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Due in less than 2 weeks. Mods, delete if elsewhere but perhaps a single thread like Mikes book.

A pretty interesting article with some detail of the writing process.

http://www.startribune.com/beach-boys-genius-brian-wilson-dishes-on-memoir-minneapolis-pet-sounds-concert/395287921/


Book by phone

For the book, Wilson worked with New York author Ben Greenman, who has collaborated on memoirs with Gene Simmons, Questlove, Simon Cowell, George Clinton and Mariel Hemingway.

The process, according to Wilson, involved countless telephone interviews over the course of eight months. Each interview lasted about 40 minutes. Then Greenman put together the book.

Wilson said he has no regrets about anything that’s in the book, which details his insecurities, feuds and dark days, including how his father abused him mentally and physically. However, one can sense that Wilson is reluctant to do a tell-all, refusing to address certain topics, such as his fractured and litigious relationship with his cousin Mike Love, who performs under the Beach Boys name.

Wilson said he will send Love a copy of “I Am Brian Wilson” and that he plans to read Love’s own “Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy,” which was published last month.

How would he characterize his relationship with Love?

“Nonexistent,” he said succinctly.

They haven’t talked for four years — since the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary tour ended in acrimony and Wilson resumed performing under his own name, with fellow original Beach Boy Al Jardine, among others.

Oh, this thread at last! Thanks for starting it, and for the link to the article.
Judging by the excerpts I have read, the book reads like unfiltered Brian Wilson: you hear his typical "voice". I was hoping for that,  and congrats to Ben Greenman for this approach and to Brian for allowing it.

Thanks for making this thread! Can't wait! 2 weeks never felt slower

I hope Brian mentions Adult/Child at some point, it'd be really interesting to hear his thoughts and recollections about it!

Has anyone pre-ordered the book from Amazon? The release date is October 11 but I got notification that it wouldn't be delivered to me until October 13.
Waiting 2 extra days would be torture. Hope that is an error on Amazon's part.
(With Mike's book, I received it the day it was released.)

I got the same notification. Ordered Mike's book at the same time, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for them both!

I'll have the Kindle version on the day.

I know, right?

I have pre ordered it on Amazon but not gotten any particular notifications or updates about the date. My sense from reading Mike's book and hearing a bit about Brian's book is that both men have so much love for each other and so much passion and poignancy for all that they have shared together. The world is not black and white and love and respect and a profound connection can coexist with all the tensions and anxieties they have had. In fact it all makes the Beach Boys music much more meaningful and much more rich. This is the sacrifice that artists make. They're pain, when it's translated into music , reaches us on the deeper level then their personal happiness ever could. Of course I hope that these books,when exchanged, will bring Brian and Mike were closer together, and I think it's sad that the relationship is non-existent, and I'm sure that they are both hurt by this. For me the most important thing is that everyday of my life I listen to at least one song that the two of them wrote, which goes directly to my heart and soul, and I could never thank each and the both of them enough for that.

:bw

Since I got Mike's book at our Indigo book store two weeks before the official release date, I will check Indigo tomorrow (Oct. 1) to see if Brian's book has arrived early as well. Will report back!

I found this Google preview, but am forcing myself not to read it.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Ug_-DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA282&lpg=PA282&dq=brian+wilson+bus&source=bl&ots=x-7i0v3GLD&sig=NxlQzNLVF_ZiXbR7YMP5GXHXMPQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjlp6ulw6nPAhXK7YMKHXaXDCU4ChDoAQguMAk#v=onepage&q=brian%20wilson%20bus&f=false

Newest issue of Time had a page discussing both Brian and Bruce Springsteen's new memoirs, as well as a brief piece on The Lovester's book.

Yeah a big year for bio's. I see today that Robbie Robertson of The Band has one out in Nov to. My son has the Springsteen book on order and of course Brian and Mikes, not to mention Dean Torrence. Wasn't Daves book due for an updated release as well?

Edit.

Daves site is pushing the 10th anniversary edition, which will be next year. A bit cluttered this year so good call.

That review sounds just like Brian.

"Nonexistent". Brian describing his relationship with myKe luHv.  :thumbsup The best piece of music these ears have heard in years but so worth waiting for.  :woot :woot :woot :woot :woot

Thanks so much for sharing this.  I read every available page and I love it - really captures Brian's voice.  I'm looking forward to getting however many copies I ordered at this point (who knows?)...

I've read the available pages. The following comments apply only to the excerpts, ( maybe 1/5 of the book?) and not to the book as a whole.

The good : Brian's personality really comes through, and an attractive personality it is -- generous and  open-hearted. Not a petty bone in his body. Likely to disappoint some is his praise of Mike Love.

The bad :  it's all sweeping, big-picture stuff. Want to get a detailed, inside story of the reconciliation of Brian and Joe Thomas, which in turn led to TWGMTR? "Joe Thomas came back" is all we get.

I just grabbed my husband's print copy.  Loved all the reviews.  Well done.

Yes - very Brian.  I always wonder about the assumption that we'll be unhappy if Brian praises Mike.  Why shouldn't he in various circumstances?  It's fine with me.  Many of us who get annoyed with things Mike does praise him when it's appropriate.

I'm not certain what's in the pages not yet published, but I'd seriously doubt that Brian will be talking beyond "Joe Thomas came back."  I doubt that he thinks that it matters in the end.  He knows people show up in his life when they're supposed to be there.  He misses them when they're gone, but he doesn't dwell on it.  He's obviously fond of them in any case, whether it's Mike or anyone else.  I think he's also pretty clear if they need to be there or not.  His long-time friends and associates understand it.   Those who don't understand it have other issues.

There are a lot of moments where it's obvious Greenman is copying Wikipedia trivia into the book and attributing it to Wilson. For instance, the Beach Boys' version of "Talk to Me" is clearly based on the high-charting 1958 Little Willie John version, but "Brian" describes the song as an obscure Spector production. (I think I remember reading once that it was a favorite of Carl's, and that's why the song was recorded.)

IIRC I did read somewhere that it was Brian and Marylin's song.



Anyway:


Jean DuShon - Talk To Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sYDrh62rgA


While appearing at the Roundtable in New York, Jean was spotted by Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records. He was so impressed with DuShon that he took her to his company and paired her with the young Phil Spector. Spector guided DuShon through several recordings including a rehash of Little Willie John's "Talk To Me."



Little Willie John - Talk To Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mQGKs7jGiI




What we can say for certain, though, is that the Beach Boys' version can't hold a candle to either recording

Just got an email from Amazon that I will be receiving Brian's book on October 11 after all, not 2 days later as it was originally.
 :woot

Probably one of many stories on the book to come over the next few weeks.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/beach-boys-icon-brian-wilson-on-faith-forgiveness-and-his-new-memoir/article32296927/

Just a few more days and it's here!!!

(http://spoilthedead.com/forum/images/smilies/party.gif)

Guess what just auto loaded onto my Kindle? ;)

Brian while discussing the reunion.

I sometimes read in interviews that Mike wants to go into a room with me and write new material for the Beach Boys. But it's just not done that way anymore. That's a 70s idea.

Boom!  ;D

Brianism preview.

Brian's book is on the Literary Festival this coming sunday in Cheltenham (west of London > direction Wales). Brian only there taped for the screen.
"The Times' rock critic, Will Hodgkinson accompanied by previously unseen archive materiel"
Will with Rock's Back Pages' editor Barney Hoskyns and Lisa Virrico.

Sunday 16/10 2016  (the last day of the festival): Brian Wilson. A Life.
Sunday Times Garden Theatre, 12:30 pm-1:30 pm. £9 + transaction fee(?). Cheltenham

www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature/whats-on/grid

That's myKe luHv all the way with being more than 4 decades behind the times.  ::)

Imho Mike tends to behave to Brian like a disgruntled possessive parent. He simply can't stand that Brian left the nest, to pursuit his own endeavours.

Looking forward to getting mine...hyped!

And I think Brian already dealt with that one too many times

It's déjà vu all over again, as they say. Barnes & Noble still haven't figured out that a biography from one of the Beach Boys might be better served by placing it on the New Releases table or in the biography section instead of solely in the Music department. Same problem I had with finding Mike's book on release day. Slackers! End of rant.

Agreed. And even then, not even guaranteed to actually be IN the music book section at each store.

Just finished chapter 2. A great read so far and I think it is very Brian. The story a few weeks back saying he spoke to his co-writer over many months and many calls rings true. The story is all over the place but in a very good way. Chapter 2 alone covers (from memory) Hawthorne, St Charles, Kokomo (song and place) Holland, Landy, Carl's death, recording 'Surfin', his children, writing and recording many songs and albums, The Wondermints and first shows, present day in Beverly Hills...and probably much more.

Most bios I've read cover the early days till today chronologically but this is different.

A great motivational line from Ray Lawlor encouraging a nervous Brian pre-show in the early days of his solo career. I will leave it to the reader to find it themselves.

Yahoo!  UPS guy just dropped my book on the front porch!  :)

w00-hoo!

Waiting for my shipping notice to drop...

Just got text for my wife...they're here! 8 hours before I get off work....

As I'm casually flipping through it before I really dig in, I'm struck by how many times the words "Father" "Dad" and "Murry" pop up on nearly every page I see. Man, I think this is gonna be a heavy read.

Oh man. That's kind of what I expect.

How are the pictures?

Mostly ones we've seen, although the photo of Murry sitting next to some kind of record industry award seems new to me. The caption reads "The Great Murry Wilson" and I don't think it's meant in a sarcastic way.

Kindle version has a good mix at the end covering childhood to today, including the shot of the band before leaving for the  PS show in NZ this year. Most I have seen in other books or stories. 28 in total.

That is because it's a memoir, not a biography. Biographies need to be more accurate and, generally, follow a chronological order, while memoirs can have more subjective, non-rigid structures.

Is the talented Scott Bennett mentioned in the book?

I know someone said he was mentioned in an early draft that had leaked out.

Scott is mentioned quite a bit. It would seem almost impossible to not mention him considering the extent of their collaboration.

I'm still reeling from all the stuff about Murry. Brian goes in depth about the famous letter. He says it was like his father poured out everything good and bad, right and wrong about himself. He says maybe that letter is Murry's SMiLE. Wow! This book is rich with insight into Brian.
Make no mistake, this man loves his father dearly despite everything. I'm sensing some kind of closure here which can only be a good thing.

He's also included in the acknowledgements.

Book is incredible so far.  Some really great insight.  His sense of humor shines thoughout.

Something interesting..Brian admits that his 1976 vocals were put on!!! He had laryngitis so he had to sing different.

At first I thought that was BS,  but then it occurred to me...makes sense. If he was using coke and chain smoking with laryngitis,  his voice wouldn't ever heal.  Especially if he was touring on top of that .  Would definitely explain why he sounded so much better on MIU and during that tour.

Anybody else have a chance to read it yet?

I'm 85 pages in.  It's fascinating!   

I'm 238 pages in, and my main comment so far is that Ben Greenman seems to have done a fabulous job of retaining Brian's voice. I understand--and, it being the typical method of celeb-autobiographies, am not surprised--that the book was "written" by Greenman interviewing / talking to Brian on tape, and then him transcribing and writing from that. But while there are moments of too-cute prose, there are a fuckload of Brianisms. It's fabulous. I've been laughing out loud so much.

There are also some little things that I'm not quite sure who said, but that are cool. For example, in talking about how he got "God Only Knows" arranged and recorded properly, there is a line along the lines of "the devil is in the details, but the details are in God. You know?"

The Carol Mountain story ...ends it with "That never happened". Facetious Brian is hilarious :lol

In a 1995 interview with Steve roesser that is available on audio the interviewer complemented Brian on his singing on orange crate art and asked Brian if he felt he sang as well as in the 1960s. Brian said no and commented that he felt his voice had lost "that special sweetness." He blamed it on 10 years of cigarettes and then 4 more years after quitting. In the interview he said he'd quit only months ago. So the initial 10 years probably started in 1972 and was ended by Landy. He seems to have started again in late 1991 when the Landy regime ended and quit for good in 1995. So he may have had laryngitis in 1976 but four years of cigarettes had already taken a toll on that magical voice

Oh yeah, no doubt. I do think it was a combination of things, but it's crazy how much better he sounded in late 77-early 78.  And even when it got worse again, it never quite sounded like it did in 1976.

I've been emailing the best of them to a friend as I come across them. That's one I sent. I laughed so hard.

When more people have read the book, I'm gonna revive the "Brianisms Appreciation Thread" and put that in there :lol

25 percent better.

Yeah, it's "different" for sure. Since BW changes his stories and his emotional reactions, printing a book of what he said (and meant) is impossible. One could re-write such a book every day. So for those who were "waiting to see what BW says" to settle some issues and reveal the truth about things ML lied about, well, let that go because there is very little detailed discursive history. It's more a set of emotional reactions to things remembered in the past. . .somewhat Proustian perhaps. At one point B tells the story of the first record and , rather like a Deconstructionist, argues that he feels like the story is being told to him rather than that he is telling it. All this is delightful and very Brian, and obviously very Derridean. So all in all the books reveals how BW could very well be feeling about particular topics at some one point in time when interviewed.  One can read it for the free play of his mind at work but surely not as a historical source, which I imagine it it not really intended to be.  BW's feelings and impressions are of historical value in themselves. The history recorded here is personal, impressionistic, and perhaps ML's is the same, though that book proceeded rationally and chronologically.  What I prefer about Mike's book is the thematic coherence--how he and his co-writer weave the themes of the "switchblade and the butterfly" throughout the book.

But I like anything that makes me feel closer to what the BB think is important to know about them.

The switchblade and the butterfly? OMG.

FedEx Pizza!!!

About 2/3 through and really enjoying this. I was thinking that he is giving detailed answers to all those questions he always gives yes/no or minimal answers to in interviews. From now on he could virtually stop giving interviews and just say "read my book" instead.

Finally landing on my doorstep today -- Brian Wilson's own autobiography. I don't consider the Gold book to be an AUTObio of any sort, so this is Brian's FIRST as far as I'm concerned. Looking forward to digging into it shortly.

What is the Carol Mountain story?

Wow; this is a really good book IMO - I speed-read through most of it yesterday. Having read a lot of Brian interviews over the years, I think the book does a really good job of capturing his 'voice'. That's fine work by the Ben Greenman guy, and not to be underestimated as a difficult task — as we all know here, Brian is not the easiest of interviewees.

There are some nice insights into SMiLE - many more than I thought there would be. I thought Brian would be as vague about that as 'he' was in the Todd Gold book. I mean, there are no game-changing revelations that will shock anyone here who has closely followed the SMiLE saga for decades. But there is some good detail about the general ethos behind the project, what Brian thought he was trying to get across with it in 1966-7, and how he thinks it fell apart. What is there is more about his emotional approach to creating the music for that album, not the nuts and bolts of what track was planned to go where or how the sections were supposed to connect. I would have loved that kind of detail too, but what is there is on the subject is fascinating nonetheless, and I don't think I've ever read Brian giving that much detail about the project. It's kind of like the kind of stuff you might have hoped he would say in an interview about SMiLE one day, if he was on good form, the interviewer struck a chord with him, and they ended up getting into the details. As we all know, it's really hard to reach that level with Brian - I think I've only ever read maybe 10 interviews by him where he really opens up on a subject or on the detail of an album. I always hoped that one day that would happen in an interview about SMiLE - even in the promo interviews he did in 2004 and 2011 about the album, he stayed quite 'surface', I thought. I reckon the stuff in this book is as much detail as we'll ever get direct from Brian on the subject of he sees SMiLE, how he saw it back then in the 60s, in 2004 when he and Van Dyke finished it, and now.

Of course, the book isn't just about SMiLE (that's just what I was really interested to read about, I guess...); I'd say Brian is equally forthcoming about the emotions and creativity he was feeling in other fascinating periods of his songwriting history. In fact, that kind of sums up what I think about the book. Imagine a really long, amazing interview with Brian where he gets on well with the interviewer and is having a good Brian day, really firing on all cylinders. And that's what I found reading this to be like.

Oh, and he's funny as all hell at times, as well. But that has already been noted here!

PS Like I said, I speed-read it yesterday and I'm sure I will circle back and pick up more details on further readings, but a couple of points did stick in my mind. One really quite detailed SMiLE anecdote absolutely baffled me. Brian talks about using the Eltro speed/pitch-shifter on Smiley Smile at one point. There was a thread about this device on here years back - it was basically an analogue machine that allowed you to change the length of a recording without changing the pitch, which is easy as anything now with digital recording and processing technology, but was quite a technical challenge back in the all-analogue 60s. As I understand it, the machine was a bit of a clunky old beast and was used to create the weird effects on the Boys' voices on the 'What A Blow' section of 'She's Going Bald'. I was delighted to see the man himself confirm that they used an Eltro... but the way he talks about it, he makes it sound as though they needed to recreate the effect of it for SMiLE in 2004. He mentions that 'She's Going Bald' was known as 'He Gives Speeches' during the SMiLE period specifically, so it's pretty clear what he's talking about.

...except, of course, as we ALL know... neither 'He Gives Speeches', nor 'She's Going Bald', nor anything like EITHER composition, made it IN to SMiLE in 2004, either in the live stage performances, or in the recorded album. The only place He Gives Speeches appears at all is, as we would expect, on the SMiLE Sessions box set... and of course there it's the historical late summer 1966 recording, for which nothing needed to be recreated at all!

It's really confusing. There's so much good detail there... but it's about something (a 2004 version of HGS, I guess) that, as far as we know, didn't actually happen. Or if it did, it has never seen the light of day. Or made it into any of the live versions of SMiLE. In Summer 2004, Darian went as far as to say, specifically in response to a question about He Gives Speeches, that that was one of the sections Brian didn't want to include, and that it would forever remain one of the 'out-take' sections of the project that never made it into a finished version. But here's Brian talking about it in detail as if it's something we all know and have in our record collections...

All of which leaves me thinking... what the *hell* was Brian talking about there? (Not the first time I've wondered that, mind...!)

Re the Carol Mountain story:

Brian meets up with Carol again once he's famous and in the Beach Boys.

"Before I left I put my hand on her leg. It wasn't completely innocent--it was still a great leg--but it was mostly innocent. Later that year I was on the road with the band, staying at a hotel somewhere, and I got a note ... It was a message from her husband. 'If you ever touch my wife again, I'll blow your head off!' That never happened."

Well, I've placed my order. Looking forward to reading it, love me some Brianisms.

I liked this anecdote, about him and Mike Love:

"The day Mike came to dinner and I was working on That Lucky Old Sun, we went out to the car.  I had written a song called “Mexican Girl,” which is probably the best song ever written about a Mexican girl.  I played it for Mike and asked him if he would want to work on the lyrics.  “I could make it twenty-five percent better, but I don’t want to,” he said.  “If we do anything, I want to start from scratch.”  There were times that would have made me sad or angry, but in the car it only made me laugh a little.  Mike was Mike.  You can’t wallow in the mire."

I was wondering about that too!

Have you finished the book yet? If not, you're not yet to the payoff / punchline.  ;D

Just finished -- are you talking about the "that's a 70s idea" comment?

Nope, his follow-up to the "Mexican Girl" anecdote when he discusses "Spring Vacation":

"We had a piece of a song and Mike finished it up and turned it into "Spring Vacation." His new lyrics were great. They made the song at least 25 percent better."

I took that as a funny little dig.

Yeah, I about sh*t laughing.

The FedEx pizza thing is still my favorite.

You got that backwards, but I think you understand what it does. The Eltro changes the pitch without affecting the speed. This information is very eye-opening. They way it reads in the book, it sounds as if Brian is saying they used the Eltro on He Gives Speeches in 2004. And then when people heard it, they compared it to HAL 9000 in 2001 a space odyssey, therefore it was no longer a new/interesting sound fx to Brian. I think that's why it was left out in 2004, simply because it was no longer interesting (plus how on earth could you pull off an effect like that live?).

That tidbit of information though it a revelation to the Smile community. He Gives Speeches was to be worked on the Eltro. I have been wondering about this for some time now. She's goin' bald & He gives speeches follow the exact same structure. The only difference is, SGB is in the key of F#, while HGS is F. Why is that? It's a direct copy of the song. Why change just 1 semi-tone? Why even change it at all if you're going to use the Eltro on it??

People have argued that HS has been slowed down. People say Brian's voice sounds lower than normal on it. I agree with this, but it was truly recorded in F. Therefore, Brian was either changing his voice on purpose, or sped up the track, sang his vocal and then sped it back down. It's all very confusing. I'm glad he touched upon this issue, but there's still questions about the piece. Was it going to be sped up to F#? Who knows.

Some people theorize that HGS was the tag to Wonderful. I'd like to think so, but musically it doesn't make any sense. I guess you could lead into it after the 2nd verse (only if it's in the key of F#), but in the end it's never in the right key to go back into the 3rd Verse. It doesn't sound right. Maybe that's because Brian was going to use the Eltro on it. I'm gonna try that. But I must also ask you guys to think about the H&V Tag to Part 1, because it's a perfect fit as the tag in wonderful. Same tempo, same chords on HGS but backwards. It's all very confusing.

Skimming by the latest posts in this thread because I don't want spoilers but I just gotta say this because no one in my real life gets it... I'm not even halfway through the book and now the songs he's talked about so far all sound brand f*cking new... it's like I'm hearing them, hearing Brian for the first time.

I've always been a little annoyed by Danny Hutton for some reason: he is to me what Stamos is to some, I guess. I don't like his music, and I just don't like him. But I love--just love--how often he is in BW stories. (I was actually shocked he only popped up maybe half a dozen times in the book.) But with that in mind, what really cracked me up was this line from the end acknowledgments, which I assume was meant as a playful dig:

"Outside the music world, I've had great friends like Danny Hutton..."

Are you serious? He may "change his story" depending on the interviewer and level of comfort, but this is 100% Brian, and this is how he really feels. Do you know otherwise? Are you actually Professor Ben Greenman?

agree completely......never said otherwise.....100% Brian....100% real, but such a vast heart reserves the right to say and feel what he wishes when asked.....his feelings, always real, evolve.  Just try asking what his favorite album is.....as someone said, his answer always changes but is always, at that moment, "true."

my comment was not at all negative. Read more Derrida. . .

Brian conveys knowledge non-discursively; I was just remarking on the way the book expresses the diffuseness and the flow of oblique memories and reactions:  I fail at expressing it well: it's just, as you say, uniquely 100% "Brian"--no other word for it.

A few things that have stuck out for me so far:

-Very surprised to hear Brian say that he was unsure of the direction that "Imagination" was going and felt that at times it was more Joe Thomas' album than his. He generally praises Joe but that was interesting. 

-Unlike others here, I never thought "The Last Song" was about the C50 tour ending. I always felt if that were true it kind of cheapened the song. I figured I was correct. Brian says the song is about wondering if every album he makes is going to be the last one given his age. Powerful stuff and helps me to reexamine and re-appreciate that song in a new way. 

-The whole story about Murray forcing Brian to sh** on a plate is turned on its head. In Brian's version he purposely did it and handed the plate to his father saying "Here's your dinner" just to get back at him for numerous offenses. 

He also mentioned Thomas remixing and adding stuff to "Everything I Need" as well

Not a surprise. Thomas seems to like to add little acoustic guitar riffs throughout Brian's songs. That would be alright but most of the time they don't really seem so gel well. Everything I need is another example of that as is most of Imagination album.

I don't get my copy until next week.

*sad face*

Good to hear the generally good reviews.

Yeah, that was for the version that wound up on The Wilsons album, right? I was surprised at that because it seemed to me that he loves working with Joe. I'm an "Imagination" apologist. It my #2 favorite solo album from Brian.  :)

Yeah, it's definitely not Brian talking about "He Gives Speeches" there, so we can put away the absurd "100% real Brian" figure. Greenman obviously made an error while he was padding out the book with factoids from Wikipedia.

Let's be realistic, there is no denying that paragraphs like:

"I wasn’t at the center of the band anymore. Some people will say that I pulled away from the center. Some people will say that I was pushed away. Maybe it was a little bit of both. I’m not sure. What I’m sure of is that all the guys in the band had different ideas about what kind of music to release, how to go onstage and perform our songs, when we should repeat ourselves and when we should try new things."

...was edited from this kind of interview:

Greenman: Were you still at the center of the band?
Brian: No.
Greenman: Did you pull away from the group, or were you pushed out?
Brian: I'm not sure. A little bit of both.
Greenman: I read that everyone in the band had different ideas on what direction to go in.
Brian: Yeah.
Greenman: What did they disagree on?
Brian: Things like what kind of music to release, how to go onstage and perform our songs, when we should repeat ourselves and when we should try new things.

I have the book, lot's of emotion.

Actually it was referring to He Gives Speeches, but appears like something got missed in the editing .


Were you there during the discussions between Brian or Greenman,  or talked to anyone who has?

Of course he wasn't there. Yet talks as if he were.

Let's be realistic. Right. Invent some more interviews that never happened.

I'll address Speeches/Goin Bald in a bit.

Just a question and it wont take long to answer. How do you determine something is not Brian? Do you have  a preconceived perception and then SEARCH for substantiation? There is a lot of that doing the rounds at the moment. Do you have a check list with 3 columns? Brian- Not Brian- Not sure?

One thing is 100% certain, we all know when Mike is Mike. Because he usually comes across a complete insensitive, egotistical and repugnant wanker.
So by my perception of Mike, everytime something he says sounds nice and supportive, it's 'not Mike'.

Love, love, love the book, very emotional. In a weird way, it kind of reminds me of The Godfather Part II, where Michael Corleone is sitting in a chair and pondering what had taken place in that movie. In Brian's book, the chair in his house is the setting of the beginning of several chapters, and the flashbacks take off from there.
A couple of nitpicks:
IIRC, Brian seems to say he played Seattle in '70 after playing the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, but the latter was later in '70.
Brian (or his author) also seems to think the Dixie Cups' Chapel of Love was produced by Phil Spector, but AFAIK, Spector had nothing to do with anything on the Red Bird/Blue Cat labels. He also writes that Spector produced the original Talk To Me, covered on 15 Big Ones. Did he?

Given the hoo-ha here over Mike's 'locker room' comment in his book, no mention yet about Brian's request to Carolyn that I just read.

A little disappointed in the big guy for that one.

In all fairness, Brian was disappointed in himself for that one too, and admits as much.

Speaking of a "hand on a leg"...RE: Gene Landy putting his hand on Brian's leg to find out if Brian was attracted to a woman? I wish I had never read that. Damn scumbag.

Even worse...the exact wording stated that he did it to see if Brian was still attracted to people .

I got the book a few days ago.

How far have you made  it into the book?

The part in chapter 1 where Brian calls Jeopardy! the "same bullshit everyday" had me laughing out loud. 

Well, I think in both cases a certain baseline of consideration should be given to their voluntarily admitting to these stories.

But I also think in Brian's book, he immediately frames it as an unfortunate comment and attitude on his part. Whereas, while I don't have the quote in front of me, Mike's book seems to try to defend Mike's comment to some degree.

Regarding Joe Thomas, I think the disparity between how he seems to like Joe but has some level of misgivings about musical direction highlights the idea that Brian likes Joe as a person probably first and foremost. I've always sensed he finds it easy to work with Joe on an interpersonal level, and also a functional level.

I've long said that the thing Joe Thomas has always brought the to table it is the ability (or luck) to be someone who Brian likes to work with, and who can aid Brian in completing projects. Thomas has mentioned in interviews that while he's obviously a huge fan of Brian and the BBs, he doesn't nerd out on Brian (like, say, Mark Hudson did with Ringo Starr for instance) and fawn over every little thing, and I do think Brian likes that. I also think Joe just seems to have a sort of low key, soothing personality in working with Brian that Brian likes.

Thomas works here in Nashville a ton. He's a producer in the traditional sense of the word. Record companies pay  big $$$$ to him to keep projects in line and moving forward. From the  times I've been in a room with him he has a good  music sensibility. He can play , sing, read music, etc. It's pretty hard to to B S Him musically. The studio musicians really like him. He's smart enough to not try and interject himself where he isn't needed i.e. he knows when to hire this person or that person to get the sound that the artist wants. As they used to say he has a great Rolodex.  So at any moment if Brian wanted a certain sound or performance  that Brian or Thomas could not get themselves , I would think that person or instrument was an easy phone call away. Even though any musician in the world would drop everything to work with Brian, I'm not sure outside of his own band, Brian would necessarily know who to call to get a particular vibe these days. I read Brian's book and agree with you that Brian seems to be very comfortable working with him. I also want to say that for a really big guy, he DOES have a very calming kind of voice. Maybe just the opposite of Brian's Dad. I've never heard Thomas ever raise his voice or yell at anybody the way I've seen some producers work. He really doesn't have to. When I've seen him in the studio , he's  sometimes kind of like  someones body guard who is hanging out in the session but happens to have perfect pitch and good ideas! Another observation, he's kind of a smart ass and he really cuts it up with the players down here, who can also be very funny and sharp tongued.  I will disagree slightly with you. My read on Brian's conundrum working on Imagination is as follows; Maybe Brian was a little disappointed in himself. Maybe he got a little complacent working with Thomas. In the end if he saw that the train kept rolling down the track without him he was mad at himself for not contributing more. Maybe musicians  were booked at a certain time and Brian was late. Knowing the costs of the musicians prompted Thomas to start the session without Brian and when it still sounded good to Brian it made him reflect inwardly. 100% theory. Maybe Brian thought  that  he could have made it better , but maybe it sounded pretty good to him, and maybe his retroactive  competitive side took over. I certainly didn't read anything as such with regard to TWGMTR or NPP. So maybe now they have better timing together????? How many records have the two of them done now? 6? Over 20 or more years?

I definitely didn't take his comments about Imagination as a knock on Joe, but more just a "how did that end up happening?" kind of thing. He didn't seem to be saying "I wanted to do X, but Joe made us do Y" at all. Seemed purely retroactive to me, and not vitriolic. Just thinking that now that it's long-since done, it's not what he would have wanted it to be, or not how he wished he would have handled it.

As for their records together, I guess we'd have Stars and Stripes, Imagination, TWGMTR, and some of NPP, not counting live stuff. And yeah, that's over 20 years.

While I didn't like the production much on Imagination or the live BBs album, I actually thought TWGMTR and NPP were done just fine, for the kind of music they were. No real complaints here. And let's be honest, BW apparently needs a cowriter to get much done. If Joe is one he's comfortable with, more power to him.

Good comments here!
I have to confess I'm feeling better about liking Imagination so little (nothing in that album ever clicked with me the right way), seen what Brian himself says.
Based on the interviews and what little else I knew of him, I had imagined Joe as exactly the type of man described by Timbnash68. A type I like.

P.S.
Also, Captain, I just read your comments on NPP in the PS forum and really appreciated them. I think you got the "spirit" of the album right. :)

Huh, I don't remember what I wrote, I better go check it out! But glad you appreciated them, whatever they were.

Agree with THORGIL! Sounds like a pretty safe working environment for Brian. From what I read in the book they seem to be very good friends, there was plenty of good food, golf and a little work thrown in for good measure. Quite the opposite of the tumultuous studio environment Brian endured in the 60's with his dad yelling at him at for any reason what so ever.

Your mini-review in Page 1 of the NPP thread, in the section dedicated to reviews of Brian's solo albums.

Double-checked it and stand behind it. It's a fun little grab-bag of subgenres, not a masterpiece. Not everything has to be a masterpiece. And thank goodness it wasn't another attempt at a suite.

Bit late to the party on this comment, but... although the book is full of some super-funny 'Brianisms', I didn't read this comment as one of 'em myself. I thought the 'That never happened' comment at the end of the sentence wasn't some clever-clever "I've just told you this whole anecdote, but now I'm calling it entirely into question at the very end, aha, am I just an unreliable narrator...?" thing (if it was, Brian doesn't seem to employ that device anywhere else in the book, unlike say Ray Davies in his books about his life)... but instead literally just a shorthand way of saying "the guy threatened me if I ever went near his wife again... so obviously THAT never happened again". Or in other words, "I didn't want to get my head blown off, so I didn't ever go near her again."

But maybe it was a gag; what do I know?

I like the FedEx pizza story a whole lot - I can SO imagine Brian doing that. Let's not forget, this is the guy who talked about opening a telescope shop (it was telescopes, wasn't it...?) just so he could go and get one at 3am if he wanted to... !

It was a gag, but I misread it...seems to be more along the lines of "that never happened' in the sense of he never got his head blown off (which is obvious as he was writing about it)

Yeah, actually Billy, that makes total sense too. And IS funny as well!

But actually, the bit that made me laugh most about the Carol Mountain story was the bit of the line that went:

"...before I left I put my hand on her leg. It wasn't completely innocent - it was still a great leg - but it was mostly innocent."

Again, you can *so* imagine Brian saying that out loud ;)

:lol Yes I can, and I can hear it in Brian's voice!

The way you're both reading it now is exactly how I read it, which is what was so funny. I didn't mean that the story didn't happen, but the absurdity of taking the time to say his own head hadn't been blown off by the angry husband. That was hilarious to me. And yes, the "not completely innocent--it was still a great leg" was also hilarious.

Brianisms live! :lol

The book seems 100 times more interesting than I feared it could be. And as a lover of James Joyce, I find its stream of consciousness style fantastic (Ben Greenman I love you). Imho it will change the way many fans perceive Brian, and vindicate what Ray and Debbie are telling us all the time.

I was hoping for some more info and background on how the book was written and what went into the interviews with Brian, any additional info, etc. These were earlier reports on the book's writing that mentioned Ray Lawlor's involvement, and I'm curious how it all came together to become the book which was released this week. There were also various social media posts by people claiming to be researching the book, some claims/charges by fans here about getting info from Wikipedia, some making claims about what was or wasn't done, who was or wasn't involved, etc...it would be good to get more details on the background if that's possible and get it all sorted out.

These are the links I was referring to:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Brian_Wilson:_A_Memoir (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Brian_Wilson:_A_Memoir)

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/30735864/beach-boys-legend-brian-wilson-surfs-back-to-good-vibrations/ (https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/30735864/beach-boys-legend-brian-wilson-surfs-back-to-good-vibrations/)

I was hoping for some more discussion in general...it is really a wonderful book. Brian's voice shines through...I like to compare it to Keith Richards's "Life", in that both books sound like the artist is just sitting on the porch telling stories. This is Brian, unfiltered, and telling you what's on his mind. If you haven't bought it yet, do so as soon as it is economically possible. Trust me, you won't regret it.

http://www.npr.org/2016/10/15/497948822/i-feel-pretty-good-a-moment-with-brian-wilson

Seven minutes - he was getting ready for a sound check -  but worth a listen.

Reminder- he'll be signing the book at Book Soup in LA this Tuesday at 6 pm. Again - only the book, nothing else. Up to five copies per person of which at least one must be purchased at the store.

Thank you for the link.  That guy kept asking Brian about the voices, but Brian shut him down pretty quick.

I don't think Brian was feeling this guy at all, and to be honest, neither was I.

A pet peeve of mine. Why not ask Brian about something he enjoys for a change? Does every interview have to be "tell me about those dark years..". Sheesh. No wonder he clams up.

How many thousands of times has BW been asked about the dark years of mental illness and drug use.  It's in the book so it's fair game, but enough already.

Exactly. And it's IN the book, so he's already given the definitive answer!

I'm less opposed to that line of questioning. Let's be serious, those issues are a big part of why people care about a Brian Wilson autobiography. And yes, he talks about them in the book ... and is promoting the book by going on NPR and such. Of course he's going to be asked about it. No interviewer is just going to stick to "what's your favorite song?" nor should they. If the rough subjects (drug abuse, mental illness, his dad) are handled tactfully and not over-sensationalized, I think they're entirely fair game. It might be boring for the people who read or listen to every single interview he does, but most people don't fit into that category.

Page 227.  "Mike was Mike. You can't wallow in the mire."  'Nuff said. 

Brian states that David Anderle was involved in setting up Brother Records with Warner/Reprise in 1970 - is that correct?  I thought his involvement was limited to the 67 Brother deal with Capital that was relatively short-lived.

A good review to check out:

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/brian-wilsons-new-memoir-delves-inside-the-mind-of-the-oft-tortured-genius-8734560 (http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/brian-wilsons-new-memoir-delves-inside-the-mind-of-the-oft-tortured-genius-8734560)

Thanks for that.


That is a GREAT opening statement.

Excellent!

Bumping this

Any news yet about Brian's signing at Book Soup in LA? I gotta figure it was quite the contrast to Mike's DC signing that I described in the thread for his book. "Remember Brian will only be signing his book, no memorabilia." By contrast it looked like Mike was up for signing just about anything. I should've brought a couple CDs for him to put the old John Hancock on.

There's a nice photo on his FB page of Brian and daughter Daria at the signing.

Does anyone know if it hit the NYT Best Seller list like Mike's did?

Say, guitarfool, I was looking forward to coming back to this point, and keep looking back in every couple of days to see if you're 'there'.

Is it 'in a bit' yet?  ;)

No worries if not - I haven't had a chance to come back to leetwall97 yet, either... busy busy and all that...

Will be interested to see what you have to say, though...

 ;) ;)
yes, I was there last night.  Big crowd, so they really hurried us through like cattle.  They were true to their word--books only.  But, and stop the presses here--I got one question in and it is now absolutely confirmed.  "Sensitive Music For Sensitive People" will in fact feature..."Proud Mary".  ;)

(https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s526x395/14671337_10154630020187241_6452950813941709367_n.jpg?oh=0a8265bdefbc0ede4a6667f285f48edd&oe=589B899A)

Awesome! !!!

Got my copy yesterday and darn it if I didn't make it all the way to page 184 by 12:30 am. I had a hard time  putting it down. It sure does pull a sharp contrast in tone with Mike's book (which I liked as well).

Yeah I finished it in two days and ended up re-reading it.


Very addicitive.

I've slowed down because I only have a few pages left and don't want it to end.  Love the book.  Brian has a fantastic sense of humor. 

It was the same for me. I read the bulk of it in two days but then left the last chapter for a third day because it felt like he and I were hanging out, and I didn't want him to go home!

That was a great analogy...that's how it felt to me. Kinda like sitting on the porch chilling and shooting the breeze with Uncle Brian.

I like it a lot too. It's clear that greenman really got Brian and therefore where Brian ends and greenman begins remains subtle as it should be in a celebrity autobiography. That's why Brian's first book was such a disappointment. They made no effort to really disguise the fact that Landry was doing most of the talking. Whereas this book sounds like the Brian we know having an intimate chat with us. I like the fact that it jumps around a lot because I tend to imagine that that is what Brian would be like to talk to

I was also surprised to read that. My assumption is that Brian's co-author/researcher Ben Greenman got his time periods confused and mistakenly wrote that Anderle was responsible for setting up Brother Records for Warner/Reprise in 1970.

Spin Magazine review gets it:

http://www.spin.com/featured/brian-wilsons-memoir-brings-a-boomer-icon-down-to-earth/ (http://www.spin.com/featured/brian-wilsons-memoir-brings-a-boomer-icon-down-to-earth/)

That was a great review.

Indeed.

Not the full rundown, but to sum up I think sometimes the Smile speculations need to start or pause even with a deep cleansing breath. If I'm walking down the street with someone, and we spot a coin on the sidewalk, what if the other person says "That coin fell out of an airplane I saw flying overhead 5 minutes ago, the pilot must have tossed it out of the cockpit window." All I know is that a coin is on the sidewalk. Is the speculation in and of itself wrong? I don't know. All I have in front of me is a coin on the sidewalk. It could have been tossed from a car. It could have been dropped by someone walking on the sidewalk. Why did they drop it, do they know they dropped it, etc etc etc.

We know what Speeches was and what She's Goin Bald was. We know how Speeches was tried and put on the backburner on the original Smile sessions. We know "Bald" was the reworking of it that was on Smiley Smile. We also know Brian - as is also the case with 99.9% of all songwriters - would create music from ideas, and sometimes revisit, rework, and reuse them. That's what he did here.

We know courtesy of Stephen Desper just about everything we could want to know about the ELTRO, from the exact technical details to how it was used to how it even came to be hauled into the Smiley sessions in the first place. And we even know thanks to his tip where to listen for the ELTRO machine basically crapping out audibly as its limitations were pushed to the edge of what it could do and how it was being pushed for the effects on "Bald". That's the really, REALLY good stuff that the best engineers like Stephen can shed light on, decades after the fact.

We also know there were multiple songs considered for the Smile project in the early 2000's. Some made the cut, some did not. I could name a few, but I'm guessing that's been knowledge circulating for 13 years or so. This one did not make the cut.

To go so far beyond what is actually known, and spin all kinds of possibilities out of the same logic that said a pilot threw a coin found laying on a random sidewalk to me can be a disservice to the whole deal. A lot of it seems geared toward personal reasons of ways to build another fan (re: fantasy) mix, or just all kinds of ways to take a hammer to that square peg so it fits into a round hole.

If Brian was asked about this particular song, and he started commenting on his memories of it, that's what's in the book. Is or was there more to what he said, perhaps even more to the story? Maybe. But what is there now is not so radically "off" that it sends fanmixers back to the editing software to start hammering that square peg into another place. Nor does it suggest Bald/Speeches was anything more than what it actually is, as shown in 1967, 2004, 2012, and again in 2016. Whatever it *was* or may have been, it wasn't used.

Is it an interesting take on it via the book, how it may have been considered for some kind of live performance within the Smile tour situation? Yes. But it was not used. Brian remembered the ELTRO, and had his memory of the limitations on live performance. Stephen Desper spelled it out in great (and fascinating) detail through his writings, including this board. He is a genius engineer - I would rather focus on what he wrote from the technical and precise detail side, I would rather read Brian's thoughts on the music in terms of '67 and again in the early 2000's context since he actually imagined/created/wrote the music in the first place, rather than using a sentence or two in a book to launch into a whole litany of speculations and even possibilities being stated as "this is how it was" types of statements.

That's just me.  :)

Seriously though, the real meat and potatoes technical info on the ELTRO itself can be found in Stephen Desper's writings, and I would highly recommend anyone with a technical interest in the recording gear aspects of all this to type "ELTRO" into this board's search function and read pretty much everything you want to know about that piece of gear and how it was used in 1967.

Spin published a great review, kudos to them. The writer connected with the book, and "got it". The evidence I saw of that which jumped out of the review was in the passages quoted and commented on, I'd have most if not all of those examples on my own list if asked what were some of the parts of the book key to understanding what it was all about.

Craig...when you read it for the first time, what part jumped out at you the most?

Quick aside: The legendary/mysterious ELTRO, photo courtesy the group watermarked on the photo. (The 'GA' logo on the unit's panel stands for Gotham Audio, who sold and distributed the ELTRO in the mid 60's)

(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/eltro%202_zpsxrdemiq4.jpg)

The book or the Spin review?  ;D

For real though, I'd say it was any number of the vignettes and stories about Brian that no one outside of Brian and those who were there with him have heard. That - or should I say those - are the paints that really go into painting the portrait, all the details and descriptions and memories of things that happened as part of everyday life. It's the dose of pure reality versus mythology, it's the living and breathing daily unfolding of events versus timelines and fact-checking detail that humanizes the whole thing. It's a reality apart from the fanbase and whatever expectations and assumptions have been built up.

Favorite parts like that? Too numerous to name. The Magic Johnson encounter to me was one of the highlights. It was, as told in the book, as simple and as nonchalant as everyday mundane activity for them to happen to be in the same place at the same time, unplanned and totally random, and just say hi to each other. Fans of both would see or be a part of a scene like this and a lot would freak out. These two greats simply did what they did and kept going. Pretty cool. "Hey Magic!"

Nice to finally see what that looks like! It's funny...I have VST plug ins that can do pretty much the same thing, yet I bet it would've been fun to play around with one.

:D  Yeah I thought that was pretty sweet.

I loved the stories with him and Ray (esp. the Fed Ex pizza thing) . Nice glimpse as to how Brian is when he's just chillin'.

Yes! Brian thinks Steamboat kicks ass!  :-D

Just want to chime in to say I'm just over halfway through the book and really enjoying it so far - especially the conversational tone and meandering direction. It reminds me of those lazy directions in Busy Doing' Nothin somehow!

I can really hear Brian's voice and there are some fascinating insights. It's just great to see Brian discussing the more obscure (to the non fanatic) corners of the catalogue such as Smiley Smile and the fact that he talks fondly of that album is a minor revelation (to me).

I'm going to try and steer clear of this thread. A brief skim is revealing the same old 'Is this really Brian' debate and I sense it will only spoil the book for me.

Doubtless I won't be able to resist and will soon be weighing in though!!

I don't sense any of the once usual "Is it really Brian?" nonsense here. That kind of myth about Brian has been debunked too many times now, including by this book itself. Of course the (excellent) pen is Ben Greenman, but the content is unadulterated Brian. Whoever still thinks in "Is it really Brian?" terms is a hopeless case by now, and I would not worry much.
What I sense is a great and sincere enthusiasm for this book, which seems to surpass the most optimistic expectations.

There is very little doubt in my mind that the book is really Brian. The way some of the stories even kind of repeat themselves indicates to me that Greenman did little more than help organize the stories into chapters. It seems to me like literary interventions were kept to a minimum.

I do think some of what Brian remembers is based on stories that have been told over and over again by other people, but he very often presents a unique perspective with details I haven't seen anyplace else. I really got the feeling he was kind of saying, in a way, "yeah, lots of this stuff is on wikipedia, but this is how I remember it, this is what I think and feel about it". (My words, not his, obviously.) The story itself is not really new, but his feelings about the events of his life are new to us, and that's what makes this book so exhilarating, and heartwarming, and heartbreaking, and funny, and so friggin' awesome.

Sorry, I feel like answering this question. What really jumped out to me was how much the structure was like Love and Mercy (the movie). Slipping back and forth in time on a thread. But instead of covering just two specifics time periods it is the whole dang tapestry. I love that.

my wife had a similar reaction and also made the love and mercy comparison! 

I'm so glad it wasn't straight chronological order...it gave Brian's stories more punch Imho

What I find interesting is that, except for Landry, Brian goes easy everybody else in his life. I find it amazing that, after all he has been through, he does not have a bitter bone in his body.

I also like that he takes the time time to quote and rave about the songwriting of the other Beach Boys.

Brian's sense of humor (25% better, the Don Henley thing) is absolutely brilliant - dry as the Mojave Desert.

Agreed...it is the thing I admire the most about him. If there were more people like Brian, this world would be a much better place.

I consider him to be the gentlest soul in music.

Easily.

Yesterday I literally scared my roommates... I couldn't stop laughing out loud of the "awful cute"/"oh f* you" line in Palisades Park  :lol :lol :lol :lol

I just read the part in Brian's book where he talks about how cool it was to be honored at the Kennedy Center Tribute so I looked it up on youtube to see if I could watch it.  I'm not kidding....it brought tears to my eyes.  Remind me never to watch this at work again! The tribute to Brian was so well done, and it included footage of the love those Wilson brothers had for one another.   It was also gut wrenching when Lyle Lovett sang God Only Knows and you can see Melinda comforting Brian because she knows how hard it must be for him to hear it and think of Carl.  There was a lot love for Brian in that room that evening -- no wonder it is such a fond memory for him.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsQMR0SzlPY - Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM-uollwxh8 - Part 2

:lol  I'll NEVER be able to hear that song in the same way!

So "Just An Imitation" does exist somewhere.  Man, would I love to hear that soon!   :smokin

You never know; a lot of fans were dying to hear "Battle Hymn of the Republic" or the '74 demo-ish studio recording of "California Feeling", and those ended up being more of a novelty than intensely interesting recordings.

Obviously, it's potentially different when it comes to a song that we've never heard in any form.

(I should mention that I find "Battle Hymn..." about 10% less embarrassing than I guess a lot of fans do; it sounds pretty precisely like what a "15 Big Ones" era version of the song *would* sound like).

I love the former and 75 In the Back of my mind, but for me anything with Brian's voice during the transitional period is fascinating for me.

somewhere on line - (pos Rolling Stone?), there's a 70s interview with Dennis claiming exactly that version,
 as an example of Brian's <pre eta: severe depression> sense of humour & how used to play pranks on people.

When I read that I thought it was him(Dennis) trolling the reporter   :o :lol

eta2: was it somebody on here who referred to it as "scatalogical Rashômon" - cracking up just thinking of that phrase

I misread that as "scatalogical RORSCHACH" and about died laughing.

  ;D :lol :lol

back on topic, Brian's book sounds lovely from the reviews/extracts & I'm going to get it.

Do it...you won't regret it!

Yes, quick search by poster shows it's ontor pertawst. Btw, what's "eta"? You use it a lot.

The entire post with that phrase, "Chocolate Shake Times" reviewed it as "Brilliant" in the next issue post: http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,13814.msg301228.html#msg301228

Thanks. (cracking up again at the inappropriateness of the words Chocolate Shake anywhere near the word scatological)
sorry: ediited to add.

:lol

I love the fact Brian thinks Al's best vocal is on The Beaks of Eagles. I totally agree!

I am getting a bit of whiplash about the cause of Brian's partial deafness. In Love and Mercy, it was caused by Murry. In the book, it's a kid named Seymour. And in a recent interview, Brian says he was born partially deaf.

We need a congressional inquiry! ;D

I love that track. Actually, the whole suite is awesome, especially that piano part.

According to Becoming The Beach Boys, Audree Wilson noticed something wrong with Brian's hearing when he was 11 and he told her that something happened when he was 10, someone whacked him on the head or something...
And I'm sure there are still other versions around.

I was just about to bring up Audree's story...great minds think alike!

Just got back from some lengthy air travel and skimmed both Mike's and Brian's  books in airport bookstores.  didn't  buy either but instead bought a bio on the life of John Updike.  I wanted, no hungered, for something I hadn't heard or read.   Brian's book seemed mildly compelling but a bit thin, if you know what I mean.  Might pick it up later on discount.   

Here is a review written by Paul Gleason, well worth reading:

http://stereoembersmagazine.com/love-mercy-review-brian-wilson-memoir-brian-wilson-ben-greenman/ (http://stereoembersmagazine.com/love-mercy-review-brian-wilson-memoir-brian-wilson-ben-greenman/)

A superb, intelligent read. Thanks, GF.

Read both Mike's and Bri's books at B&N.  You can literally read them in about a half an hour each, if you skip the parts which are merely re-hashes of stuff you (and most other semi-serious BB fans) already know.  Mike's book is more of a history and more self-serving in its outlook.  Bri's book skips around a lot and is kind of annoying in that regard, plus somewhat self-serving in its outlook.  Favorite part was where he changed his compliment of Henley's songs from "great" to "good".  I recommend either reading them in the bookstore or getting them from the library, they are that inessential.  Mildly entertaining at best.

I disagree with this section in particular. I loved Brian's book and I loved the way it shifted from time period to time period. To each their own.