ALO @ EIL

EIL.COM has an exclusive interview with ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM in their latest (November 7th) email newsletter. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter at their main page:

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Here's an excerpt from the interview:

JOHN DEVLIN: I know that you were a big part in helping the Rolling Stones become so big, and it was you who put Mick and Keith together to write music.Why didn't you go to Brian Jones and put him in the mix? He was one of the leaders... neither Mick, Keith or Brian at the time could write music. I never understood why you didn't go to Brian and Mick? Plus HOW much of their music did you really help write in the early days?

ANDREW: John, You looked at the likely lads... the ones who were not confused by the game and that was Mick and Keith. In fact, I did try and get the songs out of Brian he professed to have in him. I put him in a hotel room with Gene Pitney, who was no slouch in the song-writing department ["Hello, Mary Lou" and "He's a Rebel" etc] and the results were C sides. You cannot write down to pop music, it smells out the fake. And in that department Brian was a fake... he wanted the rewards of pop , but viewed himself a purist, and Mick and Keith's early efforts junk, though he did not mind jumping around on stage and TV to them. A convoluted, talented, very talented, tortured annoying human being. As for the " HOW much" of your question I did not write any of their music save change the title and edit some verses on what became " as tears go by" and write a couple of songs with Keith. Very best, ALO