The “27” club still fascinates. After Back to BlackSam Taylor-Johnson’s biopic dedicated to Amy Winehouse, English director Nick Broomfield (Whitney: Can I Be Me, Marianne and Leonard: Words of Love) paints the portrait of Brian Jones, another icon who died at the age of 27. Same tragic end (he was found dead in his swimming pool on July 3, 1969), same feeling of waste. Brian Jones is the instigator and founder of the Rolling Stones. After completing his apprenticeship in various London orchestras, this enthusiast of authentic black Delta blues placed an ad in the music press in 1961 to form his own group. Jones came up with the name The Rolling Stones, inspired by the song “Rollin’ Stone” by his idol Muddy Waters. He will be the first to introduce new, unconventional instruments into the world of pop: the sitar in “Paint It Black,” the oboe in “Dandelion,” the marimba in “Under My Thumb,” it’s him. It’s Brian Jones.
Genius lacking confidence
The following ? We know her. The inventive musician, the inspiring leader and the elegant icon of the Swinging London movement gradually fades under the yoke of Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham who will highlight the pair of composers Jagger/Richards. Then come depression, sentimental wanderings, excesses of illicit or not illicit substances, physical decline, repeated absences during recording sessions, his ouster from the group on June 9, 1969 and, less than a month later, his disappearance. The story of Brian Jones has already been the subject of abundant literature and numerous documentaries. His death sparked its share of rumors. And, most importantly, his music still vibrates. So, big question: what else does this new documentary, even if it is signed by a specialist in rock biographies, bring?
Based on archives, many of which have been previously unpublished, but also on new testimonies (Mick Jagger and Keith Richards declined), the story, very linear in its plot, has the merit of having a real point of view. Nick Broomfield eludes the so-called mystery of his death by drowning and avoids sensationalism, even if he has collected many sometimes redundant confidences from “friends” of Brian Jones. Enriching his subject with numerous sequences testifying to the cultural vitality of London in the 1960s, he chooses to focus on the life of Brian Jones to better grasp its flaws and understand how this genius – without a doubt the most gifted musician of the Stones with drummer Charlie Watts – has himself locked in the shadows of the great history of rock.
“ From his adolescence, Brian is the black sheep of his familyNick Broomfield explained to us at the last Ghent Film Festival. At the age of 16 he was kicked out of high school for getting a classmate pregnant. This incident creates a real rift with his parents and he will never recover. When the Stones experience their first success, he is undermined by doubt, regrets, the weight of responsibilities (in the meantime, he will have had two other children from two different mothers, – Editor’s note). Unlike Jagger or Richards, he did not feel comfortable in this role of spokesperson for a generation. All he wanted to do was play the blues.”
The Stones And Brian Jones Documentary Of Nick Broomfield With Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards… 1h33
