Brian Jones: The Last Decadent

... This book about the life, death, and character of Brian Jones is absolutely as beautiful as it is chilling! ... Jeremy Reed has the gifted ability to transcend time and space and bring us right into the heart and soul - and life circumstances at the time of his death - of Brian Jones, founder and one-time leader of The Rolling Stones. ... I do not know if the conclusion of this book is true: that Brian Jones was killed and murdered in the swimming pool at his own country home by a group of bloody blockheads who were friends with employees of the Rolling Stones organization; but after reading this book, Bill Wyman's STONE ALONE, and the most recent OLD GODS ALMOST DEAD (about The Rolling Stones, by Stephen Davis), there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Brian Jones' death was no accident! ... I was pissed after reading this book! Pissed, and sad. ... Where in the hell were the other Rolling Stones within hours of this happening to Brian, and why did they NOT insist on a thorough, precise, and intense investigation into his death?! THIS question haunts me MORE than if Brian was murdered or died of "misadventure;" MORE than if Brian was heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual; and even MORE than if he, indeed, was getting his act together and on the verge of forming another great band. (On the last postulation, I have no doubt!). ... So, the real question to ask is: If Brian Jones was murdered, WHY was Brian murdered - and more importantly - to WHOSE BENEFIT would it be to see Brian dead? ... RIGHT?! ... 1969 was a bad year: The Beatles broke-up, Brian Jones "died," and The Rolling Stones had to suffer their own DEGREE OF MURDER (indeed!) during Altamont. ... The Beatles and The Stones had a lot in common, but especially astrologically. Both bands had a combination of 2 trines and 2 squares. In the Beatles, Lennon (Libra) and McCartney (Gemini) were both trined AIR signs, whereas Harrison (Pisces) and Starr (Cancer) were both trined WATER signs. Also, Lennon was "squared" to Starr, and McCartney was "squared" to Harrison. ... In the Stones, Jones (Pisces) and Wyman (Scorpio) were both trined WATER signs, whereas Jagger (Leo) and Richards (Sagittarius) are both trined FIRE signs. Jones was "squared" to Richards, and Wyman was "squared" to Jagger. The 5th member of The Stones, Charlie Watts (a Gemini), is "opposite" Richards, "sextiled" to Jagger, "inconjunct" to Wyman, and ALSO "squared" to Jones. THIS made Brian the odd man out, with a DOUBLE-SQUARE against him!! Oppositions are no picnic, but they harbour a certain degree of respect. Squares, on the other hand, can be VERY disrespectful. ... This book sheds much light on the sensitive soul of Brian Jones. Pages 29 and 94 also have some very inuitively perceptive and right-on remarks about serious sociological realities in modern capitalist societies; realities that - as a true artist - Brian found himself at odds with. Yet, unlike Jagger & Richards - who tried to bribe their way out of jai

... This book about the life, death, and character of Brian Jones is absolutely as beautiful as it is chilling! ... Jeremy Reed has the gifted ability to transcend time and space and bring us right into the heart and soul - and life circumstances at the time of his death - of Brian Jones, founder and one-time leader of The Rolling Stones. ... I do not know if the conclusion of this book is true: that Brian Jones was killed and murdered in the swimming pool at his own country home by a group of bloody blockheads who were friends with employees of the Rolling Stones organization; but after reading this book, Bill Wyman's STONE ALONE, and the most recent OLD GODS ALMOST DEAD (about The Rolling Stones, by Stephen Davis), there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Brian Jones' death was no accident! ... I was [mad] after reading this book! [Mad], and sad. ... Where in the hell were the other Rolling Stones within hours of this happening to Brian, and why did they NOT insist on a thorough, precise, and intense investigation into his death?! THIS question haunts me MORE than if Brian was murdered or died of "misadventure;" MORE than if Brian was heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual; and even MORE than if he, indeed, was getting his act together and on the verge of forming another great band. (On the last postulation, I have no doubt!). ... So, the real question to ask is: If Brian Jones was murdered, WHY was Brian murdered - and more importantly - to WHOSE BENEFIT would it be to see Brian dead? ... RIGHT?! ... 1969 was a bad year: The Beatles broke-up, Brian Jones "died," and The Rolling Stones had to suffer their own DEGREE OF MURDER (indeed!) during Altamont. ... The Beatles and The Stones had a lot in common, but especially astrologically. Both bands had a combination of 2 trines and 2 squares. In the Beatles, Lennon (Libra) and McCartney (Gemini) were both trined AIR signs, whereas Harrison (Pisces) and Starr (Cancer) were both trined WATER signs. Also, Lennon was "squared" to Starr, and McCartney was "squared" to Harrison. ... In the Stones, Jones (Pisces) and Wyman (Scorpio) were both trined WATER signs, whereas Jagger (Leo) and Richards (Sagittarius) are both trined FIRE signs. Jones was "squared" to Richards, and Wyman was "squared" to Jagger. The 5th member of The Stones, Charlie Watts (a Gemini), is "opposite" Richards, "sextiled" to Jagger, "inconjunct" to Wyman, and ALSO "squared" to Jones. THIS made Brian the odd man out, with a DOUBLE-SQUARE against him!! Oppositions are no picnic, but they harbour a certain degree of respect. Squares, on the other hand, can be VERY disrespectful. ... This book sheds much light on the sensitive soul of Brian Jones. Pages 29 and 94 also have some very inuitively perceptive and right-on remarks about serious sociological realities in modern capitalist societies; realities that - as a true artist - Brian found himself at odds with. Yet, unlike Jagger & Richards - who tried to bribe their way out of jail

... This book about the life, death, and character of Brian Jones is absolutely as beautiful as it is chilling! ... Jeremy Reed has the gifted ability to transcend time and space and bring us right into the heart and soul - and life circumstances at the time of his death - of Brian Jones, founder and one-time leader of The Rolling Stones. ... I do not know if the conclusion of this book is true...and why did they NOT insist on a thorough, precise, and intense investigation into his death?! THIS question haunts me MORE than if Brian was murdered or died of "misadventure...So, the real question to ask is: If Brian Jones was murdered, WHY was Brian murdered - and more importantly - to WHOSE BENEFIT would it be to see Brian dead? ... RIGHT?!... This book sheds much light on the sensitive soul of Brian Jones. Pages 29 and 94 also have some very inuitively perceptive and right-on remarks about serious sociological realities in modern capitalist societies; realities that - as a true artist - Brian found himself at odds with... when Brian got busted the first time, he honestly and openly admitted that the pot and / or hash - and ONLY that - were his. He did not lie! He may have been a petty thief at times, an irresponsible parent, and an abusive misogynist - to say nothing of his alcohol abuse - but he was honorable, dignified, and true to his artistic and individualistic spirit till the end. ... He loved music. Brian Jones was a Dionysiac Adonis and a Lord of The Muse, who he served with all his heart and soul. ... This book sheds light on the truth. If you love Brian Jones, if you love The Rolling Stones, and if you love the music that inspired them all to devote their lives to it, then you MUST read this short, but very insightful, book by Jeremy Reed. It is truly a labor of love. - The Aeolian Kid.

I am sure Brian Jones would have been amused and delighted to be compared to figures as Oscar Wilde and a decadent tradition. This book makes a refreshing change to the biographical books we have seen published on Jones in the last 30 years and has not pretended to be anything else than a thesis on Jones. It was an enjoyable read that pointed out some interesting theories which perhaps are not without foundation or beyond the realms of possibility.

Buy this book and re-imagine Brian Jones & The Stones through the unique mind of Jeremy Reed.This book on Brian Jones is not "a fine piece of accurate journalism"; but then Jeremy Reed is not a journalist but rather a poet. This is a fine poetic imagining by a sympathetic spirit. And it is probably worth remarking that Jeremy Reed's poetic intuition, after 30 years living at the heart of London's underground and creative community, may be a hell of a lot closer to the "truth" then anything a journalist could possibly say. For me, Reed is among the great writers of our fin de siecle and JG Ballard, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Kathleen Raine, John Ashberry, David Gascoyne and the late James Merrill have all said so. Sadly, while Reed has a devoted following among our best writers, at present many ordinary readers still don't know his work. So if you are new to Reed, here is a little bit about him. Jeremy Reed has published more than 40 major works in under twenty years. He has written more than a dozen books of poetry, as many novels, and several volumes of literary criticism. Jeremy Reed is also a fine music critic and a most unique and imaginative biographer. His full-length studies on Lou Reed, Mark Almond and Scott Walker are respected, highly personal and profoundly considered; in each case these living artists prefer Reed's work to all others. He has also written on jazz singers, and particularly torch singers, for whom he has a special sympathy. He is particularly good on Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday, and his essay The Angel in Poetry examines the unique connections between poetry, singing and the human voice.Reed has also published important and respected translations of Montale, Cocteau, Nasrallah, Adonis, Bogary and Holderlin. His own work has been translated abroad in half a dozen languages. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including those of the National Poetry, Somerset Maugham, Eric Gregory, Ingram Merrill, and Royal Literary Funds. He has also won the Poetry Society's European Translation Prize. Reed's poetry displays a masterful light-fingered lyricism in which acute social observation and humour combine to create a public poetry in the tradition of Auden and Merrill. In other moods, Reed is a masterful observer of the specific details of passing strangers. As they move through the unmatched variety of London's daily procession, he engages them in moments of imaginative meeting, creating a private poetry of urban encounter whose affinities lie closest to Frank O'Hara and Baudelaire. In these poems, Reed allows his profound sympathy for others to form a bridge inward, a bridge sustained through arresting imagery, into the mains circuits of the world we share.