Surviving the Brian Jonestown Massacre
VICTORIA (CUP) — In 1990, the Brian Jonestown Massacre was born - kicking and screaming - and emerged as one of America's most prolific and out-and-out pointed rock bands. With a rowdy reputation that will probably follow them forever, for better or worse, they've somehow managed to remain one of the most relevant acts around.
Led by the hallowed-yet-hot-headed genius Anton Newcombe, Jonestown's hijinks have, as chronicled in the now-classic documentary film DiG!, become the stuff of legend, luster and ill-repute.
DiG!, Ondi Timoner's 2004 film, was the acclaimed prize-winner - considered by many to be one of the best rock ‘n' roll films ever made - that introduced the Brian Jonestown Massacre to a wider audience.
“It's something that's always going to be there,” says guitarist-vocalist Matt Hollywood. “It all happened and someone was there to film it.”
For anyone who's seen DiG! it may come as a shock that Hollywood is back in the band, having been bashed and bullied by bandleader Newcombe. As the film unflinchingly showed, their differences seemed irreconcilable.
But today Hollywood is happy to be back in the fold as the band launches into an exhaustive international tour and has just released their 11th studio album, Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?
“The band is all coming together,” says Hollywood excitedly. “It feels really good. Everyone's so funny and interesting to be around - it's been a laugh riot!”
A riot is what leaps to the minds of many music fans whenever Jonestown's name gets mentioned, complete with visions of Newcombe's messianic ravings and violent outbursts. Will DiG! ever stay buried?
“People who've seen the movie used to come to the shows to egg on Anton,” says Hollywood, “but it's died down. People who normally would never come to the shows did because of DiG!, and I don't think that's a bad thing, necessarily. Maybe Jonestown infected some of those people with something in the music that turns ‘em around, you know?”
Hollywood, a talented and at times temperamental songwriter, stops mid-sentence, clears his throat, giving a thoughtful pause. “As for this tour,” he says, “well, people have worked through various types of difficulties and learned to put the music first, and get along with each other.”
This wasn't always the case - just a cursory glance at the list of musicians who've played in the band and then were jostled out unceremoniously by Newcombe reads like a cruelly comic scene right out of This Is Spinal Tap.
In many ways, Hollywood's reappearance in the band is like the prodigal son's return. His contributions to the Jonestown canon are considerable, and in his near-decade absence he's been busy with other projects like the Rebel Drones (dropping a new album later this year).
“I think we're disappointing a lot (of) people,” jokes Hollywood, “by not having a riot on stage every night. We're not all punching each other out anymore, and from my perspective, that's a good thing. Anton is feeling better than he has in a long time. He hasn't been drinking for about a year now and he wants to have a good time on this tour.”
Could it be that Jonestown is mellowing out? “Well, we're all getting older, you know? Bruises take longer to heal and now we go and do a show to play music instead of brawl. We've gotten pretty good at it.”
Hollywood is modest in this regard, as fans and critics have been applauding Jonestown from the kickoff. And what about the new album?
Like so much of the Jonestown oeuvre, Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? is filled with a manifold of eccentric pleasures. Like the obvious single, Let's Go Fucking Mental, an anti-anthem and a shaggy-dog sidestep with an oblique nod to psychedelia and shoegaze, but still difficult to classify and label.
“What we set out to do is make the kind of music we want to hear and I think that we do that pretty well,” says Hollywood.
Perhaps the Jonestown legacy of genre reconstruction - building greatness out of whatever might be in their orbit - could be the key to their longevity.
But amidst all the silky sheen atmospheric sounds, and built into the walls of shimmering guitar noise, and atop the mountainous Marshall stacks, Hollywood remains quite forward in his thinking. “With the direction that we're all going, I consider Jonestown to be successful.”
Despite all the ink that's been spilled and lip service that's been paid for their volatile outbursts, they still take it all with good humour.
“We were all hit by the Star Wars thing pretty hard when we were kids,” teases Hollywood, “and there's always been this undercurrent of it in the band - not so much in the music - but, we're using the force, you just don't know it.”
And with that Hollywood laughs loudly - like a child - for an instant, and then is quiet. His laughter, like Jonestown's music, is misshapen but somehow radiant.
Led by the hallowed-yet-hot-headed genius Anton Newcombe, Jonestown's hijinks have, as chronicled in the now-classic documentary film DiG!, become the stuff of legend, luster and ill-repute.
DiG!, Ondi Timoner's 2004 film, was the acclaimed prize-winner - considered by many to be one of the best rock ‘n' roll films ever made - that introduced the Brian Jonestown Massacre to a wider audience.
“It's something that's always going to be there,” says guitarist-vocalist Matt Hollywood. “It all happened and someone was there to film it.”
For anyone who's seen DiG! it may come as a shock that Hollywood is back in the band, having been bashed and bullied by bandleader Newcombe. As the film unflinchingly showed, their differences seemed irreconcilable.
But today Hollywood is happy to be back in the fold as the band launches into an exhaustive international tour and has just released their 11th studio album, Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?
“The band is all coming together,” says Hollywood excitedly. “It feels really good. Everyone's so funny and interesting to be around - it's been a laugh riot!”
A riot is what leaps to the minds of many music fans whenever Jonestown's name gets mentioned, complete with visions of Newcombe's messianic ravings and violent outbursts. Will DiG! ever stay buried?
“People who've seen the movie used to come to the shows to egg on Anton,” says Hollywood, “but it's died down. People who normally would never come to the shows did because of DiG!, and I don't think that's a bad thing, necessarily. Maybe Jonestown infected some of those people with something in the music that turns ‘em around, you know?”
Hollywood, a talented and at times temperamental songwriter, stops mid-sentence, clears his throat, giving a thoughtful pause. “As for this tour,” he says, “well, people have worked through various types of difficulties and learned to put the music first, and get along with each other.”
This wasn't always the case - just a cursory glance at the list of musicians who've played in the band and then were jostled out unceremoniously by Newcombe reads like a cruelly comic scene right out of This Is Spinal Tap.
In many ways, Hollywood's reappearance in the band is like the prodigal son's return. His contributions to the Jonestown canon are considerable, and in his near-decade absence he's been busy with other projects like the Rebel Drones (dropping a new album later this year).
“I think we're disappointing a lot (of) people,” jokes Hollywood, “by not having a riot on stage every night. We're not all punching each other out anymore, and from my perspective, that's a good thing. Anton is feeling better than he has in a long time. He hasn't been drinking for about a year now and he wants to have a good time on this tour.”
Could it be that Jonestown is mellowing out? “Well, we're all getting older, you know? Bruises take longer to heal and now we go and do a show to play music instead of brawl. We've gotten pretty good at it.”
Hollywood is modest in this regard, as fans and critics have been applauding Jonestown from the kickoff. And what about the new album?
Like so much of the Jonestown oeuvre, Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? is filled with a manifold of eccentric pleasures. Like the obvious single, Let's Go Fucking Mental, an anti-anthem and a shaggy-dog sidestep with an oblique nod to psychedelia and shoegaze, but still difficult to classify and label.
“What we set out to do is make the kind of music we want to hear and I think that we do that pretty well,” says Hollywood.
Perhaps the Jonestown legacy of genre reconstruction - building greatness out of whatever might be in their orbit - could be the key to their longevity.
But amidst all the silky sheen atmospheric sounds, and built into the walls of shimmering guitar noise, and atop the mountainous Marshall stacks, Hollywood remains quite forward in his thinking. “With the direction that we're all going, I consider Jonestown to be successful.”
Despite all the ink that's been spilled and lip service that's been paid for their volatile outbursts, they still take it all with good humour.
“We were all hit by the Star Wars thing pretty hard when we were kids,” teases Hollywood, “and there's always been this undercurrent of it in the band - not so much in the music - but, we're using the force, you just don't know it.”
And with that Hollywood laughs loudly - like a child - for an instant, and then is quiet. His laughter, like Jonestown's music, is misshapen but somehow radiant.
