The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Tepid Peppermint Wonderland
Published February 06, 2005
While the BJM are reasonably well-known in indie rock circles on the West Coast, and have an avid but underground following elsewhere, they have gained a great deal of exposure recently due to the documentary "Dig!" released in 2004 to much acclaim. While Newcombe hates the fact that their band keeps being mentioned in the same breath as the film (and has since gone on record disavowing it), the label releasing this compliation is (rightly, I believe, since their job is to sell records) pushing the film as part of their promotion for the record.
Opinions are widely split on the movie and the band. Personally, I believe that rock and roll can and should be fabulous and outrageous, and that those performing it are allowed to be impossible and mercurial if they so choose. I don't need to "like" a musician to enjoy their music (as Ryan Adams once put it, "I'm not asking you to be my roommate.") Living in the Pacific Northwest for 9 years, I didn't need a documentary to tell me that people think that some people think Anton Newcombe might be a little bit of an asshole; people in the scene would declare it to be fact weekly. To which I would reply, amazed, well, what did you think, that he would be Joan Baez or something? (And even Joan went through her own prima donna moments back in the day.) The BJM motto is, after all, "Keep Music Evil."
I've always preferred the live Brian Jonestown Massacre experience to anything they've done on record, but Tepid Peppermint Wonderland is certainly essential if you're even vaguely interested in this band.
- The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Tepid Peppermint Wonderland
- Published: February 06, 2005
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- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Indie Rock
- Writer: Caryn Rose
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Comments on this articleComments
Wow - your music is available as DRM-free mp3s - thank you for the chance to see, try, fly, buy:) and for commenting.
I'll refrain from discussing the political aspects of it.
Thanks for the review, Caryn
Eric/Philip - bad redirect URL in the prev comment
Anton Newcombe may have very valid and personal reasons for disliking DIG so strenuously. However, in the absence of this documentary, I would probably never have become acquainted with the marvelous musical catalogue written by that swirling and shifting amalgamation of talent known as The Brian Jonestown Massacre. In particular, I'll gingerly climb out on a limb and cite "Nevertheless" as the most astonishing, especially in terms of its musical simplicity and economy of execution, rock 'n roll composition since Lou Reed penned "Sweet Jane" in 1969. And at my age, this is not faint praise. It has been a very long time since I can recall hearing orginal music so fresh and exciting. My only sadness is that it was not until May of 2005 that Anton's prodigious talents pleasantly intruded upon my horizons of awareness. Am looking forward to seeing BJM perform in Chapel Hill, NC on Aug. 5, 2005.
Be there or be square!
Erik Snead
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why not go to our website and download everything for free?then you can make up your own mind...and speaking of making up your own mind...i think it's one thing to have a bunch of criminals run my country,but all americans are infact also criminals for not educating themselves and for not being civic minded.
shame on us.
best wishes,
anton alfred newcombe