There’s apparently a secret Mick Jagger memoir shelved away from public consumption that chronicles the rock star’s early years up until about 1980. At least that’s what London publisher John Blake claims in an article printed by British magazine The Spectator, asserting that he holds the only copy of a 75,000-word manuscript written by Jagger for a long-ago book deal that eventually failed. Blake says that he was given a typed copy of the “delicious, heady” memoir from a mutual friend of Jagger’s about three years ago, and that it contained hand-written notes from Jagger himself. Yet the reason its yet to see the light of day is because the Rolling Stones frontman did not grant him the permission to publish it. Jagger has expressed on a number of recent occasions his disinterest in releasing a biography, so his reticence here isn’t necessarily surprising. The Rolling Stones’ manager Joyce Smyth released the following statement through her law firm:

John Blake writes to me from time to time seeking permission to publish this manuscript. The answer is always the same: He cannot, because it isn’t his and he accepts this. Readers will be able to form a view as regards the matters to which John Blake refers when Sir Mick’s autobiography appears, should he choose to write it.

While Blake can’t publish the material since Jagger owns the rights to the manuscript, he’s chosen to reveal its existence because he considers it a matter of public service, saying in an interview with The New York Times: “It’s such a rare primary document that I kind of, like — I just thought the world would be interested to know about this. That was all.”