It charts Mick Jagger's early life as a rambunctious, relatively ordinary little kid, to a teen music enthusiast and then to a budding pop star. His bizarre sex appeal made him a universal sensation, and his work with fellow Rolling Stone Keith Richards made him a musical one. Not to mention (of course) a string of high-profile girlfriends and wives that included models, socialites and singers.

Seay writes about Jagger with the sort of gooey compliments lavished on media favorites. Here, Jagger can do no wrong, or at least not much of it. His tumultuous love life (involving both sexes, Seay constantly reminds us) dominates this book. He slept with this person! He had a fling with that person! It pretty much makes up the entire book, as Seay spends little time focusing on the creative side of the Stones.

Despite claiming to be "the story behind the Rolling Stone," there really is nothing new about Jagger in this book. Seay just lists the same fights, concerts, and interview snippets, while adding nothing to them. Jagger remains enigmatic throughout the book, and Seay only stops now and then to offer some guesses on what the rock star was thinking.

Seay also has an annoying habit of playing favorites with the assorted people who surrounded Jagger, especially women. For example, Marianne Faithfull is venerated as a saintly junkie/convent girl, whereas Anita Pallenberg is vilified as a "depraved den mother" who would try to get advantages with "her body and her wicked imagination." Bianca's gambling and sexy clothes make her an even bigger target. On the other hand, the raging excesses of the Stones are often glossed over.

Sleazy excess and Jagger's overactive love life are the focuses of "Mick Jagger: The Story Behind the Rolling Stone." There's nothing new here, and little worth checking out.