There was a review of two books in the Washington Post’s Style section yesterday about the “murder” of Stones founder Brian Jones. Both books argue that Jones was murdered by Frank Thorogood, a contractor Jones had hired to work on his house and then fired for crappy workmanship. The night he drowned, Jones had invited Thurgood over to party and make amends. This is the first time I’ve heard this theory. Anybody out there familiar with this angle regarding his death?
uh–it’s Thorogood.
Were the Delaware Destroyers accessories?
I’ll have to read those books you mentioned before I can comment on this. Maybe Thorogood is lurking out there and will post a confession. Hello, hello? Any eyewitnesses out there?
appearances are deceptive - Aesop
So what’s the theory? Thorogood carried Jones into the pool and held his head under the water, then walked out dripping chlorinated water and hopped on a bus? Or do we ALL have to read this book before we comment?
The idea that Brian Jones was murdered is not exactly new. I’m sure this particular theory is about on par with the others.
Yes–you must read the books to comment–just kidding.
First of all, I was wondering if this was a widespread rumor or not; and, if it was, if people were familiar with it, because I was not.
Not a rumor among the magnitude of, say, of the death of Jim Morrison, but something that people had heard before.
I still have the Style section in my recycle bin. The facts, as distilled from the book reviews are as such:
Thorogood is a contractor whose men installed a [ceiling] beam in Jones’s estate that later fell and almost hit his [Jones] girlfriend, leading to an angry confrontation on 6/30/68 where Jones fires Thorogood. 7/2/68 [the day he dies] Jones invites Thorogood to his house for a “drink and a swim”.
Jones verbally abuses and repeatedly “dunks” Thorogood during the “pool party”. Next:
And this is the debatable part-Anna Wolplin [Jones’s girlfriend, who wrote one of the books] had responded to cries of help [?] from Thorogood’s girlfriend [who was in the house] and therefore was out of sight of the pool [when Jones drown]. [I’m not sure that was a sentence]. Now, she claims that she found Thorogood “shakily lighting a cigarette in the kitchen” before she finds Jones dead in the pool. Verbatim from the book review [which, I suppose, is verbatim from the book] Thorogood tells her:
“The only thing you need to tell them [the police] is that Brian had been drinking and that his drowning was an accident. You don’t have to tell them anything else.”
“Frank [Thorogood] lied during the interview,” [Wohlin now states] “And I concealed the truth.”
The author of the other book reports a deathbed confession [by Frank Thorogood] that appeared in the book “Who killed Christopher Robin?” by Terry Rawlings. [Jones was living in the former estate of A.A. Milne].
Like I’ve said-I’m unfamiliar with any of these facts and I was wondering if there was anything to them. Besides, the WP review almost reads like a teaser for the books. Another thread on advertisiment.
Brian was a bit of an odd guy, even before drugs. He would have been out of the Stones very shortly anyway, he would have burned out. He was just that way.
sunbear–he already had been kicked out of the Stones when he died. The book review mentions that his girlfriend claims that he was getting off drugs when he died–I don’t think I quite buy that one. I still would like to know if anybody has heard this particular theory though. I hadn’t and was wondering if there was anything to it or how widespread it was.
To add more fuel to the fire.
A long ago reporting in RS, had some periphial band member (opening act musician, but not a rolling stone band member),
ask at some backstage party, ‘Is it true that you and Keith pushed Brian in the pool?’
Reportedly, all Jagger did was wipe his hands on a towel, and walk away, without responding.
Now if we could only get Barbara, or Katie to ask, and settle this once and for all.
I know I’m gonna laugh.
Its one of those conspiracy theories that will be around for ever because it jsut can’t be disproved. Thorgood was a contractor, some say put in place by the Stones management to keep an eye on Brian Jones. It is undisputable that Jones had almost nothing to do with the last album the Stones released before his death, he was already effectily out of the band. also. There was no real motive for Brian Jones’ murder, and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards weren’t anywhere near the house, so it certainly wasn’t them. Beyond doubt was that brian had a history of substantial drug abuse, he had drunk a lot of strong liquor that evening and he was an asthmatic, it is more than possible that he drowned, as was the coroners verdict.