Named after the tragic Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and even more tragic Jonestown Massacre, BJM are led by the brilliant but unstable Anton Newcombe.



They should undoubtedly be more famous than they are as anyone who knows their music will testify...so why aren't they?

I could tell how both The Dandy Warhols and Jack White have all came up on the slipstream of the band and by far surpassed anything that Brian Jonestown Massacre have,or are likely to achieve.

I could tell how live shows regularly descend into chaos with Newcombe either fighting with his own band or members of the audience.

I could tell how the intrusion of hard drugs, a history of mental illness and bad luck have all entered and had a detrimental effect on the Brian Jonestown Massacre story.



But then again these two youtube clips tell the story better than I ever could...



Here's why they should have been huge:



Going to Hell

and here's why they probably aren't:



Dig - The Viper Room 

Interested?  Hunt down a copy of the DVD 'Dig!'.  A captivating documentary which shows both the brilliance and the madness of Anton Newcombe 

Posted In They Shoulda Been Huge, Sep 14 2008. Words - Mark