The Death of Brian Jones

Original Interview Transcript for Uncut Magazine

Meanwhile, the official Brian Jones Fan Club, motivated by former girlfriend Pat Andrews is pressing for a fresh enquiry into his death. The Fan Club's research into Jones' death contradicts Woolley's reported film script and having discovered a new witness who was never interviewed in 1969, drawing fresh time lines of events and questioning key people from the period have established another theory. Spokesman for the BJFC, Trevor Hobley explained how, in their investigation, they recently enlisted the help of specialist UK forensic and cold case experts who dissected his 150 page dossier of evidence and based on the facts; not passion, emotion and speculation, prepared a case for Sussex Police to re-examine the circumstances surrounding Jones' death – he makes comment, "we now have sound professional advice; this independent specialist company only employs ex-Home Office scientists and ex-senior Metropolitan and Thames Valley police officers who have many years of experience of murder investigations between them, and in fact regularly conduct case-reviews for many police forces in the UK and around the world. Their resources are incredible and the ex-Detective Chief Inspector assigned to us has reviewed our case-notes and has prepared a comprehensive report, based solely on fact, for presentation to the Chief Constable of Sussex Police. That report is now with Chief Constable Jones Q.P.M. and we await his response"

Ex-Home Office scientists initiate a detailed forensic examination of the fireplace area in what was the music room at Cotchford Farm.

Hobley continued that an initial forensic examination had been carried out at Cotchford Farm in early November and together with his new evidence, fresh statements and freely available documented information gave credence for a fresh enquiry, he explained, "Brian Jones is a silent witness, why was his body preserved in burial and thankfully, in such a way that with today's forensic technology it will certainly be possible to determine the true cause of death? Just why did someone have Brian's body embalmed, his hair bleached white, buried at such an unusual depth and in an airtight sealed metal casket flown in specially from the States – did all these factors constitute insurance or blackmail? Incidentally, the casket was apparently paid for in the U.S. by non other than Bob Dylan, perhaps as a perverse gesture that goes back to the rumour that Dylan's song, ‘Ballad of a Thin Man', mainly about paranoia, was written for and about Brian Jones – but who would have that sort of connection to an icon of Dylan's stature……??"

Hobley has taken advice from eminent forensic pathologist Dr Cyril Wecht in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who makes comment that from the documentation he has seen, if this death had occurred in the USA, any District Attorney would have treated it as murder. But the most damning conclusions might be drawn from the speed of events surrounding this highly suspicious death in July 1969 concludes Hobley, "Brian Jones was a hugely controversial public figure of the period and to have an investigation into a suspicious death, an autopsy, a Coroners inquest and burial in such a short time frame, just one week, can only lead to the suspicion that somebody wanted the whole matter swept under the carpet……".

Trevor Hobley makes no secret that he was never a fan of the Rolling Stones, he said that when he was teenager, growing up through the sixties, you were generally either a fan of the Stones or the Beatles - and his loyalties remained with the ‘clean-cut' Scousers not those ‘loutish, dirty' Stones. As a teenager he remembers well the 1969 tabloid headlines in the days following Jones' death and, as with every other reader, believed the lurid banner headlines and frequently heard the general comments of ‘just another druggie dies'. It wasn't until his researching a book on Keith Richards that he met Pat Andrews and his attitude and admiration towards the founding member of the Rolling Stones changed. For the past two years he's dedicated all of his time 24/7 to the investigation into Jones' death and says that it was a travesty that somebody as intelligent and talented as Brian Jones should meet such an untimely death commenting "yes, Brian certainly had his dark side and yes, his ‘Wild and Wycked' period are well documented but his contribution to music and fashion far outweigh the negative aspects of his life".

Pat Andrews recalls "Brian's contribution to the world of fashion was far ahead of his time; even today his influences can be seen around the world in all the retro shops and high street fashion outlets. Brian was the first to experiment with jewellery and finery often associated with women and his ability to cross the boundary between male and female attire, yet still retain his masculinity and heterosexuality is most apparent. Brian's musicianship and experimentation with ethnic music, from his early sitar playing to the later Moroccan pipes of pan at Jajouka, just show his diversity and farsightedness, it's common knowledge to those who knew of Brian that his non-exploitation of these master musicians was dear to his heart. Will this film show that side of Brian – I doubt it. The scales of justice will never be equally balanced until people learn the real world of Brian Jones and it's honesty and justice that I want for the father of my son. Back in July 1969 nobody in the Stones machine thought to include us in the funeral arrangements, it's as if we were non-entities – I was alone and bringing our 8 year old child up in a refuge in London and had no way of getting back to Cheltenham, especially in the hurried manner of Brian's burial. I get so angry thinking of the people responsible for Brian's death benefiting for all the years in what he started. Don't get me wrong, I don't lay blame on the Stones themselves but they must know what really happened and have over the years blotted Brian out – I sometimes think that myself and Mark, and even Brian, are an embarrassment to them. I feel closer to the truth now than I ever have done in the past and the soon-to-come-day that the people responsible for this dreadful act of cowardice are brought to book will be the day that Brian can finally rest in peace".

Regarding the film currently in production Trevor Hobley explains, "Brian's profile has recently been raised considerably with all the publicity over the Stephen Woolley film ‘The Wild and Wycked World of Brian Jones', we anticipate a lot of interest in our website and hopefully more support for the Brian Jones Fan Club. Now whether we agree with the reported direction Woolley's script is taking or not, one school of thought is that any publicity is good publicity – well my personal point of view is that perhaps not, if the big screen version of Brian's later life is going to concentrate on the drug addled world, Satanism and violence portrayed in the tabloid press between 1969 and the current day. It's fairly common knowledge and features on many websites, that Mr Keylock and Ms Lawson are consultants to the Woolley film and, we can only assume, that the films version of events at Cotchford Farm are going to be from their perspective, which as we know can only be a biased point of view. Some facts emanating from the film set are also quite wrong and damning – one recent newspaper report indicated that Brian was still being busted for drugs in the summer of 1969 which is totally untrue and The Guardian article, printed on November 3rd, reported the cost cutting by the producers and on the ‘poetic licence' taken by the film's director of, amongst other things, his image of Andrew Loog Oldhams' 1963 chauffeur - which is just ridiculous. Another separate and glorious misquote apparently emanating from the film set was that Brian died on the evening of July 3rd! It makes one wonder where these reporters get their information from!"

Hobley's final words on the subject were "If, as we suspect, it was murder then Brian's body needs to be exhumed, we believe that due to the manner in which the body was ‘preserved', it will not only reveal the true cause of his death but news that this has finally happened will reverberate around the world, causing elderly rockers, gangsters, politicians and professionals many a disturbed night; then Brian will have his day………."

More information on the death of Brian Jones and public comment can be found at www.brianjonesfanclub.com and in their quarterly fanzine AfterMath.