30/05/2023
In 1993 writer Simon Spence (then Duddfield) persuaded me to join him on a trip to Columbia to hang out with The Rolling Stones original manager, record producer,author and Immediate records boss, the legendary Andrew Loog Oldham.
Unsurprisingly Oldham never turned up to meet us as arranged then were narroly missed being mugged before we arrived at his two floor condo. Once there he announced that he had been up for several days and then vanished for three more. After that we would be entertained with unbelievable stories into the next few mornings. My job was to roll the joints.
There was an election on and Bogota was edgy and so was Andrew to a certain point. Every inch the rock manager with a mind boggling 80’s wardrobe. He seemed like he could turn at anytime but he didn’t and was a great host. We hardly left his apartment for a week.
The sessions paved the way for Simons excellent book Stoned, part 1. Andrews biography.
Of course on the way back we were arrested at Paris airport after being followed by an undercover police man who threw our passports on the floor. Simon of course told the cop to 'fu***ng pick them up' which ended in us being carted off for a full cavity search and in my case a full bodied x-ray as well. #60's #70's
