Some Opinions About Brian
| "I
was never really dependent on drugs. They had never done anything positive
for me. I hope this will be an example to young people who attempt to try
drugs."
Brian Jones' |
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"Brian was a cat who could
play any instrument. It was like: 'There it is. Music comes out of it. If
I work at it for a bit, I can do it.' It's him on marimbas on "Under
My Thumb" and mellotron on quite a few things on "Satanic
Majesties". He was the strings on "2,000 Light Years From Home".
Brian on mellotron and brass on "We Love You", all that Arabic
riff. He was one of those people who are so beautiful in one way, and such
an asshole in another. Keith Richards |
| "Brian wasn't really
good material to be in the pop business. He was too sensitive to every
real slight or perceived slight; just over-sensitive to everything. I
think he was a shy person and shy people in show business put themselves
at risk. Mick Jagger |
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It was
hilarious . We got up at three in the afternoon and played records
all day . Brian was really funny obsessed
with R&B and promoting The Rolling Stones .
Charlie Watts. |
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Brian was the inventor and
inspiration of the Stones. The band would
not have existed without him . He never received that proper credit
during his life . Bill Wyman |
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Brian
and I agreed that he, Brian, wouldn't live very long. I remember saying, You'll never make 30, man, and he
said, I know.
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There were two
Brians…one was introverted, shy, sensitive, deep-thinking…the other was a
preening peacock, gregarious, artistic, desperately needing assurance from his
peers…he pushed every friendship to the limit and way beyond." It certainly seemed that rock and roll stardom and Jones' personality
were on a collision course from day one. One that Brian couldn't possibly
survive. He couldn't and he wouldn't. Wyman |
| At
the start of the Stones it was Brian who was the monster head. Brian was
incredibly aggressive in performance. By then his hair was pretty long, and he
had what was almost a permanent pout, crossed with a leer, and he used to look
incredibly randy most of the time. He used to jump forward with the
tambourine and smash it in your face and sneer at you at the same time. |
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He
was always nice to me
. Charlie Watts
That
was a great period. We were like the kings
of the jungle then, and we were very close to the Stones. I don't know how the
others were, I spent a lot of time with Brian and Mick, and I admire them.
John Lennon
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"I
felt it was essential to point out what a pioneer Brian was: Brian was the
first person in |
Monterey
Festival
| Brian
seemed to be conveying in the neighborhood of jupiter .After the 40
minutes flight to Monterey . Jones spoke to me for the first time. Hi Al .
I don´t think he was aware that our introdution had taken place some
forty five minutes before. Brian spent his time at the festival mingling
with the hippies on the grounds and tripping on L.S.D., brilliantly
splattered in costume jewlry wearing a gold lame coat with beads and
scarves . Brian would be the one to introduce Hendrix for his historical
performance , the two artits having immense mutual admiration and respect
for each other . Al Kooper |
|
Brian
was flying on a tab of purple Owsley(flying London to New york). Noel
Redding
| We called Jimi Hendrix in London -- no one in the States knew who he was yet. He'd been playing as Jimmy James & The Blue Flames at the Cafe Wha? down in the Village the first time I'd seen him, and then I'd seen him in London in November ['66] London as The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Then, when I talked with Brian Jones [of The Rolling Stones] before Monterey, he told me, 'You've got to have this guy -- he's tearing Europe to pieces!' . John Phillips |
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Janitor
of lunacy. Nico Tribute to Brian december 1970 |
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Janitor
of lunacy Janitor
of tyranny |
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Tolerate
my jealousy Janitor
of lunacy Seal
the giving of their seed |
I´m
wordless sad and shocked .
Something has gone. We were like a pack ., like a family , we the Stones . I
just say my prayers for him. I hope he becomes blessed . hope he is finding peace , I really want him to . I wasn’t
ever really close to him. Mick Jagger
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He
was different over the years as he disintegrated. He ended up the kind of
guy that you dread he'd come on the phone, you know, because you knew it was
trouble. He was really in a lot of pain. But in the early days he was all right,
because he was young and confident. He was one of them guys that disintegrated
in front of you. And he was all right, and he wasn't sort of brilliant or
anything, he was just a nice guy. |
He got much nicer just before he died, the last few years of his life, but I felt even sorrier for him for what we did to him then. We took his one thing away, which was being in a band, I felt. Charlie Watts,
In the beginning Brian ran the band. But he really wanted to be called the leader of the band. I didn't particularly want to be the leader of the band. There WASN'T a leader. But as we became more popular people took more pictures of me. And Brian would be jealous. Mick Jagger
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Jim Morrison wrote this poem in honour of Brian Jones |
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I'm a resident of a city They've just picked me to play the Prince of Denmark Poor Ophelia All the ghosts he never saw, floating to doom on an iron candle Come back, brave warrior, Do the dive On another channel Hot buttered pool Where's Marrakesh under the Falls the wild storm where savages fell out in late afternoon monsters of rhythm You've left your Nothing to compete with Silence I hope you went out Smiling Like a child Into the cool remnant of a dream
The angel man |
The angel man with Serpents competing for his palms and fingers Finally claimed This benevolent Soul Ophelia Leaves, sodden in silk Chlorine dream mad stifled Witness The diving board, the plunge The pool You were a fighter a damask musky muse You were the bleached Sun for TV afternoon
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horned-toads maverick of a yellow spot Look now to where it's got You in meat heaven w/ the cannibals & jews The gardener Found The body, rampant, floating Lucky Stiff What is the green pale stuff You've made of poke holes in the goddess Skin Will he Stink Carried heavenward Thru the halls of music No chance Requiem for a heavy That smile That porky satyr's leer has leaped upward into the loam |
| I
used to know him quite well. Fairly well. I know a lot about the vibes
that were about. The Stones have always been a group that I really dug
very much. Dug all the dodgy aspects of them as well, and Brian Jones has
always been what I've regarded as one of the dodgy aspects. The way he
fitted in there and the way he didn't fit in, I always felt he was one of
the strong dynamics of the group. I credited him with a lot. A little bit
of love might have sorted him out. I don't think his death was necessarily
a bad thing for Brian. I think he'll do better next time." Pete
Townshend |
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He
was very talented, but he was a very paranoid personality and not at all suited
to be in show business .
Jagger
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"When I
met him I liked him quite a lot. He was a good fellow, you know. I got to know
him very well, I think, and I felt very close to him; you know how it is with
some people, you feel for them, feel near them. He was born February 28, 1943,
and I was born on February 25, 1943, and he was with Mick and Keith and I was
with John and Paul in the groups, so there was a sort of understanding between
the two of us. The positions were similar, and I often seemed to meet him in his
times of trouble. There was nothing the matter with him that a little extra love
wouldn't have cured. I don't think he had enough love or understanding. He was
very nice and sincere and sensitive, and we must remember that's what he was."
Harrison |
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If ever a man
genuinely lived the rock and roll life and naturally characterized the Stones in
every way –long before the five of us assumed a style , it was Brian jones.
The band would not existed without him . Many attitudes and sounds of the
sixtieswere developed from Brian ‘s style and determination . He was the
archetypal middle –class kid screaming to break away from his background ,
bumming around in deal end jobs before finally finding his niche . And when he
found it , he hammered it across to the
world with idealism and commitment. Bill Wyman |
| "Well, today's a pretty normal day for Brian. He always seemed to be
losing out one way or another. I used to see a lot of the Stones' success lying
with him but the rest of the Stones never really dug him. He was always under
some drug or other, a very druggy sort of person." Pete
Townshend. |
|
"I
used to play my guitar as a kid wishing that I could be like him But today I changed my mind I decided that I don't want to die But it was a normal day for Brian Rock and Roll's that way It was a normal day for Brian A man who died every day" |
I can't
really say anything about Brian. It's such a personal thing and it's impossible
to sum up a friend cold-bloodedly. It's a great personal loss that leaves me at
a loss for words. No matter what i were to say, it would not be enough".
Watts
I
think there must be some intangible element that he was bringing to the Stones
, you know , that kept it from being too Chuck Berry.
Lindsey Buckingham/Fleetwood Mac