The Rolling Stones Crossfire Hurricane documentary

[max_tranmere]

Part one of this was screened on BBC2 last Saturday, I've been away but just caught up with it on i-player. Every living member, and living ex-member, of the band was interviewed for it and many of the things stated I was well aware of as I've followed the Stones for years and read a number of books about them. A couple of things really stood out though - particularly concerning the death, and aftermath, of Brian Jones in 1969.

He had been sacked from the band and died a fortnight later in his swimming pool in Sussex. It is well known that Anita Pallenberg, who was an it-girl, society bimbo, and occasional actress, was the girlfriend of Brian Jones. Keith Richards started a relationship with her while she was still with Brian and the two remained together for many years. This devastated Brian and he never forgave Keith. A documentary called '25x5: The Continuing Adventures Of The Rolling Stones' came out in 1990, 22 years ago, and the band were all interviewed for it about their career. I have a dusty old VHS copy of it at home and I've watched it many times. Keith said on that documentary, regarding him taking Anita off Brian in the late-1960's, how he knew Brian would "never forgive me for that but, hey, shit happens". Keith was with Anita until about 1980 and they had three children together (one tragically died in infancy).

As Keith and Brian had fallen-out and because Keith, along with Mick, had also sacked Brian from the band, when Brian died Keith did not attend his funeral. Bill Wyman said in an interview in 1969 (an audio clip of this appears in the '25x5: The Continuing Adventures Of The Rolling Stones' documentary of 1990): 'Mick couldn't attend as he was in Australia filming the movie 'Ned Kelly', Keith was working in the studio, and me and Charlie [Watts] went to the funeral'. Bill implied Keith didn't go because he was busy. However in his autobiography 'Stone Alone', also released in 1990, Bill said: 'I was saddened by the absence of Keith'. This suggested Keith could have attended Brian's funeral but decided not to.

What I've said in the above paragraphs is the reality of the situation, and the reasons why, Keith boycotted Brian's funeral. However in 2012, 43 years later, in the new 'Crossfire Hurricane' documentary, we have a whole new take on it all from Keith. He says "I've never been big on funerals. We never even had one for my mum or dad. I don't really do funerals". He omitted any mention of the reasons for his non attendance, instead basically saying he just isn't a big believer in such ceremonies. This is clearly untrue. Many 'Stones' biographers have said Keith was haunted for many years after Brian's death and over what he and Anita Pallenberg did to Brian. Keith also said however, a few times in interviews during the 1970's and 80's, that Brian was often very nasty to people and he has referred to Brian as a 'c**t' on a few occasions during those following decades. Not now though, no mention of Brian's character, the Anita Pallenberg thing, or their falling out, from Keith in 2012.

Mick Jagger's comments about Brian Jones' sacking and death were rather odd too. Any person who knows about the Stones knows Brian died very soon after being kicked out of the band. Mick didn't seem to remember the time period when interviewed for this new documentary. He says: "I don't know how long it was between when Brian left and when he died - probably a few months". The interviewer says: "it was two weeks". Mick then says "f**k!".

So the new 'Crossfire Hurricane' documentary has some strange things in it. Keith choosing not to remember everything, possibly out of guilt, and Mick simply not remembering at all. It is a shame about Brian Jones, he formed and led the band and the band would not have existed without him. He never made it past the age of 27. Bill Wyman said in his book 'Stone Alone' in 1990: "the Stones was formed and led by Brian Jones, without him there would have been no band. He never got the credit for that during his short life and I intend to see he gets it now". Maybe Brian was nasty at times, but he basically gave Mick, Keith and the others their careers in music and he was devastated when he lost the love of his life to Keith. Bill also said in his book "for those who thought it was Mick Jagger's band they might like to realise that in the 1960's he was nothing more than just the singer". RIP Brian Jones.

Did anyone else watch this documentary, and what did you think of it? I think Part two is on this weekend.

[Jonone]

I thought it was a bit of a damp squib given that it had been given a lot of good press.

With regard to Brian Mick came out with what is now a fairly standard line:
'Maybe we could have done more for him'.

Brian was a talent though and in Crossfire Hurricane his talent was overlooked.

[Dave Wells]

My complaint is that they should have filmed the interviews rather than overdubbed them. Fantastic docu though ! Can't wait for part 2 tonight !!

[Grendel1]

A good Documentary, and you wouldn't expect them to show themselves in too bad a bad light.

Keith's affair with Anita is more than likely why Brian was so fucked up before he was sacked. Keith can be as matter of fact as he likes, but he's got to live with it.

[andy at handiwork]

I thought part 2 was very watchable. Great archive material again, (I'm still un-nerved by the Altamont footage years later), more than making up for the non visual appearance of the band in the interview. Later on I was well impressed by the Muddy Waters film from 1981. Keith and Ronnie were in their element, and were having a ball, playing alongside GIANTS of the blues, like Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Mr Morganfield himself. Shame Jagger had to be there, goofing around and showing what a prat he can be if he puts his mind to it. Thankfully he skulked off to a table for a lot of the gig. The remastered picture and sound quality was excellent considering the state of shoulder mounted video cameras of the time. Must have been Ikegamis. I would have loved to be there.

[planeterotica]

I think the fact that the Stones are still going 50 years on speaks for itself, i saw them play down in Hastings back in the 60s in their wild days and for them it was just sex, drugs and Rock N Roll, they made the Beatles look like choirboys !

[one eyed jack]

I thought it was fantastic. Any alternative to talking heads between archived footage forced the producers to be more creative in telling their story and immersed you in their past bringing you back the nostalgia and excitement of the period where they were a huge phenomenon.

Seeing all that archive footage really brought back the nostalgia and seeing the Rainbow in Finsbury Park in its hey day with the Stones there almost brought a tear to my eye. Just a stones throw from the underground station too. Perfect....You see what I did there? "stones" throw

I thought part one was superb and looking forward to part 2 tonight

[max_tranmere]

Part two was interesting last night.

The Altamont footage, as was said above, is still shocking after all these years. It has been described by many writers as "the day the 1960's ended" - and not just in the sense of the calendar (it was the last month, December 1969) but also because it was the day the love and peace generation massed together at the biggest gig ever and the whole thing ended in bloodshed. I have the book "Up And Down With The Rolling Stones" and I've read it several times. It is by Tony Sanchez, who worked for the band (particularly Keith Richards) and was their drug supplier, friend, and all round mr-fix-it. He says something interesting about Altamont in the book, he says that it exposed the whole 1960's movement as a total lie - the youth had got what they had wanted: total freedom, no authority anywhere, and a huge music festival in the middle of nowhere where they could do what they wanted. But when things turned nasty, they called on the authorities for help. Sanchez says this proved the youth of that era didn't want total freedom, independence and abstention from authority - but instead a kind of freedom and independence where the machinery of State was there to be called upon if needed.

In the Altamont footage in this Part 2 episode, you keep seeing a man in a brown leather jacket. I can't remember his name but he was the one who had to pick up all of the pieces afterwards. The band quickly left America after the Altamont disaster as far as I know, but he had to stay behind for weeks and try and sort it all out. He wrote a book about his troubles with it all. He is an English music promoter (but his name escapes me). The Altamont gig was done in order to upstage Woodstock, to put on a mega festival, for free, and it was originally meant to take place in Golden Gate Park in California. The venue was changed two or three days before the show and the whole thing was moved to Altamont Speedway out in the desert. This caused enormous logistical problems: no official security (so they got the Hells Angels to do it and paid them with crates of beer), no toilets, no medical facilities or anything - and there were hundreds of thousands of people. One support band refused to perform after the singer of another support band (I think it was Jefferson Airplane) was punched unconscious by a Hells Angel on stage. The Rolling Stones basically escaped from the place after performing by climbing into an already over-full helicopter. It was so packed it only just got airborne. The programme last night mentioned how a Hells Angel murdered someone in front of the stage, and it showed him being stabbed. It didn't mentioned that this guy was trying to murder Mick Jagger (you can clearly see the gun he pulls in the footage) and probably would have killed Jagged if the Hells Angel hadn't taken him down.

Next. I thought the bit in the programme about the band dynamic was interesting. Bill Wyman said that many bands follow the drummer, but in the Stones Keith leads, Charlie follows him and then he (Bill) followed Charlie. Interesting dynamic.

The drug bust in Toronto in 1977 was covered, this was where Canadian Police raided Keith's hotel room and found a lorry load of heroin. It mentioned on the programme that the long prison sentence Keith was expecting never occurred (I was aware of all this from books I've read) and that instead he was asked to perform a concert for the blind and to donate some money. In the documentary "25x5: The Continuing Adventures Of The Rolling Stones" which came out in 1990 (I mentioned this documentary in my original comment above) Keith refers to this and says "I gladly performed the concert". In Bill Wyman's book 'Stone Alone' he mentions the judge gave Keith 6 months to do the show and the concert was performed (by the whole band) the night before the 6 month deadline ran out. Bill says, rather irritatedly, in his book "so once again we all rallied round Keith to help him out". Bill also says in his book that Keith's personal problems in the 1970's pushed the band to the point of almost total destruction.

There doesn't seem to be a Part 3 on its way. No mention of it was made last night, and I can't see it listed for next Saturday. If this is the end of the film I am surprised because the 1980's was quite interesting too. Ian Stewart died in 1985, he co-formed the band but became their road manager and session musician because he looked very straight and very unlike a rockstar. He was always referred to as 'the sixth Stone' and when he died the band largely fell apart. As things weren't quite the same a huge strain developed between Mick and Keith and when the band re-convened in Paris in 1986 to record what became the 'Dirty Work' album things were very bad indeed. Keith stormed out of the studio one day and said to a journalist: "if Mick didn't want to do the album all he had to do was bloody well say so. I nearly stiffed him several times in the studio - but there's no joy in punching a wimp!" They eventually got the album finished but plans to do a subsequent tour were scrapped as tensions between Mick and Keith were at their height. The didn't talk for another three years and spent that time slating each other in the newspapers. They made-up in 1989, recorded the 'Steel Wheels' album, and did an enormous two year world tour (I saw them on that tour at Wembley Stadium in 1990.)

So it would be interesting if the 1980's would have been covered, but no Part 3 by the look of it. Parts 1 and 2 have been interesting.

[planeterotica]

Max, i accept that you are a great Stones fan but can you not concise your post .. !wink!

[andy ide]

Is it just me or is Keith Richards the satanic bastard twin brother of Prince Charles? I was watching the Culture Show special on him last night. Such a lovely guy. But that posh voice? And that long nose? And those huge ears! We need to be told.