Overview
The story of The Rolling Stones as Dickens might have written it—the rise of the greatest rock and roll band in the world told as a bawdy picaresque novel, complete with original comic illustrations
London 1962. Five young hooligans have formed a band and are on a collision course with the austere and intolerant values of post-war Britain. From their beginning in a scummy flat off the Kings Road to the notorious Redlands scandal, this is the anarchic rollercoaster ride of the Stones’ first five years. We follow our heroes in a rags-to-riches romp of sex, scandal, mischief and uproarious behavior as they challenge the establishment, invent the archetype of the rebellious, parent-scaring rock star lothario and, eventually, receive their comeuppance from the powers that be. Presented with the audacious wit and bawdy humor of a vintage novel, complete with Dickensian illustrations, Rollaresque celebrates the young Stones in the grand English literary tradition of lovable rogues. This is the music biography reinvented as a ripping yarn.
Reviews
"Reinventing the group's early glory days as a picaresque novel in the style of Thackeray or Fielding, he brings their rich vocabulary and florid wit to bear on "five of the boldest English rogues as have ever trodden their native soil." —Huffington Post
"Entertaining and befitting of the greatest rock 'n' roll band of all time." —Shortlist
"Rollaresque proves an excellent history of the early years of the Rolling Stones . . . one of the most remarkable adventures in pop history." —The Times
"Reinventing the group's early glory days as a picaresque novel in the style of Thackeray or Fielding, he brings their rich vocabulary and florid wit to bear on 'five of the boldest English rogues as have ever trodden their native soil.'" —Clive Crump, Huffington Post
Author Biography
Simon Goddard is a music journalist and the author of Mozipedia: The Encyclopedia of Morrissey, which was Mojo's book of the year, The Smiths: Songs that Saved Your Life, and Ziggyology.