If the Beach Boys never existed...

[Magic Transistor Radio]

If each of the Beach Boys were born alone this would be my prediction of them.

1. Brian-I think music would always be a part of his life. And so would sports. I believe that it was Mike that pushed him to do music for money. I think Brian would've been a happier person if he never became a celebrate. He probably would've written some songs and played them for his family and friends for free. I don't think he would've ever gotten into drugs and he would end up with a regular job somewhere making about $40k a year.

2. Dennis-I think that his inspiration to make music was 99% from Brian. So I don't think he would've ever written a single song in his life.  But being a cut up and rebal before the BBs began he probably would've become a hippy in the late 60s and done drugs. But he probably would straighten up in the mid 70s and lived a normal life thereafter.

3. Carl-he had taken guitar lessons and had a good voice. Who knows, he might have taken a crack at song writing and starting a band himself around 1964 inspired greatly by the Beatles like millions of other kids. His style would've been more of the 'So Tough' or 'Holland' material. Without the Brian Wilson influence he probably wouldn't have done stuff like FF or LPR.  I think he would've been good and maybe a one hit wonder but lack creativity to last longer then a few years. He probably would scrape through the hippy scene a couple years, then lead a normal life.

4. Mike-I think that he had a good stage presence as a lead singer in the early 60s. He would probably try to start a band with one of his 'talented' friends. If his friends had any talent at all, they might have a couple of oldies hits and dissapeared.  He would then get a job in a magazine or something and write every article on his one or two top 40 hits his group had in 1963.

5. Al-He would've been a dentist.

6. Bruce-He was in music already and probably would continue to be. I think that he has a good taste and would've been inspired by another great song writer like Brian. Maybe Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, etc.  I think his solo career would've been much stronger without the BBs!!

Of course these are all just big fairy tales in my own head. But I think they would be something like this.

[Pretty Funky]

I also agree with Al as a dentist. Mike would be a Realtor IMO. Dennis, Carl and Dave I couldn't say.

Brian is a interesting one. I am thinking of some of his early leads, non surf or car, minus the others singing harmony (think Warmth Of The Sun) and his voice may have had a novelty to it in a way like Gene Pitney or Orbison. For that reason I go for a few hits then nothing. A little side note in the music business with worse decline than he did or a complete recovery because he would not have had the pressure from bandmates.

A question. In the EH doco Al says he had seen Brian and Carl " in concert" (I think are the words) prior to the BBs. What would that have been?

[Rocker]

A question. In the EH doco Al says he had seen Brian and Carl " in concert" (I think are the words) prior to the BBs. What would that have been?

Probably when they performed in school.

[Pretty Funky]

I put the question to David Marks through Carrie above. Here's her/ his reply.


I asked him and David said he would be doing something with music regardless.  He wrote and recorded his first original song 2 - 2 1/2 years before Surfin' so the Beach Boys didn't put David on the musical path...but they did accelerate him down it.  Architecture is the only thing he said he could see himself doing besides music.

As for Brian, he said "God didn't put all that music inside of Brian for it not to come out.  He would have found some why to express himself even if he didn't have the Beach Boys.  How successful it would have been is another story."  He went on to say that if Brian didn't make it as a songwriter or engineer/producer, he probably would have been the Music teacher or P.E. Coach at Hawthorne High.

He said Mike would be doing something public - sales or maybe politics.  He said (without hesitation) that Carl would do something with cars - probably selling them.  And Dennis - he said he would be a VERY successful salesman because he could convince anyone to do anything.  He figured Al would be a department manager in a large corporation and Bruce would have continued on his own as a producer and songwriter.


Thanks Carrie and David.
 
 

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Oops. I can't believe I forgot Dave! I agree that he would've pursued music regardless. Probably not much different then it ended up with The Marksmen. However, because he had made money with the Beach Boys he was able to spend a lot of time in music. If he didn't have the money and couldn't succeed elsewhere, then he would've had a regular job. An architect (as he said) for Art Vandelay Industries? An inside joke for Seinfeld fans.