The Smiley Smile Message Board

Why would Murry beat up his own sons for?  I have read that Murry hit Brian in the head with a 2x4 and beat up Dennis and i do not know if Murry beat up Carl!  My question is Why?

that was sixty years ago. Times were different then.

If the Wilsons were raised today, he probably would be just as abusive. It would just be more taboo. "Tough Love" isn't appreciated so much these days.

1. Abuse ran in the family. Brian's Grandfather Buddy (father of Murry) was abused as a child, and swore to never mistreat his children. Unfortunately he duplicated the very scenario he detested. When Murry tried to protect his mother from Buddy’s violent outbursts, his father would beat him with a baseball bat and chastised him for his lack of respect.

2. Alcohol.

The 2x4 story is most likely apocryphal.

My step-Father beat up my brothers and me as kids.

You must lead a sheltered life not to know domestic violence occurs in every tier of our society, be it 1960 or 2013.

IIRC it was Dave Marsh who reviewed a song by Madonna in his Heart Of Rock 'n' Soul.

Regarding child abuse, he called that 'a basic human mystery', which it is, IMHO. In particular, the proliferation of it across generations is a riddle (although very obviously the Wilson brothers did not continue the 'tradition'). This seemingly endless chain over time is something that seems to be compulsive, something that may occure against one's own best plans, wishes, and pledges (see Bud Wilson, in an earlier post here).

Also, I think that it may be due to a parent not really being up to the task of rearing children. For a large number of people, it may be simply asking too much, too heavy a burden. As a result they can go into a frenzy, a state of not being oneself any more. And sadly, beating a kid into submission can be the result. It's often the case that such a parent bitterly regrets his/her acts... soon after they were done.

Sexual abuse seems to happen along the same patterns, over generations, incidentally.

I would tend to agree.  Likely a spanking with a stick or paddle grew to 2x4 proportions over the years.

Lee

What is the Reason to beat up Dennis or Carl or Brian!

disobedience.

Did you not read the several answers that people have given above?

Why has this guy not been banned?

what has he done to be banned for?

In time you will see!

Maybe one of them farted.

I thought this thread was going to be about a team of plumbers, or a trendy, beardy, new folk band.

 :-D

I can already visualise a van coming round the corner: 'Murry Wilson & Sons: Leaders In Lead', or: 'Murry Wilson & Sons: We Fill Every Hole'.

You're on top form today, Stephen!

Every time I laugh it brings me one step closer to a brain haemorrhage.

Every time I have a brain haemorrhage, it brings me one step closer to laughing....

OK, now all I have in my head is Matthew and Sons by Cat Stevens

That's better than a box set the existence of which is being questioned more and more.

Just sayin'.

Try any of the following...

Because he "loved those damn little punks so much!"
Because he probably had a very small penis.
Because they kept singing off key.
Because David Marks' mum wouldn't put out.
Because DVDs and Playstations hadn't been invented back then so you kinda had to make your own entertainment.

But did Murry really pull out his glass eye and make Brian look in the empty socket??

EEEeeeewwwwww - I got hit as a kid too -- but the glass eye thing creeps me out!!

Murry was just downright mean, mean, mean.

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Brian's friends saw the evidence...not one friend, but several.  I have personally spoken with at least three.No they were not spankings.

I do understand why Dennis had Beatings from his Father.   The point to all of this is why would a Father beat up his own Children think about my father never beat me up in his life time. I have 2 words for you all Child Abuse.   If Audree saw Murry beating up his own sons would she call the Police on Murry?

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As far as I know from reading a couple of accounts, Audree was rather submissive (sort of absolutely afraid of any conflict with her husband); and later on resorted to alcohol to quench her own pain). Murry not only was abusive, but alcoholic himself, and unfaithful.

Not a really functional family, by these accounts.

Not sure if you guys have seen this (I searched here but couldn't find anything). It's a draft of a will Murry did in 1964 and his paranoia and attitude towards Audree is like that of a broken man. I don't have a direct link but go to http://memorabilia.hardrock.com/ (http://memorabilia.hardrock.com/) and search Beach Boys. It's on the top row.

EDIT: Looking up on Bellagio, the date of August 7 ties in with the period when Murry and Audree moved from Hawthorne and seperated just after

What I always find equally heatbreaking and chilling is that to look at any family picture of the Wilson's you'd think that there couldn't possibly be a more typical, suburban, boring, whitebread, middle class 1950's/60's American family than them.

Also whatever else you may care to think of Mike Love, he has my eternal respect for the time he'd gotten so sick of Murry trashing Brian on the way home from a gig/studio session, that he stopped the car, ordered Murry out and then punched the old bastard onto his ass.

Thats why you cant judge a book by its cover.

Mike did that? Bully for him! Murry was just mean, mean, mean.

Except for Dennis, and sometimes Brian, Mike seemed to be the only one who never bothered to downplay his contempt for Murry, who certainly earned it! Wasn't it in Endless Harmony that Mike states very tersely that he was glad the Wilson home in Hawethorne was torn down because of how abusive Murry was under that roof?

Don't remember hearing that story before. Is that around the time they kicked Murry out as their manager? What's the source? The Gaines book?

I'd like to hear more details about the "I Get Around" session where Brian threw Murry up against the wall and punched him. Don't think it's ever been published about what led up to it or the final straw leading up his ouster as manager. Maybe the IGA session was it.

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Maybe Brian just threw him against the wall and didn't punch him. I don't remember. It's definitely not on tape though. Only IGA session(s) that have been booted are instrumental rehearsals and about 15 takes and and insert, a vocal overdub, and the whole instrumental track in stereo. I'd love to hear the vocal takes.

Damn, it's in one of the biographies - possibly the Gaines book Mikie but don't quote me on it. AGD would be able to answer in a second.

Child abuse was rampant back then. It's still around now, although there's more awareness of it so people are inclined to stop it. In fact, there are laws that if you're a school teacher or child care provider and you have evidence that there is abuse in a child's home, you must report it or face legal consequences or the loss of your job. I'm sure other people who deal with kids have a similar law, such as pediatricians. Such laws didn't exist back in those days and parents were the ultimate rulers. We've evolved as a society over the past several decades and some people think the pendulum may have swung too far towards kids getting away with too many things. But it's good parents are not allowed, by the legal system, to beat their kids at will or force them to work. The only hard part is that it's not always easy to get the laws enforced when there are some disturbed parents who try not to obey those laws.

The story of Mike ordering Murry out of the car and punching him is in Brian's 'biography'.

Thanks Paulos. I guess there's only about 1% chance of it being true then.

 ;D

Hehe. I can see where you're coming from. But: since Todd Gold (the ghostwriter) only conducted a couple of interviews with Brian for that book, and since Brian seems to have been in his typical 'yes' and 'no' mode at those occasions, IMHO the level of truth entirely depends on whom Gold consulted for that anecdote.