Van Dyke Parks interview in the latest Record Collector

[Turtle_13]

Picked up this issue today while in town.

On one of the questions relating to SMiLE Van Dyke Parks answers the following:

"I'm delighted it's finally coming out. I haven't seen the finished product, but I've been told it's beautiful, that as much thought as gone into it as there is the creation of a Fabergé egg. I understand it exploits the work of Frank Holmes [ an artist who also contributes to one of Parks forthcoming sleeves] who did the first SMiLE cover. I first met him in 1962, and I've always admired him. Frank's work deserves triangulated equality with Brian's and mine on SMiLE, that is a fact so I am delighted that this man is finally going to be honoured at long last. He's never been a rich man; he had to work as an usher at a theater so he could afford to go and see Brian perform SMiLE  a few years ago. That is reprehensible."


Maybe this has been mentioned already and I missed it but this seems to strongly imply that the original artwork will indeed be used.........

[Pretty Funky]

Will be the icing on the cake. Why the word 'exploit' though?

[juggler]

Picked up this issue today while in town.

On one of the questions relating to SMiLE Van Dyke Parks answers the following:

"I'm delighted it's finally coming out. I haven't seen the finished product, but I've been told it's beautiful, that as much thought as gone into it as there is the creation of a Fabergé egg. I understand it exploits the work of Frank Holmes [ an artist who also contributes to one of Parks forthcoming sleeves] who did the first SMiLE cover. I first met him in 1962, and I've always admired him. Frank's work deserves triangulated equality with Brian's and mine on SMiLE, that is a fact so I am delighted that this man is finally going to be honoured at long last. He's never been a rich man; he had to work as an usher at a theater so he could afford to go and see Brian perform SMiLE  a few years ago. That is reprehensible."


Maybe this has been mentioned already and I missed it but this seems to strongly imply that the original artwork will indeed be used.........

Thanks for reporting this!  To my knowledge, it hadn't been mentioned already.  Many of us have been wondering whether (and hoping that) Frank's art would be part of this release, so this is great news if VDP is right.

I believe that the Davies Hall (where Brian performed Smile in San Francisco) does have a volunteer ushering program (whereby you can gain free admission to concerts by serving as an usher).  That might be what VDP means.  Nonetheless, it is indeed a shame if Frank had to do to something like that in order to see Brian perform.  I mean, the guy is a major part of the Smile legend... Couldn't Brian's people have comp'd him? 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Picked up this issue today while in town.

On one of the questions relating to SMiLE Van Dyke Parks answers the following:

"I'm delighted it's finally coming out. I haven't seen the finished product, but I've been told it's beautiful, that as much thought as gone into it as there is the creation of a Fabergé egg. I understand it exploits the work of Frank Holmes [ an artist who also contributes to one of Parks forthcoming sleeves] who did the first SMiLE cover. I first met him in 1962, and I've always admired him. Frank's work deserves triangulated equality with Brian's and mine on SMiLE, that is a fact so I am delighted that this man is finally going to be honoured at long last. He's never been a rich man; he had to work as an usher at a theater so he could afford to go and see Brian perform SMiLE  a few years ago. That is reprehensible."


Maybe this has been mentioned already and I missed it but this seems to strongly imply that the original artwork will indeed be used.........

Thanks for reporting this!  To my knowledge, it hadn't been mentioned already.  Many of us have been wondering whether (and hoping that) Frank's art would be part of this release, so this is great news if VDP is right.

Ummm... I hope he's right too. However, that interview will have been conducted at least a month ago: it's possible he was expressing a wish rather than reporting a fact.

[A Million Units In Jan!]

VDP, in a bit from the latest MOJO; 'Mike Love would have wanted The Beach Boys to continue forever in an endless summer, celebrating fast cars and faster women, in the suicide position. Brian wanted to go somewhere else and I was glad to be there'. Of the package, he added, 'I hear it's going to be absolutely beautiful'. 

So there's two instances of it being 'Beautiful'. Here's hoping Frank gets his due!

[bgas]

Picked up this issue today while in town.

On one of the questions relating to SMiLE Van Dyke Parks answers the following:

"I'm delighted it's finally coming out. I haven't seen the finished product, but I've been told it's beautiful, that as much thought as gone into it as there is the creation of a Fabergé egg. I understand it exploits the work of Frank Holmes [ an artist who also contributes to one of Parks forthcoming sleeves] who did the first SMiLE cover. I first met him in 1962, and I've always admired him. Frank's work deserves triangulated equality with Brian's and mine on SMiLE, that is a fact so I am delighted that this man is finally going to be honoured at long last. He's never been a rich man; he had to work as an usher at a theater so he could afford to go and see Brian perform SMiLE  a few years ago. That is reprehensible."


Maybe this has been mentioned already and I missed it but this seems to strongly imply that the original artwork will indeed be used.........

Thanks for reporting this!  To my knowledge, it hadn't been mentioned already.  Many of us have been wondering whether (and hoping that) Frank's art would be part of this release, so this is great news if VDP is right.

Ummm... I hope he's right too. However, that interview will have been conducted at least a month ago: it's possible he was expressing a wish rather than reporting a fact.

O ye of little faith!  It's in there.

[A Million Units In Jan!]

None of this would even be a question if we weren't dealing with The Beach Boys, who have made a career of making....odd decisions. The most obvious thing to do isn't always the thing they choose to do. Word.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

VDP, in a bit from the latest MOJO; 'Mike Love would have wanted The Beach Boys to continue forever in an endless summer, celebrating fast cars and faster women, in the suicide position. Brian wanted to go somewhere else and I was glad to be there'. Of the package, he added, 'I hear it's going to be absolutely beautiful'. 

So there's two instances of it being 'Beautiful'. Here's hoping Frank gets his due!

Quotes like this annoy me. VDP was involved in Smile therefore he's biased. Fair enough. Let him slam Mike for the rest of his life if it makes him feel better. But to me it's a no brainer: Mike Love's idea of the Beach Boys was perfectly valid and was/is a large percentage of what The Beach Boys are, like it or not. To me, Smile would bore me to tears if I wasn't already in love with the group based upon all that came before and about 95% of what came after. The Beach Boys are all over the map and Smile was just one particular left turn in a career full of them. There's nothing wrong with fun in the sun, surf, fast cars, women, rock and roll and VDP had better get with it or shut up!

[drbeachboy]

Here, here! Nice post Erik. VDP, I think, places too much importance of his part in The Beach Boys career. I'm still not convinced that Smile would have been accepted by the masses anymore than Smiley Smile was.

[Pretty Funky]

Just looking at amazon and it has the Smile tribute album. Frank Holmes must have got paid something for that as it is so close to his cover artwork surely?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000069RO6/ref=dp_otherviews_0?ie=UTF8&s=music&img=0


If not....he was stiffed!

[Runaways]

Quotes like this annoy me. VDP was involved in Smile therefore he's biased. Fair enough. Let him slam Mike for the rest of his life if it makes him feel better. But to me it's a no brainer: Mike Love's idea of the Beach Boys was perfectly valid and was/is a large percentage of what The Beach Boys are, like it or not. To me, Smile would bore me to tears if I wasn't already in love with the group based upon all that came before and about 95% of what came after. The Beach Boys are all over the map and Smile was just one particular left turn in a career full of them. There's nothing wrong with fun in the sun, surf, fast cars, women, rock and roll and VDP had better get with it or shut up!

wait...read that quote again...what does van dyke say...i'll paraphrase, mike wanted to continue with the surf/car/girls music, brian wanted to do something else, van dyke was happy to do it with him.

where is mike being slammed again??  you can infer his tone perhaps, but he's just saying the truth.  do you mean the "suicide position" quote.  Surely even mike realized by the late 60s that surf music was gone.  and if we're talking about legacies, mike being a bit of a jerk is a part of it too, so just accept it.  

and when has van dyke ever been anti-surf?  didn't he name a song surf's up?  isn't he quoted as talking about the surf legacy of the beach boys as "i like all that" in the smile dvd?

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Well, he's inferring that Mike ONLY wanted to continue in the vein of surf, cars, girls and called it the suicide position. It's something of a jab at Mike, but then again, jabs at Mike are so commonplace and accepted that it's silly to even try pointing something out as a slam. As for jerks in the Beach Boys: I hardly think Mike earned that honor all on his own. Rock and roll is full of jerks and we all know it.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I mean, I actually know a guy who used to bash Mike all the time. I mean, really bash him, saying his was the biggest merdahole in the universe, while the whole time he had this huge poster of Sid Vicious on his wall!!!!

[Andrew G. Doe]

Just looking at amazon and it has the Smile tribute album. Frank Holmes must have got paid something for that as it is so close to his cover artwork surely?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000069RO6/ref=dp_otherviews_0?ie=UTF8&s=music&img=0


If not....he was stiffed!

**koff** - not a Smile tribute: just four tracks out of seventeen.

[Pretty Funky]

I stand corrected again! The clone cover distracted me.

But still the question. Should Holmes have been paid for that knock-off? My unlegal mind would say yes!

[Andrew G. Doe]

I stand corrected again! The clone cover distracted me.

But still the question. Should Holmes have been paid for that knock-off? My unlegal mind would say yes!

Coming from another angle, I'd say he had a good case for a copyright infringement suit... but given the nature of the project (and the frankly lamentable contents), probably wise not to pursue it.

[juggler]

I stand corrected again! The clone cover distracted me.

But still the question. Should Holmes have been paid for that knock-off? My unlegal mind would say yes!

Coming from another angle, I'd say he had a good case for a copyright infringement suit... but given the nature of the project (and the frankly lamentable contents), probably wise not to pursue it.

I bought this CD when it came out in 2002, and I seem to remember reading at the time that Holmes had given his blessing to the cover.  Could be wrong, though, and 9 years later, some of the original interviews and articles that accompanied the release have undoubtedly disappeared from the internet.

It's odd, though, that the liner notes of the disc do not mention or acknowledge Frank, so perhaps he didn't approve.  Who knows...  Water under the bridge at this point, I guess...

As for the music on the disc... some of the tracks are indeed cringe-inducing, though I really like Aaron Sprinkle's I Know There's an Answer/Hang on to Your Ego.