Brian Jones Confidential

Look, there's politics. There's stories about Hurricane Katrina. And then there's the things that really matter. Like whether Brian Jones was ever important to the Rolling Stones.

In a post that is perfectly ironic (in the sense that you can't tell whether he's serious or clowning), Glenn Reynolds writes, "Brian Jones was the real talent in that band anyway; they've just been coasting since he died."

On his own blog (and presumably on his own time), Reason's Matt Welch (the Ben Affleck of this outfit), takes the Instapundit to task:

After Jones died, the Stones made three of the best rock records of all time, in three years. One of the reasons they were able to creatively withstand the loss of the band's "real talent," was that, um, Jones didn't write any songs.

Don't get me wrong -- I've certainly made the "Brian Jones was the real talent in the Stones argument," too, and there's no question the man had some fierce style. But I've also drank 100 shots of beer in 100 minutes, and closely observed the workings of a two-story bong called "The Exterminator." All three activities had pretty much revealed their limitations by age 21.

Whole Welch bit here. Glam shot of Matt (far right, biting his lip like it's Ron Wood's nipple) on stage with The Corvids here.

John Leo col, in which he disses the Glimmer Twins et al for dissing the prez with their new song, "Sweet Neocon," here.

And a piece that suggests that perhaps Brian Jones was the lucky one in the Stones.