the film,...
The film, which chronicled the Rolling Stones’ U.S. tour in 1969, culminating in the Altamont Free Concert in San Francisco, premiered 50 years ago this week and comes 51 years after the controversial show, where Meredith Hunter died at the hands of the Hells Angels.
Gimme Shelter captures onscreen both how the concert was put together and the moment that Hunter was stabbed by the bikers, who were providing security at the event.
The film explores a fascinating moment in time — the end of the 1960s and the peace and love explosion, coming months after Woodstock — and showcases the uglier side of America, fresh from riots. It also captures one of the most iconic rock ‘n’ roll bands in their prime both in the studio and live.
Porter Bibb produced the film,...
- 12/8/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
In the middle of the summer of 1971, The New York Times predicted the imminent death of the rock festival. It wasn’t quite two full years after Woodstock, just over four since Monterey Pop, and about 31 years, give or take a few days, before gates opened at the inaugural Bonnaroo.
The impetus for that dramatic declaration wasn’t the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, which had devolved into tragedy about 18 months earlier after the stabbing death of 18-year-old fan Meredith Hunter at the hands of Hells Angels hired as concert security,...
The impetus for that dramatic declaration wasn’t the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, which had devolved into tragedy about 18 months earlier after the stabbing death of 18-year-old fan Meredith Hunter at the hands of Hells Angels hired as concert security,...
- 9/24/2018
- by Alison Fensterstock
- Rollingstone.com
Thanks to The Seventh Art for flagging this haunting 2006 short documentary from Sam Green, a belated inquiry into the murder of Meredith Hunter at the 1969 Rolling Stones concert in Altamont. Green’s presentation of the bizarre silence surrounding Hunter’s identity at the time of his death is relayed through archival newspapers, footage from Gimme Shelter, and a tour of his unmarked gravesite in California (a proper headstone was purchased in 2008). Despite its brevity, Lot 63, Grave C is a fascinating look inside the metaphorical end of an era.
- 8/6/2014
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Thanks to The Seventh Art for flagging this haunting 2006 short documentary from Sam Green, a belated inquiry into the murder of Meredith Hunter at the 1969 Rolling Stones concert in Altamont. Green’s presentation of the bizarre silence surrounding Hunter’s identity at the time of his death is relayed through archival newspapers, footage from Gimme Shelter, and a tour of his unmarked gravesite in California (a proper headstone was purchased in 2008). Despite its brevity, Lot 63, Grave C is a fascinating look inside the metaphorical end of an era.
- 8/6/2014
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
As films about Ginger Baker and the Stone Roses are released, here's our pick of the movies in which film-makers focus on the drama behind the songs
Reading this on mobile? Click here to view video
We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen (2005)
"Our band could be your life," sang the Minutemen in History Lesson Part II – a line that embodied the fierce love the audiences of the Us indie underground held for their bands. The Minutemen were pioneers, coming out of the southern California hardcore punk scene, but to be tied to it, and living what they preached – "We jam econo," was a phrase bassist Mike Watt coined to describe a commitment to doing everything cheaply and independently. More than a history lesson, though, We Jam Econo is a deeply moving love letter from Watt to his friend – and the Minutemen's leader – D Boon, who died in...
Reading this on mobile? Click here to view video
We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen (2005)
"Our band could be your life," sang the Minutemen in History Lesson Part II – a line that embodied the fierce love the audiences of the Us indie underground held for their bands. The Minutemen were pioneers, coming out of the southern California hardcore punk scene, but to be tied to it, and living what they preached – "We jam econo," was a phrase bassist Mike Watt coined to describe a commitment to doing everything cheaply and independently. More than a history lesson, though, We Jam Econo is a deeply moving love letter from Watt to his friend – and the Minutemen's leader – D Boon, who died in...
- 5/18/2013
- by Michael Hann
- The Guardian - Film News
Latest Rolling Stones documentary has to tackle the problem of how to retell a story that's been told so many times before
For all the control freakery, the money chasing, the internecine warfare between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones have always been the most open of groups – as Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant told the Guardian recently: "All you knew was that the Stones got all the press, and we sold a shitload of records."
That leaves Crossfire Hurricane, the official documentary celebration of the Stones' 50th anniversary, with two problems. How do you retell a story that's been told so many times before? And how do you compete with the already extant films about the group – Gimme Shelter, the Maysles brothers' account of the 1969 Us tour that ended with the disastrous Altamont concert; Cocksucker Blues, the rarely seen Robert Frank film that captured their 1972 tour, warts,...
For all the control freakery, the money chasing, the internecine warfare between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones have always been the most open of groups – as Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant told the Guardian recently: "All you knew was that the Stones got all the press, and we sold a shitload of records."
That leaves Crossfire Hurricane, the official documentary celebration of the Stones' 50th anniversary, with two problems. How do you retell a story that's been told so many times before? And how do you compete with the already extant films about the group – Gimme Shelter, the Maysles brothers' account of the 1969 Us tour that ended with the disastrous Altamont concert; Cocksucker Blues, the rarely seen Robert Frank film that captured their 1972 tour, warts,...
- 10/19/2012
- by Michael Hann
- The Guardian - Film News
The focus of Gimme Shelter is, of course, the Altamont concert, but what have lingered with me are the film's smaller, closer sadnesses
It had been a while since I had seen Gimme Shelter, the 1970 documentary directed by Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin that follows the Rolling Stones' 1969 Us tour, from Madison Square Garden through hotel rooms and photo shoots, attorneys' offices and recording studios, culminating in the ill-fated Altamont Free Concert in northern California. Along the way there are donkeys, hippies, Hell's Angels and Uncle Sam hats, and a man with a revolver, stabbed as he attempts to invade the stage.
I found it startling this time. This was perhaps because lately most of the music documentaries I have seen have been cleaner, more conventional affairs – John Scheinfeld's excellent Harry Nilsson: The Missing Beatle, for instance, which interviewed the songwriter's family, friends and associates, and drew on archive footage,...
It had been a while since I had seen Gimme Shelter, the 1970 documentary directed by Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin that follows the Rolling Stones' 1969 Us tour, from Madison Square Garden through hotel rooms and photo shoots, attorneys' offices and recording studios, culminating in the ill-fated Altamont Free Concert in northern California. Along the way there are donkeys, hippies, Hell's Angels and Uncle Sam hats, and a man with a revolver, stabbed as he attempts to invade the stage.
I found it startling this time. This was perhaps because lately most of the music documentaries I have seen have been cleaner, more conventional affairs – John Scheinfeld's excellent Harry Nilsson: The Missing Beatle, for instance, which interviewed the songwriter's family, friends and associates, and drew on archive footage,...
- 10/27/2011
- by Laura Barton
- The Guardian - Film News
Albert Maysles, the godfather of documentaries, tells Danny Leigh the secret of his success
Albert Maysles seems to have just woken up. His breakfast sits untouched, his crumpled black shirt is undone, and he's wearing odd socks, one grey, one green. Outside his hotel room, the attendees of the Sheffield documentary festival are in the process of paying tribute to this legendary documentary-maker, with screenings, masterclasses – and, last night, a party that reportedly found him drinking shots until 4am. Not bad for an 84-year-old.
Asked what he thinks of such reverence, he suddenly snaps into focus. "It can take surprising forms," he smiles, eyes fixed on mine through black-framed glasses. "When I got there last night, there were two dozen people with their arms raised, saluting, like a guard of honour. That was nice. But surprising."
Ever since he set out to make a film about Soviet mental hospitals in the 1950s,...
Albert Maysles seems to have just woken up. His breakfast sits untouched, his crumpled black shirt is undone, and he's wearing odd socks, one grey, one green. Outside his hotel room, the attendees of the Sheffield documentary festival are in the process of paying tribute to this legendary documentary-maker, with screenings, masterclasses – and, last night, a party that reportedly found him drinking shots until 4am. Not bad for an 84-year-old.
Asked what he thinks of such reverence, he suddenly snaps into focus. "It can take surprising forms," he smiles, eyes fixed on mine through black-framed glasses. "When I got there last night, there were two dozen people with their arms raised, saluting, like a guard of honour. That was nice. But surprising."
Ever since he set out to make a film about Soviet mental hospitals in the 1950s,...
- 6/16/2011
- by Danny Leigh
- The Guardian - Film News
Forty years ago today, the 1960s came to an unholy end. As evening approached on Dec. 6, 1969, the Rolling Stones, who were then just reaching the height of their street-fighting Satanic majesty, took the stage at Altamont, a hastily organized, all-day-long free rock concert held on the outskirts of San Francisco -- an event planned, in essence, to be a kind of Woodstock west. Infamously, though, this was no happy-mud orgy of peace, love, and good vibes. The very fact that the concert was held next to a gritty speedway was a sure sign that no one there was really planning...
- 12/6/2009
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW.com - The Movie Critics
By Matt Singer
In honor of their 40 years on movie screens, from 1968's "Sympathy for the Devil" to last week's release of "Shine a Light," we're taking a look at The Rolling Stones' filmography, featuring enough collaborations with great directors to make any actor jealous and enough abandoned or aborted projects to give any movie investor heartburn.
Gimme Shelter (1970)
Directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin
The Film: The Rolling Stones watch the events of their recent American tour as they play out before them on a flatbed editing machine. Though their return to the States was filled with plenty of highlights, including a triumphant series of concerts at Madison Square Garden and a successful recording session at Muscle Shoals Studios, all that really seems to matter is the disastrous result of their free concert held outside of San Francisco at the Altamont Speedway. Intended as a companion...
In honor of their 40 years on movie screens, from 1968's "Sympathy for the Devil" to last week's release of "Shine a Light," we're taking a look at The Rolling Stones' filmography, featuring enough collaborations with great directors to make any actor jealous and enough abandoned or aborted projects to give any movie investor heartburn.
Gimme Shelter (1970)
Directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin
The Film: The Rolling Stones watch the events of their recent American tour as they play out before them on a flatbed editing machine. Though their return to the States was filled with plenty of highlights, including a triumphant series of concerts at Madison Square Garden and a successful recording session at Muscle Shoals Studios, all that really seems to matter is the disastrous result of their free concert held outside of San Francisco at the Altamont Speedway. Intended as a companion...
- 4/10/2008
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
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