DETROIT — Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood’s “Ronnie: The Autobiography” (St. Martin’s Press) has just hit U.S. bookshelves, but he’s already talking about another volume — and even a film adaptation.
In fact, Wood says he’s “already been approached” by producers interested in putting his life story on the big screen. “I think it would make quite an interesting one, actually,” he said. “They’re all saying, ‘Who is gonna play you in your movie?’ ‘What?! I have no idea.’ That’ll be a challenge.”
Wood said he regards the forthright and revealing “Ronnie” to be “part one” of the tale. “I’ve remembered a load more since,” he said. “There’s already a book two kind of ticking over on the back burner if I wanted to do that.”
Book 1 certainly has plenty for fans to chew on until that time. Wood writes frankly about his rock ‘n’ roll experiences, including sharing a flat with Jimi Hendrix and playing in the Jeff Beck Group, the Faces and the Stones.
Then there’s his relationships with Patti Harrison (between her marriages to George Harrison and Eric Clapton) and former Canadian first lady Margaret Trudeau and his own problems with drugs, alcohol and finances. There’s plenty of musical analysis, plus loads of sensational details, including Keith Richards pulling a gun on Wood when he discovered Wood freebasing cocaine.
“It surprised me how much did come flooding back, and how much has come flooding back since,” Wood said. “It’s quite therapeutic, actually. I’ve always known that fate played a big part in my life, being at the right place at the right time — and also on a few occasions being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Wood will promote “Ronnie” for the balance of the year and also will prepare a coffee table book of his artwork. The Stones, he said, are enjoying their individual “sabbaticals” after the Bigger Bang world tour but will reconvene in early 2008 for the rollout of Martin Scorsese’s documentary “Shine a Light.”
“We had a quick preview of one cut of it in Rome,” Wood said. “I was like, ‘Wow ….’ People were going, ‘That was fantastic!’ and I was going, ‘Was it?’ It was too much for me. I love it, but it was too much.”
