It was difficult to decide how to write up this interview with Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe. There’s so much to say about it and the temptation to comment on it is immense. But in the end, it seemed better just to leave it as a transcript, unedited and unbiased – just the dialogue as it was at the time between the two of us in a London hotel on a bright February afternoon. A few sections when he was talking to his wife or other people in the room have been edited out, as this is long enough already, but apart from that, this is the interview exactly as it happened.

All there is to add is that, at the beginning, before the tape started rolling, Anton was as polite and courteous and gentlemanly as anybody could be. As soon as the interview proper begins, something very subtle changes, and it slowly builds until, well, you’ll see. As the recorder is turned on, we’re talking about transcribing interviews, and how, sometimes, it’s hard to distinguish the voices of various band members when there are a few of them present. Anton has his own theory:

“I think it’d be harder to interview George Michael after he crashes his Range Rover one more time all high on weed coming back from a public restroom and he drives into a wall and he’d be all slurring, like ‘I can’t drive’ into the interview.”

What are your take on interviews?
“I don’t really enjoy this.”

I can imagine. I was reading up, doing some research, and sometimes you’re not very nice to people.
“They’re not very nice to me either. Like if you really look at the vast tomes of examples… At the end of the day, it’s music. It’s supposed to be listened to, not really talked about, and I’m not a sycophant about music and I’m not full of myself to where I’d want to discuss things endlessly. I don’t mind if I’m personally engaged with somebody explaining where my head is, but I don’t really feel like the reader or listener cares to really engage themselves in looking into anything, because…the reason why I know that to be true is I can just turn on the radio. Obviously the market that is supposedly supposed to dictate, you know, the content…I’m gonna throw up.”

But surely there are fans who will want to hear what you have to say?
“Fans implies fanaticism. You know, Hitler had fans. They were called the Hitler Youth. That’s what fanatic…fans implies fanaticism. That’s a fact. I don’t give a shit about that stuff. Are you really a big fan of the Hitler Youth?”

Not particularly, no. Being half-Jewish too, it’s not really…but you see what I’m trying to say. That without people who like your music…
“I am not my music, so here we are.”

Okay, so we’re talking about you personally?
“Well, we’re talking together. We’re not talking about me in third person. Which, I mean, indicate precisely what you mean to say, but technically we are having a discussion together, us. I am not talking about myself in third person. You would get a [sic] ‘F’ at Oxford, straight back down to a lower class in one second over that. But that’s just the fact of it. I never felt the need to go to college but that is just obvious to me.”

Okay, that’s fine. So you were telling me the history of this place…
“‘Fine’ means nothing. ‘Fine’ is code for ‘not fine’. It’s a word that means nothing, it’s like ‘nice’. Oh this is ‘nice’. Look at the sun, it’s ‘nice’. Look at these people, the way they’re interacting, that’s ‘nice’. Oh look at his hair, it’s ‘fine’. Just relax.”

Well, what I wanted to ask you was a question about your mind, because when…
“The dreamer examines his pillow. How am I going to describe to you about the nature of my mind? That is my mind wanting my voice to talk about itself. Now we’re right back to third person situation. I just don’t understand where you’re coming from, personally.” [Here he turns to his wife] Do you?”
“No, not really.”
“And she’s just my wife. I mean, I really don’t understand that, do you? I mean, I taught myself to speak English. I don’t care if you’re half Jewish from Freud’s books. I know all about this junk. And I’m completely underwhelmed with society and journalism, to be frank. I have no problem pulling rank over anybody who pulls class and polite and PC I could give a f*ck about [sic], but I’m civic minded.”

Click here to read part 2.