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Ronnie Schneider – I managed the Rolling Stones

Go to:  Ronnie Schneider artist's page.

Ronnie Schneider managed the 1966, 1969 and 1970 US tours of the Rolling Stones. He also was heavily involved with the dissolution of the Beatles and the reorganisation of their business arm. Ronnie has also worked Neil Sedaka, Sam Cook and Nancy Wilson. Pluto Media sat down with Ronnie and spoke about his life, music, some of the artists he has worked with the release of his book "Out of our heads".

What made you decide to write the book now?
I decided to write about it 10 years ago, started writing 5 years ago, and now is when I published it.

There is a strong sense of "family" that resonates through the book, you seemed to be more than a manager to the band, why is that?
When you are on the road - living /working together with a common goal, you become family.

Interesting title, it’s the name of the Rolling Stones third album - why did you choose that?
For over 4 yrs I went through various titles and recently I remembered Out of Our Heads. I thought it could be a good title for the book ... referring to numbers and music that comes out of our heads. Plus, the Acronym is OOOH !

The picture on the cover of the book is you counting wads of cash in the background and Mick Jagger walking away smiling. It’s a wonderful image of the two roles and dynamics, how often did this happen?
Quite often, I was the petty cash guy.

You would have dealt with a lot of personalities, how hard was it to wrangle everyone in the same direction?
They always got there and time has made it seem easy.

You were hired by your uncle, Allen Klein, as an intern from College. What do you think he saw in you?
My mother (his sister) told him to hire me :) And he kept me on, so he saw something.

It's hard for someone to understand how hard you worked, perhaps you can give me a quick overview of how hectic your job became, how long your average day was?
The job is 24/7 on the road. At the office it wasn't measured in hours if you want to succeed. At the time I never thought about writing a book or taking a vacation since I was too busy living life and working.

"Gimme Shelter" has become such a well known movie. But what people don't know is that it was screened at Cannes but never entered into the film competition component, why was that?
Don't know or I don't remember. A Maysles decision probably. (the film director Albert Maysles)

You have mentioned that there was a lot of untruth over "Gimme Shelter". What is the real story?
This is where I could say, "read the book". Short version-the film was never planned. The untruths are in regard to Altamont. The biggest untruth is the Rolling Stones hired the Hells Angels for Altamont ... they didn't.

You must have had a lot of opportunities, a lot of business deals come across your desk. Any missed opportunities you regret now?
Keeping control of "Gimme Shelter" and making the Warner's distribution deal for the film.

You must have met some crazy characters; any particular person springs to mind?
Crazy, does not judge.

A lot of tour and band managers will be reading this, do you have any message for them?
Don't marry while you're young.

If you had one word to describe your time with the Beatles and the Stones, what would it be?
Spectacular!

A lot of people think success comes down to luck, do you agree? Perhaps you could explain how hard the band/s worked.
I'm sure the majority of the people/bands work extremely hard. When it comes to luck; I think life is like gambling at a craps table - if you stand at the table long enough, eventually, the dice will come your way. The main thing is being at the table. Most bands break up after a short period.

A lot of bands and artists now "break through" at a very early age. Do you think this is a good or bad thing?
It depends on the individuals ... and who's advising them.

What is next for you?
Hopefully, tomorrow.

Where can people purchase your book and find out more about you?
On Amazon.