Exclusive | The truth behind Rolling Stones famous NYC truck stunt 50 years ago: Complete shock

They went from “Get Off of My Cloud” to “Get Off of My Flatbed Truck.”That was the case when the Rolling Stones, taking their name quite literally, wheeled down Fifth Avenue in a surprise performance on a flatbed truck 50 years ago on May 1, 1975.But photographer Bob Gruen — who shot the promotional stunt to announce the Stones’ Tour of the Americas ‘75 — had a premonition about the top-secret mission.“I was at the Bottom Line the day before, and I saw Paul Wasserman, who was the Rolling Stones’ press agent, and I said to him, ‘I heard there’s going to be a press conference or something.’” Gruen told The Post.“And he said, ‘Yes, we were trying to get a permit for Times Square, but it didn’t work out.

We’re looking for a place.’”But unbeknownst to Gruen, he stumbled upon the solution.“Totally joking, I said, ‘Oh, What are they gonna do? Get on a flatbed truck?’” he said.“And he looked at me, he put his finger to his lips, and he says, ‘Be quiet.’ He didn’t want anybody else to hear, and I thought, ‘What did I say?’”Indeed, the next day the Rolling Stones eschewed the traditional press conference that was expected and played “Brown Sugar” down Fifth Avenue as their way to announce the tour in a twist that would also serve as the debut performance of new guitarist Ronnie Wood, who was replacing the recently departed Mick Taylor.It was drummer Charlie Watts’ idea to take it to the NYC streets in this big-wheeled way.“This was Charlie’s doing,” wrote Wood in his 2007 memoir “Ronnie: The Autobiography.” “He read somewhere that black jazz artists used to roll through Harlem playing on a flatbed, so he nicked the idea for us.”On the morning of May 1, 1975, a telegram was sent to journalists about the Stones press conference — in a time before emails and cellphones.“They sent out a telegram at 9 o’clock in the morning and told you to be someplace at 10 o’clock,” recalled Gruen.

“I...