At age sixteen, Bill German began publishing a Rolling Stones fanzine out of his bedroom in Brooklyn. And when he presented an issue to the band on a street in New York, he obviously made an impression: before he knew it, the Stones had hired him to document their career, inviting him in to the studio and to their private jam sessions. He traveled the world with them, stayed at their homes, and, for almost two decades, witnessed their wild parties and nasty feuds. Yet through it all, he never lost his identity as that “nice boy from Brooklyn.”

Under Their Thumb is a fish-out-of-water tale about a fan who wanted to know everything about his favorite rock group—and suddenly learned too much. This updated edition, published to mark the Stones’ sixtieth anniversary, features forty new pages of text and more than thirty never-before-seen photos.

Bill German majored in journalism at New York University until he dropped out to follow the Stones. He co-authored The Works with guitarist Ron Wood and has written about the group for Rolling Stone and Spin. He lives in New York City.