Dennis Wilson documentary to premiere in UK on Feb. 26th.

[Jon Stebbins]

The statement "Dennis is the only member of the Beach Boys who is actually a surfer" first surfaces in 1962 press for the band. It continues in the '63/'64/'65 period in most band articles and bios. Brian, Al, Carl and David have all stated multiple times in vintage and later press that "Dennis was the only real surfer" in the band. Later Mike has claimed that he also did some surfing. Bruce still surfs apparently. I think this myth or non-myth regarding Dennis generates from the "cult" of surfing, and not the actual act of surfing. I think all of the Beach Boys at least tried it, and a couple of them did it enough to say they surfed or surf. However, There was a loosely knit group of surfers around Southern California in the early '60's to the '70's, some legends like Mickey Dora and Corky Carroll, others just neighborhood guys who are nameless. But there was a clique, a cult, a gang of people who were known as surfers and who accepted each other. Starting even before the BB's Dennis knew those guys, surfed with some of them, socialized with most of them...and was accepted by them. He was the only one of the orig. Beach Boys who came from, or ran with, the "cult" they were singing about. The "Surfers" as an entity. There were "jocks", "greasers", ho-dads" etc... Dennis was a "surfer". Dennis was the only "surfer" in the orig. Beach Boys. Brian wasn't, Carl wasn't, Al wasn't, David wasn't, Mike might have surfed but he wasn't a part of this social sphere other than as an observer, Bruce came to the party later, and i don't know what his history with the cult of So. Cal surfers was. But its well documented Dennis was right in the middle of it...Dennis was going to the same parties, same beaches, dating the same girls, hanging with the same cliques that are mythologized in song. He came from the culture of the surfer. BTW we have snippets of early footage in the new doc., probably shot in '62, of DW with his longboard, waxing it, and doing a little wave riding.

[Jason]

Nice place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there!!!  Seriously our Government are forehead slappingly stupid.

Yeah...you guys sided with a mentally handicapped person and a dude who nicknames snowstorms. Apt description. 

[Pretty Funky]

For you brits. Wilson night at the beeb!

http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1040101&c=1

BBC Four is to devote a night’s programming to the Beach Boys later this month.

Friday February 26 will see the channel air a documentary on the life of Dennis Wilson, entitled Legends: Dennis Wilson, followed by Pet Sounds: Brian Wilson Live In London, a concert film in which the former Beach Boy plays the band’s classic 1966 Pet Sounds album from start to finish.

The night finishes with Imagine – Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson’s Smile, in which Alan Yentob examines the band’s legendary lost album, Smile.

Legends kicks off proceedings at 9pm.

[John Manning]

A new 60 minute documentary film on the life of Dennis Wilson has been created for the BBC4 Legends series. The film titled Dennis Wilson – The Real Beach Boy will premiere in the UK on Friday, February 26th at 9 p.m.. The documentary features previously unseen footage and rare archival materials...

Maybe Jon or Howie can whet our appetites further - does the "rare archival materials..." include any music we might not have heard before?

[Jon Stebbins]

A new 60 minute documentary film on the life of Dennis Wilson has been created for the BBC4 Legends series. The film titled Dennis Wilson – The Real Beach Boy will premiere in the UK on Friday, February 26th at 9 p.m.. The documentary features previously unseen footage and rare archival materials...

Maybe Jon or Howie can whet our appetites further - does the "rare archival materials..." include any music we might not have heard before?

This is not a film loaded with things hardcore fans will freak out about because they are so rare etc... It is a very mainstream look at the life of Dennis, remember this is the first proper documentary devoted solely to him. When I say proper I mean it is filled with his images, both still and moving footage of him, and filled with his music. I think there are pieces of at least 20 DW songs throughout the course of this film...and another 10 or so Brian/BB's songs tossed in there too. For the hardcore DW fans there aren't that many things you won't already have seen somewhere, or heard somewhere, but if you pay close attention there are definitely some previously unseen things, and a few previously unheard things too. However, the prev. unheard snippets are mostly different mixes, or no vocal mixes of prev. released material, and it is presented subtly so most people probably won't even realize they are hearing unreleased material or mixes, but they are there. There is also some previously unseen moving footage that pops up here and there, thanks to Ed Roach and thanks to the BBC archives. But IMO the most important thing about this film is that its an hour of Dennis, a fully produced doc. on his life, with tons of great music and great footage, and its all about Dennis. If this sees a DVD release there's a good chance we'll be expanding the film and adding in some more rarities to make purchasing it more attractive to the consumer.

[Shady]

I'm so pumped for this, a long overdue Beach Boys night 

Gonna watch it with some friends 

[Ed Roach]

Here's an early review of the show, from RadioTimes:

Friday 26 February
9:00pm - 10:00pm
BBC4

A fresh telling of the familiar fable about the rapid ascent and pained descent of a rock star - you might not know the Dennis Wilson version, but it's as tragic and intriguing as any. This film also offers a new angle on the Beach Boys, by only discussing Brian Wilson's wobbly genius in terms of how it affected his brother. One of rock's first sexy drummers, Dennis brought a rugged cool to a band otherwise staffed by portly fusspots. But before his own soulful, salty voice could fully emerge, he'd been dragged down by the Manson family, booze, commercial pressure and some poorly chosen wives. His one great LP was 1977's hairy, funky, murky Pacific Ocean Blue. Here, fans can enjoy seeing the gospel choir that elevates the classic track River Song; the rest can marvel at how they came this far in life without hearing it.

http://www.radiotimes.com/ListingsServlet?event=10&channelId=47&programmeId=111229696&jspLocation=/jsp/prog_details_fullpage.jsp

[John Manning]

A new 60 minute documentary film on the life of Dennis Wilson has been created for the BBC4 Legends series. The film titled Dennis Wilson – The Real Beach Boy will premiere in the UK on Friday, February 26th at 9 p.m.. The documentary features previously unseen footage and rare archival materials...

Maybe Jon or Howie can whet our appetites further - does the "rare archival materials..." include any music we might not have heard before?

This is not a film loaded with things hardcore fans will freak out about because they are so rare etc... It is a very mainstream look at the life of Dennis, remember this is the first proper documentary devoted solely to him. When I say proper I mean it is filled with his images, both still and moving footage of him, and filled with his music. I think there are pieces of at least 20 DW songs throughout the course of this film...and another 10 or so Brian/BB's songs tossed in there too. For the hardcore DW fans there aren't that many things you won't already have seen somewhere, or heard somewhere, but if you pay close attention there are definitely some previously unseen things, and a few previously unheard things too. However, the prev. unheard snippets are mostly different mixes, or no vocal mixes of prev. released material, and it is presented subtly so most people probably won't even realize they are hearing unreleased material or mixes, but they are there. There is also some previously unseen moving footage that pops up here and there, thanks to Ed Roach and thanks to the BBC archives. But IMO the most important thing about this film is that its an hour of Dennis, a fully produced doc. on his life, with tons of great music and great footage, and its all about Dennis. If this sees a DVD release there's a good chance we'll be expanding the film and adding in some more rarities to make purchasing it more attractive to the consumer.

Many thanks indeed for that Jon - this sounds beyond superb, and the kind of production that Dennis's legacy and memory truly deserve. My appetite is well and truly whetted!

[tomstuart]

Mark Radcliffe is a fantastic DJ, very funny and entertaining and with great taste in music. It's sure to be a good doc. Have read some very positive reviews in the better-quality british press.

[Zander]

Just because I'm a complete saddo, I've set the Sky + to record it in advance and on the programme description it says Part 1 of Beach Boys Night. Brian Wilson presents Pet Sounds Live is on afterwards as are some other programmes! 

I might not be venturing to the pub on Friday night....

[Paulos]

Less than 24 hours to go now guys and girls, I can't wait! 

[Jon Stebbins]

Dan Addington has generously reviewed the new Dennis documentary.

Legends: Dennis Wilson, The Real Beach Boy
Lime Pictures - BBC
 
In the summer of 2008, Something akin to a musical miracle took place – the Re-issue of Pacific Ocean Blue, Dennis Wilson’s 1977 masterpiece, in a deluxe edition featuring never-before-heard cuts from his unreleased follow up. While this lavish production was a fitting tribute to his musical legacy, Dennis’ life has never received a full biographical film treatment before. Any film about the history of the Beach Boys has inevitably focused on Brian Wilson’s story, and compelling as it is, it is just one of the rich life stories that emerged from that legendary band.
 
But with the release of Dennis’ music as a thematic backdrop, the BBC has taken it upon itself to be the first to explore the life story of Dennis Wilson on film, and they have produced an honorable and powerful work. This documentary reveals the life of a complex and captivating American rock icon, laying the foundation for a deeper appreciation of his music. Those unfamiliar with the story of Dennis Wilson will meet the Beach Boys’ drummer who later became the band’s leading composer and the first group member to release a solo album. Those who know the story and love the music will be thrilled by new footage, new photos, new revelations, and most of all, a respectful, honest, intelligent assessment of Dennis’ life, and the influence he has had, both on those who knew him intimately, and on the music world.
 
The documentary begins, fittingly, with the sound of waves. A bearded Dennis Wilson circa 1977 steps into the frame. ” Hi. My name is Dennis Wilson. I make rock and roll records.” And we are immediately off into act one, which explores the Southern California hothouse that shaped the young Wilson.
 
The producers mercifully spare us from the tedious amounts of surf/sand/bikini stock footage, getting the obligatory shots out of the way quickly and getting us into the story first-hand, through the warm, inviting narration of founding Beach Boy member (and first to leave the group) David Marks. Marks proves to be a truly articulate Beach Boy, and serves as our guide through not only the recollections of those early years, but literally though their neighborhood. (or one very close by – Marks quickly explains how the site of their actual childhood homes rests under the banks of dirt that support the freeway later built through their hometown of Hawthorne, a suburb of LA. “Can’t go home…nothin’ there…pile of dirt” he states with a wry, ironic lilt in his voice.
 
Through Marks, we are introduced to his mother Joanne Marks who has one of the best cameos of the film, getting irritated on screen after all these years as she listens to her son recount the episodes of physical abuse meted out on him and Dennis by the Wilson patriarch, Murry Wilson. The tales of manhandling under taskmaster Murry establish the theme of dysfunction that is a recurring motif in any story of the Wilson brothers. But it’s clear through the stories that Marks recalls that Dennis, even at that young age, didn’t make it easy on himself.
“There was always something happening with Dennis and the Police” says Marks.
 
By this time the viewer is completely into the story. Not three minutes into the film, and we are already hearing new material presented in a fresh, personal, and very intimate way. This becomes a clear template for the film, as we are invited into the story by old friends, former touring band members, collaborators, sons(!), and those in the inner circle of Dennis life. In addition to Marks, Beach Boys Al Jardine and Brian Wilson himself (from earlier interviews) make appearances.
 
The saving grace of this documentary is its focus on the music. With all the sensational fodder offered by the common narrative of Dennis’ life, it is a pleasure to see and hear Wilson’s music discussed with such intelligence and passion.
 
Biographer (and co-producer on the film) Jon Stebbins sets the tone early on as he elegantly and enthusiastically considers the ingredients that made the Beach Boys signature early sound so effective and culturally significant. Making the point that it was Dennis that authored and shaped that now-immediately recognizable surf beat, Stebbins gets off one of the best lines in the film, describing Dennis’ unmistakable drumming style as the “Starting Pistol of the Sixties”.
 
As the history of the band unfolds, one of the supreme ironies of Dennis life becomes apparent. As the band begins to decline, and his brother and band leader Brian retreats further and further into himself, Dennis begins to blossom as a creative force to be reckoned with in the band. The film takes us on a trip from the innocent early years of the 60s into the more complex times of the late 60s and early 70s, and we are confronted with that troubling moment in Dennis life – his association with Charles Manson. Close friends Gregg Jakobson and Ed Roach are our guides through this second act, and we hear what it was like to be around Dennis and his circle of friends directly from their own mouths. Thankfully, the producers resist the obvious temptation, and don’t get bogged down in Manson stories – they keep their eyes on the music, and crisp narration from Stebbins and Jakobson keeps the story on track. Ed Roach’s enthusiasm is infectious as he vividly recalls Dennis’ blossoming creativity, and the music continues to take center stage as we meet Beach Boys recording engineer and friend John Hanlon.  Hanlon becomes a key player in the narrative, as he reveals the process of recording with Dennis – efforts that soon lead to his first and only released solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue. Hanlon takes us into the studio for what will be one of the most thrilling passages of the film for Dennis Wilson fans. As Hanlon works the boards, and we hear the swelling sounds of Dennis’ compositions, we feel privileged to hear him discuss the process of recording with Dennis so intimately, and we share in his joy and amazement as he tries to explain what it was like to work on those tapes again in 2008, and to hear songs again that he hadn’t heard in over 30 years.
 
This is the greatest success of this film: The emotional power of the music itself begins to supplant the attention usually focused on the circumstances of Dennis life and death. This emotional content becomes almost palpable as his sons Michael and Carl B. talk intimately about re-discovering their father’s music, and mining the emotional depths of the work as adults, and artists in their own right.
 
As this final chapter ebbs to a close, we become witnesses - through the eyes of those who knew him best - to the heartbreaking dissolution of Dennis’ life in his last years: the loss of his loves, his studio, his beloved boat, his voice, his self control. While some may see this decline as the train wreck one can’t look away from, those who have heard the music created at the end of his music-making period can’t help but feel a profound longing for what might have been.
 
Friends Marks, Jakobson, and Roach betray this heartbreak and sense of loss as they recall Wilson’s final days. As we walk with Ed Roach to the boat slip where Dennis died, having been so skillfully escorted through the story of his life, we participate in that same sense of loss.
 
But the story doesn’t end there. The triumphant tale of the completion of the tracks for Dennis’ unreleased follow up, Bambu, is the real end of this story, and one that can, at long last, be told. It is to this film’s credit that we are left with a feeling of joy, knowing that the musical legacy of Dennis Wilson has finally been given its due, and is now a documented part of musical history.
 
Dan Addington

[Paulos]

Thanks for that Jon, my appetie has been whetted further!

[alanjames]

Great review!
I'm waiting this on youtube. I wanna see it!
But if this documentary wiil be released, I'll buy it.

[Custom Machine]

Great review!  When do I get to buy this on DVD?  (And, hopefully as well, see it in the US on tv.)  Was is done in 16 x 9?

[Shady]

That was freakin awesome

[addington]

yea, it's 16:9 ratio

[Andrew G. Doe]

It's just finished.

Outstanding. The use of music is brilliant, in parts it's almost impossible to watch, new images & footage... just wonderful.  Without question one of the two/three best documentaries I've seen covering our Boys.

Say it again - outstanding.    

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Addington's review just brought a tear!

Honestly

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

a GOOD tear, btw

[addington]

ha! thanks

[TdHabib]

Oh sweet BBC, PLEASE let the US see this docu. Hell, I will PAY for it, just let it air in the US. Anywhere, anytime. I might even support putting it onto the Youtube. But PLEASE don't let the UK people be the only ones to see this.

Great review Dan!

[Andrew G. Doe]

Oh sweet BBC, PLEASE let the US see this docu. Hell, I will PAY for it, just let it air in the US. Anywhere, anytime. I might even support putting it onto the Youtube. But PLEASE don't let the UK people be the only ones to see this.

Great review Dan!

You'll love it. Oddly, it being just an hour works in favor. There's no padding, no waffle.

[Paulos]

A very big thank you to all who made this happen, it was superbly done and had me welling up in places, closing out with Holy Man was very apt.

[Rob Dean]

Well i was SO lucky to have seen a preview of this a few weeks ago and was sworn to secrecy (god knows how i kept it secret) , I am so glad that so many of us have now seen it 'its superb' , and the thing for me and all the other lifers out there , 'we know , or have met all the people involved' blimey the Beach Boys Family and Friends (Fans) lives forever !!!!!!!!!
So so many new photos and vid footage , what more do we want WELL Mr Ed Roach (Open your vaults Sir before we are all gone)........
Great Great Stuff, watching the repeat (Hope all non UK fans can get it on BBC replay or whatever its called via the Net)......

Still smiling (and crying)