The Smiley Smile Message Board

Thinking about Dennis, as always when this day rolls around, and I starting reading the reflections about him in the new ESQ. 
Several stories I don't recall hearing or reading before; sure helps in getting through a day flooded with my own memories...

I just got back from LA and the family & I (plus a friend who lives there) walked from Santa Monica pier over to Venice Beach when I realized what happened today. Next trip out there I will go to Del Rey Marina and other stops. It's not a very far trip from Vegas.

I still recall the moment I heard the news.

Had been away in the Lakes after Christmas and on returning walked to my girlfriend's house. She met me in the lane with the news that one of the Beach Boys had died… she thought it had been Brian but when she told me he'd drowned I figured Dennis somehow… remember this was pre-Internet and I had to wait a day or two to get some old newspapers to read about it.

I was floored… I was, what, 19 years old? But had somehow found a copy of POB a year or two earlier and played it avidly. His death seemed to be a snubbing out of so much potential… (not only that, but he was the Beach Boy I most wanted to be like; Even my Beach Boy-ignorant girlfriend thought he was the Beach Boy SHE wanted me most to be like!).

Thanks for the music Dennis…

Being in the TV news business, I found out right away as the raw feed came in from LA.  Did not sleep that night. The next day I felt like in a trance as the ABC(Frank Reynolds) evening newscast ended with the story and played a portion of All Summer Long to end the program. I remember asking myself, why am I hearing an old Beach Boys song on a national newscast, my Beach Boys music? Yes, he really was that important and this is a big national story. America's Band was no longer whole. It really sunk in then. I still recall that moment as vividly as actually first hearing the news the night before. The Winter's chill felt much colder than it really was. There was no New Year's celebration that year for my wife and me.

Dennis passed away long before I was even born, but his work with the BB's, and especially his solo stuff, taught me a lot about loving and life. It taught me to give everyone a chance, and maybe the ones with the hardest shells, are the ones with the softest cores. Thank you, Dennis, for sharing your beautiful soul with us!

Still a real tearjerker to watch "The Real Beach Boy",
particularly where youtube picks up part 6:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BlkhF3Jo2Y

The real Beach Boy  :'(

Back on December 4, what would have been Dennis' 68th birthday, I spoke at length with Andrew Doe, Mike Eder, Jon Stebbins, and Craig Slowinski about their admiration for Dennis. I think the article commemorates his life, too. Wanted to include Ed Roach but was unable to reach him. Maybe next time...

"Like heat from a blast furnace: The sheer raw force of Beach Boy Dennis Wilson"

http://www.examiner.com/article/like-heat-from-a-blast-furnace-the-sheer-raw-force-of-beach-boy-dennis-wilson

If you read the last line, you'll see where the title came from. It sums up Dennis' aura perfectly to me.

Andrew G. Doe, on meeting Dennis Wilson:

To lighten the mood, I told Dennis how much I loved Pacific Ocean Blue, and his eyes opened wide, his head snapped back, and he barked, “You know that album?" "Dennis", I truthfully told him, "I bought it in England the day it was released, took it home and it blew me away". He just stared at me and finally remarked, “D*mn…you really mean that, dontcha? Thanks man, that means so much to me".

With a crushing handshake, he was off to see to the drums. I never met him again, nor saw him in concert, and 26 months later, he was gone. My interaction with him lasted maybe 25 minutes, but during that short span, I felt I was the most interesting person in his life, and also the sheer raw force of his charisma – it radiated off him like heat from a blast furnace.


http://www.examiner.com/article/like-heat-from-a-blast-furnace-the-sheer-raw-force-of-beach-boy-dennis-wilson

Played POB Legacy CD today after reading Ed's post...hope you did too, Ed. Whenever I start thinking about how sad things turned out for Dennis, listening to his music reminds me that we are so blessed to have what we have from him, and how special it is. Thanks to you and to all those who clung tenaciously to his memory and were so helpful in getting POB the first-rate re-release it so richly deserves. We lost Dennis way too soon, but his music will live forever.

+1, Don.

+1, Ed.

That day, my phone pretty much rang off the hook - fans wanting more news (like I knew...), friends telling me and asking if I was OK, and The Sun, flat out asking me for some dirt on him. My exact response was "kindly go f*** yourselves, and you may quote me on that". Oddly, they didn't.

Really good article. It's great to read that Dennis would make time to chat to anyone who was a fan, no matter where he was or what he was doing.

Love that AGD quote. Nice, heartfelt work there, Andrew. (I mean the stuff about Dennis, not the FO to the Sun!  :) )

Not to presume to speak for anyone, but I'm most certain Andrew's remarks to The Sun were heart-felt, too! ;)