The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hey guys! Denny's son Scott is coming out with a new book soon so now we have two books to look forward to  :-D

Three, actually.

So what are the other two?

Scott, Brian and Mike.

Gee, TOP of my list is Jim Murphy's book, Becoming The Beach Boys, 1961-1963.
Then one or more from Jon Stebbins, before we get a book  from one of these three.

Add Craig's expanded book edition of the MiC sessionography to the list of upcoming publications.

I have recently noticed that Scott has been selling some very nice 'Landmark' memorabilia on ebay to fund his book project , sure do hope he pulls it off.

Thanks, bgas . . . I'm looking forward to that one, too  ;)

Spring/Summer 2015

Scott's book should be out between late January and the top of February.

I'll bet Scott's story will be interesting.

This is great news! I'm looking forward to buying a copy!

On facebook, he's asking the fans to leave questions that you want answered in the book  :-D

There are dozens of Scott Wilsons on Facebook. Which one is him?

Here:

https://www.facebook.com/ScottWilsonBiography/timeline?ref=page_internal

Thank you. How old was Scott when Dennis died?

He was 21 years old. He was born in 1963

FTFY

Your Christmas spirit is leaking.

I am getting Scott Wilson's Book from him Personally No Joke he sent me an Email.  I am not Kidding  💻📄

Let us know what you think of it!

Merry Christmas to you too Mr Potter God bless yes you can get a copy but the book won't be out until February


Merry Christmas. To the Wilson Family.  Also I am Intrested in your new book coming out and is it possible I can get a copy from you

The Bottom  is my email

The  Top is Scott Wilson's Response

First edition is being self published & being sold via the  facebook page

Looks like it's going to be beautiful and honest.


Chapter titles
https://www.facebook.com/ScottWilsonBiography/posts/768499386573210

Possible cover art
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10620654_770270013062814_2195222442371708233_n.png?oh=ee7a342872d8becbf8d99aca4285415c&oe=5562B477&__gda__=1432312006_21664916b2b52c01ef15878126d9844b)

(https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/p843x403/10417539_770715933018222_115423898274271494_n.jpg?oh=b23b40871fd8be0e291a675bddb19d83&oe=556CA53F)

Wow. Just reading that top page brought tears to my eyes. I remember reading Scott's story in Ed Wincentsen's book about Dennis saving him from drowning after he fell off a boat Dennis was driving, and I had the same reaction. Very powerful stuff.

Very much looking forward to Scott's book!

Me too! This is truly an exciting time to be a Beach Boys fan  ;D

"May you live in exciting times" - old Chinese curse.

Always looking on the bright side of life, aren't you, Andrew?   ::)

Well I wonder if this will be available in Australia. Generally I don't buy books online.

Same here.. eta: slightly off topic but they've posted a new to me photo of Dennis that's possibly from Carl's solo show (Dennis is very drunk & yelling)
https://www.facebook.com/ScottWilsonBiography/photos/pb.734572203299262.-2207520000.1422749024./772651732824642/?type=1

Yes, that is from Carl's show at The Roxy.  I shot it

Thanks Ed.

Just got the book today, so far so great!  Some of the chapters are very hard to get through because of certain events but there's a lot of great stuff in here.  To think Scott was originally going to be in "The Goonies"... :(

I too want this book in Australia....... not into all that facebook Sh!t.

if anyone is in touch with Scott, I hope someone can ask him about distributing this outside of facebook somehow.....

RickB

They said you could order it on Amazon  :)

I've also ordered the book.  I'm really looking forward to it.  They are also very quick at replying to PMs and helpful.  Posting to Australia shouldn't be a problem.

It's on amazon UK & US now & on kindle.
Just dipped into the extracts on 'look inside' - it's sweet, loving, very honest and bits/parts are heartbreaking :'(

eta: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Son-Beach-Karen-Lesley-Powell/dp/1507684894/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424153632&sr=1-3 (click the cover)

hope there's some nice pictures

Got the book today. Thumbed thru, haven't started reading yet. Just want to say, DON'T buy it for the pics, they're mostly blurry and disappointing

That's no good. Probably due to the whole self-publishing deal, but the fact of the matter is, the several-thousand words in the book is probably worth at least the pictures shown within, so even if you can't see the pictures, the heartfelt story is probably worth the price of admission.


As for me, never got a reply to my Facebook message asking for an order form, so I'll just buy a used copy here in a couple months....

Uhh, yeah. As for me, It's really hard to get thru the book. There's writing about Dennis but it comes to me as if it's been written by a teenager more than someone in his 50s.
Much of it is>> mom said this is what happened<<  and unfortunately, while it's organized in chapters alot of them jump around from present/past/present.
  It is nice to know that Scott has the remarkable ability to remember everything that happened  when he was only 3-6 years old...  
Kinda explains why this is self-published, I guess. Certainly it seems, why no publisher wanted  it (Tho I'm not familiar with publishing and perhaps this is the future for books?)

Do you not want to order it from Amazon?

I just bought it, 6.00 on Amazon for the Kindle version. I'm about four chapters in. Sorry to say, it's not very well written. It seems "dis-jointed" to me, no real flow to it. Bummer

Just read the entire printed book cover-to-cover in one sitting. It's really powerful and extraordinarily sad stuff to read, and I'm very glad I ordered and read it. It's personal tragedy multiplied on many levels, and I applaud Scott for his brutal honesty.  Gut wrenching. As Scott states in the book, it was super hard to put everything out in the open in the manner he did. In fact, it's probably the most brutally honest personal account/bio that has ever been told or written by anyone closely associated with this band. Although I must now re-read my copy of The Real Beach Boy, because that is up there too.

I do hope a revised version will weed out the typos (and there are many), but honestly, one reads a book like this out of a curiosity to hear fascinating and unique stories, and typos don't make the story any less interesting - so don't let the typos dissuade anyone interested from checking it out.

Would like to get hold of this even more now  :'(

Four, actually. :)

Scott's is out and not much to speak of; only revelation not previously mentioned anywhere( I think): Dennis told Scott that he had Cirrhosis of the liver and that he was dying 

Cirrhosis??

Yes. I read the book too. Cirrhosis of the liver. The book sucks.

Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but don't you think that's a bit harsh? What does someone expect from a book like this? It's a guy with a unique story telling his life story from his perspective, warts and all. I learned a great deal about Scott, and a good amount of tidbits about Denny's life. It gave me a deeper understanding of the better times as well as the tragedy of Denny's life, and how people around him were affected.

The book has undeniable flaws in terms of feeling disjointed at times in how it flows, and a number of typos, true. For these reasons, the presentation may seem rough (at some times very rough), but "sucks" is a mighty strong word, and I just don't get what more a reader would expect from a book like this. I can handle typos. They don't effect me emotionally, they are just a nuisance. Sucks would be if Scott didn't say much at all, just treaded lightly, and barely skimmed the surface of notable events of his life. That's simply not the case with this book.  Scott seemingly dug deep, and I gotta give him credit for that.

Ok, "sucks" might be a bit harsh, I'll give you that. Let's just say it is poorly written and as bgas noted, contains very little new information.

I think I'm going to order the book, but for those that have read it, does it get any deeper than John Stebbon's book, The Real Beach Boy?

I need to re-read The Real Beach Boy (which I've owned for years), but I definitely learned a number of new things from this book, and I think it digs deeper in some ways. This book is a tough read, a lot of really, really sad, and some shocking stuff. I read it cover to cover in one sitting, so if that says anything, it's that the compelling subject matter stands above any of the book's flaws if you are a fan of this band... and you will hear things from a particular person's unique perspective that is entirely, wholly new.

Easy answer to that: Not even close. Not even in the same ballpark.

Stay tuned for Jon's next book on Dennis and there's another Dennis book standing in the wings.

I tried to read it, really. I think maybe you're just a glutton for punishment

Well, sounds like there is mixed opinions, so the only sane thing to do is to buy it! I would rather have it and not like it than to not get it and wonder.  :)

In all honesty, it absolutely needed more drafts. It's a rough draft of a book that got published anyway, and it's very clunky. But... I went in expecting to learn what it was like to be Dennis' first son, and by golly I did learn that by the end of the book, and it affected me emotionally... so I have to recommend it! The flaws are just superficial.

I need to re-read The Real Beach Boy myself, (and have been meaning to for ages), however, before you do, keep in mind that nobody had written anything extensive about Dennis before Jon's book.  And, while he was coming from a position of great love & respect, he did try to give a balanced view.  He also devoted a great deal of attention to Dennis' music, and it will be great to read what he writes about the Bambu sessions that he was a part of, along with John Hanlon.  Granted, I'm biased, but I wanted you to keep these things in mind when you do read it; I know I will.
 
Cheers, & great meeting you the other night!

Jon's book preceded Adam Webb's book on Dennis by a year (Dumb Angel: The Life & Music of Dennis Wilson) which was also very good.

Yes. I have read that one too! I can't remember any segnificant new info that wasn't in Jon's book, but I haven't read them since the year they came out. Either way, I appreciated both books, and will appreciate Scott's too, I'm sure.

And before The Real Beach Boy there was Denny Remembered by Ed Wincensten.  This was he first book on Dennis I believe and had a lot of personal stories and recollections by various people who knew Dennis.

Thought I'd bump this as I read it in one sitting yesterday.

I agree with what's already been said regarding the typos and that the stories jump back and forth quite a lot but they really do not take anything away from Scott's story.

The guy has been through Hell-some events are due to his own faults and addictions and some are due to others.

The chapter on finding out that Dennis wasn't his biological dad and his stay at Shimber Beris aged 12 is just shocking.

There are some really nice stories about being with Brian and Carl and their families but the book's worth getting just for the stories with Dennis.

I think Scott summed it up brilliantly when he said, "Dennis was more like a badly behaved older brother than a Dad". I don't think this takes away at all what responsibility Dennis took on when he met Carole and Scott but sums up all the adventures they had.

All in all, it can be a very tough and emotional read but there's enough stories to make you feel at least a little jealous that he had Dennis as his (adopted) Dad.
I definitely recommend it and will be digging out my copy of The Real Beach Boy and POB and having a Denny evening!

Have read the book too and it is a hard read on many levels. The typos and all are incidental to Scott's story and shouldn't detract from the power if it. If anything, my opinion of Dennis was lessened. Stills great guy, still the Beach Boy I'd want to be, and a real charismatic person. But as a role model to his adopted son? I'm not so sure. Scott sure had it hard and all strength to him for coming out the other side. And kudos to those family and friends who were there for him. If only Dennis had had the same support network he might not have descended into his own abyss, and Scott might have also not gone through such torment in his wake.

Mike Love comes out of the book worse than Dennis does. I think Scott gives a fair analysis of his dad's demons (Murry, a panic attack at 15, "a void that he can't fill," paranoia after the Tate murders). Although much of that is in Stebbins, it's more powerful coming from the son. It also gains power from the son having some similar demons: childhood abuse (though without his parents' knowledge), adoption, drugs (dope from age 11). Father and son sharing the same girls is a little creepy but fits this particular story perfectly.

Unfortunately, however, much of the book is unreadable because there is no structure and the narrative voice seems to belong to an 11-year-old. You have to read it in one sitting because it's too creepy to pick back up after you've got tired of the horrendous style.

Guess that's why I never went back to finish it. The narrative style and voice ran me off WAY before the halfway point

I wish Dennis Was my father 😳😳

‍

Posted an interview with Scott Wilson's Son of a Beach Boy writing partner:
http://prayforsurfblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/pray-for-surf-interview-phil_1.html?q=interview,

Pray for Surf - that was candid and very touching. 

Thanks so much for posting the link!    ;)

From what I remember, I read that, according to Scott, Dennis said he had cancer of the liver.

Agree about the writing style, but the book was still compelling reading. One of my objections, though, was keeping the co-writer's British-isms, such as using the word "hiring" instead of the American "renting."