The Smiley Smile Message Board

I was very happy to see this post on David's Facebook page this morning.
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David Marks
31 mins ·
Band politics can bite me. It’s all about the music and I just want to play Beach Boys music on stage as often as I can because it’s what I love to do. I love Brian, Mike and Al and negative comments about any of my friends or bandmates will be deleted. Keep your negativity off my page, please.

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I've always enjoyed whatever configuration of the Beach Boys that has come into town. The classic 90s lineup of Carl/Mike/Al/Bruce, Mike & Bruce's current Beach Boys band, Brian Wilson solo, Al Jardine & endless summer band, Beach Boys family & friends, Dave Marks and his All-star band, Al Jardine solo, Brian & Al, Mike/David/Bruce, and last but not least the C50 tour. I'll come watch them all! It is about the music, and great music it is! These guys won't tour forever. Let's enjoy what we have while we have it!

Bruce stands sobbing in a corner. "At least I have a grammy" he states.

Dave's a great guitarist, and an even better person.

I wish he posted here in person and brought that sense of balance and common sense to this board. Carrie's a star for being his envoy!

That one little bit of positivity goes a hell of a way to making up for the train wreck this board feels like occasionally.

Go Dave!

Any train wrecks aren't the board's fault. The membership chooses to post or not post as they please, whatever happens is in the hands of those posting and commenting. And the silent majority could sometimes speak up a little more loudly when things get out of hand or ridiculous, and not be so selective about who or what gets defended or called out as necessary.

Thanks, Eric for posting that.  Those of us who are not on Facebook, would not have seen this. 

David is a gifted musician.

Yes, a man of such consummate integrity, who has wanted to play BB music all his life.  He knows the individual hearts of all the members so well.  Dave is to be heeded and respected. I love them all too, and in my occasional moments of frustration I keep wondering why they cannot work it out. My recent frustration is with Mike's interview (though at other times I thought he was unfairly excluded by BW's management), but there is no telling what the whole truth is.  I am less interested at this point in a total taxonomy of disintegration (who did or did not mention a second album, who did or did not follow up on doing it, whose book will explain what and condemn whom) than in hoping that all 5 will make music again on stage and in the studio. I am going to give up wondering and enjoy every BB moment, past present, and future.

Patience, wisdom, compassion, meditation.

I really LIKE David's stance.  And Your words are 100% true Eric.  Especially "Let's enjoy what we have while we have it!"  The clock is ticking so LOUDLY on that now it's starting to keep me awake at night.  I'm not going to waste ANY more chances.  The guys are exactly who they are.  The music is exactly what it is.

Bottom line...?

Who would I rather go see?   *N O B O D Y.*

That's a great statement. Very cool.

But I do think it's interesting that he says he loves Brian, Mike and Al and calls them his friends, while there's no mention of Bruce.

Probably nobody insulted Bruce. He's sharing a stage with Bruce in a couple of months in England.

I wasn't aware that Dave was coming to the UK until unread it here today. What a bonus! I'm happy happy happy… Sierra gets to see another genuine authentic 100% thoroughbred Beach Boy!

Unless you read this other thread where Nicko1234 posted it first:  http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,19952.25.html

Good going, David Marks. That's exactly the sort of thing I would expect of all true hardcore Beach Boys fans as well.

I go see them all as often as I can.   And I ALWAYS enjoy the show.   always have.   My only complaint through the past several years is that Al could have been in the Beachboys without missing a show since the death of Carl.  Glad he has become a somewhat regular player in the organization again.    man has the voice and everybody knows it.   His exclusion has short changed the band and the fans, and the man.    Otherwise things are cool .

I love Dave's attitude! All the negativity can bite me too.

The post from David was prompted by something specific that was deleted from his Facebook page this morning, along with several other unnecessarily nasty comments that didn’t involve Bruce…it wasn’t a random  “name the Beach Boys you love” post where Bruce was purposely excluded. David is very much looking forward to playing with Mike AND Bruce, for the record.

Thanks for the clarification. I hope many people here take heed of his words.

David Marks definitely seems to be one of the more levelheaded and talented people from the "core" Beach Boys group. It's a shame he doesn't speak up more often, it seems like there would be a lot less dramas and crap-talking if he was one of the people in charge....


David Marks for president, 2016.  Now there's a bumper sticker that would confuse most people.... I'd still buy one though....

I, speaking only for my l'il self, am very much looking forward to anything David does with Bruce, Mike, Al, Brian!

Please come see us down in Melbourne anytime, Carrie and David! - A

David Marks RULES. With his level-headedness, one wonders what that much-needed trait would have brought to the band over the years had he never quit in '63.

Would he be such a great guy today had he stayed? No sarcasm.

Probably not.


People Magazine, 1993:

"He is also learning to block out his remorse. He hasn't seen any of the Wilsons in years and is friendly only with Love."

The real news in all of this is: 

Somebody said something negative about Al?  What?

This is a powerful and spiritually positive thread; let's keep it in that spirit. The BB need some good California feelings of support. I think in their hearts they all want to play together and record. They are looking for ways to make this happen, and I for one will enjoy every day the hope of that but will cherish also every moment they are together in any configuration that pleases and fulfills them--Dave playing on stage with M and B, Dave on B's record with Al. All gold.

I agree that Dave does seem to be a man of great integrity, who really does care about all involved (despite the fact that Bruce has apparently been a bit of a two-faced dick to him). However, to say he has wanted to play Beach Boys music all his life is quiiiiite a stretch, seeing as though from his later teens through probably....what, his fifties, he wanted nothing to do with the groups besides picking up royalty checks, as mentioned in his book. So while I think he is an awesome guy who understands what an honor it is to be a Beach Boys and to be included in C50, he wasn't exactly dreaming of returning to the band since 1963.


Well, let's also be honest. Dude was pretty drugged and boozed out himself for a number of years, besides being pretty far away from The Beach Boys orbit. And I have the feeling that if he stuck around and got to spend more time with his buddy Dennis, things might have been pretty interesting.

David may even see his leaving as a blessing. He may not have the $millions the others have, but he's also free from the baggage the others have in dealing with each other.

Thank you for clearing that up! :)

My friend the Dude, I don't want to debate Dave's private life, however public he made things in his book, in a thread visited by his kind wife. I only meant that BB music and his relationships with each of his honorary brothers was always in his heart and fired there ever a longing, however suppressed by various forms of emptiness and woe, to create, play and celebrate the sonic and spiritual message he himself had been all too briefly a part of (that's how I read Jon's book). That is evidenced in every note of his work on TWGMTR , in the 67 concerts, and now on The Right Time. I will not debate further; if you do not see it this way, I will not dispute your analysis.

Hi all,

Well said David!!!

What's going on here?  Someone suggested something about David quitting?  He didn't quit.  Murry pretty much forced him out...fired him.  Anythime I've ever been fired [once] or not had my contract renewed [also once] I have NOT been happy about it.  Felt unjustifiably 'fouled' with.  Won before court settlements were required.

David has had enough time to get over 'it' plus Mike reached out to him and brought him back.  And...so it continues.

Remember when I asked Carl about Dave back in '72?  THAT got me a lunch with Carl.  HE still cared about his ex-band mate and neighbour.  GLAD he's back.  He ain't no quitter.  He IS where he belongs.  David L. Marks is a Beach Boy.

Lee, Dave did quit the band in late 1963.

Al is back in the Beach Boys?

Thank God for David.

Glad for David.... Would of loved to said hello to him and Carrie in Minnesota .  So happy for you Carrie!  Just so happy with all the extra music over the past few years.  It's a good life!  No questions, just the truth..

Not forced out by Murry?  Where did I get that?  I thought for sure it was a persuaded to leave firing? ???

For many, many years the story went that Murry kicked Dave out of the band after an argument. Remember Murry tore David's picture off the end of the Surfin' Safari picture sleeve? Then it was clarified by David himself that he voluntarily 'resigned' from the band and then formed his own. It's in the Stebbins book "The Lost Beach Boy".

In the org as a whole he seems to be.   C50 and Brian's NPP.   and let,s not forget Postcards.  Not back as in the Mike tour but back in the larger sense of the whole group of people known as the Beachboys.  My pov.   I won' t  pic at the details.   Hearing much more from AJ these past few years than for many years following CW's passing.

It is a wave AND a particle.

Not to mention the whole being alive and sober thing, which I seriously doubt would have happened with him and Dennis in the same band.

Too many trips without a suitcase for me I guess.  Thanks Mikie.  I have...and read...Jon's book.  Retention?  Not so good I guess.  Kinda like me and water. ;)
This gettin' old thing? :old  Except for the pension cheque...it sucks.

Dave Marks = Awesome

~Surfs Up~~

Thanks, bgas, I hadn't seen that and to Nicko1234. ( I must confess that I don't read every thread...shhh...)   ;)

Actually, I think he is just telling us to mind our own business and refrain from making negative comments on his fb page about certain band members.

I appreciate Dave's comments. A bit more of that from any or all quarters would perhaps help things at least a bit.

I will say that, while Dave may not have intended it this way, I take his comment as an admonition of not only fans, but of some of the other band members as well. Fans get caught up in it and sometimes take the negativity and run with it. But some of the band members have and do engage in it as well, and when they "get the word out" to fans, they are roping the fans into it too.

Check out no less an authority than Dave's own book with Jon Stebbins just to see the "band politics" that were involved in adding Dave to the band in 1997. Dave was unaware of it, but found out later it had occurred, as reported in the book.

Ask even the backing band members and whatnot, and you'll find it's hard to *not* get wrapped up in some level of "band politics" at one stage or another when you work with these guys. Being a fan is, sometimes, kind of an extension of that.

Unfortunately, a lot of Twitter and Facebook stuff makes actual "Message Board" seem like peer-reviewed academic journals in comparison. It's like the "comments" section on YouTube. Just stay away.

Perhaps Dave can come by this board, as Brian and Mike (and Bruce at one point I believe) have. I have legit questions for Dave, not questions about his favorite pizza!

As did most folks for Brian, but what did he choose?

I had the opportunity to meet and hang out with David Marks for quite awhile, about 15 years ago.  He told me he actually stayed on into 1965.  I was surprised by that, of course.

… still, now you mention it… ?

While I love reading about the band politics, I don't love so much to come here and take sides and argue about or have people banned for freaking out while taking a side. Seriously, I try not to take it any further than the actual party's do. It's not about taking sides, it is about learning how the band operates behind the scenes. The meanness that emanates from some of these threads is just shameful. It actually has made me lose much of my enthusiasm for the band. When I came here a couple of years ago, it was to get and become more engaged with all the happenings around the band and individual members. Since the end of C50, I just care less and less to the point where I am not even that excited about Brian's album. And I hate feeling that way.

"Stayed on" might be open to interpretation. A paid non-member of the band or as a session musician? Doubt it. His last Beach Boys show was December 20, 1963. He has said he played on "the first four or five albums". To me that means he played on Beach Boys album tracks from "Surfin' Safari" through "Shut Down II". I even read that he might have played on a track or two on the "All Summer Long" album. Yeah, he visited Beach Boys recording sessions at Western in 1964 and maybe even 1965, but in '65 I think he was keeping busy making records and touring with the Marksmen. Jon and/or Carrie of course will correct me if I'm off in the facts.....