“For fans of the Rolling Stones, Villa Nellcote is as sacred as Abbey Road,” says the author, who also provides insight into the history of the magnificent villa.
A mysterious villa on the French Riviera. The Rolling Stones rented it. The wealthy and eccentric owned it. And the Nazis occupied it. And a Norwegian author wrote a book about it. But are all the rumors really true?
Author and commercial film director Geir Hørnes wrote a book about the magnificent villa Nellcote from the Rolling Stones’ time on the Riviera. The book, titled “The Curious Chronicles of Villa Nellcote,” was published in English in 2021, 50 years after the album “Exile on Main St.” was recorded in the villa’s basement.
The original book is an exclusive 400-page account of the legendary Riviera mansion. The new French issue is a 460-page edition dedicated to the extraordinary life of Villa Nellcote.
The demand for the magnificent book was such that a new edition was published the following year, and according to Hørnes, it has now reached readers in over 40 countries. He calls it “unreal” that the book is now also being published in French.
Produced in collaboration with the families who owned Nellcote, the book includes firsthand accounts and exclusive, new contributions from the Rolling Stones’ entourage, adding further insight into the bohemian recording of Exile on Main St. at Villa Nellcote in 1971.
The new French edition, revised, expanded, and enriched with more than 60 new pages, also explores the post-Stones era: the trial that followed their departure, the years of silence, and then the rebirth of Nellcote in the 1980s and 1990s, when the former hideout of rock stars became a haven for the Italian jet set and the Monegasque princely family.
“It all started as a personal hunt for stories that were at risk of being lost. I think we live in a time where people are hungry for knowledge and depth, as well as a slightly nerdy approach. I think many people dream of being nerdy themselves. I hope I can inspire others to do something similar,” Hørnes told NTB.
Lavishly illustrated with architect drawings, personal journals, and more than 250 photos from private archives, The Curious Chronicles of Villa Nellcote is unparalleled in scope and the most authoritative document on the history of Nellcote.
Hørnes has received the following greeting from Keith Richards after being in contact with, among others, his son: “Thank you for your efforts for bringing this history to life.”
“Mme Keller did not realize to whom she was renting the villa. She thought a successful young pianist would be living there and had no idea who the Rolling Stones were. When she finally mentioned the name of Keith Richards, I nearly fainted.” Barbara Lee.
What happened in 1971 is duly documented, among other things, by the photographs of Dominique Tarlé, which can be seen in Hørnes’ book. The author has also spoken to even more people in the Stones camp for the French edition, as well as the judge who issued the arrest warrant against Keith Richards.
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Related: The Rolling Stones Resumed Their World Tour In Oslo
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Villa Nellcote is situated on the French Riviera, where the facades of sand-colored houses and swaying palms reflect off the Mediterranean Sea’s surface.
Built by the French wine producer Eugène Thomas-Piétri in 1899 and owned by the Bordes family for generations, Villa Nellcote boasts a history shrouded in mystery and speculation.
All its residents were exceptional people: One drove the fundraising campaign for the Statue of Liberty. Another survived the Titanic disaster. A third worked, in secret, both for the Nazis and the Allies during World War II.
Where the original book left off in 1974, the final part of the new issue takes readers into the aftermath of the Stones’ adventure, Villa Nellcote’s journey through the 1980s and 1990s, and the jet-set lives of the new residents.
In 1971, guitarist Keith Richards arrived at Nellcote. Worshipped by fans, hounded by the police, and hated by the establishment, the Rolling Stones had been banished from Britain. Now they wanted to make music – in the land of the old enemy, France! The mythical recording sessions for Exile on Main St. turned Nellcote into a musical place of pilgrimage on a par with Graceland and Abbey Road. Daily, visitors arrive, take photos, and post them online as a ‘bucket list’ experience. And it doesn’t stop there: A Napa Valley wine brand ‘draws its inspiration’ from Villa Nellcote. A Chicago restaurant is decorated to resemble its interior. A hip Swedish perfume is curated to smell like its garden. Why is Villa Nellcote so alluring? And why has its full, fascinating story not been told – until now?
In this book, you can join author Geir Hørnes as he travels the globe and uncovers Villa Nellcote´s fascinating past on three different continents. Until recently, the villa was owned by a Russian oligarch who – like the family who rented the villa to Keith Richards in the 1970s – was not keen on the luxury property’s rock-iconic status. As a result, today you can only catch a glimpse of it from the sea outside Villefranche-sur-Mer.
The Curious Chronicles of Villa Nellcote includes:
- A vast selection of rare and unpublished photos, maps, drawings, and ephemera.
• Architect drawings of Nellcote – including the basement where The Rolling Stones recorded.
• The original Nellcote guestbook from World War I, reproduced for the first time.
• The never-before-seen journal from the Titanic, written by one of Nellcote´s owners.
• Exceptional images of the German soldiers in Villefranche-sur-Mer during World War II.
• Private snapshots and colour slides of Nellcote in the post-war years.
• Georgia Bergman´s personal journal from 1971, offering a rare glimpse into the absolute chronology of the events at Villa Nellcote during the Stones’ stay.
• Mick McKenna´s custom-made technical drawings of The Rolling Stones Mobile in 1971.
• Images of the 1971 Nellcote phonebook, displaying the names and numbers of the power players and celebrities visiting the villa.
• The Nellcote Chronicles offers new interviews and exclusive contributions from the 1971 Stones entourage: Marlon Richards, photographer Dominique Tarlé, author Robert Greenfield, Stones office administrator Georgia Bergman, record producer Robin Millar, artist Stanislas Klossowski de Rola, Nellcote chef Gérard Mosiniak, Rolling Stones Records´ European Label Manager Trevor Churchill, International Label Manager at WEA France Dominic Lamblin, Stage and Lighting Technician Bruce Byall, as well as the siblings Jake and Charley Weber.
• Contributing museums and art collections: Sotheby´s New York, Arts et Métiers Paris, New York Public Library, New Orleans Historical Collections, Staatsarchive Zurich, Swiss Federal Archives Bern, National Bibliothèque France, Military Archive Freiburg, Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum Jerusalem. - Award-winning Norwegian TV and film director Geir Hørnes has written the Curious Chronicles of Villa Nellcote. You can buy the French issue here.
Norwegian Book on a Mysterious Villa on the French Riviera – Now in French, Tor Kjolberg reporting.
All images are photos from the book, except the portrait of Geir Hørnes, © Book365