Award winning playwright, Tim Keogh, is back with a brand new play, Out of Time, that focuses on the life of former Rolling Stones member Brian Jones and is being staged at Salford Arts Theatre on 25th and 26th October.
Tim has had previous success with biographical drama, winning a Fringe Award for his Morrissey play Thorn, which not only gave an insight into the life of an adolescent Steven Patrick Morrissey, it also beautifully captured the tone of the period. The timing of Thorn was almost serendipitous as it explored immigration, sexuality and an increasingly contrarian performer.
I caught up with Tim to discuss Out of Time and the enigmatic former Stones guitarist.... "I've always been a fan of The Stones but was only a young lad in the Sixties" he recalls "The first single I remember buying of theirs was Angie in 1973."
Although already a fan of the band, a chance meeting inspired Tim to focus in on Brian and tell his unique and often overlooked story...
"I was inspired to write the play after meeting Brian's grandson Joolz at a Donovan concert at the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge in 2016. He said that Brian should be remembered for what he achieved in his life rather than for his tragic early death. I went out and bought as many books as I could find about Brian, and thought that this was a story worth telling."
Rather than echoing the sombre nature of Brian's passing, the play concentrates on the many positives of being a young man in one of biggest bands of all time. Brian's story is one of incredible success and cultural legend.
Out of Time ensures that his legacy remains intact..."Brian was as big as Lennon and Hendrix in the 60s but few people know of him now. In a way I want to set the record straight and put him back where he should be."
On the celebratory aspects of the show, Tim points to a moment in the piece that Brian would certainly have cited as a career highlight; "I have many favourite moments in the play but I like to see how happy Brian was when he got Howlin' Wolf to play with the Stones on U.S television. He achieved a long held ambition of 'bringing the Blues back home'."
I was keen to find out if Tim encountered any interesting new facts about the musician whilst researching the play: "I was fascinated to learn that Brian bought Cotchford Farm, the former home of A.A. Milne, the author of the Winnie the Pooh books."
Out of Time promises an entertaining and informative play that revisits the allure and psychedelia of the swinging sixties. Immersive yourself in the life and times of the iconic Stones founder member Brian Jones.
Out of Time by Tim Keogh
Friday 25th and Saturday 26th October 7:30pm
Salford Arts Theatre
Tickets £10/£8 – click here for details
Words by Ian Leslie
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