2004 Beach Boys documentary

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I had never seen this before. A couple of things stick out to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXYP4tQyUFo
Interesting discussion about Sean (Mike’s apparent daughter) at 2:45


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R5J3Z2CJjM
reunion talk at 3:10

This is the second video I've seen where Mike gets emotional. The first time was in the early 90s when Mike said that he hated Eugene Landy. He was tearing up because he wasn't allowed to talk to his money making cousin. Then in this one as well. Outside of that, I have never seen Mike get emotional about anything (including the deaths of Dennis and Carl).

[Winston Wrong]

Pretty sure this was shown here in the UK on BBC about 5 years ago..

I remember a scene where the BB's came to England and performed at a old folks home. There was video footage of them playing in-front of a crowd of 70 year olds!

I have this on VHS somewhere, although hardly any of my tapes are labelled so it could be anywhere..

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Yeah, that stuck out to me too.

That reminds me of Spinal Tap. This was a mocumentary about a fictitious heavy metal band. One of the band members girl friends became the manager during a comercial low for the group. They ended up playing on a military base. Everyone in the military was excpecting music from the 50s.

[Pretty Funky]

The 'What Do You Think?' last line speaks volumes.

[Rocky]

The 'What Do You Think?' last line speaks volumes.

it sure does. i

[phirnis]

Absolutely LOVE the ending of this particular documentary. Mike's getting real emotional here and there's an exciting sense of more things to come absent from Endless Harmony, which of course provided more of a feeling of closure.

[matt-zeus]

I remember when this was on the telly some years ago, sort of like Endless harmony but obviously goes beyond it timespan-wise and also digs a little deeper too, its a good doc and includes them all rather than just Brian.

[MBE]

Jon did a great job on this. I think it kept in things other docs took pains to edit out. It's all the better for it too. Very truthful.

[DonnaK]

Does anyone know where to get a copy of the documentary? I don't know how to download from YouTube or if it's possible to do so. I'm lame at that.

Thanks all!

[Wilsonista]

The 'What Do You Think?' last line speaks volumes.

it sure does. i

If one feels that Melinda is the evil villainess keeping us from Our Happy Ending of a BB Reunion,then I suppose so.  Melinda is a lot of things, but I seriously doubt that Brian needs a Svengali to tell him how he "should" feel about the BB.

What no one has mentioned (or even remembers) is that Brian made a similar  comment to Kevin Leslie during a Landy-era interview.It's in Back to the Beach.

[Jon Stebbins]

Jon did a great job on this. I think it kept in things other docs took pains to edit out. It's all the better for it too. Very truthful.

Thanks Mike... I did try to help give this a slightly edgier texture by asking certain questions during the interviews I was behind the camera for. For anyone wondering, the title of this 2005 BBC documentary was Wouldn't It Be Nice. Unfortunately there were tons of rights issues with some of the footage used, apparently Malcolm Leo's approval was garnered to clear some things that he had no right to clear. The result was a heap of legal trouble after one succesful airing on BBC1 prime time, and they could never air it again. The good news is some of us who collaborated on that documentary are close to starting production on something new in the months ahead. I'll let you know all about that as soon as I can.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

My thoughts when Brian said 'Again? What do you think?' Was that he was tired of the question and gave that answer because he already answered it. But perhaps he was asking somebody next to him, which the camera didn't catch what they thought about it.

I am not sure that I believe Brian when he said that he hates Mike and thinks he is egotistical. Not that I disagree, but sometimes I feel that Brian gives an answer based on what people around him want to hear. In the Capitol 'reunion' of 2006, Brian said 'never say never' and seemed to get along just fine. All be it for about 5 miniutes.

[Smilin Ed H]

"There was video footage of them playing in-front of a crowd of 70 year olds!"  A charitable favour at a hospital, I believe, although I don't think this was made clear.  The first half of this is really good.

[TdHabib]

Jon did a great job on this. I think it kept in things other docs took pains to edit out. It's all the better for it too. Very truthful.

Thanks Mike... I did try to help give this a slightly edgier texture by asking certain questions during the interviews I was behind the camera for. For anyone wondering, the title of this 2005 BBC documentary was Wouldn't It Be Nice. Unfortunately there were tons of rights issues with some of the footage used, apparently Malcolm Leo's approval was garnered to clear some things that he had no right to clear. The result was a heap of legal trouble after one succesful airing on BBC1 prime time, and they could never air it again. The good news is some of us who collaborated on that documentary are close to starting production on something new in the months ahead. I'll let you know all about that as soon as I can.

Ditto Mike's positive comments and I must also say that the editing on this docu is really good and thoughtful--the Pet Sounds segments in particular.

[Sam_BFC]

Ooh I never knew Mr Stebbins was involved in this doc.

It quite literally changed my life.  I remember one (maybe sunday) evening I got out the bath and just turned on the telly and by chance saw a doc about the BBs (of who I had a passing interest at this time) was just starting and I then sat there in my towel glued to the screen for the next hour, learning for the first time about SMiLE among other things.  Really fascinating doc for sure.  Later that week I ordered SMiLE and the rest is history.

[Pretty Funky]

Jon Stebbins wrote

...The good news is some of us who collaborated on that documentary are close to starting production on something new in the months ahead...


..and you are meeting Brian Wilson this Friday? Good news for Beach Boys fans ahead I think Jon. Whatever the project.

Could this Hollywood Bowl comment of yours come into the discussion?

I know for a fact that the Hollywood Bowl would love to host a Beach Boys reunion concert. A member of my family holds a perfect position within the Hollywood Bowl organization to make this happen if the BB's wanted it. In fact, this party specifically reached out to me last year to see if I could somehow assist them in gauging interest within the BB's family.
 

[donald]

So Jon Stebbins is involved in a new BB video documentary?   I look forward to that!      I've often wished that I could get the REST of the footage not included in the existing films.  Seems clear to me most of the films have been edited down leaving out sections that might not be of interest to casual viewers but would be of great interest to hard core fans.

I've had an idea for putting the existing pieces together in one longer DVD, leaving out redundant parts.   

So much more material is out there.  How about some more of that birthday party footage from American Band?    Surely that wasn't all of it?   Maybe put a clip from the Murry cartoon that was in circulation on the web a couple of years ago?   I'll bet there are hours of home movies and videos in the hands of family and friends.  Could you imagine some home movie footage of Carl and Dino home for the Holidays?  If Murry and  Audrey or Mike's family had movie cameras in the 60's, and many middle class families did, there might be footage of them singing at the family gatherings.

I would love to see a new documntary go beyond what we now have.

[Jon Stebbins]

Jon Stebbins wrote

...The good news is some of us who collaborated on that documentary are close to starting production on something new in the months ahead...


..and you are meeting Brian Wilson this Friday? Good news for Beach Boys fans ahead I think Jon. Whatever the project.

Could this Hollywood Bowl comment of yours come into the discussion?

I know for a fact that the Hollywood Bowl would love to host a Beach Boys reunion concert. A member of my family holds a perfect position within the Hollywood Bowl organization to make this happen if the BB's wanted it. In fact, this party specifically reached out to me last year to see if I could somehow assist them in gauging interest within the BB's family.
 

Sorry, no connection there. I'm seeing Brian's Going Home  film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival on Friday as Jeffrey Foskett's guest...Brian will be there to do a Q&A. So yeah I'll probably say hi, and talk a little with Jeff, and say hi and talk significantly less with Brian. But the Hollywood Bowl thing isn't on my radar these days. Who knows it could be revived by me, or someone in the BB's organization or a combination, but right now I'm working on other things. The Bowl people are still interested, and I think it would make a perfect venue if a BB's reunion, or a 50th anniv. show is a possibility.

[John]

Sad question, but, in the home movies of them at the beach, is there a shot with all six of them in the frame? (i.e. The Wilsons, Mike, Al and Dave). They were all present that day, right?

[MBE]

Brian wasn't there. In AAB they inserted another shot of him to make it look like he was.

[Jon Stebbins]

Sad question, but, in the home movies of them at the beach, is there a shot with all six of them in the frame? (i.e. The Wilsons, Mike, Al and Dave). They were all present that day, right?

As MBE stated that was filmed on the summer 1963 Hawaii tour, and Brian stayed in L.A...the footage is of the other five.

[John]

Damn. I wish there was one picture with all six on.

[Jon Stebbins]

Damn. I wish there was one picture with all six on.

Well, there are a few memorable snapshots in time when all six were in the picture. One is called In My Room, another is Catch A Wave.

[Mark H.]

I watched all the segments last night on Youtube.  This one of, if not the best, documentaries of the group I've ever seen.  It's just too short.  I know it was for tv....but is there a "director's cut"?  I would love to see extended interview with Dianne Rovell, Tony Asher, Ed Roach, and Greg Jackobson.  Their input brought a new side to the story.  Marilyn came off really well in this film I thought. 

The ending is priceless!

[Aegir]

If Murry and  Audrey or Mike's family had movie cameras in the 60's, and many middle class families did, there might be footage of them singing at the family gatherings.

Yeah, but how many middle class families owned cameras with sound? I mean, I could watch silent footage of the Wilsons for hours and hours and hours on end, but if you think we'd get some more music out of this, I doubt it.