Sticky Fingers

The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine

Joe Hagan author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Canongate Books

Published:6th Sep '18

£14.99

Available to order, but very limited on stock - if we have issues obtaining a copy, we will let you know.

Sticky Fingers cover

You've heard the controversy, now read the book:

Sticky Fingers is Joe Hagan's pulsing account of 50 years of rock'n'roll excess from Jann Wenner, founder of Rolling Stone magazine and one of the best-connected men of the twentieth century. Featuring exclusive interviews with Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Tom Wolfe, Bette Midler and many more, Hagan's book captures the spirit of the age and paints an unforgettable portrait of one of the most significant cultural forces of our time.

A sprawling rollercoaster of a book - insightful, revelatory, sometimes lurid, and never less than utterly compelling * * The Telegraph * *
Offers a fascinating insight into the relationship between Wenner, his writers and some of the most storied musicians and celebrities of the late 20th century * * Guardian * *
One of the music books of the year * * Mail on Sunday * *
A surprisingly honest portrait of a controversial rock publisher . . . The pages sizzle with the sex and drug-fuelled tales of Hunter Thompson, Annie Leibovitz and Joe Eszterhas. Yet, the through-line remains the complex relationship between Jann and Jane Wenner . . . a profile with real bite * * Mojo * *
Overflowing with sex, drugs and John Lennon's wrath . . . the wildest story he never printed - his own * * GQ * *
A must-read * * Sunday Times * *
Explains, in detail both exhaustive and fascinating, how Wenner went about defining rock stardom, and how he pursued a form of it himself, turning himself into the social equal of those his magazine covered * * Financial Times * *
What a fuckin' editor. He's crazy, but he's got a dream -- Hunter S. Thompson
He's a huge music fan. That's something that has never changed. It's a big part of who he is. And that's at the basis of our relationship. He still gets into the records like we used to get into the records -- Bruce Springsteen
Jann likes sexual power, and if you're do­ing what he's doing, and you're in this business, how could you not be interested in that? -- Annie Leibovitz
He leads with his appetites - I take, I see, I have -- Art Garfunkel
Wenner thinks like a water moccasin -- Truman Capote
Well, you've chosen a fairly big subject there with Jann. It's a complicated life. He's lived a big, big life -- Lorne Michaels
I was intimidated by Jann . . . Not because he was a nasty or snobbish person, but because he founded something so great -- Elton John
It was clear to me that Jann, like myself, was growing up in a world surrounded by people who were often out of their minds on drugs, and equally out of their minds on conspira­cy theories and rhetoric. All we had to do was enjoy the company and carefully steer the journey, and we might survive; standing on a pile of corpses perhaps, but having survived -- Pete Townshend
I'll tell you what Jann did. He put together a really good gang of writers, nice kids. Not afraid to go and ask questions. And turned something that could have just been a fan magazine into a real piece of journalism. That's what I think Jann did -- Keith Richards
He and Billy Joel used to sing Gilbert and Sullivan on the backs of their motorcycles. I'm like, "Really?" -- Bette Midler

  • Short-listed for Penderyn Music Book Prize 2018 (UK)

ISBN: 9781782115939

Dimensions: 195mm x 130mm x 35mm

Weight: 410g

560 pages

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