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Hey Jo (2013)

by Jo Wood(Favorite Author)

3.34 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0007458460 (ISBN13: 9780007458462)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

HarperCollins

review 1: She is a very pretty woman but not the brightest spark. She spent all those years living with a man who was completely self absorbed, a drunk and drug addict. Oh yes, and all the women on the side including in the latter years, ones 40 years younger than him. The constant humiliation. She keeps on saying, like a golden thread throughout the book, that she was a good mother. She mothered Ronnie okay, but she abandoned her first child, she left him with her parents while she jaunted around the world. And then there were the days, weeks, months and years when she and her OH were living a completely debauched life, high as kites, bringing drugs in the country. And still she claimed to be a good mother. I think the nanny may have done the mothering. One of her sons ended up wit... moreh a heroin addiction. Mmm, wonder where he got the idea from. Both Ronnie and Jo seem incredibly immature. I get the impression she is not fully over him, God knows why. This was okay as a filler book but I cannot give it more than 2 *. I hope she goes on to make a life for herself rather than the ex Mrs Wood.
review 2: Unlike some rock biographies that only hint at or gloss over past bad behavior and dirty deeds, Jo Wood names the names and what was going on where and when. My first thought was that Ronnie Wood (with a hefty contribution from Keith Richards) would have to fight this one and offer his ex a big bucks payoff to keep it off the market. But then I realized when it comes to The Rolling Stones, there really is no such thing as bad publicity. Part of the allure is their five decades long image as carousing, drinking and drugging bad boys - and this book simply adds to the legend. As a reviewer, I should only stick with the writing of the book itself, which is actually quite good. It was fun to read and I had a hard time putting it down, simply because each episode of Jo and Ronnie's life together seemed more unbelievable than what had happened before. There were many anticipated "page-turners" and the author kept it moving at a lively pace. I thought the story bogged down a bit when she detailed her business ventures, which came off to me as advertisements for her products. But on the other hand, that's who Jo Wood is as an entrepreneur and this is her story. There were numerous questionable opinions throughout, such as Jo's continued declaration of being a good mother to her children while spending years in the bathroom free-basing with Ronnie and partying non-stop for days without sleep on Stones' tours. She gives credit to her family and nannies for their assistance, but her message reads loud and clear that she was not simply a dedicated party girl, but would do almost anything and put up with just about everything to hang onto Ronnie Wood. And speaking of Ronnie Wood, whose name and reputation as a Rolling Stone is really the main incentive for reading this book; he comes off as a self-centered alcoholic and drug addict starved for attention. His only saving grace is a carefree and "anything for a laugh" personality in pubs, parties and on tour, with enough talent as a musician to compliment Keith Richards as the second guitarist in the Stones. Out of the spotlight he could be moody and mean, and continued a string of affairs with celebrities, groupies and "drinking buddies" who never seemed to age as he grew old enough to be his latest conquest's grandfather. One cutting moment was when he looked at Jo the day after her fiftieth birthday and declared he never thought he would ever be married to someone that old. But instead of being a testament to their life together, he meant it as a statement about how his mind works. This is a fun and gossipy look inside The Rolling Stones protective bubble. It may read as a fantasy for those of us on the outside, but it was everyday life for the inner circle. If you're a fan, this is a welcome addition to your Stones library. less

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