About
Joel has been the tambourine-playing frontman of The Brian Jonestown Massacre for the last thirty years. He's THAT good at it. The band was formed in 1990 by singer-songwriter Anton Newcombe, and immediately established itself as not only the torch-bearers of the classic 60s 'San Francisco Sound', but also as the most prominent US chapter of Shoegaze and Britpop.
The prestigious Sundance Film Festival's 'Grand-Jury Prize' of 2004 was unanimously awarded to to Dig!, a documentary based on The Brian Jonestown Massacre and their interchangeable friends/foes The Dandy Warhols. It quickly became a global cinematic sensation and catapulted BJM onto the world stage, where they have remained ever since. While the film's main focus was on the two bands' lead singers, many consider Joel to be the scene-stealing star of the show.
Joel describes himself as “less a musician, more a writer who happens to be a musician”. His first book, In the Jingle Jangle Jungle: Keeping Time with the Brian Jonestown Massacre, was published in the UK by White Rabbit Books in February and in the US by Rare Bird Lit in May, 2024.
Featured Work
In the Jingle Jangle Jungle
Immortalised in one of the most unforgettable rock and roll documentaries of all time, DIG! alongside their friends/rivals/nemeses, The Dandy Warhol's, in their early years when the US were obsessed with grunge, the BJM felt like a '60s anachronism. But with their incendiary, often chaotic, live shows, they burnished their legend as true believers and custodians of the original west coast flame; a privilege and responsibility which continues to this day when the band have a bigger and more dedicated audience than ever.
Joel Gion's memoir tells the story of the first ten years of the band from the Duke Seat. A righteous account of the hazards and pleasures of life on and off the road, In the Jingle Jangle Jungle takes use behind the scenes of the supposed behind the scenes film that cemented the band's legend. Funny as hell, shot through with the innocence and wonder of a 'percussionist' whose true role is that of the band's 'spirit animal', In the Jingle Jangle Jungle has taken its place alongside cult classics in the pantheon of rock and roll literature.
RESIDENT'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
A ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
'Peppered with breezy humour' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'One can only hope that Gion is prepping memoir number two' IRISH TIMES
'A riotous, yet strangely graceful walk through a life of deep bohemian adventure' THE QUIETUS
Other Works
Awards and Recognition
- In the Jingle Jangle Jungle - a Rough Trade 2024 'Book of the Year' and Resident Music's 'Book of the Year'.
