VDP: "victimised by Brian Wilson's buffoonery"

[AndrewHickey]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/may/09/van-dyke-parks-victimised-brian-wilson-buffoonery

Part of an interview with him:
What should have been his big break came when Brian Wilson invited him to work on Smile, but it was doomed by Wilson's drug-damaged fragility and the bullying hostility of Beach Boy Mike Love. Parks brings it up unprompted, then wishes he hadn't. "It's a dull issue," he growls. "I hope it doesn't need any further elaboration. To have been victimised by Brian Wilson's buffoonery."

The words "victimised" and "buffoonery" seem somewhat harsh in the context of Wilson's mental illness, but Parks doesn't care to elaborate, other than to say: "It just got too much for me. It was an expensive decision for me not to continue my association with the most powerful artist in the music business at the time, but I made the only decision I could. I walked away from that funhouse."

[Nicko1234]

Interesting stuff. The sort of comment that David Leaf would never have allowed in Beautiful Dreamer.

[Smilin Ed H]

He's continued to do all right out of the association, however...

[leggo of my ego]

Wow cool interview. Van Dyke is the man.  

I have this track of Van Dyke's orchestral work where he goes from one BB/BW theme to the next in about an 8 min medley.
Its called "Brian Wilson Suite". Does anyone know where this is available as a professional
recording? This track sounds like it was recorded from someone's pocket.

[phirnis]

That sounds very bitter.

[AndrewHickey]

Wow cool interview. Van Dyke is the man.  

I have this track of Van Dyke's orchestral work where he goes from one BB/BW theme to the next in about an 8 min medley.
Its called "Brian Wilson Suite". Does anyone know where this is available as a professional
recording? This track sounds like it was recorded from someone's pocket.

As far as I know that's only available in audience recordings. It's a piece (which actually went through a few different versions) that he wrote as an overture for Brian's 2000 US Pet Sounds tour. I did have a CDR boot of just the different versions of that, at one point, but it's deteriorated into unplayability. I don't know of any good-quality recordings though, sadly.

[leggo of my ego]

Wow cool interview. Van Dyke is the man.  

I have this track of Van Dyke's orchestral work where he goes from one BB/BW theme to the next in about an 8 min medley.
Its called "Brian Wilson Suite". Does anyone know where this is available as a professional
recording? This track sounds like it was recorded from someone's pocket.

As far as I know that's only available in audience recordings. It's a piece (which actually went through a few different versions) that he wrote as an overture for Brian's 2000 US Pet Sounds tour. I did have a CDR boot of just the different versions of that, at one point, but it's deteriorated into unplayability. I don't know of any good-quality recordings though, sadly.

  Yes that is sad - Its brilliant. There are a lot of cues from famous classical pieces interspersed between the Wilson bits -- Stuff you've heard but don't recall the title off the top of your head. Well, some classical music experts could, but that's not me.  

My recording mentions Charles Lloyd as conductor. Should have been included with PS Live.

Another correction - its close to 20 mins long, not 8.

Edit - Songs in VDP's  Brian Wilson Suite: This recording may have some gaps...

Good Vibrations - In My Room - (? Bach) - Time To Get Alone - Til I Die - California Girls (Grand Canyon Suite bits) - Don't  Worry Baby -  With Me Tonight - Wind Chimes - Surfer Girl -  When I Grow Up To Be A Man - Cabin essence - Heroes and Villains (Latin rhythm) - Warmth Of The Sun - Surfs Up (cut/edit) - Wonderful - (couple of mins of ??) - Sail On Sailor - Our Prayer - Good Vibrations

[joshferrell]

Maybe "Buffoonery" is not so much about Brian but some of the "silly" lyrics of the smile songs or how Brian was into just goofing around in the Smile recording sessions without any sort of direction and it fell apart because of it, after all it was supposed to have some comedic aspects to it as well and you got to to admit there were some weird things recorded at those sessions (AKA:George fell into his French horn", "Brian falls into the piano" etc)...maybe he feels embarrassed by the whole thing.

[MBE]

Go back to the 1971 Rolling Stone, Van Dyke has been making comments that aren't sensitive for years. He never did apologize to me for his snide unwarranted comments despite me writing a letter explaining my viewpoints and my admiration for his work with Brian. He so pseudo intellectual. Brian Wilson wasn't a God, but he sure wasn't malicious. Plus he went WAY WAY overboard with his Mike Love crap since the movie which nobody would remember if he stopped bringing it up.

I hope nobody is offended by me being outspoken but if someone is going to publically call me out for no reason...well I see no reason not to comment honestly.  People have had good experiences with him, but I still find an established writer attacking a biographer he doesn't agree with to be petty. I really wanted to be able to say we squared it away as no offense was meant, but when someone won't even reply so I can understand their point of view I don't feel I should guard how I feel.

[Cam Mott]

I guess Anderle wasn't kidding when he said the main problem was between Brian and Van Dyke.

[bgas]

Go back to the 1971 Rolling Stone, Van Dyke has been making comments that aren't sensitive for years. He never did apologize to me for his snide unwarranted comments despite me writing a letter explaining my viewpoints and my admiration for his work with Brian. He so pseudo intellectual. Brian Wilson wasn't a God, but he sure wasn't malicious. Plus he went WAY WAY overboard with his Mike Love crap since the movie which nobody would remember if he stopped bringing it up.

I hope nobody is offended by me being outspoken but if someone is going to publically call me out for no reason...well I see no reason not to comment honestly.  People have had good experiences with him, but I still find an established writer attacking a biographer he doesn't agree with to be petty. I really wanted to be able to say we squared it away as no offense was meant, but when someone won't even reply so I can understand their point of view I don't feel I should guard how I feel.

Guess I missed something in that interview. I read it a couple of times just to be sure, but nowhere did I see Mike Eder mentioned; did he call you out using some pseudonym?

[KittyKat]

Brian's world at that time reads like a lot of buffoonery, if the books are to be believed.  Since Brian was doing humor experiments plus was high much of the time , it may have looked like self-indulgence for laughs and simple irresponsibility at times, nothing more serious until later. It may be insensitive to take that attitude since more facts are now known.

Van Dyke has an abrasive side and he also tends to tell stories that one isn't sure are true or not. I've never quite believed that he named Three Dog Night and Buffalo Springfield, for instance.

[Dancing Bear]

Van Dyke's the thinking man's Mike Love.

[Shady]

wow. Well we have proof for something I have long suspected. Van Dyke Parks is a bitter prick.

[leggo of my ego]

wow. Well we have proof for something I have long suspected. Van Dyke Parks is a bitter prick.

Well, time for me to play Devils Advocate -- How many of us have walked a mile in Van Dykes shoes?

I read the article and the mans life story has been fraught with numerous disappointments and setbacks
many that were financially devastating and embarrassing. 

Yet I see a person who was never hesitant to stand by Brian's side, to share his joy and tears.

Lighten up on the man. Yes, his way of expressing himself can be unflattering -- but Van Dyke is
true to his convictions. A masterful artist who has paid the price for his art.

[MBE]

Go back to the 1971 Rolling Stone, Van Dyke has been making comments that aren't sensitive for years. He never did apologize to me for his snide unwarranted comments despite me writing a letter explaining my viewpoints and my admiration for his work with Brian. He so pseudo intellectual. Brian Wilson wasn't a God, but he sure wasn't malicious. Plus he went WAY WAY overboard with his Mike Love crap since the movie which nobody would remember if he stopped bringing it up.

I hope nobody is offended by me being outspoken but if someone is going to publically call me out for no reason...well I see no reason not to comment honestly.  People have had good experiences with him, but I still find an established writer attacking a biographer he doesn't agree with to be petty. I really wanted to be able to say we squared it away as no offense was meant, but when someone won't even reply so I can understand their point of view I don't feel I should guard how I feel.

Guess I missed something in that interview. I read it a couple of times just to be sure, but nowhere did I see Mike Eder mentioned; did he call you out using some pseudonym?

I am sorry I did not make it clear. I was referring to a post on his webpage.

[MBE]

As far as being bitter.
A. He seems to not understand Brian's problems.
B. If Brian and The Beach Boys hadn't recorded his songs, he would be known by maybe 20 percent of the people who know him today.

[Gabo]

I thought Brian's self indulgence in the studio and lack of direction is what ultimately killed Smile? That's probably what he's referring to.

[Jim V.]

Yeah, it seems there are two sides to Van Dyke. The one, who in a Pitchfork article described the absolute importance of Pet Sounds and Brian Wilson*, and the the one who says stuff like he says in this Guardian article. However, overall I think he is a good man, just like Mike Love, Brian Wilson, and most of the other people in the story of The Beach Boys.

However, I do agree with Mike Eder that Van Dyke is probably a pseudo intellectual. He comes across quite highfalutin, and his common vocabulary seems stuffed with ten dollar words where he could probably just as easily talk like the rest of us. It almost seems like he is a forefather of the pseudo-intellectual hipster dudes that live in Asheville or Portland and pontificate on crap they don't know about. However, unlike Mike Love, I think that it's okay in song to be more creative with language like Van Dyke does. However, Bob Dylan has been even more creative with language within pop music and he still talks like a normal person in interviews, unlike Van Dyke. I also think that for such an intellect, he sure hung out with some goofballs like Brian Wilson and Harry Nilsson, doing drugs and hardcore drinking a whole lot.

Also, I never understood the attack on Mike Eder. Why do that? No offense to you, Mike, but obviously Van Dyke is much more famous than you. And I feel like he was punching down, as they say. And I think if anything it made him look incredibly petty and small, to go after a writer who is just doing his best to make in a tough world. Especially a writer who said nothing damaging at all about him.


*http://pitchfork.com/news/42269-5-10-15-20-van-dyke-parks/

[Wirestone]

Van Dyke is awesome, in general.

But something happened between him and Brian recently. The TLOS stuff didn't go well, for one thing -- he really had expected to write with BW, and instead was just kind of thrown in there for name alone. A little exploitative.

And the real rupture happened with the boxed set. Something went really wrong there -- no essay from him, and he hasn't had many positive words for Brian or the material since the box was released. I'm not surprised. He also seems to really think that Brian was goaded into the reunion.

[Jim V.]

he really had expected to write with BW

Not that I don't believe you, but where did Van Dyke say this?

[DonnyL]

1 - Van Dyke's quotes in the article referenced above are taken out of context, and the author seems to want to present it in a specific way.

2 - Van Dyke sometimes speaks in riddles, and should maybe not be taken literally.

3 - 'Buffoonery' could be interpreted in any number of ways, including "Behavior that is ridiculous but amusing."

[Jim V.]

1 - Van Dyke's quotes in the article referenced above are taken out of context, and the author seems to want to present it in a specific way.

2 - Van Dyke sometimes speaks in riddles, and should maybe not be taken literally.

3 - 'Buffoonery' could be interpreted in any number of ways, including "Behavior that is ridiculous but amusing."

I don't know if it's just me, but isn't it a little goofy that this guy has spent his entire adult life speaking in riddles? I mean, I'm no Mike Love fan boy, but this is about as pretentious as it gets.

[oldsurferdude]

Maybe he's weary of living in Brian's shadow.

[Kurosawa]

It seems to me like he just doesn't understand Brian's issues and how they can make him erratic.