Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys update and Canadian launch events

[Mark Dillon]

Hello all,

So my book went to the printer the other day ahead of its release June 1 in North America and July 12 in the UK (at least according to the UK Amazon site.) There will be a launch party May 28th at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto starting at 8 PM or 8:30 PM, likely to include a Q&A and live entertainment. Please come by if you're in the area. There is also a Montréal event slated for the afternoon of June 16 – one day before Father's Day and four days before the Boys play at the Bell Centre — with details soon to be confirmed. Come one, come all!

[Jon Stebbins]

Hello all,

So my book went to the printer the other day ahead of its release June 1 in North America and July 12 in the UK (at least according to the UK Amazon site.) There will be a launch party May 28th at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto starting at 8 PM or 8:30 PM, likely to include a Q&A and live entertainment. Please come by if you're in the area. There is also a Montréal event slated for the afternoon of June 16 – one day before Father's Day and four days before the Boys play at the Bell Centre — with details soon to be confirmed. Come one, come all!

Sounds like fun Mark. Congrats on a really cool book, everyone who loves the Beach Boys is going to enjoy it!

[Mark Dillon]

Thanks so much, Jon!

[b00ts]

Thanks so much, Jon!

Looking forward to the book here as well. Congratulations Mark.

[Dunderhead]

Any clues as to what the 50 sides are? Been looking forward to this book for a while.

[The Shift]

Wish I could be there Mark!  You'll not be having a UK launch then?   

[Paulos]

Wish I could be there Mark!  You'll not be having a UK launch then?   

There's no UK launch due to us Brits having a priviledged and holier-than-thou attitude...just joking, great news Mark and I'm looking forward to the book.

[Rich Panteluk]

Looking forward to the book Mark!  Pre-ordered two copies.  As a fellow Canadian, I would love to check out the Canadian launch events, but I am too far west (Calgary). Hope to be reading it in California when I go travel to see this band I kinda like...
Good luck with the launch!

[Mark Dillon]

Any clues as to what the 50 sides are? Been looking forward to this book for a while.

Thanks Fishmonk. Well, the title is a bit of a cheat. 38 of the songs discussed were in fact A-sides or B-sides; the rest are album cuts. But if one of my 50 great interview subjects really wanted to talk about a deep album cut, who am I to stop them? That said, I have tried to include the most popular, acclaimed and representative songs of the group's entire career. I have also included some Brian and Dennis solo material because of the respect fans have for it.  

I would add that the most represented albums are Pet Sounds, Smile and Surf's Up.

[Mark Dillon]

Wish I could be there Mark!  You'll not be having a UK launch then? T 

Well, I would certainly love to do a UK launch, John, but it's just not in the cards at this point. Man, I sound like The Beach Boys!

[Mark Dillon]

Looking forward to the book Mark!  Pre-ordered two copies.  As a fellow Canadian, I would love to check out the Canadian launch events, but I am too far west (Calgary). Hope to be reading it in California when I go travel to see this band I kinda like...
Good luck with the launch!

Thanks, my fellow Canuck.

[The Shift]

Wish I could be there Mark!  You'll not be having a UK launch then? T

Well, I would certainly love to do a UK launch, John, but it's just not in the cards at this point. Man, I sound like The Beach Boys!

If you sound like the Beach Boys, we Brits would pay to see you, given the current dearth of the real thing!   

Ordered my copy months ago Mark, really looking forward it.

[Paulos]

Here is the cover:



And here are some links:

http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Sides-Beach-Boys-Songs/dp/1770410716/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332609238&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fifty-Sides-Beach-Boys-Dillon/dp/1770410716/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332609205&sr=8-1

And here's the description:

Reflecting on the Beach Boys’ long, fascinating history, this book tells the story behind 50 of the band’s greatest songs from the perspective of group members, collaborators, fellow musicians, and notable fans. It is filled with new interviews with music legends such as Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Alan Jardine, Bruce Johnston, David Marks, Blondie Chaplin, Randy Bachman, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Lyle Lovett, Alice Cooper, and Al Kooper, and commentary from a younger generation such as Matthew Sweet, Carnie Wilson, Daniel Lanois, Cameron Crowe, and Zooey Deschanel. Even hardcore fans will be delighted by the breadth of this musical-history volume. Plans for celebrating the golden anniversary of “America’s band” include the long-awaited release of 1967’s Smile—the most famous aborted album in rock history—and concerts reuniting the group’s three main surviving members. The band’s music is as influential as it was 50 years ago, and this retelling of how the iconic rock group found itself in the annals of pop culture couldn’t come at a better time.

[Mark Dillon]

Here is the cover:



And here are some links:

http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Sides-Beach-Boys-Songs/dp/1770410716/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332609238&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fifty-Sides-Beach-Boys-Dillon/dp/1770410716/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332609205&sr=8-1

And here's the description:

Reflecting on the Beach Boys’ long, fascinating history, this book tells the story behind 50 of the band’s greatest songs from the perspective of group members, collaborators, fellow musicians, and notable fans. It is filled with new interviews with music legends such as Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Alan Jardine, Bruce Johnston, David Marks, Blondie Chaplin, Randy Bachman, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Lyle Lovett, Alice Cooper, and Al Kooper, and commentary from a younger generation such as Matthew Sweet, Carnie Wilson, Daniel Lanois, Cameron Crowe, and Zooey Deschanel. Even hardcore fans will be delighted by the breadth of this musical-history volume. Plans for celebrating the golden anniversary of “America’s band” include the long-awaited release of 1967’s Smile—the most famous aborted album in rock history—and concerts reuniting the group’s three main surviving members. The band’s music is as influential as it was 50 years ago, and this retelling of how the iconic rock group found itself in the annals of pop culture couldn’t come at a better time.

Of course, they should change that to "five main surviving members."

[Lowbacca]

It's not yet listed on German amazon.. 

[MBE]

Got to read through it and it is very good. The format is cool in that he got the interviewers to discuss a particular song or period of time. There is a lot of original material here and getting most of The Beach Boys for it is a big coup. There is a tad taken from the Todd Gold book that shouldn't be there (such as a quote from "Brian" on writing  "This Whole World") but he really has the story told in a fair and unique way. I enjoyed it very much and recommend it highly. I can honestly say I learned new things from it which is rare for me. Good job Mark!

[Mark Dillon]

Thanks, Mike. Coming from you that means a lot.

[Mark Dillon]

Hello everyone,
I think I'm due with an update on my book. The original launch date was June 1, but Amazon is already shipping out copies and I've heard reports of it appearing in bookstores everywhere from Toronto to California. Here is a nice review I got from Publishers Weekly: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-77041-071-8.

For those in Canada, I am slated to do a couple of TV interviews: Canada A.M. June 4 and CHCH Morning Live (Hamilton) on June 8. Regarding the launch events, in Toronto it will be at the Gladstone Hotel on May 28. Doors open at 7 p.m. and it gets underway at 7:30 PM. I'll be participating in a Q&A with Liz Worth, author of a very cool oral history about the Toronto punk scene entitled Treat Me Like Dirt. A good local band called the Roughtones will perform, adding a few Beach Boys songs to their repertory. The Montréal launch event is at 2 PM on June 16 at Paragraphe bookstore. There I will be interviewed by Bernard Perusse, music critic for the Montreal Gazette and a BIG Beach Boys fan. It would be great to see any of you out if you happen to be in the area.

[MBE]

It really is a fine read.

[metal flake paint]

I received my copy in Australia on Friday and I'm really enjoying the read. I'm about halfway through and I like the way you've incorporated the interviews with backround history.

I urge you all to acquire a copy of this book.

Well done, Mark!

[Lowbacca]

Okay, it's on my amazon wish list. 

[Mark Dillon]

I received my copy in Australia on Friday and I'm really enjoying the read. I'm about halfway through and I like the way you've incorporated the interviews with backround history.

I urge you all to acquire a copy of this book.

Well done, Mark!

Thanks, MFP. I'm so glad you're digging it.

[bgas]

Here's a hatchet job review, which, of course, can't even get some of the basic facts straight: 

http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/05/22/the-beach-boys-have-a-senior-moment/

[Dove Nested Towers]

Good work, Mark, looking forward to reading your book.

[Mark Dillon]

Here's a hatchet job review, which, of course, can't even get some of the basic facts straight: 

http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/05/22/the-beach-boys-have-a-senior-moment/

Absolutley, bgas. I was very disappointed to find eight errors in the piece, none of which emanate from my book. I tried to get them to make the changes before the article went online, but my first request fell upon deaf ears. I'm still trying to work it out with them.