Why did Bob Dylan buy Brian Jones a metal coffin?
When looking at the world of rock and counterculture music during the 1960s, there are two names which are virtually unavoidable: the folk hero Bob Dylan and misfit rockers The Rolling Stones. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the two artists had something of a mutual respect for each other. While, in both personality and songwriting styles, Dylan was vastly different from the young blues rebels, he forged a particularly close friendship with the band’s original leader, Brian Jones.
Despite spearheading one of the biggest rock and roll outfits of all time, Jones is something of an underappreciated figure in the history of The Rolling Stones. His devotion to the blues and innovative guitar techniques made him a force to be reckoned with within the rock scene of the 1960s, but he was soon sidelined by the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. While the pair were largely responsible for driving the band forward, penning their greatest hits and moving the blues rockers firmly into the new musical age, the talents of Jones garnered the attention of Bob Dylan.
It is no secret that Jones was experiencing a period of not-insignificant struggle during the latter part of the decade. Suffering the effects of the rock and roll lifestyle, spurred on by excessive drink and drug usage, Jones’ position within the band he had created was placed in jeopardy. Amid a wealth of physical and mental ailments, the guitarist was sacked from the group in 1969. Less than a month later, Jones was found dead in his swimming pool in East Sussex.
Despite having already left the band, Jones’ tragic death at only 27 was a huge loss for the world of rock and roll. In the months and years prior to his passing, the guitarist had formed a strong friendship with Bob Dylan, so much so that the pair would reportedly talk on the phone on a near-daily basis.
What the two iconic musicians spoke about during these calls is only known for sure by two individuals, one of whom has been dead for over 50 years. Still, their relationship was clearly very important to Dylan. In fact, the Stones guitarist was a close enough friend to Dylan that the folk singer allegedly paid for Jones’ coffin. Officially, the coffin—constructed entirely from metal—was donated anonymously, but it is something of an open secret that Dylan shipped it over from the United States.
This forgotten anecdote from rock and roll history elicits a wealth of questions: why did Dylan feel a need to buy Jones a coffin? Why did he ship one over from America instead of buying one in the UK? And, of course, why metal? It is difficult to answer these many questions without speaking to Dylan himself, who has never openly spoken about paying for Jones’ coffin. However, the reason for the purchase probably arose from his close friendship with Jones, in addition to the strangely unaffordable cost of coffins.
The reason for the coffin to be constructed from metal and buried 12 feet underground, topped with concrete, was apparently an attempt to stop opportunistic grave robbers from taking some morbid souvenirs from Jones’ resting place. It is certainly difficult to imagine even the most disturbed music fans digging up the dead body of Brian Jones, but Bob Dylan certainly did his part to make sure that never happened by supplying his dear departed friend with a state-of-the-art metal coffin.
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