A letter from Brian Jones’ estranged father features in new documentary
A new documentary about the late The Rolling Stones founding member Brian Jones features the reading of a letter written to him by his estranged father, Lewis Jones. The letter was an attempt by the older Jones to make amends with his son after he had been kicked out of the family home for his lifestyle. This included fathering three children to different women by the age of 20.
The new documentary is The Stones and Brian Jones by Nick Broomfield, who first met Jones on a train in 1963. The letter from Lewis Jones is read by the late rocker’s ex-girlfriend, Linda Lawrence, who kept it in her attic.
It reads: “My dear Brian, we have had unhappy times and I have been a very poor and intolerant father in so many ways. You grew up in such a different way than I expected you to. I was quite out of my depth… I don’t suppose you will ever forgive me, but all I ask is for just a little of that affection you once had for me. This is a very private and personal note so don’t trouble to reply. Love, Dad.”
The movie notes that there’s no way of telling whether Jones ever read the letter, but it does include a clip of him discussing his family. “A child is a thing to be loved. A child is the manifestation of both parents and both parents see themselves in the child… he’s a reflection of their own personality,” he says. “So, one day, when he grows up, he’s going to assert his own personality, which may well differ from the outlook and personality of his parents, who immediately feel upset… They feel they have lost him.”
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