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Music

Anton Newcombe

Brian Jonestown Massacre at Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor West), Sunday (October 31). $9. 416-532-1598. Rating: NNNNN


Shrewdly capitalizing on spillover interest in the Brian Jonestown Massacre as a result of Ondi Timoner’s revealing rockumentary Dig!, the film’s riot-inciting star, Anton Newcombe, is back on the road with his Massacre malcontents to spread the rock ‘n’ roll gospel according to Anton.

For those coming late to the party, a fab new double-disc Brian Jonestown Massacre retrospective, Tepid Peppermint Wonderland (Tee Pee), has just been released, but this is a band you really need to see onstage to fully appreciate the tenuous balance of magic and madness at work.

Newcombe was kind enough to answer a few questions by e-mail.

What did you like or dislike about the ways you and the Brian Jonestown Massacre were represented in Dig!?

I like the fact that certain people may come in contact with our music through the film. But it disappoints me that the filmmakers decided to present their version of reality without regard to the facts.

There would, in fact, be no story in this film without some amount of tragedy. I’m sure they were hoping I would die or something. However, faced with the reality of me hanging around and making albums, they decided to really distort certain events and neglect facts. Shame on those people.

Did you learn anything about yourself from seeing the film? No. I did, however, learn not to be so trusting of the media.

The film ended with what looked like you being hauled off to jail. What have you been doing since then? Recording and releasing music. Touring. Spending time with my family. Enjoying life. Living.

Last week independent music mogul and superfan Greg Shaw of Bomp Records fame passed away. What impact did he have on your life? He was one of the best friends I have ever had, and I’ll miss him very much. His belief in music was intense, and hopefully he’ll be remembered for that. I hope others in the future will follow their dreams with at least 1 per cent of the dedication he had.

You’re playing in Toronto October 31. What’s your most memorable Halloween experience? I hate Halloween. I think we should have a holiday where everyone is forced to be real, so they can be seen as they really are.

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