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In the summer of 1972, the Rolling Stones swept across an America still smoldering from the tumult of the ‘60s, bringing their gritty masterpiece Exile on Main St. to the masses. Rolling Stone magazine journalist Robert Greenfield was along for the ride, writing the seminal rock book STP (Stones Touring Party) — culled from weeks on the road and more than 60 hours of interviews with the band and their entourage. Now, for the first time, Greenfield and fellow STP vet Gary Stromberg share that tape archive, allowing listeners to sit in on intimate chats with the Stones in their prime. Written and hosted by Jordan Runtagh, with original music by Noel Brown and Mykal Alder June, Stones Touring Party is an all-access pass to the sights, sounds, riots, bombings, drug busts, death threats and other assorted mayhem from this pivotal moment in American history.


Stones Touring Party

Ali and Foreman continue to train for their upcoming title fight and the great writers of the day document the progress. Across the Atlantic, Don King and Hank Schwartz oversee the preparations for the title fight and sweetens the deal by announcing the music festival. On the plane to the mother land, Ali instantly recognizes the significance of this moment. Upon arrival, he instantly wins over the people of Zaire, pitting them against Foreman automatically. When Foreman arrives, an unwitting faux pas seals his fate as the villain. 
 
 
 
LITERARY REFERENCES
 
“The Greatest, My Own Story” by Muhammad Ali (autobiography)
 
“The Rumble in the Jungle” by Lewis Erenberg
 
“Ali: A Life” by Jonathan Eig
 
“The Fight” by Norman Mailer
 
“Shadow Box” by George Plimpton 
 
“Ringside: A Treasury of Boxing Reportage” by Budd Schulberg 
 
“Ego: the Life” article by Norman Mailer (Life magazine Cover Story, March 19, 1971)
 
 
 
FILM & VIDEO REFERENCES
 
“When We Were Kings” (documentary, 1996) directed by Leon Gast (available on streaming)
 
“Soul Power” (documentary, 2008) directed by Jeffrey Kusama–Hinte (available on streaming)
 
Richard Nixon resignation speech (CBS News, Aug 8, 1974) (available on YouTube)
 
 

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SILENCE vs. NOISE

The music festival promoters hustle hard to secure a plane to Zaire. Finally on board, all the artists are nearly killed by James Brown and his oversized ego. Despite the high drama, the flight is a magical experience for all aboard when the musicians turn the plane into an epic jam session. This shared joy carries the crew through to Zaire. Upon arrival, they are greeted by the drums and voices of The Motherland. Meanwhile, fight promoters scramble to rearrange the weekend after Foreman’s cut and, in doing so, find out who President Mobutu really is.
 
 
 
LITERARY REFERENCES
 
“The Greatest, My Own Story”by Muhammad Ali (autobiography)
 
“By George” by George Foreman (autobiography)
 
“Hit Me, Fred” by Fred Wesley (autobiography) 
 
“LATIN NY” (Magazine, Issue No. 20, Nov 1974 Editor-in-Chief, Diane Weathers)
 
 Courtesy of Lola! Love
 
OTHER MEDIA
 
US State Department cables (available online in the US State Dept Archives and Wikileaks: https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1974KINSHA07638_b.html)
 
 

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COMIN' HOME TO AFRICA ... If James Brown Don't Kill Us All!

Featuring unheard Rolling Stones interviews from 1972, Stones Touring Party is an all-access pass to the wildest tour in rock history — fraught with drug busts, bombs, death threats and debauchery.

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Introducing: Stones Touring Party

The Rolling Stones’ 1972 US tour wasn’t merely the biggest musical event of the year; it redefined the modern rock tour as we know it, both in spectacle and debauchery… and risk. This was the band’s first trip to the States since the deadly disaster at Altamont in ’69. The bruise left by that show put a target on the bands’ back—particularly Mick Jagger—who became the pariah not only for conservative America, but the Hell’s Angels as well. As the World’s Greatest Rock ’n’ Roll Band swept across the country in limos and private jets, the question loomed large on everyone’s mind: Would someone try to assassinate Mick Jagger?

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ONE: America in Flames, Stones in the Crosshairs

At the dawn of the ‘70s, The Rolling Stones discover they’re broke. After resettling in Southern France as a tax dodge, the band begin sessions for what would become their gritty masterpiece, Exile on Main Street, in the sweltering basement of Keith Richards’ seaside mansion, Villa Nellcote. The notorious (possibly) Nazi-haunted home played host to the most debauched parties of all time, multi-day binges that drew a who’s-who of rock royalty. But Keith’s heroin relapse derails the sessions and threatens his relationship with bandmate Mick Jagger, which is further strained by the frontman’s ongoing affair with Keith’s partner, Anita Pallenberg. The mood turns dark when Keith runs afoul of both Corsican drug heavies and French authorities. Caught between bought sides of the law, the Stones make a run for it — with their cache of new songs. 

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TWO: 'Exile' and Drug Runners in the French Riviera

After fleeing France to avoid jail time resulting from Keith Richards' gargantuan drug purchases, the Rolling Stones settle in Los Angeles in the fall of 1971. There they race the clock to finish their new album before their summer tour is due to kick off. The progress is delayed by their perfectionist streak, a blizzard of cocaine, and Keith's ever-worsening heroin addiction. As the band struggles, preparations are made for the biggest rock 'n' roll roadshow the world has ever seen — and both journalist Robert Greenfield and PR exec Gary Stromberg endure the hazing required to hang with the Stones. But before Keith can hit the road, he's sent to Switzerland to get clean. The harrowing experience is excruciating but successful — for now. 

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THREE: Deadlines, Detox and the L.A. High Life

After millions of dollars and months of preparation, the biggest production in rock is now off and running — sort of. In truth, they’ve already hit some snags. A logistical snafu means they have no way to fly to their first tour stop in Canada, where they’re expected to perform in a matter of hours. Keith Richards has relapsed following his recent detox, and his personal pharmacy makes traveling through border control a stressful nightmare. An international incident of one kind of another appears immanent. Against all odds, they arrive at the arena on time, only to find it swarmed by thousands of ticketless rioters hell-bent on taking the venue by force. The Rolling Stones’ tour kickoff was bound to make news, but these explosive headlines were more than the STP crew bargained for. 

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FOUR: Vancouver Venue Invasion

The Rolling Stones touch down in San Francisco to play their first gig in the Bay Area since their disastrous concert at the Altamont Speedway three years earlier — when they'd inadvertently provided the soundtrack to a murder. Their arrival forces them to revisit that awful day when members of the Hells Angels, supposedly acting as security, stab 18-year-old Meredith Hunter to death in the middle of the band's set. The Stones hope these new gigs will serve as an apology to the hippest music city in America, but fear that the motorcycle gang will make good on their threats to assassinate Mick Jagger as revenge for Altamont's legal fallout.

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FIVE: Ghosts of Altamont in San Francisco (Part I)

The Stones enjoy a night on the town to distract themselves from fears that the Hell's Angels are plotting to assassinate Mick Jagger as revenge for the disaster at Altamont. While the band blows off steam and revels in the royal treatment, the STP support squad struggle to navigate the peculiar politics of being perpetually fame-adjacent. As they scramble to maintain their place in the tour pecking order, they simultaneously strive to take every precaution against nefarious plots. The Stones survive, but they receive a scary reminder that they can't escape the past quite so easily.

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SIX: Ghosts of Altamont in San Francisco (Part 2)

Chris O'Dell has been called the Zelig of rock 'n' roll. After getting her start working at the Beatles' London offices in 1968, she became a trusted confidant of practically every major artist of the '70s. George Harrison, her one time boss, immortalized her in the song "Miss O’Dell.” Leon Russell wooed her by writing “Pisces Apple Lady” in her honor. She's the "woman down the hall" in Joni Mitchell's "Coyote" and was pictured on the back cover of the Stones' Exile on Main Street. More than a muse, she was one of just a handful of professional women in rock, managing gargantuan, globe-trotting tours for the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Bob Dylan; Linda Ronstadt; Santana; Phil Collins, Earth, Wind and Fire; Fleetwood Mac; Queen and many more. But before all that, she earned her stripes on the STP tour with the Stones. Listen as she reunites with her friends and fellow STP vets Robert Greenfield and Gary Stromberg for the first time since the tour wrapped in 1972. Together they recall drug runs for Keith Richards, long nights at the Playboy Mansion, and longer days in the Rolling Stones' inner sanctum. 

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MID-TOUR PITSTOP: Chris O'Dell Recalls Life on the Road as the Rolling Stones' Right Hand Woman

So far over the course of this series, we've examined the madness and socio-political movements that made the Rolling Stones' 1972 North American tour a singular moment in pop culture. But very little attention has been paid to the music — especially the album that the Stones were on the road to promote: their moody double disc epic 'Exile on Main St.' To remedy this, host Jordan Runtagh and executive producer/co-composer Noel Brown sit down with legendary Georgia-based record maker David Barbe, a veteran of the band Sugar (with Hüsker Dü's Bob Mould) and the producer of albums from the likes of Drive-By Truckers and Son Volt. Together they throw down about all things Stones and discuss why the sound and style of 'Exile' continues to endure. 

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PIT STOP: The Reach and Raunch of 'Exile on Main Street' with Producer David Barbe

PIT STOP: The Reach and Raunch of 'Exile on Main Street' with Producer David Barbe

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