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Sabotage Career; Invent Modern Psych Rock

Bandsplaining | October 22, 2025



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“If someone offered you tickets to see a band who started riots, broke each others’ bones on stage, hired and fired management from the stage…. fist-fought Iggy Pop’s drummer, been banned from venues and adored by fans, what would you say?” (UK tour promo, 1998)

While you may think that bands who fall under the shoegaze-Americana-psychedelic umbrella would be mellow, such cannot be said about The Brian Jonestown Massacre. This rag tag gang of California Gen Xers led by maniacal genius frontman Anton Newcomb, has been delighting and tormenting audiences for 3 decades. Immortalized in the 2004 documentary Dig, the bands’ chronic implosions at the slightest hint of success has made them folk heroes. But relatively little has been written about their outsized influence, being a key predecessor to the 00s garage rock revival, and helping to usher psychedelia into the internet age.

A huge thank you to Jesse Valencia, author of
Keep Music Evil: The Brian Jonestown Massacre Story
https://amzn.to/4nY6qhR

In the Jingle Jangle Jungle by Joel Gion
https://amzn.to/4hlPkbn

Dig XX! (20th Anniversary re-cut)
https://amzn.to/4huo7U0

Editing by @sedatephobe
Thumbnail by @partykaleta

Written by Bandsplaining

Comments

This post currently has 33 comments.

  3. @kassemir

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    Ordering the entire wine cellar is legit an epic story. Also, gotta respect the hustle, bet he could've made a good chunk of cash reselling it.
    Though, judging from the footage, I'm willing to bet not a lot of bottles actually made it back unopened.

  5. @LuxuryPossum

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    I'm glad somebody made this video! And I'm glad that over 20 years after the release of DIG, this video is purely about BJM and barely mentions the Dandy Warhols! I imagine when film goers saw DIG originally in 2004, they probably thought BJM was dead, and the Dandys were the true victors of the Psych band rivalry, but Anton says something at the end of the doc that is briefly touched upon in the interview with Jesse. Anton says in the film, roughly, that when BJM started, everyone on the radio was trying to sound like Pearl Jam, but by the time the doc wrapped, the Garage Rock revival had taken full swing, with groups like The White Stripes sounding closer to BJM than Pearl Jam. And 20 years on, I think BJM has proven itself to be a greatly influential group in Modern Rock, while the Dandys had a couple of songs in some ads (though I believe they're still well regarded in Europe, for what it's worth). I've seen BJM live twice now. The most drama on stage at the last show was that the lights were too bright, and the band was complaining. Highly recommend seeing them if they come through your area!

  6. @mj.l

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    1996 wasnt the era of rap-rock, that was like 1999-2002 or something. the mid 90s were soaked in sixties influence, this is when blur were taking inspiration from the kinks and small faces etc

  7. @lakrids-pibe

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    This is a band I've avoided even listening to until now.

    Solely because of the name was way too edgy for my palate

    I'm just too much of a normie to find it cute or funny. That's how uncool and uncurious I am.

    So thank you Bandsplaining for curating and presenting to me in small mouthfuls I can manage.

    I have never subscribed to the rock n roll mythology of self-destruction and chaos. I don't believe for a second that the same creative energy couldn't have been expressed in a context of more stable management of mental health problems and safe use of drugs.

  8. @robgronotte1

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    I saw them at a tiny place in 1998 with maybe 30 people in attendance. After 2 hours there were probably 10 audience members left, but they were great. Saw them again a few years ago and it was one of my biggest disappointments of any show. They spent several minutes between each song tuning and arguing, and when they finally played a song they were almost all underwhelming. I'll be skipping their show this year.

  10. @TR-yi8up

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    As someone who’s been into them for 20+ years, this is really well done. I’ve seen them 6 times. One time I ended up stealing Anton’s seat in a booth he had abandoned. He laughed about it and bought me and my friend shots and toasted to ‘peace, love, music’. After the show I had him autograph a CD. He recognized me from earlier but didn’t say anything. He signed KILL, KILL, KILL Anton Newcombe. I feel that sums him up

  12. @0therun1t21

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    These guys are local (S.F.) but I never saw a flyer for them or anything. I don't know anyone including myself into them either but I love heavy and/or spacey psychedelic rock like Flower Travelin' Band (Spacemen 3 hell yeah) so I'll watch this to the end, this is the only channel that can get me to question my disinterest in this band. Thank you for that!

  18. @stevegram9000

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    Easily overlooked would be the influence of spaceman 3. Brian Jonestown Massacre basically picked up where they left off. I was an early gig in the 90s and although at first thought they were just a SM3 rip off, but I grew to appreciate their sound and the sheer prolificacy of their output.

  21. @jacobharris5652

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    I had the dubious pleasure of living with a member of BJM back in the mid 90s in SF. They and all their hangers on, and other groups like The Minstrels and The Dandys either slept on my couch or back porch at one point or another. I can confidently say they were all completely talentless drug addicted parasites except for Dean and Peter.

  22. @Bizarreparade

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    I pretend like I don't watch music docs. But I watch quite a few for a guy who doesn't watch any music docs. Please don't tell anyone. This was a good one though. I had no idea despite coming of age at the same time and being a huge fan of underground music. I even had a few of their albums. Somehow, all of this elluded me. Cool. I loved it

  25. @OscarHunstanton-z3f

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    I saw BJM live in 2006, truly one of the best shows I’ve ever been to, despite someone throwing a load of water at Anton and his beautiful vintage 60s guitar and then hiding behind his girlfriend while he was berated from the stage from Anton and Joel for his stupidity. It nearly turned nasty and the guy was kicked out but that was the show over pretty much. The ruckus certainly wasn’t the bands doing that night.

    Anton and BJM are really a one of a kind band that will never be matched. He writes consistently amazing, heartfelt songs, some of my favourite lps of all time have been BJM.

    I still have my classic logo shirt from that show. Hopefully I’ll catch them live again someday. My buddy has seen them 4 or 5 times

    Incredible band

  28. @gretchenbaker7435

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    The band used to visit my cafe when they played in Wellington.
    I never could get tickets, but Anton gave me a gutiar pic when i asked how their gig went.
    He wanted a free coffee for it . Gave me a laugh

  32. @umusuuk

    October 22, 2025 at 3:15 pm

    There's a saying that Hippies are evil people pretending to be nice and metal heads are nice people pretending to be evil, and it's usually said by metal heads to pat themselves on the back, but sometimes you want music by really evil people.

Comments are closed.

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