#james phelge

[dearmistermuse]

"Brian's concept of responsibility had not changed. Often he would tell Linda he was coming to see her and then at the last minute decide to do something else. Other times he would promise to phone and then just simply forget because he was out on the town. The series of broken promises must have made Linda feel she was being deserted now that she had a child on the way. Eventually she would take to arriving unannounced at Chester Street in a highly emotional state just to grab an hour or two with Brian. This in turn would put Brian in a bad mood and they would lock themselves in his bedroom, arguing ferociously. It would invariably end with Linda sobbing and Brian making more promises he was unlikely to honor. In the midst of all these events Brian was seeing another girl who lived in nearby Chesham Place named Dawn Molloy. It was a secret he kept well hidden—no one else knew about her at the time."

- James Phelge, Nankering with the Rolling Stones

[porterdavis]

Every night’s a Saturday night

I can’t get this link to work properly, but it’s the movie documentary about Bobby Keyes, based on his book of the same name. It’s in the top-five rock books of all time* and I can’t get through this video without a few verklempt tears.

* Others: This Wheel’s on Fire - Levon Helms, Nankering With the Rolling Stones, James Phelge, and All the Rage - Ian Maclagan  

(read them all)

https://flixhouse.com/video/2901/every-night-s-a-saturday-night-the-bobby-keys-story

[stephenjaymorrisblog]

The Life of Brian Jones

By Stephen Jay Morris

June 9, 2019

©Scientific Morality

            July 3, 2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of Brian Jones’ death.  The day he died, I thought it meant the end for the Rolling Stones.  Instead, the second generation of the Rolling Stones reflected the apathetic ambiance of the 70’s.  I just could not relate to it.  As history shows, they went on and on and, somehow, the two main old geezers, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, refuse to retire.

The classic Stones (1963-69) will always be the best incarnation of the band.  (Just like Sean Connery will always be the only James Bond!)  Brian Jones started the band and was the captain, but his crew, sadly, brought a mutiny.

           Originally, I’d intended this to be a book review of Paul Trynka’s doubtful biography, “Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones.”  Let me say that the book was very disappointing.  In 1988, Albert Goldman released a so-called bio about John Lennon, “The Lives of John Lennon.”  Previously, Goldman had written a scathing, best seller about Elvis Presley.  Both books were unapologetic hit pieces!  His book, which made Lennon look like a scumbag and a pervert, caused a huge stir among John Lennon fans.  And, though many boycotted it, the author ultimately made a lot of money.

Well my friends, the Paul Trynka treatise on Brian Jones is similar.  His book primarily borders on malicious gossip and character assassination.  His portrayal can be accurately described as polite slander. It goes through Jones’ childhood like an account of a serial killer.  Through it could be about any teenage boy, Jones is made out to be some bully who impregnates girls and then leaves them flat, taking no responsibility for his actions.  He is depicted as being hypersexual with girls, though the book also alludes that he was bi-sexual.  The author elaborates about Brian’s use of alcohol and drugs and claims he was into the occult.  The book also depicts him as a cheapskate, saying Brian would take people out to dinner, and then leave it to them to pay the bill.

Sadly, what the book fails to address is Brian Jones’ tremendous musical talent.   It contains sparse information about his creative process, but stops there.  I wasted my time reading this turkey!  I don’t give a fucking damn about his so-called evil ways!  In fact, what is written in that context is pure exaggeration and bullshit!  If I were a conspiracy nut, I would conclude that Jagger was jealous because he wasn’t getting all the attention, and Richards envied Brian because he was a superior musician.  So, they both hired a hit man.  I’d bet Jagger and Richards paid this writer to make Brian look like an asshole!  Just a theory or two of mine.

           Usually, a band’s lead singer gets most, if not all, of the attention.  At the time, Brian Jones was the cynosure of the group.  His thick blonde hair and bangs covering his eyes helped to create this compelling mystique.  Brian was more charismatic than Jagger, plus he was better looking.  Mick was mutt ugly.

           The Stones wrote under a pseudonym, “Nanker Phelge.”  This assured each of them equal royalties for writing an original song.  Later, their manager, Andrew Oldham, acquired a publishing deal for them that made Keith Richards and Mick Jagger the sole songwriters of the group. Slowly, they were pushing Brian out of the band.  All of this had started back in 1965.

If not for Brian Jones, all of the Stones’ songs would have flopped.  Brian’s fingerprints are all over most their 1960’s catalog.  He also appeared on other artists’ recordings.  He played Sax and Vibes on the Beatles’ song, “You Know My Name (Look up the Number”). On the intro of Jimi Hendrix’s hit song, “All Along the Watchtower,” he played a Vibraslap and other percussion instruments.  Jones recorded and produced an African group, but the album was never released, thanks to the Stones’ new manager, Allen Klein, who stopped its release for reasons unknown.  Brian also created a musical sound track for the 1967 movie, “A Degree of Murder.”

           Before he was fired from the Stones, Jones was on track to start another band.  They had only rehearsed once and John Mayall was involved.  They had played a cover of “Proud Mary.”  Brian was a big fan of Creedence Clearwater Revival and, hence, was going for that New Orleans, swamp blues sound.  It never came to pass.

           In the end, the band should have had been called, “Brian Jones & The Rolling Stones.  I mean it wholeheartedly.

[weirdpicturesoftherollingstones]

lol I just spent like 10 minutes (unsuccessfully) looking for that stupid pic with Keith's book and that caption saying like idk, "my grandma told me to read the bible some more" or something along these lines xDD

btw Ronnie's autobiography is the most hilarious shit you'll ever read, whenever I get around to it it makes me laugh really hard because it's written in a way that suggests he's telling a totally fun story to a good friend

also I'd love to read "Nankering with the Stones" by James Phelge who was Mick, Keith, and Brian's flatmate at Edith Grove...sadly it costs like 50€+ cause it's not being printed anymore (except in italian for some reason...)

another book that could be fun is "Mick and Keith" by Chris Salewicz which is, as far as I did understand from the reviewa on Amazon, a biography about both of them, their lives, their friendship, and the Stones conducted through interviews and stuff with people who know them, idk but it sounds interesting, has anybody read it?

Favorite stones book? I’m reading Keith’s “Life” rn and am loving it

Currently it’s Keef’s autobiography but I’m waiting to get Gus & Me

[brianjonesoftherollingstones]

1964

Through The Past Darkly - Part II The Hair "As a matter of fact, Brian is a bit of a pest when he comes back home because he is always washing his hair." Lewis Jones "It was time for his hair-washing routine. Scattered around the sink he had an assortment of different shampoos, which he would try out to see which gave the best result. As he washed his hair every day, it always had that just-washed, fluffy texture anyway. I could not see that the various brands were any different-they were all just soap-but he seemed convinced otherwise. Brian’s idiosyncratic approach to washing his hair also meant he couldn’t just stick his head under a tap like anyone else, but always wanted someone at hand to pour water over him from a jug. Whenever he asked me to do this I always made sure some went down the neck of his shirt. The next part of the routine was for him to sit there in front of a small mirror and blow dry it. If he didn’t like the end result he would start over and wash his hair again." James Phelge "He was a very complicated person, like he used to dye his hair, blond it, and I used to cut it and he had like four mirrors all around him." Anita Pallenberg "He was obsessed about anyone touching his hair or his clothes, especially his hair. If a fan touched his hair, or tried to tousle it, Brian went crazy, lashed out, then ran away. Sometimes he was so upset, he began to sob, stood in front of a mirror, recombing his hair, sobbing away. He only let Linda cut his hair. He refused to let a barber touch his hair." Violet And Alex Lawrence "Brian also encouraged Linda, who was already at The Morris School of Hairdressing in Piccadilly and so it was that Linda created the distinctive Brian Jones helmet of long blond hair, just as Astrid Kircher had created The Beatles “mop top” hairstyle in Hamburg." The Autobiography of Donovan: The Hurdy Gurdy Man "The Rolling Stones are the worst. One of them looks as though he has got a yellow feather duster on his head."  President, British National Federation of Hairdressers, 1964 "When Marshall [son of Leonard Chess, co-founder of Chess Records] gave Brian Jones, one of the guitar players, a ride home later in the day in his new red Porsche, the top down, they heard shouts of “homo” when passersby saw Jones’s long hair." Spinning Blues Into Gold: The Chess Brothers and the Legendary Chess Records "Then there was Brian Jones' hair, longer and thicker than anything we'd seen on a man before. The whispered words "He looks like a girl!" circulated around the audience, as if that were the worst possible insult." Marty Clear, audience member at Mike Douglas Show "My hair is not a gimmick. I’ve had it like this for a couple of years. It doesn’t strike me as dirty, scruffy or effeminate. To be honest, I think it looks good. I think I look right with longer hair. So I’ll tell you all this much: my hair’s staying as it is. If you don’t like it – hard luck." Brian Jones, 1964

[twinkjaredarchived-blog]

Daily Stones facts:

4. During tone of their tours in 1964, the Stones had comedian Tony Marsh on the same bill as them. He was very loud, an ego with considerable size and prone to aggressive behavior when drinking. James 'Jimmy' Phelge happened to retort with a comment that the comedian had made. This made Marsh furious and punched Phelge, engaging him in a fight. Keith would jump into the fray. Both had roughed each other up. With Keith's threats, the comedian backed down and apologized. This would be one of the few times Keith would win a fight.

[dearmistermuse]

"Mick had also met a girl at the Friday gig in Windsor— she lived in the area and she started to come down to Richmond with her friend on Sunday evenings to watch the band. Her name was Chrissie Shrimpton and her relationship with Mick would develop gradually from there."

- James Phelge, Nankering with the Rolling Stones

[dearmistermuse]

"The Rolling Stones were, despite their name, gathering moss. Whereas two or three months before it was just the immediate band and myself, there was now a small gang of friends. Mick by this stage had a regular girlfriend, Chrissie Shrimpton, who in turn would invariably be accompanied by her friend Lizzie. I was dating a girl I'd met at the Ealing club, albeit only once or twice a week, and Brian was seeing both Pat and Linda Lawrence, with the latter receiving the most attention. It was no longer uncommon for everyone involved to be at the Stones’ gigs or even squeeze together to fit into Stu's van. Keith still remained aloof from girls and undeterred from his musical course in any way. Sometimes both Mick and Brian would spend time at their respective girlfriend’s home."

- James Phelge, Nankering with the Rolling Stones

[dearmistermuse]

"The band was well into the first set and people were dancing as I stood at the corner of the bar drinking. Linda Lawrence was dancing with a friend immediately in front of the stage, close to where Brian was playing, when in walked Pat Andrews with the baby. I winced at the prospect of a confrontation between the two women in Brian’s life, but was also amused by the irony of the situation."

- James Phelge, Nankering with the Rolling Stones

[dearmistermuse]

Okay new stones posts coming up but this time is related to Chrissie Shrimpton, Linda Lawrence and Dawn Molloy. Was reading this book called Nankering with the Rolling Stones by James Phelge and found some interesting quotes I could share :)

[twinkjaredarchived-blog]

Fun facts:

During the Edith Grove days (1962 - 1963), Keith's mum, Doris Richards, knew that Keith didn't have money to contribute to the rent. She made the trip from Dartford to London where they were located. She washed their clothes and fed them. Realizing how long the trip was, Keith and James 'Jimmy' Phelge  wanted to help her out and decided to wash their own clothes. They stuffed them into buckets of water and sat them upstairs and forgot about them. Three weeks later, they found them, partially molded from the soaking.

[twinkjaredarchived-blog]

Fun facts:

The Edith Grove days (1962 - 1963) for Mick, Keith, and Brian were essential for bonding. These days would also be marred little cleanliness of living. Instead of washing their clothes, they would set them on fire, pile them up somewhere and forget about them, or try to goad someone else into doing them. James 'Jimmy' Phelge, who would go on to write about these days in the book 'Nankering With The Stones', once came home to watch to see the boys staring at their sheets below on the ground, watching their sheets burn as none of them wanted to wash them and thought the best solution was to light it on fire.

[twinkjaredarchived-blog]

Keith rarely had money to contribute towards the Edith Grove rent so his mother would come up from Dartford, lugging carrier bags of food, and most weeks she would wash everyone's clothes. Realizing what a chore the long journey was up from Dartford on public transport, one week Keith and Phelge decided to help her out by washing their shirts themselves: they stuffed the dirty items into a couple of plastic buckets, filled them with water and left them in the upstairs bathroom. It wasn't until some three weeks later that they remembered where they had left their clothes, which only seemed to have rotted a little from the prolonged soaking.

from Mick and Keith, p. 62, Chris Salewicz

[twinkjaredarchived-blog]

I think Brian's much-talked-about isolation from the band started back in Edith Grove. His choice to use the lounge as his own bedroom and not share it with the others became the starting point of his estrangement. When you shared one room you talked to each other 'till all hours. You could lie awake for a couple of hours talking and joking as Mick, Keith, and I would, and that seemed to bring you closer. By missing this, Brian created a gap between himself and the others. It was as if somehow small piece of his relationship with Mick and Keith was always missing. Despite all that has been said and written about Brian, no one would have wished him harm. When you are with someone sharing the last of your food and money to survive, it creates a bond you never forget.

James 'Jimmy' Phelge, from Mick and Keith, p. 59 - 60, Chris Salewicz