Book review - "Jonestown" by Chris Masters

Eagerly awaited bio of the broadcast which, like Jones himself, probably won't mean much to people outside of Sydney. Why is Jones so popular in Sydney but nowhere else? (cf John Laws) People turn off from Today when he appears on it. That issue really isn't dealt with in the book. A lot else is, though - Masters does a thorough job on Jones' background, his childhood in the Queensland country, school at Toowoomba, teachers education, working at Ironside then BGS, then Kings, Oxford and eventually rugby and radio. I listened to Jones' show a few times and I think the overall secret to his appeal is certainty - he is astonishingly and overwhemingly certain. I also think he's a bit mad - you can see it in the eyes, and its reinforced by the refusal to believe he's wrong. Masters points out the patterns in his life: hard work, causes, playing favourites, a tendency for favour handsome young men (something we shouldn't be surprised we see it all the time with elder men and pretty young women). It seems he has never ever had a long term romantic relationship, which is sad - and a shame because it might have made him calm down a little bit. Jones' campness and old country town manners/mother love is very Australian - as is his use of sport to fit in a boof head society.

The book has received flak from exploring Jones' homosexuality. I think its fair enough this be looked into - any look at Bob Hawke's life, say, would have to explore his drinking and womanizing - but sometimes it felt as though it went too far: such as an account from a male hooker about an encounter with Jones. I mean, it was interesting on one level, and does sketch a portrait of the man - as a portrait of anyone having sex would - but it felt this went a bit too far. I appreciate Masters’ argument that it is revealing to Jones’ personality how he deals with a male prostitute (or courtesan, or what you will) – but it feels a bit uncomfortable. That argument would apply for any figure you do a biography on, it would be uncomfortable in that case, too. (It’s a bit off how Masters gives Jones’ would-be lover some respectability by saying “Jones met his match” in him – I mean, the kid was basically a rent boy.) I found the stuff about rugby and radio the most interesting, also teaching being a BGS old boy; the stuff about NSW politics was a little duller, as stuff about NSW politics tends to be unless you're really into crime, traffic and corruption.