Beach Boys FAQ Book

From Howie Edelson's syndicated radio feed:

9/21/2011

NEW BEACH BOYS 'FAQ' BOOK CHARTS 'AMERICA'S BAND' HISTORY

Newly released is The Beach Boys FAQ: All That's Left To Know About America's Band by noted rock journalist Jon Stebbins. Stebbins, who's helped restructure the Beach Boys' history with his two previous book on co-founders Dennis Wilson (The Real Beach Boy) and David Marks (The Lost Beach Boy), covers the entire spectrum of the band's career from their pre-fame era up through today.

Among the highlights in the book are fact-packed -- and often humorous -- chapters on the achievement of their 1966 Pet Sounds album; the failure of their unfinished "masterpiece" Smile; Brian Wilson's mental battles; the actual women depicted in the band's classic hits; Beach Boys fans' love-hate relationship with frontman Mike Love; the band's legendary image problems of the mid-to-late '60s; the Wilson brothers' dad and early manager Murry Wilson; poor career choices; a listing of tracks the band performed on; key albums which flew under the radar; a look at the band's solo work; the group's greatest musical moments on record; milestone live performances; a listing of TV and film appearances, and much, much more.

Stebbins told us that the early look and vibe of the group was the opposite of the eventual choirboy image that was synonymous of their mid-'60s success: "I mean, the Beach Boys had a dorky quality about them -- (laughs) it's not there in those first few albums. In the first few albums, they seem kinda edgy and kinda cool -- almost a little bit dark, almost a little bit punkish, y'know? And by the time they're sitting in the diving board on (the cover of) Beach Boys Today with their collegiate sweaters on, it's almost scary how dorky they had become."

Stebbins remains one of the few working journalists able to cover the band's legacy without the need to denigrate Mike Love's sometimes more commercial leanings in an effort to boost Brian Wilson's already acclaimed accomplishments: "What I get tired of is people saying, 'Well, Mike wouldn't have been anything if it hadn't have been for Brian. The only reason that we talk about this still is because of Brian. Because he gave it something that's so unique, and so deep, and works on such a spiritual level that it's timeless and we still talk about it.' However; we might never have had that to enjoy if it hadn't been for a Mike Love."

Middle brother Dennis Wilson remained Brian's primary inspiration for the band's early surf and hot rod hits up through Brian's progressive work beginning in 1965. Stebbins believes that the relationship between the two brothers was at times a complicated one: "I think Dennis was a real enigma, in a way, to Brian. Brian saw that Dennis was integrating socially in the world in a way that he never could, and was so automatically popular with people. I think it's something Brian -- maybe some part of Brian would've like to have been, but couldn't be, could never be. So maybe there was even a little degree of resentment in there with Dennis."

For more information, log on to: thejonstebbins.com

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