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From Brian's site

Beach Boys, to Write Long-Awaited Autobiography Da Capo Press to Publish in Fall 2015
April 14, 2013

BOSTON, MA (April 15, 2013) - Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group, announced today that it has acquired US rights to publish the autobiography of music legend Brian Wilson. Da Capo Executive Editor Ben Schafer made the acquisition from Marc Gerald, Head of the US Literary Division of the Agency Group.

“I’ve been working harder in the last ten years than I ever did in my whole career,” Brian Wilson says. “And I love it! I love working. I started the Beach Boys when I was still in high school, and I guess I’ve never spent too much time thinking about all the things we went through—all the good times and bad times. I don’t like to dwell on the bad times, it makes me sad in my heart. But I feel a little stronger now. And I’m feeling a little bit like maybe now is a good time to look back.”

As the chief songwriter and producer of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson has been making music for over fifty years—and during that time has recorded some of the most iconic songs in American rock. Pet Sounds, Wilson’s masterwork from 1966, was named the #2 best album in rock history by Rolling Stone. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor in 2007, Wilson most recently recorded the critically acclaimed That’s Why God Made the Radio with the Beach Boys and joined the group for their worldwide 50th anniversary tour in 2012. In February of this year he received a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album for The SMiLE Sessions.

For his memoir Wilson will be working with Rolling Stone and Men’s Journal editor Jason Fine. Wilson will describe, for the first time, the epic highs and lows of his life—from his tumultuous relationship with his father, the loss of his mother and brothers, his fears about live performance, and the struggles he faced to lead the Beach Boys away from surf music into experimental terrain to his remarkable personal and professional comeback from drug addiction and mental illness with the support of his second wife, Melinda. He will share a new level of emotional honesty never before expressed in earlier books about him.

John Radziewicz, Publisher of Da Capo Press, says: “On every level—musical, personal, cultural—this is a story that begs to be told. ‘Icon’ and ‘legend’ are frequently overused words, but they apply perfectly here. We’re thrilled to have Brian Wilson on the Da Capo list.”

Fine wrote the really excellent BB reunion piece that was in RS over the summer ...

If the BW book is anything near that level of quality or insight, we could have something pretty special.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-beach-boys-last-wave-20120621

I'm cautiously optimistic. Hope it's not redundant next to this one:

(http://apple.copydesk.org/uploads/2011/05/1105PeterCarlinBrianWilson.jpg)

As long as there are lots of scenes like this, I'll be happy. (This guy gets Brian.)

Finally, we'll get to read Brian's real autobiography?

Sweet

Looking forward to it! ;D

People who remember the last "autobigraphy" written by Landy and Gold around 1990 will ask themselves, "What will be in this book that wasn't in the last one?" Well, obviously the last 13 years of his life will be written about, but it will be very interesting to see what more 'revelations' will come out in the new one covering the years of his childhood years up to 1990 that wasn't included in the last "Brian Wilson" autobiography.

And there are other people who will ask themselves (and others), "Why do we need another Brian Wilson autobiography"? And the hardcore fans in the know will answer, "Because it wasn't done right the first time!".

It might actually be readable, for one thing! WIBN is one of the worst books I've ever read. If it weren't for the fact that I love me some B-Pain, I'd have thrown it out. I still might.

Here's hopin' that BW writes the whole thing himself.  Book would be about ten pages held together by one staple, and over half of it discusses the film Norbit.  

Natural tie-in to the new Brian biopic.  Brian really has a great marketing team going these days!

Great news!

Was just about to say that.

I guess this means the biopic is seriously getting made this time.

Fall of 2015 ??? Blimey this will be out before the MIC Box Set  ( says Phil C )  :lol

Better late then never about the great marketing...  :o

The C50 was a textbook example of great marketing until the Mike fires Brian debacle.

The new autobio will include what Melinda told Brian to think about that

Melinda is determined. I wish Brian wasn't doing this.

Well, having a Rolling Stone writer involved is a hell of a lot better than  Landy. I will buy this book.

And just think about all the Smiley Smile threads it will bring forth.  :jedi

Is it too early to put in a pre-order at amazon.com? ;)

Just outta curiosity what was great marketing about the reunion?

While it sounds intriguing, I see nothing good coming out of this.  His previous writings have been less than illuminating - 2fer booklet notes? And interviewers rarely get more than one sentence responses from Brian.  I suspect the cowriter/ collaborator will have to rely on other sources for stories and then get Brian's "take" on the story.  Brian's been asked about every aspect of the BB's story and his personal history over the years, what new does he really have to add?

Just take Brian out for dinner, order him a hot sizzling steak and sit a cute blond beside him and he'll talk for hours.

Best biography ever.

Holy crap, were you living in a cave?

Starting with the Grammy Awards "Do It Again", new top 10 album and single,  huge tour sellouts, fedtivals, Live at Rolling Stone,  C50 logo, videos, the Walmart sampler, QVC appearsnce,.... lots more and I wasn't even paying that  close attention.

The beginning of Brian's biography, as relayed to me:

Hi, my name is Brian Wilson. I am taller than my two brothers, Carl and Dennis, and older, too. Yet I'm still kicking. I once wrote a song for Carl, "God Only Knows". He sang like an angel, just beautiful. Dennis was always a troublemaker. He f***ed my wife once.  My mom convinced me to have him in our group, the Beach Boys. I originally only wanted Carl in the group.

My cousin Mike Love, I remember, always had a very distinctive voice. He was a great bass vocalist and stood out in the mix. He was perfect for the Beach Boys. That's why I used him right away for "409" and "Surfin' Safari". I knew people would flip for his voice, and they did.

The last member of the group, besides myself, was Al Jardine. We both played football for Hawthorne High. I ran the wrong play at quarterback and got our halfback, Al, creamed. I think he broke his leg. Or was it his elbow? At any rate, he was a bit sore with me after but later agreed to form the group with me when we were at El Camino college.

Da Capo Press as a publisher bodes well for it, even if it is unnecessary. They're a small publisher of non-fiction titles with a tradition of music and performing arts books. In other words, there's no pressure to produce tabloid type revelations as there might be if it were a larger publishing house. One hopes it will at least be in good taste.  No one needs to read again about Mike Love's toilet feats, Brian's toilet feats on his father's dinner plate, or talking about his bedroom life (and sometimes lack thereof) with Melinda, Marilyn, Diane, or various other persons. TMI.   

No I wasn't living in a cave, I live in a house. But anyways the Grammys.. Foster the People tortured 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'. I like Maroon 5 but Adam Levine's voice didn't do Surfer Girl any justice, or the Beach Boys. The whole performance left a bad taste in my mouth. And just the fact it was there first performance ever on the Grammys, it's almost an insult. The new album=Bad, the single=awesome! Not really a #3 album but... I'm very impressed about the 70+ world tour. QVC was a bit gimmicky/cheesy but did help sell the album. The Walmart sampler came with an unnecessary update of Do It Again along with the same songs that have been released about 200 times. The same songs that were attached to the new album if you bought it on QVC... The logo... The number 50 below the already bad stylized beach boys logo, not very exciting, but I did love the brother records logo they used. And then someone had to go fire 3 members of there own band... What a way to celebrate!

Ben Schafer at Da Capo is a really good editor with real integrity. I'm sure he's not going to let it get sugar-coated and he's not going to let it be filled up with tabloid stories half-inched, as Michael Caine would say, from Gaines's Heroes & Villains. I feel sure he and Jason Fine will get the real story out of Brian - and I have the feeling that once Brian gets in the mood to tell it he'll remember more than just about anyone expects.

This leads me to wonder if we'll ever see autobiographies from the others (apart from The Lost Beach Boy which is effectively Dave's memoirs). Al and Mike, when asked if they'd write a book, have generally said they're too busy to think about it. It would be interesting if Bruce wrote one, since his story covers a whole lot besides the BBs.....

‍

The cave was a joke.  The marketing of the C50 be an interesting thread.  I feel it was well marketed. Don't know the figures but they probably grossed over $30 million.

David Leaf.

I'm not being cranky here just for the sake of it, but I can't really see Brian's detailed recall having improved over the last 22 years. I don't envy the collaborator his task.

Not exactly what Bicyclerider is talking about. I think they are talking about the little notes Brian wrote for the some of the stuff. I know he did Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A. and Friends/ 20/20 and maybe others? I dunno.

Not sure about music ed at college, but Brian certainly had further music classes at high school, and relatively advanced ones at that. His teacher has been interviewed before.

Brian's memory is not so bad, he just is one of those people that needs a fresh approach or they go into robot mode. I doubt he can provide huge detail as far as dates, but I bet all of his songs conjure up some sort of memory. I don't think it will offer much revelation at this point, but hopefully he does get asked about all of his music. I think a few good stories will surface.

AGD's point is that those booklet notes were -- in the best case scenario -- assembled by Leaf from interviews with BW. In the worst case scenario, Leaf just came up with them himself. And, really, couldn't we all do a passable imitation of those notes, I mean, if we wanted to?

That's Why God Made the Radio (2012)

I was gettin' ready to make music again, and I really felt like it needed the guys, you know? So I called up Mike, and said, "Let's sing!" And he said "cool." And the sounds were out of sight when everyone got back together. The voices were rockin' and rollin, and everyone was just groovin' to the music! This was one of my very favorite albums to play and sing. I think we got kind of a Spector vibe on some of the tracks, too. I hope you really like this album, That's Why God Made the Radio.

Love and Mercy,
Brian Wilson

That's it in a nutshell.

If David Leaf wrote that he gets an F

Embarrassing  :lol

Though half of it was stolen and lots of it are incorrect, this book was what turned me on to the Beach Boys. Knowing next to nothing about them beyond their hits, it was a fascinating read. I was absorbed into the reading like never since. Maybe the German translation is actually better than the original English text.

It will be interesting to see how the two books will contradict each other.

Eh? What on earth is the problem? Brian finally gets a potentially decently written autobiography, that should supersede the bloody awful Landy bio, a book filled with misinformation, libel, plagiarism and lies? A book that new fans might buy and not instantly get slapped in the face with offensively bad prose.


SHE'S JUST GONE TOO FAR?!

I think it will be interesting and OK at the very least.

Jason Fine is an, um, fine writer. He knows his BBs stuff.

Looking forward to it though I wish they'd call it an authorised biography and not pretend it's and autobiography. Autho-biography anyone?

Hard to add much to what's already out there, particularly Carlin's tome, though Fine will perhaps get access to family/band documents and associates, family, friends etc.

 :lol

I assume we are all aware that what usually happens when a celebrity writes their own autobiography is that a collaborator is chosen who writes well and whom the subject feels comfy with. Hours and hours of interviews are recorded. The collaborator/editor then writes the manuscript. So the memories and words are those of the subject but Brian won't be doing much writing himself as such.

Could be good. I am sure I will buy it.

Really dislike the "Love and mercy, Brian Wilson" part.

Is it like his trademark? Did he come up with it or was there someone in his inner circle who said
'hey Brian, Ringo Starr says peace and love right? You should have something too, like that song you wrote Love And Mercy?'
Anyway I think it's a bit tacky, L&M is not a widely known song and certainly not one which people instantly associate with Brian, there are plenty of other good songs to do that.


herpa derpa,
cabinessenceking

It was nice of Leaf in those booklets to claim that Brian produced I Can Hear Music (unless my memory is faulty).

Does anyone know why Leaf is no longer involved in things?

He just loves that crack pipe too much.


Srsly, I believe that Leaf and BW/BW's organisation had some kind of falling out. But if anyone knows why, they ain't telling.

Couldn't it just be that Leaf chose a different line of work?

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/01/entertainment/la-et-cm-mickey-mantle-play-in-the-works-from-pop-music-writer-david-leaf-20130301 (http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/01/entertainment/la-et-cm-mickey-mantle-play-in-the-works-from-pop-music-writer-david-leaf-20130301)

Because of Brian's personality and "issues", history has shown that his views and opinions are overly influenced - at the particular time a book or documentary or interview is being conducted - by a significant person in his life. I'm just afraid that Brian will be rehearsed and his stories will be scripted to reflect his life "according to Melinda".

I also think that Brian Wilson, who at times can be brutally honest, has problems telling the truth. We STILL won't be able to separate fact from fiction.

Finally, when Brian discusses the people in the Beach Boys' family, he says hurtful things. In past books and interviews, Brian has made some very derogatory comments about people, including his brothers, that I think are better left unsaid, or not to be published in a book. But, like Dennis Wilson said in 1976, he (Brian) can do whatever he wants....

I don't get it. Fine, you'd rather have people buy Wouldn't It Be Nice and think The Beach Boys were loutish boors who hated Brian and Landy was Jesus Christ himself, just so long as THAT WOMAN isn't near it.

It's important this book is out there because, as I'm sure a lot of people here can vouch, if you don't know much about BW and want to find out more, you are going to pick up his autobiography first.

I think that, if nothing else, Brian's 'people' are well aware of how unpopular statements like that would be among the fanbase. I suspect that right now the only Beach Boy about whom anything negative would be said would be Mike -- and that only if future reunions are (as I suspect) definitely off the cards.
Be interesting to see what's said about Marilyn, though...

Is the Landy book still in print?

Yes. $ 9.32 or GBP 6.89 at Amazon, at this moment.

What I'm really excited for is the '69 thru '74 era, where there isn't as much info on what Brian was doing. I'm not really expecting to hear anything new about Pet Sounds or SMiLE, but I'd be interested to hear his take on the Sunflower, Surf's Up and Holland eras.

I don't know, what's to say it's not just a genuine sentiment?  As with peace and love, I can't see anything wrong with wishing a little love or mercy on folks.

Whew! Sunflower! That was a real heavy album. We came from a real spiritual place on that one. There's a lot of love in that album. That had a song, Add Some Music, that Mike wrote the lyrics for. We knocked that one out of the ballpark! And my brother Dennis had a song on it called Forever. That was a real pretty song.

Ha. I know, I know. But whatever. It's still Brian Wilson. And I believe it will truly be his opinions, unlike the Landy book. If that's all he has to say, that's ok.

I think it's cute that the BBs think they have to work song titles into everything they do. Mike will mention wouldn't it be nice to have fun, fun, fun in every interview and I remember there was a time when Al used to sign off his comments:

Come Go With Me,

Al Jardine

This raises an important point and one that I am very much interested in since my research work is done on autobiographical literature. When Brian says stuff like what is quoted above, I don't necessarily think that it's his opinion but rather a way that he has been trained or has trained himself to speak in public. And while this has become much more apparent since his comeback in the late 90s, it's a method of speaking that is more than likely rooted in his very emergence of a rock star wherein he felt the best way to express himself in public was to take on the persona of a music exec/rock DJ/press blurb - "this one is going to go all the way to the top!" It's kind of like when a sports player is interviewed and talks about giving 110%. With a lot of sports stars though, you begin to wonder if there is anything beneath that honed language. There is surely something behind Brian's - you can hear it in the sessions. However, I really do wonder if he has access to a language that can help him articulate his own feelings about his life in a way that would be honest for him.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wouldnt-Nice-My-Own-Story/dp/0747531455/

Strangely enough, in Britain its UK publisher Bloomsbury has always kept it in print...see link above. I'm still puzzled how it was published there in the first place, since British libel law is a lot stricter than in America.

So, does anyone else smell a lawsuit coming Brian's way in the near future?

All I gotta say is that if the "Wouldn't It Be Nice" auto is still in print when the new one comes out, it'd better be very clear as to which one is the newer version! To us it'll be obvious, but maybe not to the average guy off the street, at least at first glance. Have other people written more than one bio about themselves? More than likely an update or addendum has been written to an existing one, but probably rare that it happens starting from scratch under a new title.

Leonard Nimoy has wrote 3! Seems the guy can't decide if he is or isn't Spock.

Personally I think an autobiography by Al would be more interesting (though sell much less). He has been surrounded by madness his entire life and could probably contribute much fuller stories of the group's past.

Loads have. Johnny Cash wrote The Man In Black in 1975 and Cash in 1997.  Stephen Fry wrote Moab Is My Washpot and The Fry Chronicles. I keep reading stories in Private Eye of celebrities I've never heard of being on their third or fourth autobiography...

Like that's not gonna happen again. As someone above said, Brian indeed is occasionally not great with facts versus fiction, especially when he has people who weren't there telling him the story they heard in order to attempt to get more coherent statements out of the guy. Some of the stuff they prodded out of him for the Beautiful Dreamer "documentary" was total, total crap. You just picture the wifeandmanagers sitting around, "Remember Brian? Remember how the band hated Smile? Remember how Mike walked out of vocal sessions?" Huge exaggerations sprinkled with outright lies and occasional truths. You know it's gonna happen again, unfortunately, as there are still a lot of spiteful people running his show.

I really hope I'm wrong and I really hope this is the most unfiltered Brian piece we've gotten since 1977, but I just don't see it happening, especially considering the timing. The Beach Boys story is bizarre and fascinating enough on its own, we don't need people who weren't even there to continue to bring lies and exaggerations done out of spite into the picture.

WIBN is no longer in print in the United States. I'm not sure if that's because of the lawsuits or the fact that it bombed and wound up remaindered. If there are any new copies left it's because they didn't sell on the first run. I'm not sure about the UK, because on the Amazon site, it's in paperback with a different cover and it says that Amazon has new copies to sell and more on the way. Unlike US Amazon, where all the copies are only available from second party sellers.

I thought so!  I was surprised to even see it on Amazon.  A few years back I picked up an extra copy of WIBN in the bargain bin at Border's for $1.00.  I kid you not!

very good point. I wonder how he interpreted that. Did he react with disbelief? Was he angry due to a perception of being left when he needed her the most? What contact did he have with Diane afterwards? So many questions of which he might potensially give some answers to.

Ofc I'm here due to the music and less about the gossip, but even I find the personal lives of BW and the Beach Boys quite intriguing!

I know what you mean. David Leaf had his own directorial thing to pursue, and we know he ain't the greatest fan of Mike Love and co. Hopefully this author, who's spent some time with the lot can find a more balanced viewpoint.

We all say 'Oh, who's Melinda to say this about Mike/Carl/The Band' etc, but who do you reckon she hears it from? She doesn't lay down next to David Leaf every night....

Well, how to explain the Larry King interview. Wasn't Brian correcting Melinda's Leafian version of history?

Brian got really pissed when Mel trashed his first wife.

Well, for quite some time she probably heard it from Leaf as well but of course there will still be negative things said about the other band members which is fair enough if true.

I would hope that Brian's use of drugs, and particularly the effect they had on his mental health, isn't whitewashed this time though.

Melinda was really shitty in that interview.

Melinda was fine during that Larry King interview. A very loving, supportive wife.

This just increases the odds that Mike Love writes a book and gives his side of the story.  Unlike Brian, I think Mike's memory is very much intact and he will provide some very colorful stories about life over the years with the Wilsons.  That's just a guess on my part.l

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/larry-king-live/n10300/

I had missed this interview with Larry King where Brian discusses his book.

I recall Brian getting uncharacteristically snappy with her when she tried to take a pop at Marilyn.

(edit: Oops - forestalled.)

.

:lol

Certainly got Brian's laugh down

Melinda might be a great lady, but she didn't come off well on that Larry King show. Brian would answer a question, then Melinda would take over and correct his answer.

By 2015, actuarially speaking, there's a fair chance Brian won't be here any more (likewise some of us), so a lot of these observations may be moot. I'll say it now and get it out of the way: while this projected volume won't - could not possibly - be as offensive to the likes of us as the pseudobiography, I think it will have to be cast in much the same mould, because as stated before, I can't see that Brian's recall for detail will have improved over the last 22-odd years. I think a very good format would be that of Crosby's autobiog as written with Carl Gottleib: maybe one third by The Cros, one third by Gottleib filling in the background and one third contributions by other parties involved. Hopefully Fine will be briefed in the arcane craft of interviewing Brian and we won't get another set of "yes/no/I don't remember" responses fleshed out with the (uncredited) words of others. I also hope it has a balanced views of Brian's past collaborators, bandmates and other folk in his life: one of the best aspects of the excellent Carlin book was how even-handed he was with everyone, to no-one's detriment. However, I'd be prepared for incoming lawsuits circa 2016, were I the publishers. Also, being authorised, I can see key figures declining interview requests.

One final point - as there is now a wealth of accurate, minutely documented material available both in print and online, there is no possible excuse for any factual errors.

I saw that show the night it first aired, back in Oct 1992 - over a year after Brian's book was published. I still wonder why Larry King in the sketch keeps saying the book was published by Simon & Schuster when it was actually published by Harper Collins.

Sinead O'Connor was the musical guest - yes, this was the night she tore up the picture of the Pope on-camera.

Tim Robbins does a pretty good job of imitating Brian's speech. As it happens, Tim's dad Gil Robbins was in the folk outfit the Highwaymen, which went to #13 on the charts in early 1961 with a version of "Cotton Fields" that was probably the recording that familiarized Al with the song.

Cool backstory on the skit..

you think his health will dip so suddenly? He managed to get through a massive tour (albeit with back problems) and seems like he's very much well and alive. Ofc at that age after that life. his health might always be precarious.

Neither did Landy, but did he actually... no, I don't want to think that. :-X

 What a tasteless comment. 

Yeah, why speculate that Brian might be dead in the next two years. We never know, obviously, so it is a possibility, but it's just as likely that he'll be around in 2025 as 2015, for all we know.

His memory is intact, but I think Mike would rather spin his "revisionist" history of the BBs. Half the book would be the story of "kokomo".

 AGD sounds annoyed that Brian is doing a book. Doubtless he knows more about Brian's life than Brian.

Call me mr Positive (um, that title has been claimed, I hear...) but:

I am optimistic about the book, and will eagerly await it. Jason Fine is mucho OK, and he has an advantage: he knows what he should not do, considering the status of the 1992 attempt with Todd Gold (and prompter Eugene Landy).

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html

At least according to U.S. government actuarial tables, Brian's average life expectancy, as a 70-year-old male, now stands at nearly 14 more years.

EDIT: Nevermind. That would be if Brian had the life expectancy of someone born in 2007, if I read correctly. Regardless, if you make it to 70, your chances are generally pretty high of making it to 80 or beyond.

It's amazing how this board can translate the news of 'Beach Boys announces autobiography' into 'Beach Boy is about to croak'.  :o

I feel a 'Live v Croak' thread about to start

I get the feeling that this is just another marketing tool to go along with the biopic, although, an updated 'autobiography' would be welcome.
Again, I guess we'll all be on here arguing how much of it is Brian's and how much is Melinda's

I wonder if there's enough time to study and become one of Mike's lawyers. I might treat myself to the Smile surfboard package with the first hour's earnings!

Talking about Brian's mortality is taking fandom too far.

Don't talk about Brian's mortality it's way too depressing  :-[

More arrogance from "above". ::)

I wonder if AGD will do Mike's biography.

"Mein Kampf - The Mike Love Story"

Yes! Perfect-"The Agdster pontificates on the Lovester-We'll have white smoke and a new Pope.

:woot :thumbsup :h5

 :-D

More apt than some folks might think. Hitler's book (which I didn't read) was much written out of feeling unacknowledged, misrepresented, not valued enough for what he thought he had accomplished (before the tyranny, mind).

One can debate about AGD's comment being tasteless or not ... but if you are of the opinion that that's the case, then above quote + respons - IMO - are at least as offensive.

(or am I missing the joke here?)


Can we please get back on topic?

It's really just a joke. I love Mike I don't think he's Hitler.

It's cool. I just don't want to see this topic derail...

It won't, mr Mod sir. I am sure that every member sees the sarcasm and lack of bad intent.

I don't want the thread to derail... but I now am reminded of a wicked joke here, couple of years ago, where Hitler was fired by his own gang, a parody of Brian getting fired by his own band. Will use the search function.

Please continue with all matters autobiographical...

When I first read that Brian was going to write his autobiography, I didn't get the feeling that Melinda was trying to "beat the clock" so to speak. But, whenever Brian announces these "projects" - OTHER THAN AN ALBUM OF ORIGINAL SONGS!!!!!! :o - I can't help but think that Melinda will try to get EVERYTHING she possibly can out of a Brian Wilson solo career. I mean, for better or worse, in addition to being his wife, she is truly a manager and a promoter.

I sometimes find it ironic (is that the right word?), maybe frustrating, that Melinda wasn't around in the late 1960's thru the 1970's when Brian was still functioning at a high level and could've used someone like her (and that's not a knock at Marilyn Wilson BTW), and then when Melinda comes into Brian's life and is getting all of this stuff released, Brian doesn't quite have the goods to deliver it in the ways he used to. Just my opinion...

Difficult points. Let's not forget that Melinda is of enormous support to Brian, in terms of providing emotional stability and safety. I am trying to visualise where Brian would have been without her... I am almost certain that he'd be less well off, health- and otherwise.

Your hypothesis about Melinda having been around him much earlier in his life is intriguing. Indeed, we can't blame Marilyn for what happened - she got confronted pretty early in her life with a husband and father of two who'd lost his mental stability. And had to deal with many impossible situations for a very long time. I can see your point, in that the quite independent and strong personality of Melinda could have had a very positive influence on Bri, in terms of guidance and advice. I have a hunch that she'd have seen quite soon that Landy wouldn't be of benefit to Brian.

Ha ha, that was me. And the Bruce pasteover was me  >:D

 :-D :-D :-D (many times over) -

it's still brilliant, Stephen, thanks for re-posting!

He's not exactly overworked, is he?

Brian was in a completely different condition back then though.

And the 70s was a completely different time in terms of the treatment of mental illnesses.

That's a good point. Melinda once said something about how Marilyn should have brought Brian to UCLA for treatment since they lived so close and UCLA has all the latest treatments. But I'm pretty sure in the early '70s UCLA had the same treatments as anyone else.  Which Brian was already trying.

Stephen has a certain Monty Python influence.

When you are in active chemical dependence, as Brian was in the 70s, no amount of medical intervention will help. To recover from CD, one has to WANT to get well, which Brian didn't until post Landy. That is why Brian jumped on Melinda when the subject of UCLA came up.

But,  I see topics derail on a daily basis. Isn't that the normal progression of any given thread to expand on the OP? Inevitably, most of these threads go full circle anyway, so what's the  problem here?

Some topics derail and and the end go full circle. And some topics derail and definitely don't go full circle, but end up being blocked + a member or 2 getting banned again.
Reading the last pages of this topicI foresaw (although not intentionally) a typical example of the latter one. And I've seen too many of those lately, which I'd rather prevent happening if possible. That's all.

Did those stats take into account grossly overeating and hoovering up every drug known to man for an extended spell ?

That I seriously doubt, but I've forgotten more than you could ever dream of knowing, sonny.

Care to point out exactly where I said anything remotely like that ? You cannot, because I didn't, so kindly don't put words into my mouth.

C'mon now Andrew ,  you really think YOU"RE the Board?

I didn't say that you did but you knew very well that by making the comment you did you were going to turn the thread from being about Brian's autobiography into it being about his mortality.

Anyway, the admin have just said that this thread should get back on topic so maybe you should show a little respect for that and stop clogging it up with your self-worshipping posts.  :)

Back on topic...

While I would have some reservations about buying this 'autobiography', it really ought to be a good read and should help bring more fans to Brian and The Beach Boys. Any autobiography will be biased and skewed no matter how good the writer's intentions and this one at least has great subject matter. I would have thought that one of the biggest challenges will be to cram everything into one volume but even if this doesn't have masses of new information for the hardcore fans, it should still have enough to fascinate music fans in general and those with a passing interest in the group.

Read my post again: the bulk of it is about how the book will be inevitably compromised and I suggest a reasonable framework for it, one that has worked very well in another instance... yet all anyone comments on is my passing comment on a statistical possibility. I did not say "Brian's going to croak anytime now" or anything like it, but patently it suits some posters here to assume that I did. Precisely how that is self-worshipping is beyond my ken and I suspect yours as well.

You are NOT the board. Get over yourself.

As I said, the admin have asked that things get back on topic. Not such a difficult request surely.

Post deleted by Moon Dawg

Reading your posts isn't fun anymore. Pretty tedious, in fact.

Those words sound familiar, I wonder who said them before..... ;)

I think we're derailed now,
the screaming and the yelling
are gettin' real loud now,
I think we're derailed now,
we better get back on topic real soon now. :lol

Doesn't matter with him-he'll walk away from those comments unscathed. ::)

In all fairness, with Brian's past, it is a valid point. He'll be 73, and not a 'young' 73. Doesn't necessarily mean he'll be gone (certainly hope not), but there is a possibility that he may suffer a decline by that point. Really, it's rather miraculous that he's in good of a shape as he is right now all things considered (especially considering what Landy did to him in the 1980s). Although the statistics that Wirestone posted did contain some pertinent information, one has to remember what Brian did to himself, and what was done to him. Also, one must take genetics into account. Murry, Carl, and Dennis all died relatively young; although Dennis's death was a drowning, he wasn't in the greatest of shape anyway...there have been people who have drank and abused drugs harder  (and for a longer period of time) than Dennis that were in better condition than he was. However, Audree lived to a good age, and I think so did Buddy Wilson, so one never knows.


Didn't come across to me as being annoyed that Brian's doing a book, just annoyed at having his statement about Brian's health taken out of context . The rest of his post did point out something valid...anybody who has ever talked to Brian knows how he is if he is not fully engaged, and how his memory of somethings can change depending on the day.


No need for that at all.


He wouldn't have if you wouldn't have posted that.  In all seriousness, though, there have been several comments in this thread that were a bit much, from more than one person.

Smile Holland asked everyone to bring this on topic. I'm not asking . The thing I responded to at the top of my post is relevant to the topic.   The going back and forth between Andrew and a few others was not. Everyone had their chance to say their piece, and it's done.  Let's have more discussion about the format of the book, our hopes/fears about it, ect. and less of the sniping back and forth.

Will Brian comment Mike's habit of genocide in his new autobiography?


You're missing the joke, and that speaks in your favor. (I hope I translated my thought into the right English words, which I'm not sure about in this case.)

Loop de Loop Santa's Got an Airplane, Al Jardine.

....And in conclusion that is why I hate Mike Love.

Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song)

Al Jardine.

I think it was when Al was hoping that he could have a decent solo career and the idea was, 'come go with me on my solo journey'. The journey didn't end up travelling too far though...

Love and Mercy as a salutation has always bothered me. It's so new-agey, Landy, I'm OK/You're OK.  It reminds me of Spock on "Star Trek" saying "Live long and prosper," and I think of Leonard Nimoy with pointy ears when I see it in print.

I'm also not sure about the mercy part. Is Brian asking for mercy, or giving mercy, and is either asking for or giving mercy an appropriate thing for Brian to be doing?  It's a bit messianic.

He merely wishes for mercy to be given to you (as well as love). It might be a tad tacky, but I think it's an appropriate sign-off for Brian Wilson.

"Love and mercy to you and your friends tonight"

I don't see what the big deal is. It's just a message of peace to his fans.

To be honest I'd much rather read Mike's bio than one by Brian.

I'd so ghostwrite Mike's autobiography.

"I wrote the words to 'Good Vibrations' - The Mike Love Story".

That should be a thread. Mike Love biography names.

"I wrote Kokomo (And Brian Didn't)"- Mike Love

'I'm Not Singing that sh*t" - The Life and Times of Mike Love
"Beaches, Babes and Baldness - The Mike Love Story

"Fun, Fun,Fun- The Mike Love Story"

Every time I get a message from Carl it's signed "Heaven - Carl Wilson"

All hilarious but this is incredible  :lol

Thanks Shady but somehow I can't see Mike going for it.

"I write the hooks" The Mike Love Story..

Forward by Bruce Johnston

Mike's book will have a whole chapter about Van Dyke Parks and his "evil" ways in leading cousin Brian astray.

And the following chapter will be about Mike getting retribution by sticking VDPs with the bill of a private plane flight.

Now a Van Dyke Parks bio would interest me quite a bit.

Excellent! I tried to think up a title that was a pun on I Write the Songs myself but nothing worked.

Great minds!

Not especially funny or anything, but ML's autobiography would surely be called Looking Back With Love. :P

Has anyone ever tried placing an audio greeting card mechanism in a book? I imagine opening the first page of Mike's biography and hearing "Whhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen".

Do It Again...and Again, and Again

The many Wives, Court Battles and Song Title References of Mike Love

'Mr. Positivity - The Rise, Fall And Redemption Of Mike Love'

or

'Mike Love Like A Man'

You hear me, BRI? I will interview the man and write this book for you.

Can I co-write it? ;D

Without re-reading 7 pages of this thread, has the title mentioned in this blog been picked up?

"I Am Brian Wilson"


http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/2013/04/the-beach-boys%E2%80%99-brian-wilson-to-hold-nothing-back-in-his-new-autobiography

A good title I think.

Encouraging, in that it suggests that the concerns about the state of his memory are unfounded.

All Summer Long: The Mike Love Legacy, Vol. 1 (1961-64)
Summer Means New Love: The Mike Love Legacy, Vol. 2 (1965-69)
Our Sweet Love: The Mike Love Legacy, Vol. 3 (1970-74)
Everyone's In Love With You: The Mike Love Legacy, Vol. 4 (1975-79)
Male Ego: The Mike Love Legacy, Vol. 5 (1980-2013)

Male Ego is a brilliant name for a Beach Boys book in general. Male Ego: ( Subtitle something something California blah blah here.)

Published by Random House Canada?    Why not Random House United States?

Because that article's just churnalism, mostly cut and pasted from the Guardian article it links, along with some random incorrect stuff like Brian touring with the Beach Boys this summer. Da Capo are publishing it in the US, Coronet in the UK. Maybe Random House Canada are publishing it in Canada, or maybe whoever cut and pasted the article made it up.

I wouldn't be surprised if he looked beyond "Love is a Woman" for Vol. 4  ;D. Actually it'd certainly stir up a wave of publicity for the book... Okay, I probably would be surprised if be didn't use it.

Brian Wilson: My Life Suite, A Labor of Love and Financial Stability

It's a press release quoted almost verbatim from Brian's website, no doubt written by Brian's publicist. I don't see how it assures that Brian's memory is intact. I'm also wondering if it's going to be a good thing for Carnie, Wendy, Marilyn, or other people from Brian's past lives. 

Having lived with him during some of his worst times, I doubt anything would surprise or shock them now.

.

I'm interested in what is said about the Landy years. It may be ghost-written, and you know it's going to be slanted , but we'll know definitively what the Official Brian Wilson Camp position on everything is.

As enticing as the thought of a ML autobio or even a new Brian bio may be, I'm really holding out for an Al Jardine book. I should be able to read all 25 pages of it in one sitting.

So will the book dish on why Brian fell out with Andy Paley, Joe Thomas, David Leaf etc...

Nope. Because Brian didn't.

An Al Jardine book would be fascinating and probably the most honest of any of them. He lived through so much crap in his time in the band and it would be fascinating to hear about stuff from his perspective.

Mike would sue his ass for sure, if he wrote a book. ;)

Al most likely has a plethora of stories to tell. He was a sober and sane witness to absolute madness all around him.

"Keeping it clean - The Al Jardine Files"

Yeah, isn't he a bit overdue on suing someone?  :o

And yet his memory of Smile several years ago was absurd.

Let me rephrase the question; will the book dish on why Brian wasn't allowed to hang out with Paley, Thomas, Leaf etc...

I very, very much doubt it.

I had a feeling you were going to say that.

And that's a bad thing, how? Just because Brian has some mental problems doesn't entirely absolve him of responsibility for the way he treated his first family. If people don't have some empathy for Brian's own daughters, who share his DNA, why even bother caring about Brian or his book.

BTW, to clarify, I wouldn't think that any autobiography Mike Love would write would necessarily be welcomed by his kids, either, due to his personal history.  I'm sure Lisa Marie Presley didn't appreciate reading some of the things her mom wrote about her dad in her book. One hopes that when people write their books, they have some sensitivity about their kids from previous marriages.  Hopefully Brian will be cautious and tasteful in his approach to topics that could hurt feelings among people in his family. It can be done, it just sometimes tends not to in the name of making the most interesting book.

This sounds to me like we'll have to wait until at least summer of 2015 to hear something new from Brian, because you know that there will be an album released to coincide with the book and movie.
Only question for me now is whether it will be a BW album, or another last hurrah album/reunion tour from the Beach Boys. At least he has plenty of time to come up with something really good.

You're making a very basic error here - assuming that Brian will be actually writing the book, or even directing the overall flow. I'm willing to wager a large sum that the compositional process will follow this basic framework:

1 - Co-author does the research and makes a list of topics to be covered...
2 - Brian is interviewed...
3 - Based on Brian's responses, Fine produces a rough-cut...
4 - Brian - or more likely, his 'people' - review this and request changes, inclusions and excisions...
5 - Fine 'remixes' his text...
6 - Text is reviewed again...
7 - steps 5 & 6 are repeated until the text is deemed acceptable by Brian's management...
8 - book is published...
9 - we tear it apart...
10 - lawsuits commence.

You nailed that one, Andrew. :)

I don't think it be that bad, BW wants a good "auto" since his last was such an insult to everybody not named "Landy".

Even though you are stating it as both matter-of-factly AND tongue-in cheek (at least I think you are), I agree with you and can easily see the above Steps 1 thru 10 happening. But, I can also see KittyKat's concerns. I stated those concerns in an earlier post.

Melinda has done many, many good things for Brian, things we will probably never completely know. But, sometimes her advocacy or promotion or "pushiness" of Brian - in specific projects, not all, but some projects - rubs me the wrong way. This book is one of those projects. Also, I am just afraid, as KittyKat has stated, that certain family members, both living and deceased, could be hurt. Even if they did do Brian wrong, and you know who they are, I think Brian has talked and written enough about it, and I wish he would deal with it in private. It is his prerogative to deal with it in any manner he chooses, I just don't feel comfortable when I see or hear Brian talk about those matters in public. I wish Melinda felt the same way.

This sounds about right.

Here's Brian's responces to the interview questions in advance.

"Yes"
"Yes"
"No"
"Rhapsody in Blue"
"No"
"I don't remember"
"Phil Spector - Be My Baby"
"I don't know"
"Mike Love"
"No"
"No"
"I've never heard it"
"Yes"
"Norbitt"

Make a great book out of that one.

You forgot, "Dennis had intercourse with my wife, Mike's wife and Al's wife."

Missed the obvious one - "there's a lot of love in that song".

did I miss something?

Interview with Brian, oh, 2005 (Glastonbury ?)?  Someone asked if something was a tribute to Dennis, and that response came straight out of left field.

My memory AGD (could be wrong) was that the interview was in Q magazine and was part of the 'Cash for Questions' section (readers send in their questions to be answered).

The question was:

Q: Did Dennis deserve his reputation as a ladies man?
A: Well, he had intercourse with my wife, Mike's wife and Al's wife so yes.

Classy.

Sounds about right to me, although I don't think it was "Cash for Questions".

It was a Q&A feature with Brian answering readers questions. In response to a question about Smile, Brian said, and i quote: 'Mike and Dennis hated Smile. Hated it'. That'd be Dennis 'Smile is so good it makes Pet Sounds stink' Wilson.

It should be mentioned that Brian was apparently having one of his very bad days that day. I think they said that he started shaking violently when The Beach Boys were mentioned. At least after last year's reunion there is little chance of that happening again.

Those "bad" days really scare me to be honest.

Why? There's nothing to be scared about. Most people with the kinds of problems Brian has have good and bad days.

I just mean its "scary" to have a man shaking over simple questions. Brian's condition on some days is hard to deal with compared to the guy on the 1965 session tapes.

Those simple questions often come with a lot of bad associations attached. If you spend much time around people with mental health problems, you'll find that that kind of thing is very common. It doesn't say anything either way about his general ability to function or about how his health is on a day-to-day basis.

Fair enough, it just sad to see him deal with that in my opinion.

I think any lawsuits are quite unlikely. Given the reception the last book received, I bet this will be lawyered over very carefully. What's more, given the music-based publisher, and the press release comments that suggest the book will be focused on the last 10-15 years, I suspect there will be much less personal drama than some suppose.

It's can seem sad but... I suppose I'm slightly blase about it because I've spent a lot of time around people with mental illnesses far more severe than Brian's, but people cope with these things, and most of the time they can live perfectly normal, happy, functioning lives.
Brian is exceptionally fortunate that he has the money to access the best medical treatment possible, and he has a family/business support structure around him that, however much some people may dislike some of the people involved, seems to be genuinely centred around his well-being.

Death is an inevitable consequence of life. I think we - as human beings - should discuss it more often.

Brian will die at some point, as will we all. It is a fair assumption he's spent more years alive than he has ahead of him. Whilst I know of no medical condition that would likely see him die before the end of 2015, it's not impossible. The chances are we will lose another Beach Boy in the next decade. For those reasons we should try to enjoy what remains, be it Brian's albums and shows, Mike & Bruce...whatever any of the Beach Boys give us.

We're lucky to have had Brian around so long, and really very fortunate that the last 15 years post-Landy have delivered some events that I certainly never thought I'd experience. Enjoy them for what they are...the ride lasts forever for none of us. Brian seems to be a very robust individual to have survived the emotional pain and chemical abuse he's been through and come through pretty intact.

It's just a shame to think that the only Beach Boy who has signed up to be cryonically frozen is Al. Unless there is some serious legal jiggery in place, this could mean that Al's could be the sole vote in BRI for the 100th anniversary. This hardly seems fair.

Well, we die and then we're gone. What's left to discuss?

A lot of people skirt around the fact that Brian (and the rest of the Beach Boys) are likely to die sooner rather than later....such talk gets people upset, "No you can't say that".

I think death should not be a taboo subject. It is an inevitable consequence of life.

I will not go. Prefer a Feast of Friends to the Giant family...

That depends how it is discussed imo.

Quite a few people have said, 'It won't be too long before none of the group members are performing so go out to see them when you can.'

That is a classier way of putting it than, 'The autobiography may not come out because Brian will have snuffed it by 2015' imo.

You mean, facing the fact we will all die sooner or later? Yes, people should do that, right. I'm going on an airplane journey soon and prepared some stuff my colleagues at work would need if I shouldn't return. Hope I will though, and I'm not really worried. :)

"Brian". "to" . "write". "autobiography"

Been itching to do that since this thread appeared

I just thought of a great title for this and the biopic: Brianly Brian.

It looks like this book is now being written in earnest, or at least the research is under way. A person claiming to be a researcher for the book tweeted Van Dyke Parks asking for information, and Van Dyke tweeted, "It doesn't sound 'auto' to me!"

Anyone here who even momentarily entertains the notion that Brian will be writing a single word of his autobiography is on the wrong forum.

Just the idea of Brian sitting down having to tell his story for this book is making me laugh.

Like blood from a stone

I find it a little odd that Jason Fine would send out his research minion (she works for his magazine, so it has to be legit) to get information from Van Dyke, and via Twitter posting at that. Shouldn't Jason be contacting a person that important himself? And shouldn't he have better contact info for Van Dyke than Twitter, and in any case, do it privately?

He probably will not write a word.  At best, it will be pieced together, ghost written, edited, whitewashed, etc.

What I would LIKE to read is a verbatim, unedited  transcript of Brian interviews conducted over a period of weeks or months.  I think that would be a very "telling" BW autobiography.

I don't think Brian would contribute any more now than when Todd Gold interviewed him, as AGD already pointed out. I don't think Brian is censoring anything, he just does not remember much.

Van Dyke Parks responded to the researcher who contacted him on Twitter yesterday. She clarified that she works for Jason Fine, who's "helping" Brian write his autobiography. Van Dyke said that Brian himself should call him. Well, it is an autobiography, after all, so that makes sense. Perhaps they will have to write the book without Van Dyke's input.

That might be one of the most unprofessional things I've ever heard an author or researcher do. Why do I keep getting surprised by stuff like this coming from the BW camp and the people working for them?

Great answer by Van Dyke though, I love that guy.

I know, it's rather shocking. Though maybe not surprising given the direction of American journalism. That researcher really is not doing her job. Jason Fine is not doing his, either. "Smile" is a pretty important part of the Brian Wilson story, and they're already botching it from the get-go, when people still have so many unanswered questions about it? I have a feeling this book will be about as accurate as the Landy "autobiography."

I think her chosen form of communication is more reflective of a generational shift in manner of communication (not that I think she should've reached out that way) and less reflective of the quality of work that Jason Fine (17 year editor at Rolling Stone, 3 years at Men's Journal) might be capable of. Research doesn't mean that they're necessarily just starting the writing. There are more than enough public statements from VDP (and others) already available about SMiLE that could've formed the basis of what they're putting together. They could be in the "fill in the blanks" or "fact-checking" stages of that part of the project...

To touch on a few of the other recent comments...From the original PR, we hardly get the sense that Brian will be doing the writing himself:

In his memoir Wilson, who will be working with Rolling Stone and Men’s Journal editor Jason Fine, will describe for the first time the epic highs and lows of his life—from his tumultuous relationship with his father, the loss of his mother and brothers, his fears about live performance, the struggles he faced to lead the Beach Boys away from surf music into groundbreaking, experimental terrain, to his remarkable personal and professional comeback from drug addiction and mental illness with the support of his second wife Melinda. In this memoir Wilson will share a new level of emotional honesty never before expressed in earlier books about him.

At the end of the day, very few people of Brian's  stature end up writing their own memoirs. Brian will offer direction with his own memories, the writer will follow the crumbs to other sources, come back to Brian and they'll reconcile the differences or similarities, attributing where appropriate. Brian can and should be held to a certain standard in the context of what he does (music), but are we really going to fault him for not "writing" his memoirs? Every major memoir goes through professional writers, multiple editors, lawyers, etc. I wouldn't expect Brian's to be any different. And remember, most people writing memoirs don't have Mike Love's legal team to worry about! ;-)

I have a feeling so much of the book will be about how Melinda brought emotional support to Brian.
Hopefully it won't be on par with how much Landy was praised in the second half of WIBN, but I wouldn't be shocked.

I do think it offers a bit of insight as to why Van Dyke didn't contribute to the Smile box set booklet. It may have nothing to do with Van Dyke resenting Mike Love or the Beach Boys, and more to do with at least a temporary estrangement from Brian. Van Dyke also posted a funny tweet about having Beach Boys Inc. go out to the beach and do beach clean-up, and something about Mike Love inviting Brian.

Interesting theory. Entirely incorrect, however.  ;D

I'm down to 19 out of my 20 questions about Van Dyke's participation in the Smile booklet. Darn.

But Van's Twitter feed does point to some type of falling out or misunderstanding. Communication via Twitter, in public, via an aide to Brian's co-author doesn't paint a good picture.  Has that researcher ever looked at Van Dyke's website? It has an e-mail address.

Fine: Is it true, Brian, that Melinda saved your life?

• Wilson: yes.
• Fine: would you like to tell me about that?
  • Wilson: not really.
  • Fine: but you're happier now than when you were under the control of Dr. Landy?
  Wilson: sure.