The Smiley Smile Message Board

It was noted briefly on one of the Love & Mercy movie threads a few days back, but seems worth mentioning again....that after a nearly four-year absence from Twitter, @thevandykeparks has been going at it with a vengeance this month. 

The three things that interested me most about VDP's feed so far:

a) he referred to "Edie" Gorme after her passing - the misspelling would be no big shakes in the usual Tweet but it's a tad surprising when Van Dyke does it;
b) he went on a bit about West Virginia, a state I don't recall him discussing in any of his many interviews.
c) while fulminating about Mo Ostin putting his name on a building at UCLA, he referred to his old cohort the late Peter Ivers. (I remember a Warner Brothers staffer telling me that some asides VDP made about Ostin from the stage of McCabe's, back in the '80s, resulted in his being banned from the label's premises for a spell.)

He's also talked to Hypehat.

and?

No biggie, he just randomly replied to a tweet I made yesterday about being unable to make music very well. Told me to 'Splain in the hood.' He later started tweeting about wine so I guess there's the explanation....

Just read through a bunch if his recent posts. Quite prolific… almost a parody.

For some reason, I have a distant recollection of an interview with Van Dyke where he discussed some home in West Virginia that was owned by his family for generations. So, he does have a connection to that state, though I suppose his impersonator could know that. too.

Great background image!

Van Dyke is posting a lot the last few days, for sure. This morning he revealed that Brian Wilson no longer returns his phone calls.  I wonder how long that's been going on?

(http://oi41.tinypic.com/i3if5z.jpg)

Awkward...

Is he really saying Brian doesn't return calls anymore or just that Brian used to return phone calls?

Isn't that the same thing?

Yeah, I'm not sure what the difference is.

VDP @ Twitter is weird... A maestro of words using (https://michaelkoester.de/images/twitter-bird-16x16.png)... What kind of a culture is this? :shrug


The combination of both reminds me of something.. I wonder what kind of shapes this will take in the near future.

(http://oi41.tinypic.com/2aenrmd.jpg)

VDP has always embraced the internet. Interesting quote there regarding Brian.

I'd love to know the story behind Brian and him (apparently) falling out. I know soon after BWPS Brian made a comment which seemed to blame Van Dyke for the collapse of Smile because he walked off the job.

Anyone remember that?

Also there is the fact that Van Dyke was full of praise for the Smile boxset (prior to it's release). He was supposed to be writing something for the booklet. This never happened and then his statements regarding the box became  cynical to say the least.

Now we have this comment.

Van Dyke always struck me as a bit of a pot-stirrer. Never been too big of a fan, despite his great work on Smile.

I'm not sure who's to blame, so I can't blame Van Dyke without knowing if they had some kind of actual argument, or Brian never told him what he did to offend him. Brian has had similar estrangements with Andy Paley and David Leaf, as well. David Leaf did the Smile documentary and was a supporter for years, not to mention writing one of his first bios and a personal friend. David was at one time going to direct the Brian biopic.

Paley has been in and out a bunch of times -- in the late 80s, in the mid-90s, then the early 2000s. Brian even worked with him a few years after that in 2006 for a Spongebob song. Very much the way Brian treats a lot of his collaborators -- here today, gone tomorrow. I wouldn't pay his case too much mind.

David Leaf is a different story. Not sure what happened there, or why. On the other hand, he's been reasonably busy making his own documentaries in the last few years, so he may have decided the static around Brian was too much after a certain point. I think his last mention in a BW context is a thanks in the notes of TLOS.

As for Van Dyke -- I think it's safe to say that something went down in the production of the boxed set and the reunion tour, given his remarks over the last year or so. I think the basic point is, he did not approve of Brian reuniting with the other guys, and was really questioning Mike's motives. He has also clashed with Brian's folks on occasion -- they won't let him reissue Orange Crate Art, which he seems to own, and he really wanted to collaborate on more things around the time of TLOS, but Brian Wilson went with Scott Bennett instead.

(That's not to mention all the past issues, like the bevy of co-writers listed on the BB version of SOS, which has lyrics almost entirely by VDP, or the fact that his name was not on the credits of Wonderful for years ... sound like he might have something in common with Mike after all!)

That being said, VDP on Twitter is a hoot. He's a natural. And his new record is really, very seriously, good.

I have the same opinion of him.

He's a great mind but seems to be very irritated in general

If they are not in contact anymore there are no calls to return.  Who knows with VDP.

Yeah, and didn't Brian and Joe Thomas sue each other? Now they are buddies again.

Hm, Van Dyke deleted his tweet about Brian.

I follow him on twitter, because I'm a little bit of a fan, but he comes across as a giant pretentious ass on there. Actually, he comes off that way NOT on twitter most of the time too.

I had forgotten how much this board dislikes Van Dyke.

One of its less-appealing qualities ...

Eh, it's just a few people.

He's fantastic, unspeakably gifted, a unique American character, and one of the best conversationalists on the planet. It's amazing he's still producing neat work and him tweeting regularly (and hysterically) ALMOST makes me want to sign up for it.

Rave on, VDP of Pasadena! I want a big fat "Conversations with Van Dyke Parks" book on my shelves, why isn't it there already, I ask you?

He can be frustrating sometimes, but he's witty and he's done a lot in music outside of his work with Brian W. That's too bad Brian's organization doesn't want him to re-release OCA. The problem with leaving in-demand albums unreleased is it creates a market for illegal downloading. People might actually buy a reissue of the CD or download it for pay on iTunes or Amazon. Maybe Brian's management doesn't want it to compete with his own releases, but it only brings about more publicity for Brian, which is a good thing for selling his own product.

I hope they can work it out eventually , Bananastan would make some real sexy Orange Crate Art vinyl. A great opportunity to release the outtakes, as well...

https://twitter.com/thevandykeparks/status/376396125441228800/photo/1

This morning VDP put up what looks like a pretty recent pic of him, Randy Newman, and Brian, who is wearing a red shirt that I don't recall seeing on him before.  Randy looks pretty cheerful; VDP looks pensive.

Van Dyke is also guest-editing Magnet magazine's website for the week, posting stuff about the Nilsson boxset etc.

From Jools Holland's show.

VDP is a wordsmith par excellence. Twitter is part of his natural habitat.

I don't know what might have happened between him and Brian but it does seem to stem from the period when TSS was being put together. VDP has said some distinctly negative things about Brian in the time since then whilst sometimes still showing warmth. Clearly VDP feels he has been slighted by Brian.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BTk6SB7CYAA7TdJ.jpg:large)
"No stranger bedfellows could be found in politics, music, or Fire Island: Van Dyke Parks;Randy Newman;Brian Wilson"


What are you trying to tell us, Mr. Parks?

I know, Fire Island?  :o  :)

Van Dyke is so hilarious on Twitter, though. He's posted hundreds and hundreds of tweets since discovering it a few weeks ago to promote his album. Some of them make no sense, or he'll post the same photo three times in a row, or he'll tweet to himself.  It's about what you'd expect from a Van Dyke Parks' Twitter, I guess.

The philistines have uttered their pronouncements! Geronimo leaps and bounds over the dust bowl, again, crows the c*ck.

My uneducated guess is that VDP was supportive of TSS until he discovered that it was being used as Phase One of the Beach Boys reunion which he didn't really want to happen.  Either that or he wasn't invited to participate in the release by writing liner notes or something like that, or possibly a combination of the two.

I don't know what to make of the photograph, but hopefully it means that he and Brian have managed to mend their relationship at least slightly.  I'm a big fan of most of VDP's solo music, but I also think we should remember that his relationship with The Beach Boys extends well past Smile.  He helped them get their record contract with Warner after the Capitol contract expired, he came to the rescue with "Sail On, Sailor" when the label didn't want to release Holland, he sang on "A Day in the Life of a Tree," and, most importantly, played the essential accordion parts on "Kokomo" and several Summer in Paradise songs.

There's no accordion on Kokomo and if there was, I'd hate it even more.

Wikipedia has done me in!  Though perhaps if I listened to the song more, I would have recognized that.

yeah, daddy's deaf.

There's accordion all over it. It's one of the most prominent instruments in the song!

Yeah, the VDP accordion parts on the SIP tracks are fantastic. Otherwise, count me in as someone who is less than enthralled with the man. The fact that he spit on the 2012 reunion alone makes him dead to me. 

In hindsight, after the events of the C50 blowup, he was right to have misgivings about it.

Maybe I shouldn't have ended my comment with those snarky references; I actually do think VDP made significant contributions to the Beach Boys after Smile.  Would anyone have picked up the Beach Boys had he not made the recommendation to Warners?  They weren't exactly at their commercial peak at that point.  If not, there would be no Sunflower, no "'Til I Die," no Love You.  His contributions to the band far outweigh whatever damage his lack of support for C50 may have done (and I'm not sure they did any significant damage).

At this point, I'm almost positive that VDP took huge offense with the accusations that he introduced Brian to LSD. That's why he's not on TSS.

I don't think the Stamos mini-series has much to do with Van Dyke's more recent problems with Brian, because it's very old news. Someone posted on this board that Van Dyke was initially enthusiastic about the current day Beach Boys releasing the boxed Smile Sessions set, and was planning on writing some liner notes for the book.  He wound up not doing that, but I don't think that had anything to do with his objections to the BB reunion, either.  He also seems to have a problem with Brian's wife, not just the Beach Boys and Mike. He made a cutting remark about Brian's new biopic being produced by "Mrs. Wilson" and not having much hope that it will be truthful in regards to how he, Van Dyke, will be portrayed in it.

(http://www.bananastan.com/images/vdp_mojo_aug12_3.jpg)(http://www.bananastan.com/images/vdp_mojo_aug12_4.jpg)

^ August 2012 issue. Read the parts in the middle.

You have got to be kidding.

Because obviously nobody had any reason to be ambivalent about the reunion, especially now, right?  ;D

 :lol





BTW Rocky such sarcasm means that you're dead to me  ;)

I want VDP to be the surprise guest at BW's shows this year.

Hopefully singing Mike Love's BBs songs to really needle him. >:D

If Brian made VDP sing Mike's lyrics, whom would that needle more: VDP or Mike?

Good point about that.... ;D

I just want Mike to see his archnemsis doing the Wheeeennnnn part of BTTYS.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIN
SOME LOUD CROW CRY UNCOVERS CORN FIELDS
OVER AND OVER AND OVER
I TELL HIM RIGHT AWAY NOW
WHAT'S A MATTER BUDDY
AIN'T YOU HEARD OF MY THRESHER
IT'S NUMBER ONE IN THE WHEAT FIELD

I love you man

I sort of tried to read that article, tiny font and all. It's not anything new. No, I don't think the old business with Mike was entirely the reason for his lack of participation with the Smile box set. For one thing, he was set to contribute to it, and secondly, if he were getting along very well with Brian, I think he would have done it out of respect for Brian. If nothing else, he'd want to get his version of Smile events out there by participating in the liner note book for the Smile box.  So, it may have been something to do with his relationship with Brian being somewhat less close than it was when they did BWPS together. Maybe not a bad relationship, but not as close as it once was.

There's no saying they won't be close again, and some of Van Dyke's tweets are actually warm towards Brian. It would be nice to see them work together again. I do think Van Dyke gets a little tired of people who only know him due to Smile or only pay him compliments for that piece of work with Brian. He's done so much more than that in music. Even in terms of his Beach Boys work, he co-wrote "Sail On, Sailor" and claims to have written the chorus melody, which is the main hook of the song, so that's a nice contribution right there.

Agree entirely.

Van Dyke is a generous, courteous man, and during the three times I had the pleasure to meet him after shows, he took all the necessary time to answer my fan-like questions, didn't show the least sign of being tired or irritated.

He has a way with words, with a special wit and irony... which I am very, very partial to.

Count me in as a true aficionado, and yes, that book would be the treat of a lifetime.

Come to think of it, I might explore the possibility of collecting/compiling/whatever the interviews he did over the years. Just imagine if he'd be willing to co-operate in such an enterprise...

 :lol

Be True to your Formula.

Someone should write a 'BBs Lyrics Compiler' programme... you feed in a couple of chief topics, and the thing spews forth a complete song assembled from BBs lyric snippets.

That sounds like something for the Beach Boys app we discussed some time back!

 ;D

Missed that one. The idea is appealing. Right now I want to hear their lyrics on the topics of 'gray weather', 'autumn', 'rain', and 'hangover'.

There is a nice interview with VDP concerning his friendship with Harry Nilsson in the newest Goldmine.

We don't have Goldmine over here in my home town in Holland anymore, Peter. Is it online somewhere, or will it go there in the future?

Thanks at any rate.

Heck, I never see it here in the states either. Seems as if its a subscription only thing

Oh, could well be. Now that you say this: I used to buy it at my local record retailer, way back in the '90s, early '00s, but our normal book/magazine shops didn't carry it. I have a vague recollection of that retailer saying that he in turn got it from an independent record distributor in Holland. So subscription-only may well be the case.

They used to carry Goldmine at Tower Records and some other record stores when there were such stores around. I'm not sure I've even seen it at Barnes & Noble, even though B & N carries all the British music mags.

BTW, Goldmine offers online subscriptions, which delivers the complete magazine in PDF files for $19.95 per year (14 issues a year). That would seem like a good option for subscribers outside the USA, especially. I haven't read it in many years, but it's a good magazine that covers a lot of classic rock and pop. It's not badly priced, either. Info here:

https://ssl.palmcoastd.com/07639/apps/DIGITAL?ikey=I**C01

You can get a weekly  sample of articles from their website if you register there. I think it is just called goldmine.com.

Cheers Peter - seems to be a nice proposition/taster.