Mick Jagger Had a ‘Spoilt Attitude’ and Said the ‘Most Absurd, Stupid Things’ After Bill Wyman Left the Rolling Stones, According to the Bassist
With 60 years of albums, tours, and personnel changes behind them, The Rolling Stones have said many things, some of which were ludicrous. For instance, when Bill Wyman left the band in 1993, frontman Mick Jagger behaved like a petulant child and “said the most absurd, stupid things,” according to the band’s former bassist. What did Jagger say? Here’s what we know:
The Rolling Stones’ British Invasion begins
Founded in 1962 by five British fans of American blues music, the Rolling Stones have outlasted nearly all of their rock ‘n’ roll peers. The original band lineup included multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, guitarist Keith Richards, drummer Charlie Watts, bassist Bill Wyman, and singer Michael “Mick” Jagger.
Scruffier in appearance and more dangerous by reputation than their friendly rivals, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones delivered well-received, energetic covers of their favorite American songs that competed with Fab Four originals in a race to the top of the pop charts.
Eventually, Richards and Jagger emulated John Lennon and Paul McCartney and began writing their own songs. In 1966, the Stones delivered their first all-original album, Aftermath. Featuring songs such as “Lady Jane,” “Under My Thumb,” and “Mother’s Little Helper,” the record went gold.
Despite his significant contributions of guitar, sitar, marimba, koto, keyboards, harmonica, and dulcimer, and guitar to Aftermath, Between the Buttons, Beggars Banquet, and Their Satanic Majesties Request, the Rolling Stones considered Jones a drug-addled liability and fired the 27-year-old musician just weeks before his death, explains Britannica.
Before the demise of their creative founder, the Rolling Stones hired guitarist Mick Taylor and went to work on Sticky Fingers. After lending his rare musical magic to Exile on Main Street and Goats Head Soup, Taylor left the band and was replaced by former Faces guitarist Ron Wood in 1975.
The Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tour spelled the end for Bill Wyman
The Stones continued to record, releasing Some Girls and Tattoo You before heading out on the ambitious Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tour that took the band worldwide for 115 dates from August 1989 through August 1990.
Arriving home after a year on the road, Wyman told the band he wanted to retire, and Jagger was none too happy about it. In fact, the swaggering frontman was nothing less than rude to the bassist who’d served the band for more than three decades.
In retrospect, Wyman said that Jagger could have graciously congratulated him on a great 30 years but instead opted to “say the most absurd, stupid things with that spoilt attitude he had.”
Despite not being known for playing an instrument himself, Jagger disparaged Wyman’s essential musical contributions, saying things like, “Oh, well. If anybody has to play bass, I’ll do it. It can’t be that hard,” reported Nights with Alice Cooper.
Richards and Watts reacted to their longtime bandmate’s departure differently. Wyman recalls that Richards was incredulous, noting that nobody left the band alive. Watts –and sometimes, even Jagger– rang the bassist up to ask if he’d changed his mind about leaving. He had not. Before the Stones began rehearsing for their 1994 Voodoo Lounge Tour, Wyman officially quit the Rolling Stones.
Bill Wyman wanted to leave at the top of his game
Wyman’s departed after 30 years of holding down the bottom end of “the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world” because he wanted to focus on marriage, family, and various hobbies, including archaeology, reported Yahoo Entertainment.
The bassist told Telegraph UK that Wyman didn’t stop playing music. The rift caused by Jagger’s insensitive remarks only lasted around three months: “They didn’t want me to leave, but we get on great now. I had 30 great years with them, then a really nice divorce, and corny as it may sound, we are still family.”
In 2021, Wyman closed his restaurant, Sticky Fingers. According to Wyman’s website, the popular London eatery failed to survive the pandemic. Today, Wyman and his bandmates are on cordial terms and exchange holiday gifts regularly, although they don’t spend as much time together as they did during the heyday of the Rolling Stones.
“We all send each other birthday and Christmas presents. It’s still a family thing, social not business, and it works really well. It’s like distant relatives — you’ve got an Auntie Elsie and an Uncle Fred who are really charming but you don’t want to see them all the time.”
