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Hi all,

In see that nobody really talks about Audree.  She was the mother of the Wilson brothers.  We talk abuot Murry, Brain, Carl, Dennis, Al, Mike, Bruce, John S, Blondie and Jeff F. As well as Marilyn, Melinda, the girls and Landy.  Now it is time to talk about Audree.  She must have been devstated by Dennis's death.  Traditionally, the parents are supposed to die first.  I know that she was part of the law suit to get Brian away from Landy.  Yet she is ignored by fans.  I have seen comments by her on BB sites.  I kow that she said that Landy was the worst thing that happened to her son.  She was loving and supportive of the band.  As well as he sons.   

(http://media.giphy.com/media/2t9sDPrlvFpdK/giphy.gif)


Huh? No, she isn't. She's just not as interesting a character as Murry (or others).

Is this person a troll? ::)

Her[?] past threads seemed rather legit..

No, she's not.

  Audree is rarely discussed in comparison with Murry and other family issues. I've heard Carl was her favorite.

Interesting topic and observation - I can only imagine Audrey was not one to get in front of the media, or draw that type of attention to herself - and keep personal things personal.

I find there are frequent references to her presence within the BBs world - break-up on the tarmac article, her involvement in early Brian singing arangements etc, a few interview snippets in AB/EH docos - but scant elaboration, again perhaps at her request.

actually I'd like to know more about Audree too...... she also must have had some wonderful 'genes' that got passed on to the Wilson's.....

it would be interesting to know how she felt more about Murray and the boys over the years......

the 'IJWMFTT' doco sure sheds a bit of light into her thoughts...............

if only she had written a book too eh?....... in her word, "sometimes I do get in touch with the fact that I am the 'Mom of The Beach Boys"....

RickB

Introduced as such at a concert I attended in LA early 90s.

Audree was a member of the group "Kenny & The Cadets".  Brian was Kenny and Audree was one of the Cadets.

Audree taught Brian and David Marks the piano, especially the "Boogie Woogie."

After Brian had a nervous breakdown in Houston in December, 1964, he asked that Audree pick him up at the airport back in L.A. They then drove to the old Hawthorne house where Brian spilled his guts.

Audree liked to knock back a few. Some say quite a few.

There's a good interview with Audree by David Felton from Rolling Stone circa 1976 in Kingsley Abbot's collection Back To The Beach, part of the article "The Healing Of Brother Bri' ".

Audree had an interesting relationship with Murry towards the end of his life.

Just found a transcription of the interview I mentioned above :

(The full article can be found here : http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-healing-of-brother-brian-the-rolling-stone-interview-with-the-beach-boys-19761104)


How did you first notice something was wrong with Brian?

AUDREE: It was just that he'd stay in his room all the time. I would go over there, and there could be a houseful of people and he just wouldn't come down.

When you talked to him in his bedroom, would he make sense?

AUDREE: Oh, of course, perfectly. He just wanted to be alone. Sometimes he would say, "I'm really so tired," or, "I'll be down in a little while." And I'd think to myself, "You might or you might not, and if not, that's okay with me." I knew he was in trouble. I knew he had a problem.

Did he seem depressed?

AUDREE: Oh yes, I think so. He didn't show his depression to me that much because if I'd go upstairs to say hi or give him a kiss, he would always be sweet to me and say, "Hi, mom. How are you?" or, "I'm tired," or, "I have a cold," or, "My stomach is upset," or just anything. At that time I didn't believe it; I just thought, he wants to be alone. I would never — oh God — no way would I bug him. I figured if he wanted to talk to me he would tell me.

Do you think Brian's creativity began to be a burden to him ?

AUDREE: I do. I think that he just went through a lot of pain. I think it was very painful for him to live up to this tremendous image that had happened just like that [snaps her fingers]. All of a sudden he felt he couldn't do it anymore, he felt like he had reached the pinnacle — and what was left?

And then for a number of years did he just sort of deteriorate?

AUDREE: Well, he went through stages. In fact, Marilyn would say, "Oh, Brian's so much better, we this or we that." I'd be happy to hear it. So it was kind of an up and down thing.

Carl says that he was the closest to his father, but that Brian and Dennis had a difficult time communicating with him.

AUDREE: Yes, they did. But in the later years, Dennis and his father had a great relationship. Well, they had something in common. They both loved to fish, they both loved boxing.

Dennis said when he was young his father used to beat the hell out of him sometimes.

AUDREE: Yeah, he really got the short end of the stick.

How did you feel when you heard about Dennis' involvement with Charles Manson?

AUDREE: Oh my. God, absolutely horrified. Terrified. First of all, when Manson and his family, the girls, moved in with Dennis, Dennis had this beautiful, beautiful place — at Will Rogers State Park, right off Sunset. And he befriended them. They were just hippies and he thought Manson was the nicest person, a very gentle, nice guy. Murry had a fit. He knew there were a bunch of girls living there.

I went there one day. Dennis was at the recording studio in Brian's house, and he said, "Will you take me home?" And I was very hesitant because I thought, "Oh God, Murry's not going to like this." But I took him home, and he said, "Will you just come in and meet them? Come on, they're nice." And I said, "Dennis, promise me you won't tell Dad."

So I went in, and Charlie Manson was walking through this big yard with a long robe on, and Dennis introduced me. And we went into the house, and I think three girls were in the house, just darling young girls, I thought. I zipped through the house, got back in my car and left. And wouldn't you know that Dennis told his dad?

Did you get heck for that ?

AUDREE: Yeah, he didn't like it. He was pissed.

How did Charlie strike you when you saw him?

AUDREE: I just thought he looked older than he supposedly is, like an older man, and I thought he had a kind face. That was the only impression I had. And I did think they were a bunch of leeches; Dennis had been through that before. He could never stand to see anyone who needed anything or anybody who had any kind of a problem... he was right there.

At that time nobody knew who Manson was.

AUDREE: No idea. In fact, when that horrible story came out about Manson's arrest for the Sharon Tate murder, Annie, Carl's wife, called me. And she said, "Ma, do you realize...?" I did not connect at all that that was the same person and the same family who had been with Dennis. When she told me, I just totally froze.

Well, it must have been a shock for Dennis as well.

AUDREE: Horrifying. I think the next day was his birthday, and he was at Carl and Annie's. I went there and we had dinner. And we were all very quiet. And somebody said something, and Carl said, "I don't think we should talk about it." So we just watched television and had a very quiet evening. We were totally terrified. I remember Carl saying, "Mom, let's all go back and stay at your house." And I said, "Carl, everybody knows where I live. What good would that do?" So I stayed at their house a couple of nights. And see, when they left Dennis' house, Manson or somebody stole Dennis' Ferrari, and they stole everything in the house that could be moved. Everything. Stripped. Dennis had kicked them out because they were into heavy drugs and he just wanted them out. And Manson, of course, had music he wanted published, and he wanted money, quite a sum, 10 or 15 thousand dollars. And Dennis turned him down. So Manson threatened Dennis, he said, "If you don't give it to me" — I'm paraphrasing — "something's going to happen to Scotty." Scotty was Dennis' first wife's son, and Dennis just adored him. He was really like his daddy. But that was a terrible period.

You said that Dennis and his father later became much closer.

AUDREE: They were buddies. You know, it's the most amazing thing... the year that he died, Dennis called his father on Mother's Day and Murry told him, "I'm just going to live about a month." Which Dennis didn't tell me, thank God. I didn't need to know it. But he could tell Dennis that.

He'd had one heart attack.

AUDREE: He'd had a heart attack and he was just getting along famously. And six weeks later, it was in June, he just... well, it's weird the way that happened. I was waiting for him to wake up, thinking, "I wish he'd wake up. I wonder if he's really okay." I was standing in the kitchen, watching the clock, thinking I'll be so glad when he wakes up. And all of a sudden he woke up, and we had a great talk. He was in a good mood. He seemed to feel fine. And we talked for quite a while, about so many things. He said to me, "I'm so glad I've never had to take nitroglycerin." And I was glad, too, because I knew that would' be frightening. That's for the pain. He said he wanted to take a walk — he'd been able to walk around the house but not outside yet. And I said, "Great, if you feel like it." So I was going to drive him down to Whittier Boulevard to walk. I went into the kitchen to make cereal for him, and all of a sudden I heard him yelling for me. I started dashing down this long hallway. He was in the bathroom sitting on the toilet. And he said, "Nitroglycerin," so I grabbed it and said, "Put it under your tongue." But he just sat there, very pale. And he said, "Cold water." So I got a cloth with real cold water on it and kept going like this on his forehead, and then I held it on the back of his neck. And he still just sat there. I said, "Are you okay?" And he said, "I don't know."

I got up next to him to hold him — he was much bigger than I am — and he just toppled over. So I turned him over — I don't know how I did it, but I did it. And I realized he was really in bad trouble. In fact, I thought he was gone. By that time his face looked very flushed and his eyes... I knew he didn't see me because I went like this [pats her cheek] and said, "Baby, baby." All I said to him was, "Baby, baby, I love you." I ran into the bedroom and called the fire department. I never went back in that bathroom.

I locked the house, got in my car and went to the hospital... and sat there for quite a while. A doctor came out once and said, "We're doing everything we can." And I said, "I'm sure you are." And I knew that that was it.

Brian did not go to the funeral.

AUDREE: Nope. I understand that perfectly. You know, Carl was very angry that Brian didn't go to the funeral. And I said, "Carl, I understand perfectly." It didn't bother me. Brian couldn't face it. No way.

Do you think he'll go to yours?

AUDREE: I'd be surprised. You know, I don't know if he's ever been to one. To me, so what? I don't believe in funerals, frankly — the most barbaric, outmoded bunch of... [censors herself and laughs]. Anyway...

In general you seem to have been much looser than your husband.

AUDREE: Oh yeah, a great deal more. He took life so seriously, really. It was hard for him to have fun. Once he said to me, "Sometimes you can be so mad or in some kind of mood, and somebody comes over and you can laugh and have a good time. Maybe I'm jealous of you." I used to think it would be so nice if he could just loosen up. But he was what he was, you know?

About ten years ago everyone started getting into drugs and marijuana, and I'm sure your boys did too. How did that affect you ?

AUDREE: Well, I had a horrible problem with my husband about that. He was so, sooo against it, so mortified — I can't even think of a strong enough word. They all went and told him that they were smoking pot and, oh, he just thought that was the end of the world, the most horrible thing they could do. And of course he was angry with me. In fact, he was so angry he wouldn't allow them to come to our house for quite a while. And he told me I couldn't go see them.

But now, of course, dope is much better understood. Have you ever tried it?

AUDREE: Frankly, I did try it. In fact, I just zonked out. I was at Carl and Annie's house and I walked into the living room and I couldn't get up. I didn't like it at all. Then one other time, though, I tried it and I've never had more fun in my life. Laughed and laughed and laughed, just had a ball. This is since Murry's gone.

How old are you?

AUDREE: Thirty-seven. You know I'm lying. Should I tell the truth?

Let's see... you said you got married when you were 20... and you had Brian after four years, and he just turned 34... so you're about 58.
AUDREE: Exactly. Rats.

So what are you doing with your time?

AUDREE: Not as much as I should.

You mean not as much as you'd like?

AUDREE: Well, as I'd like and should for my own good, because I'm lonely a lot and that's ridiculous.

Do you still play music?

AUDREE: I don't like to play by myself. And I should because I just adore it. In fact, the other night some of my relatives were here and they were watching Gone with the Wind, and all of a sudden I just got bored and I went into the living room and I played the piano for a while. And I played the organ. And I was comfortable because I knew there was somebody here. But by myself I'm not comfortable. I just don't have anything in particular going for me.

I just wasn't sure what to make of the line about the tradition of parents dying first. Perhaps just a slightly odd choice of words. And being upset about people not talking about Audree enough. Audree gets discussed enough in proportion to her role. She didn't manage the band or attempt to produce their early records, for one thing.

Not too long ago, I mentioned in another thread that Brian hasn't seemed the same since the late 90s, in that he seemed much more alert and outgoing until Carl's passing. I didn't think to realize that Brian had just lost Audree less than two months prior. The combination of the two must've been devastating. I do wonder how she would feel about how Brian's life has turned out since her passing.


 For some reason, that made me laugh (the way she put it). She seems like she was a really cool person.

she thought manson had a kind face  ;D

Thank you for posting that interview

Yes thank you, that was a great read.  Seems like she was a cool lady back in her day.

The funniest part of the interview is:

DENNIS: [Whispers into Carl's mike] Hi, this is Carl... and I wanna say that... I like p*ssy.

Like we didn't know...  ;D

.

Lol, who would let their MOM join the band?

Seems like you never heard how Audree sings. How about checking out "What Is a Young Girl Made Of", "Barbie"? It's all on YT.

Ask John Cowsill... ;D

Audree's only on "Barbie" (as are Carl & Alan).

You are wrong, it's obviously Audree on bgvs in "...Girl Made of".

In spring 1962, Audree was 44 years old. Do any of those female bvs sound over 22 ? Compare with her easily audible tones on the middle eight of  "Barbie". Completely different.

Just out of interest, what's your source for Audree singing on "WIAYGMO" ?  I mean, aside from your own ears (and I take it you're well versed in Audree's singing voice in the early 60s).

My mistake. Just found your quote from another thread:


For some reason, I remembered it's Audree with her sweet vocals on "...Girl Made Of".

Dorinda Morgan once said - "We put their voices on pre-recorded instrumental tracks of 'Barbie' and 'What a Young Girl Is Made of'...Dennis didn't come to those sessions, but Audree did.  Audree is singing on those...We had recorded the tracks for another singer....Mike didn't come in.  Alan and Carl did".

As per AGD, the harmonies are of a younger female singer/s - if you listen to the presentation on Lost and Found, the track and background vox are hard right (assuming I have my headphones on the right way), suggesting the backing vox were on the pre-recorded track, as per Dorinda M.

In relation to who's singing on this one - while Brian is obviously singing (hard left), I'm hard pressed if I can hear anyone else but him.

Interesting point: the Kenny sides were recorded March 8th 1962, by which time Alan had been out of the band for about a month.

Plus this:


:lol

Dennis:  " Mom, what is that famous disease?"

Audrey:  "Lack of nookie!"

Lieutenant Pigeon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant_Pigeon), of course:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO5GWJJP3FM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO5GWJJP3FM)

"Lackonookie".  I forgot about that one!  From the August '76 NBC special "It's OK".

Hi all,

Thank you for posting that interview with Audree.  Thank you for those who posted about Aurdee and singing.  Most of all, thank you to those who defended me. I like what I am learning about Audree.   

Sorry I doubted you, MUSA.

By the way, if you want to read a book that has information about Audree Wilson and the family she came from, the Korthoffs, I recommend you read "The Nearest Faraway Place" by Timothy White. You can find used copies on Amazon for as little as one cent, plus shipping.

Brilliant(ly researched) book, history-wise! You actually have been reading for hours when you finally get to the Beach Boys. ;D Great stuff. Mary, you should really get it if you're interested in Audree and the extended family history.

For days, actually, if you don't have an educated first language vocabulary. The only BB book I gave up reading in the middle because I got tired to look up 5 unknown words per sentence.

It features the only image of a duophonic SMiLE cover I ever saw.

She was the inspiration for the title of the song Good Vibrations.

She prolly made yummy meat-loaf and mashed potatoes.

Brian prolly asked for seconds and thirds.

I dont know what else to say about Audree.

Don't forget her famous pancakes. So good, she served them once a week for dinner.

Really?  I've got one hanging on the wall....

As I've never been to your place, I spoke the truth... :)

I've asked this in the small questions thread and got a response from AGD which, if I recall correctly, was inconclusive. We know Murry did some singing and songwriting with The Beach Boys sporadically after he was fired as their manager -- "Breakaway", "Be Here In The Morning", and so on. Did Audree ever contribute to later Beach Boys music in a similar fashion? I would guess not otherwise I imagine by now we would have documentation or stories to this effect but I figure it's worth asking again. ;)

If I made a reply, it would have been anything but inconclusive. The answer is no.

.

What WAS the deal with that name anyway?

Happy Mother's Day Audree !

You state it as if you were actually there in her kitchen during her culinary heyday.

It's in one of the BB bios. Carl and Brian loved them, they made Dennis sick. I also think there was a pancake dinner scene in the "American Family" TV movie. It's unusual to have pancakes for dinner, I guess that's why they were considered quirky enough to be mentioned in the film.

Reminds me of the friend from Vermont on The Bob Newhart Show that poured syrup on everything - steak, hamburgers, chicken, just everything. After a couple days of having this guest in their home, Bob and Emily couldn't help but comment on it, Bob said "around here we just use syrup on pancakes. The friend replied "Hmm, have to try that sometime!"

I think you're misremembering when Murry forced Dennis to eat tomatoes (for some misdemeanour) until he was sick. He never touched another as long as he lived.

As I recall, it wasn't that Dennis didn't like Audree's pancakes, it was more that he was turned off by watching Carl and Dennis devouring large amounts of them. The story was used as an illustration of how he was different than his brothers, who ate a lot of food and tended to be on the chunky side, as opposed to skinny, muscular Dennis. I'm not sure what book the story is in, might be Tim White's. In any case, there is a scene in the Beach Boy TV movie where they're eating pancakes for dinner.

Great read, thank you!

Sorry, your wording was weird & it got me thinking you are one of the close Audree friends, same age & all. Whatever.

So Brian inherited quirky side from Audree, I see? Good for her not following the set rules concerning the meal timetable, I wouldn't be amazed if she made garlic ice-cream, for example. Weirdos rule, after all.