Welcome to episode 120 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and Le Petite Chocolat.

Sam Cutler was tour manager for The Rolling Stones during their infamous 1969 tour of America, he went on to work for The Grateful Dead. You can see him in a small handful of documentaries focussed on that era – and he is the writer of the excellent and engaging set of road-tales You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

You can check out Sam’s writings on Facebook and preview/buy his book and follow his other writings at his website; there’s also an app he created with an audiobook version of his memoir read by Cutler himself.

He was in New Zealand recently for a set of talks and I nabbed some time with him for the podcast. He told me all the stories he’s told many times before – for sure – it was so great to hear, from the source, tales of working with two of the biggest bands in the world during their respective star-making tours.

We had a cup of tea and talked through Sam’s life, a music-obsessed “War Baby” in the UK who gave up playing the guitar and found a career looking after bands; he’s endured meetings with Bill Graham, Peter Grant and the head of the Hells Angels. It’s been a long, strange trip for Cutler, years of touring the world, surviving cancers and various marriages. He now lives in Australia where he writes and tells stories about his time on the road.

It was my great pleasure to meet Sam, talk with him, hear so many stories about two of my favourite bands. He signed my copy of his book, my Ya-Ya’s record too. And then he was off. This was his first trip to New Zealand.

I hope you enjoy hearing some legendary tales from Sam Cutler.

Here is episode 120 of Sweetman Podcast, my conversation with Sam Cutler
https://samcutlersbooks.com/https://www.facebook.com/Sam-Cutler-1419240388141325/You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron