For 25 years Bill Wyman was the silent Stone, the quiet bass player in one of the world's greatest rock and roll bands. Whilst maintaining an unassuming image both on and off stage, Wyman also kept a diary; the resultant autobiography represents a note by note rendition of the Rolling Stones' tumultuous years. From the outset the Stones were cast as the bad boys of rock. Wyman recalls the Stones' years of apprenticeship as they evolved their tough sound under the leadership of R and B devotee Brian Jones, and describes in the hair-raising chaos and violence of their early tours. He is frank when describing the wildness and intricacies of the Stones' personal affairs, the dynamics of the musicians in and out of the studio, their scandalous legal problems, financial and management crises, conflicts over songwriting credits, the effects of drugs on their music and lives, and the circumstances leading up to Brian Jones' tragic death on the eve of the Stones' and Britain's biggest ever rock concert.