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Does anybody know when and/or where the last known pictures of Dennis and Carl were taken? Can anybody post them if possible? Or, can somebody post a few "late period" pictures of them?

Try the Brian/BB picture thread. There are lot's of pics of carl and dennis.

While I have seen many of them in their respective last year I can't say I saw any (that I know of) of Carl taken after 8-97 or Dennis after 7-83.

While I am unsure of the last pictures- Dennis's app with the group at the July 4 show in Atlantic City comes to mind- there' s a complete video of that show (though not commercially available).  Of course- most towns sent a photographer to take a picture at concerts, but they were not always used in the paper- so I am sure that photos exist of his final app in Pomona (perhaps a fan photo?)

I think this pic is from September 1983:

(http://thebeachboys.th.funpic.de/Webseiten/POB/Dennis_1983_01.jpg)

I didn't see too any pics of Carl where he is bald. But that picture of Dennis is taken pretty late, I guess.

(http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9907/indexphpvs0.jpg)

And how about these?

(http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/1176/pn009109fy8.jpg)

(http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5908/beachboysca1983cl5.jpg)
(http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/5403/80sjr3.jpg)

This photo from 1982 is one of the weirdest I ever saw, sorry that I don't have it larger.

(http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5213/beachboysgw2.jpg)

(http://www.cinetropic.com/blacktop/people/kids.jpg)

Gage's birthday party, if I'm not mistaken that one dates back to September 1983.

Brian probably looks his absolute worst in those 1982 group shots. (There's a bigger version and a portrait picture from the same session in the first edition of his "autobiography.")

Man this was a crap period for the band. Dennis of course looks the worst, but Brian isn't far behind. That picture that Jasper posted makes me so sad. I can't believe how bad he looks, especially considering hes only 38.

I find that first photo of the three brothers extremely touching. It's grainy, but for some reason it's just really moving, and you can feel the sense of doom from Dennis.

This was, as I was told, one of the last pictures of Denny at some football-game. Don't kno anything more...



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Wow, those are hard to look at. I also have another picture of Dennis taken in September '83, I'll see if I can scan it and post it.

Funny that no one has come up with a very late photo of Carl yet.

(http://www.timbullard.com/carlwilson.jpg)


I believe this is quite late, but am not sure

 :brow Sad that Carl started not looking like carl near the end. I will always admire his sincerity. I met him and Dennis in July 1983 in North Conway, NH I will forever be grateful for having a few moments with them both.

I never seen carl look like that :'(

Maybe he was already sick.

Dennis looks older than 38 in that pic.

That last Carl pic is Myrtle Beach, either 6/30/97 or 7/2/97 - pretty close to the 8/29 last gig.

When were the interviews for the EH DVD conducted?  I thought he looked pretty bad in those.

Not the same times as the others... Alan knows for sure, but I think it was the previous year.

That black and white picture of Brian and Dennis is really sad. Dennis looks...like he already died.  :(  There is a pro shot film of all six members of the group doing the rounds. It's from Seattle, supposedly from around July. Dennis plays for about 95% of the concert.  Dennis smiles and waves to the crowd, but you can tell that he's totally gone. The spirit in his eyes isn't there anymore.

The video is from May I think. ESQ published a bunch of shots of Carl that last year. He really looked ill.

Can anybody post any more late period carl photos?

November 6, 1996 to be exact.

edit: June 11, 1996

6/11/96 - sometimes I should use my brain  ::)

When did Carl get ill? A lot of people are now saying that it was in early 1997, but I distinctly remember hearing rumors of Carl having cancer back in 1996.  I had a chance to meet the beach boys back in 1996. I now deeply regret not taking that oppertunity.  :(

Supposedly he didn't look well during the Nashville period.

I am sure the cancer had started by 1995-96. The last time I saw him looking really healthy was right when he first dyed his beard dark in 1994.

There used to be a lot of 1995-1996 concert videos of the beach boys on YouTube. Carl didn't really look good in any of them.

This is the date for the Nashville interviews I guess, but what about the footage where Carl is saying stories from 1961 'til 1966?

Ahh...I've always wondered if Carl was already sick when he & Brian had that falling out that ended the brief reunion. It's always seemed odd to me that it was Carl who didn't want to work with Brian, rather than Mike.

Well, Mike always said that he wanted to work with Brian. He does so to this day. On the other hand we don't know if it was a "don't wanna work with him"-thing or more dissatisfaction ith the material....

That's right, the Nashville interviews.


Mike was always one of Brian's biggest supporters as long as he was the main cowriter.

Yes, but that's what "working together" means to Mike, and I can understand it. It was just that Jaymie's Dad seemed surprised that Mike wanted to work with Brian.

Nah, more surprised that Carl & Brian had a falling out,as it was supposedly always "The Wilsons vs the others" and Mike was always supposedly the bad guy.
Actually, I'd love it if Mike & Brian collaborated again).

My impression was that Carl wasn't that bowled over by the Paley sessions songs. While you can debate the merits of some of the other stuff Carl sang on in the early 90s (SIP, for example), I don't know if he was entirely wrong.

It would suprise me if Carl enjoyed singing on Love/Melcher songs more then Wilson/Paley songs.

Soul Searchin' is better than anything on Summer in Paradise.

Their estrangement was a seed that Landy planted and nurtured. It took them a long time to repair their relationship, even after he was out of the picture.

So when did that estrangement first occur? By 1976, 1983? I remember having read somewhere that Brian and Carl started not talking much too each other as early as 1973.

There is a video interviewing Brian around 1981. The one where Brian is sitting next to Carl and cracks Carl up. They seemed to be cool there.

I'm referring to Landy cutting contact off between Brian and Carl in the mid-'80s.

There is a "video" on YouTube of the song "I Wish For You" that is a bunch of pictures of Carl as the song plays. In several of the pictures, Carl's beard is totally white. Does anybody know when those pictures were taken?

He was very grey from about 1990-93

Did he start dyeing his hair? There are video's from 1995-1996 on YouTube where is beard is brown.

That would have to be in 1993. After that, he started coloring it.

Can anybody post some more late period photos of Carl?

I thought I would bump up this thread, since somebody recently was asking about this subject.

Slightly off topic, but I find these years to be the scariest Brian-years to me.  He looks nothing like Brian Wilson.  Ironic, since he looks healthy and normal...right?  But something's so very wrong.  I can't explain it.  What the hell was Landy prescribing him?

(http://pro.corbis.com/images/DZ003406.jpg?size=67&uid={16d10139-07ec-4bc6-a47a-7fa551360368})

What ever he was on...it was set to "11."
(http://pro.corbis.com/images/BE068256.jpg?size=67&uid={de7c485e-01c1-4cf2-bcb4-745cf4dd389e})

I'd say it's the eyes. On that second picture he's got that wild eyed look that people usually have when they're on speed or XTC (not saying that he was, of course).

Presumably losing a lot of weight also had an effect - sometimes takes skin a while to catch up but Brian's looks taught.

But that taughtness also reminds me of how Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell  looked during one of her fitness bouts.

Whew, Brian and Geri in the same post!

I agree, it's both -- the intense eyes and the weight loss.  In a way, his eyes have had the hard look (since when, the early-mid 70s?) and haven't lost it.  He still has that "roaming hawk" (I just made that up!) look today.  Tight mouthed...eyes intense and fixed.  Looks freakin' angry and paranoid.  But in combination with the nearly emaciated look...it adds up to something new.

It's all of that and the face lift he had.

Check out the official video to the boys' rendition of California Dreamin' from around that time. The look in Brian's eyes is almost completely identical to the one visible in the picture on the back side of Holland. He looks every bit as troubled and paranoid.

If we're talking last known pictures of Dennis, I can think of the video footage from Costa Mesa, CA in August of '83, some of which was used in An American Band. Of course there's most likely later stuff, but who knows?

They played North Myrtle Beach HOB June 30th-July 2nd 1997. Carl's last show was a day under 4 weeks after that.

They must have been playing God Only Knows in that picture. If I remember correctly during all of the 1997 tour that Carl participated in, he sat on a stool for the whole of every show but stood up for God Only Knows.

that's exactly what went on at the beachago show i saw in columbus, oh on last of may, 1997.

The last time I saw Carl, at the Raleigh concert on June 13, 1997, he was using the stool, but also standing for much of the show as well. I suspect it got harder for him to stand as the water retention effects of the steroids increased.

Supposedly Brian was given speed in addition to all of the meds during the second Landy period.

It's rumored that Carl showed up to a beach boys concert a couple weeks before he died. He was totally bald. But he supposedly mentioned to the group that he would join them soon for a few gigs. I'm kind of glad that no pictures of that have turned up, if they even exist.

I never heard that one. I know Mike told Carl that he shouldn't tour until he was feeling better.

This image was taken at the Concord Pavilion on August 2, 1997.  From what I remember Carl sat on a stool for the entire show and stood only when he took his lead on God Only Knows.  After that song Mike made a comment about Carl having cancer and not feeling well.





[attachment deleted by admin]

My God that is a sad pic...

I wonder why Carl looked so bloated. My grandfather get real thin with chemo.

Thanks for bringing this topic up again.  I'm a newer member of the board.  This is one of those threads where we're discussing several themes, but going back to the 2 Corbis pics posted by Bean Bag, would those pics have been taken in the mid 1980s?  I"m not so well-versed on Brian's appearance during that decade.  I didn't realize Brian lost that much weight.  It was downright scary to look at.

I wonder what a slideshow would look like if it had pics of Brian say every couple of months from the mid '70s through the '80s.  Pretty jarring probably.

Look at the Washington DC or Long Beach, CA footage from '81 and compare it to anything from 1976 onward (even 1980, when he really began to spiral out of control) if you wanna be shocked with Brian. He would lay claim to his highest weight being around 311 pounds in 1984 on The Tonight Show (Joan Rivers guested as the host), but he was at his all-time worst in mid-1981 until his kidnapping. I would say he was more than 311 pounds. I think in one of the books it mentioned Brian being around 340 pounds.

Only the Gold book said 340. Besides What's 20-30  pounds when you are that heavy. Those pics of Brian were 1986 I think.

Here is a brief guide to help you through 1996 or so.
1962 or before he is very skinny
1963 Still not overweight but bigger. Has his hair combed forward.
1964 Slightly overweight but not too bad. Hair not combed forward
1965 He wore his hair back and forward still fairly short. A little more overweight but not a huge gut yet
1966-69 Longer hair sometimes with a gut sometimes trimmed down. Looks like he did on Pet Sounds Or Stack O Tracks. Big sideburns around the time of Smile. Beard in the summer of 67
1970 Actually lost some weight pretty long hair. Looked good
1971 Very long hair still not obese but a little heavier again. Not disheveled yet.
1972- early 73 Hair still long a little more out of it looking then before. Heavier but no beard, first real signs of decline
1974-5 Very big with beard
1976 Started off huge lost weight over the year until back to about 1971 weight. Beard
1977 Kept losing weight through the summer pretty this by mid year. Already gaining back a little by the fall but not big. Beard
1978 Looks kind of like he did in 1976 Got fairly big by the summer but only semi paunchy most of year. Beard
1979 Thinner until end of the year beard very bushy. A bit unkempt again. By end of year has gotten big again.
1980 Pretty overweight Almost as bad as 1974-5. No beard during June.  More wrinkles older looking.
1981-82 huge worse then ever, untrimmed beard, long nails.
1983 Started huge but got pretty thin by summer Some grey showing in beard. Actually looks pretty good
1984-early 85. Still with the beard eyes starting to look more haunted but not too bad.
1985-87 Semi bang very thin starting to show some signs of damage in his gait or eyes no beard
1988-90 Thin hair swept back really looking bulgier in the eyes.
1991-2 Putting on weight a lot older looking
1993-95 Fairly overweight but not too bad except 1995. Side burns
Since 1996 he has aged but looks almost the same. Teeth weirdly white since 2005 more grey since then too. Sometimes with a gut sometimes fairly fit. Very haunted eyes.

 That's crazy, MBE. I think we should all make lists like that about ourselves. It could give us some perspective. I'll start at age 16.

2004 - A little chubby but he was losing weight. His hair was usually short, with bangs. He had a goatee for a short time. His fingernails were regularly clipped. He still had some acne at this point.
2005 - Skinny, he had lost a lot of weight. His hair was longer, parted in the middle, almost down to his shoulders. His acne mostly clear. He got almost scarily skinny by end of year.
2006-2007 - He had shorter hair with bangs. Still skinny. He had no acne by this point. Stopped regularly cutting his fingernails around this period (so you can tell it was a dark time).
2008 - Back to a more healthy weight. He washed his hair less. His hair was still short with bangs, but starting to get longer. Grew a short beard a few times and experimented with various facial hair configurations.
2009 - Hair was longer again, but he still washed his hair less, makes it look healthier, he must've thought. His bangs are below his eyes, so he combed his hair forward but to the right, kind of a hipster look. Had a goatee and mustache. Fingernails still irregularly clipped.  Still a healthy weight. Part-time fast food job caused a few returns of acne.

:lol

Sounds like a great thread for the sandbox...

Point taken it's a silly post, but I was only trying to help him date photos. Can the fact that I am on painkillers for an operation last week be an ok excuse?

Hey, I liked the post, but it just shows how crazy we can get cataloging the life of Brian and the Beach Boys. I'm guilty of it too sometimes - the stains are on my hands too, so I'm not singling you out. It's more... what is it about the Beach Boys that makes us fanatics want to do that, to go to such obsessive lengths? I feel like there is a research paper wanting to be written or a documentary wanting to be made about it. You know, really getting into the psyche of the Beach Boys fandom. What makes 'em tick? Why do they do what they do? What are their lives like otherwise? Their childhoods? Like Andrew G. Doe, for example. What kind of inner satisfaction does he get as he gathers minutia about concert dates and studio sessions and meticulously organizes it for his site, Bellagio 10452? Does he feel like a zen monk tilling a Japanese rock garden while he catalogs all of the Beach Boys 1977 concert dates? Is it a response to the chaos in his personal life?  Is he obsessive compulsive in other areas of his life? (just kidding about those suppositions, by the way) There's so many questions to be asked. He would definitely be the first person I'd try to interview.

Hope you're ok again !

The first picture of Brian and Carl is from the late 1986 video shoo tfor the "California Dreamin'" video.  The second is from early 1987 and the "Wipeout" video shoot.

I saw the BB's the very next day in the LA area.  I had the opportunity to sit next to Carl for about 5 minutes. I remember being struck by his appearance, it really did not even look like him.  His ankles were extremely swollen and wrapped.  He looked and acted extremely tired.  He then went out and somehow performed as well as I had ever seen or heard from him.

Somewhat off topic, but a silly picture of BW from 05. He looks like someone's nutty grandma.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/uncanny/media/users/djm/jeffandbrian.jpg)

It's a quirk, albeit on a huge canvas. When I like something, I have this odd need to know as much about the subject as possible. The Beach Boys just pushed more buttons than most.

The satisfaction I get is that of accurately documenting Brian's life and work, if needs be demolishing long held myths in the process. Research R me.  ;D

I'm kind of the same way.

Mike Love said about Carl ,

That he didn’t know if he was crazy or
Courageous……?

I was lucky to see Carl at The Oakdale and Harborlights
before he passed away.....

Outie

Exactly I don't know why but since I was a kid I was really interested in dating photos of people I like. Styles changed so much from the 50's to the 80's that I was always fascinated by putting it in order. It's actually helped me a few times in the books I have worked on. So yes I can tell you when Brian started putting on weight sometimes to the month, or when Carl's beard turned grey, or when Dennis first looked rough etc. It's a weird skill but I have it.

Rocker thanks for your concern it was just for a small hernia. I am not 100 percent yet but I am getting better.

 :-D  That is an interesting skill!  Kind of a need for "visual order" type-thing. 

I guess you are right. When it comes to music how you present yourself gives an insight in a way. It helps me understand what I am going to hear. It's hard to articulate why it's so interesting to me but whenever I hear music I can picture the person singing it and what they looked like at the time.

It's a rare form of OCD that affects certain types of people that like certain types of music.  ;D

That is a weird picture. Carl's hair and beard don't even look real.

Well, it was a wig. The beard looked odd due to him swelling up...made it not look right on his face.

I was looking through photos I’d taken of the band, and I found some of Carl on stage at a Valley Forge concert in the spring of 1996.  I didn’t piece it together until recently but… it’s my personal opinion (only his family knows for sure)…that Carl might have known/suspected he was ill by 1996.

I have a few reasons for stating that, but I’ll sum it up by saying that in 1995, Carl was joking and upbeat backstage.  I know he was wearing his back brace then, so he was obviously having back problems, but he was still smiling and happy.  In 1996, he looked…troubled. 

It was sad to look at the photos of him, because he really was such a nice man, and he was so good to his fans.

I was at that show - Carl looked, and acted, decidedly distracted. His hair was most odd.

On the Status Quo video for Fun Fun Fun, carl's hair looks halfway bald. It almost looks like his hair from the back was combed over to the front. It was really strange looking.

Lady- is it possible that you could post a picture or two of that concert you talked about?

I haven't searched through the whole site, but maybe here's something:

http://www.igotaround.com/ (http://www.igotaround.com/)

Eyewitness account: I was face-to-face with Carl Wilson on several occasions in 1996. That was his own hair in '96, decidedly attached to his scalp, not a wig or a combover, but more a case of overuse of hairspray, gel, etc. I did notice he was thinning at the temples, that's why I know it was his own hair.

Having said that, I was one of the people who noticed Carl wasn't quite himself in '96, especially when I saw him in the fall. He was more subdued, for own thing. The most disturbing moment in retrospect was when I saw him walking towards us from a distance and didn't recognize him at first.


Edit: For some reason I originally typed the wrong year -- it was actually 1996 and I've corrected that.

Doing this from memory (always a bad idea for me), but wasn't Carl's cancer diagnosis announced in April 1997 ?

March or April, yeah.

Carl backstage in 1995:

Carl on stage 1996:

Carl on stage 1996:

(You may have to right-click photo and select "Open Link in New Window" to see larger)

Full stage photo 1996:

1996 stage:

Sorry, this one is blurry.

And back to 1995, Carl and Gina.

In the photos you'll note that he was looking down in almost every photo (that I have at least), and as you said, it leaves the impression of being distracted.  My opinion is that there was a marked difference in him from 95 to 96, but it could have been related to other issues.  Either way, he's missed.

Lady-Thanks for all those photos!  :)

I was just wondering, are there any known pictures taken of Carl after he stopped touring in August 1997? I suspect that if there were any, they are private family owned pictures.

You're welcome!

There was a picture of Carl and Jerry Schilling that Jerry sent to Endless Summer Quarterly, and which we published in our Spring '98 issue, I believe.  We only had one-time permission to print it in the magazine so I can't reproduce it here, but I can't prevent one of our subscribers from scanning it and posting it...

Lee

How did Carl look?

I remember that photo.  Carl actually looked fine, better than in the 97 tour photos.  Maybe the effects of chemo had worn off, except that he was wearing a Chicago Cubs hat and that is the ONLY time I have ever seen him in a hat...

I wasn't going to post this but.....

[attachment deleted by admin]

Wow that is really sad :'( Thanks for posting anyway :-\

No problem. He looks ill but momentarily happy so it's not as bad as it could have been.

True that, but I was just so shocked. I thought "why did MBE post a picture of some random guy?" I didn't even recognize him at first... :-\

Wow. He doesn't even look much like Carl in that picture.

Oh sh*t...that's sad...

That´s a really moving picture... I never saw a photo of Carl later than 1996, you see how much ill he is, but I feel better when I see that he is happy. Carl had such a gentle smile. Thanks for all these pictures, they help us to keep the memory of Carl alive.

Again I had trouble posting it, but I am glad I did if only to show that he had friends who cared and kept up his spirits.

That's exactly why I'm glad somebody finally posted a pic from the last few months of Carl's life. It's good to see him smiling.

BTW...who's the dude in the left side of the picture?

looks like jerry schilling

He looks, to me, simply like a much older version of the Carl we all know and love..

Unfortunately he looks like Rob Reiner.


http://a.abcnews.com/images/Sports/nm_reiner_080701_ssv.jpg

Carl never looked as bad as meat head! BTW that is Jerry.

Awe thanks everyone for all the pix shared....

How sad though...but I'm glad Carl was smiling in that last pic. I can tell its Carl though. But Denny, on the other hand...that pic of him posted on the first page, doesnt even look like him.  :'( :'( :'(

Rest In Peace Carl & Dennis. Your greatly missed.

This is the DW i was told about. How he looked and dressed.

That would be the man, Denni......

I've never heard about Dennis hurting his foot. When was that?

i think the article came out around 1976. i had the magazine before the fire. he is shown with a photo of his motorcycle i think. was talking about pops saying not to get high, dennis smokes a joint, picks up the water bottle, drops it, watches it fall in slow motion and the broken glass cuts his tendons on his foot/toes. goes something like that.

It looks like he could handle pain very well, some can, other can't take a little scrape knee. I never been hurt like that, Im not sure which way I am.

Dennis hurt himself a lot. the first time it really affected the BB's was in early '63...right around the time Surfin USA was breaking...he broke an ankle when he smashed up Audree's Corviar, had to be replaced by Mark Groseclose for a few gigs, and then re-broke the ankle when he came back too soon and fell off the drum riser. There was also the story of him having a girlfriend in early '62 that gave him some reds, he reportedly passed out in the Wilson bathroom, hit his head on the toilet, went unconscious and had to be taken away in an ambulance. Dave Marks told me they thought he might have permanent brain damage, but no one was sure if it was from the toilet or the drugs... Dennis developed a serious stutter that lasted for about six months. All the stuff about him being wild and on the edge in later years was really well underway by the time the BB's formed a band. Of course there were breaks from the bad boy stuff too, just enough that people will jump in and say "Dennis wasn't like that at all, he was an angel". And yeah he had that side too. He was undoubtedly a good Samaritan at times and a real protector to those he cared for. But I've heard enough from enough credible people who were around to say he definitively earned that nickname...Dennis the Menace...and he earned it early, like at 10.

Damn....it sounds to me that he was lucky to have even lived through it. Imagine how much blood he probably lost.

Hey Ed, I always wanted to ask you something and I hope this is the revelant place: was Dennis pleased with POB, the mix and the songs when he released it?

thanks to a kind friend, here is the article i was remembering about from my above post.
published in circus magazine, issue 142 october 26th 1976. clint eastwood on front cover.
"surfer boy
beach boy: the dennis wilson interview" scott cohen

i had it a little wrong. no motorcycle pic...dennis was talking about his motorcycles and said maybe in a year he could start one when his foot is better. the following is from the article...
cohen: what happened to your foot?
wilson: i go out to carl's house and i smoke a little grass and carl's father-in-law's there and carl's back is out so he asks me to help him with the water sparklers. so pop and i go around back and i'm barefoot and so loaded and i'm trying to maintain because pop is saying, "don't ever get loaded--it's bad for you. i've been in manila and i was in a concentration camp and you just don't get loaded---life is too dear." he goes on and on and i'm going, (sings) "everything is beautiful," just having a great time. so, in the middle of this great dream, i pick up the bottle of water and it slips out of my hand and it's going to the ground in slow motion, and as the bottle's going down i say, "ah f.uck, what do i do?" so i jumed up and came down on the broken glass. the cut was from the big toe to the little toe. i'd like to show you ... i used to be able to wiggle each toe individually, but since the tendons on the little toe were so small, the surgeon had to sew them all together, so now they all move together.

Wow, fantastic; I don't remember ever having read or seen this article before. 
Now I feel a little guilty, but I'd like to 'clear up' Dennis' version, just a little bit:

A brief explanation first, as to why I feel o.k. editing Dennis here; first off, when Gregg Jakobson and I first saw each other after years, (and this was years ago), we almost instantly were laughing at how much easier & better life has become since each of us excepted, (in my own case finally accepted), being diagnosed with ADHD.  We then had a good laugh at how obvious it was that all three of us, Dennis included, were obviously extreme cases, and probably many of our close friends, relatives & lovers were/are, too.  Then I couldn't help but wonder; if Dennis had been diagnosed way back when, and, equally important, could have stopped self medicating, well...  Lord knows what might have been.

I explain this to point out why I feel entitled to edit Dennis here, even though this was one fiasco I missed first hand.  Reading the article reminds me of reading some of my posts the next day, or of things I've said or written in publications, then later regretting that I wasn't clear, or was hard to follow.  My brain just works a little different than 'regular' ones do, and Dennis' did, too; he in his own totally unique, pedal-to-the-medal (thanks, Jon!) way!  I'm sure this had a lot to do with how we often seemed to 'fill in the blanks' for each other; and with why our friendship last so many years, through thick & thin.  O.K.,sorry, the story:


wilson: i go out to carl's house and i smoke a little grass and carl's father-in-law's there and carl's back is out so he asks me to help him with the water sparklers. (ed. "He went to change a Sparklett's 5 gallon water bottle, back when those babies were solid glass.  And, true to form for Dennis, he didn't just flip it over; he tossed it in the air - I've always pictured somewhat like Tom Cruise, mixing drinks in"Cocktails", (coincidentally), then he leaped in the air a few feet") so pop and i go around back and i'm barefoot and so loaded and i'm trying to maintain... and i'm going, (sings) "everything is beautiful," just having a great time. so, in the middle of this great dream, i pick up the bottle of water and it slips out of my hand and it's going to the ground in slow motion, and as the bottle's going down i say, "ah f.uck, what do i do?" so i jumped up and came down on the broken glass. the cut was from the big toe to the little toe. (ed.  "He's using that analogy for distance; where he cut was more like at the ball of the foot, straight across.  As I had said before, almost straight through the bone!) i'd like to show you ... i used to be able to wiggle each toe individually, but since the tendons on the little toe were so small, the surgeon had to sew them all together, so now they all move together.

thanks for the inside story on that incident ed. i was going by memory and for me 33 years is a long time. so when i had the whole article emailed to me (lost my magazine in the fire) i thought i would post what i was remembering from.

edit anything you see. i always welcome fuller versions of stories i remember having or what i read here.

thanks again!  :)

Years ago I was told that this was the last picture of Dennis....

(http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/4747/26167428.jpg) (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/26167428.jpg/)

Could anybody post some more concert pictures of Dennis from around 1982-83? I don't think I've seen to many.

He wasn't at too many.

True. I forgot about that.

Going back to this very old post...

Bruce has commented that he felt that working on the Paley Sessions was underwhelming in every way and that indicates to me that it wasn`t just the quality of the material that was a problem for the band. Brian`s involvement may have been limited (isn`t it widely considered that Soul Searchin` was mostly written by Paley?) and who knows how much production Brian was capable of.

When talking about a possible re-union album, Bruce still says that he wouldn`t want Brian producing so perhaps he`s aware that he couldn`t do it on his own after all he`s been through...

While Brian indeed is not all over the writing of "Soul Searchin'," according to Paley he got so jazzed up about it after he heard it in semi-completion, he flew over to London to work on the song in a hotel with Paley (who was working on another project in London).

I've never heard that Brian was antyhing less than enthusiastic during the Paley sessions.

I read that Brian was in complete control, production wise, on the aborted reunion album. I'd love to go back in time as a fly on the wall for those sessions.

Somewhere in my collection, I have a picture of Dennis holding Gage at the Jamaica concert they did in I believe 1982. It's kinda strange to see Mike in the background giving Dennis the look of " that's my grandson and son in law who is also my cousin " vibes. If I can find it I'll ask the person who took the picture if I can post it.

Ted

That would be great.

I thought that Mike never believed she was his daughter.

I wonder how Mike treated Gage? I mean, at least when Dennis was still alive. Did Mike accept him as a grandson?

Even with the picture being fairly small and taken at a weird angle, you can still see how old he looked by then.

Still doesn't, officially. During her life, Mike never publicly accepted that Shawn was his daughter: I believe the closest he came was in the early 80s when she was backstage with Dennis, and he remarked "no daughter of mine takes drugs".

Just as an aside, I remember an interview where Al was asked about Shawn and he just broke out in a big grin and said "Shawn was Mike's daughter" as if he had no doubt on the subject at all.

That's cold. The absolute least he could have done was treated Shawn and Gage as family. For Gage's sake.
 
Was it Shawn that died, or her mother? I've heard conflicting stories. I remember in the Steven Gaines book it was mentioned that Shawn was pretty sick with cancer. That was way back in, what, 1983?

I wonder if that's what caused the falling out between him and Mike?  ;D

Dennnis old ??? I've never seen a single picture of Dennis looking old. You've got to be kidding! Even with all the drugs and drinks, he looked pretty good for a almost 40 years old I think. The only pics I know where he looked kinda strange are the ones from 83 with his sons.

Somebody a few months ago on here posted some pictures of the group at some kind of press conference with Dennis that seems to have been sometime in 1983. Dennis looked like he was in his 60's.

Shawn died in LA, September 2003, aged 38, of liver cancer. No idea if Shannon Harris is still alive: I would imagine so.

How tragic for Gage to have never known his father and lost his mother so early.

(edited, mistake on my part)

What, does everyone on this board have to be a cynic? I was being completely sincere. I think it's horrible.

If you mean this set of pictures, he doesn't look that old to me...

(http://beachboys.freecp.net/Galerie/albums/userpics/normal_c.jpg)

(http://beachboys.freecp.net/Galerie/albums/userpics/normal_c2.jpg)

Sorry Amy, I am no cynic at all. I was tired and could not make any difference anymore between Gage, Shawn, and Shannon. All my fault, will delete immediately.

I believe Gage is the son of Shawn (with Dennis), who was the daughter of Shannon (and allegedly Mike), but I'm no expert. Anyway, no problem. I should have been working instead of posting, anyway. I can never keep all the offspring straight. I think we need a Wilson/Love family tree.

Dennis and Mike both look closer to 50 than 40 in that picture. Rock and roll is hard on your skin.

I think Dennis looked older sans beard. Throw a big, scruffy beard on that guy and, except for 5 or ten pounds, I bet he looks just like 'young' Dennis from POB. Someone wanna try their hand at that photoshop test? 8)

To me, the beard adds age. Most of the time, at least.

I was figuring, if anyone would know - Ed would.  :)

I believe I already posted it in this thread but for those who haven't seen it, you should check out: http://www.igotaround.com/ (http://www.igotaround.com/)  If I understand it correctly these picture-compilations are by former employees of the Beach Boys. So, certainly there's not the last photo of Carl, but nice concert shots from the 90s

 Sorry this an older thread but, I've always found Dennis's last years and months very interesting. As Ed Roach said ,Dennis changed his looks like a chameleon.  That's for sure, it's so hard to figure out when some of those last pictures were taken.
 I think for all the hard living ,Dennis looks fairly good in 83.  Although, sometimes he's looks bloated and then in a later pic not . I think the oddities or the things that stand out to me, are his mouth looks different and his head is usually resting on his shoulder, likely due to the beating from Stan and Rocky (who should have been prosecuted).  If you looked at pictures of most of us through the years we'd be ashamed...ha.  

Rocky Pamplin - what a tool.

I wonder how many checks he still cashes each month that are BB related.

What would be the source of the checks Rocky would get?

As strung out as the BB payroll was, I wouldn't be shocked if both he and Stan were still getting paid!

Paging Jerry Shilling! LOL!  :lol

Try... less than one.

How does one cash half a check?

eh... One every 2 months for example! ;D

Here's a pic i found while browsing the internet. Circa 1983

[attachment deleted by admin]

Extremely sad. Thin bloodless lips, bloated and contorted look, no joy at all.

Who's that with him?

That must be a fan from what i figured

Why it's Kid Rock of course.  :lol

Oh God, he looks awful there.

It gets even worse when you m ake the picture bigger. It looks as though his nose had been broken and never set. Same thing with his lower left jaw(on the right side, if you're looking at the picture). His neck is covered in white blotches, and black and blue marks. I sometimes regret making this thread.  :-\

Different people have different reactions to the chemo and whatever painkillers they are prescribed.
Carl was probably on a lot of meds to get through the day towards the end.

I would say more of a leech, than a fan. Note the bottle in his hand.

Given the talk about Shawn and Mike and Dennis, I thought I'd share this photo. It was from mid 1988 in San Diego.

(http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq306/Dstevenb/sawn_mike_carl_al_kids.jpg)

Is one of the kids Gage?

If that is Shawn and one of the kids is Gage, I wonder how uncomfortable that was for Mike?

He doesn't seem too stressed.  May 22nd, btw.

Some more...

Most definitely Shawn with Gage but I can't recall which boy was Gage. We very briefly chatted with her. I mean very briefly. Photos by Phil Mast/Rick Edgil (exactly who took the pic needs to be determined).

(http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq306/Dstevenb/sawn_mike_carl_al_kids2.jpg)

(http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq306/Dstevenb/sawn_mike_carl_al_kids3.jpg)

What a strange place to meet.  Is that the loading dock for the venue?

Thanks for those rare pics Mooger Fooger ! Love the last one withCarl and the kid (maybe Gage?) hugging each other.

It is the Padre Stadium in San Diego. Back then the band drove in on Corvettes and the like to the stage in the middle of the field following a baseball game. We were allowed "backstage" and met everyone as they showed up. We then walked to the VIP section as the band drove up to the stage. Although not everyone was in their best behaviour that day.

Thanks to that I was left with a bitter taste. In the years following I've been fortunate enough to also meet people high up in NASA and comparing meeting a rock band to meeting guys who worked on the Apollo/Skylab/Shuttle missions, I'll take the scientists any day of the week.

Sorry to rant. It is funny how a few little things can spoil what should have been a great moment.

Was Carl pleasant enough Mooger Fooger? I've heard (aside from the strains with Brian) he was a very dedicated family person.

Sooooo many captions! ;D

Here's the funny thing. In all my meetings with any of the Wilsons, they have always made me feel comfortable and valued as a fan. The two main culprits are the one's who live up to their infamy. No love lost there at all and absolutely no desire to support their post BB musical efforts. It is amazing how deep those feelings still run. maybe I need to see a psychiatrist??

I'd love to hear your stories......  :-D


I guess this must be from near the end, too, right?

(http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/44816577/Dennis+Wilson+Dennis+drums.jpg)

One of them is easy to guess, but I'm curious who the other one you're talking about is!

Ok, I have to ask, when Shawn and Gage showed up backstage, did Shawn call Mike "dad"?  ;D

Mike and Al. Aloof and with real bad-attitudes. To the point that Al's wife nearly wacked him on the head for being such a twirp and had to point out to him that the album he was signing was "Sunflower" and not "20 Golden Greats" and to be a little nicer. Not that I expect the world to revolve around me, but I was in absolutely no way rude or imposing.

Carl on the other hand was superb. He saw me standing nearby while he spoke with Alice (president of the then active BBFUN) and asked me what he could do for me! He then thanked me for being a loyal fan, especially after seeing I had "Sunflower" in my hands.

It is a small event in the grand scheme of things, but the contrast was notable. For all their dysfunctional lifestyles, the Wilsons always behaved in a professional and more importantly warm manner.

I realise this sounds like a bitter-mad-at-the-world rant, but it amazes me that just by looking at the photos I got so fired up again after 22 years. I guess I should understand that someone can have a bad day, but if I was at one of my book signings and I was rude to a young reader who simply wanted me to chat with me, I'd expect someone to seriously kick my ass for such unwarranted behaviour.

My mother said, this is how he looked the last time she seen him. He died when my mother was 3 months along with me.

OMG!!!! How sad.

This was taken in September 1983 at Gage's Birthday Party I think. Dennis looks about the same as he did in the pic above. I found this while browsing for images of Dennis Circa 1983

[attachment deleted by admin]

This is from june I believe

(http://www.corbisimages.com/images/67/883B9335-12A4-46C1-83B6-E220ADE2FA2B/BE068234.jpg)

http://www.myspace.com/rickniemimusic/photos/1054398#%7B%22ImageId%22%3A1054398%7D


Her's a link to the guy in question with Dennis.

Band played Pine Knob 27/28/29 May 1983.

and he had his photo taken with Carl and Mike also; good for him! 

I was at the show on the 29th! Jamie James and the King Bees opened. They were terrible.

That tour shirt is very early eighties and dennis often wore the current tour shirt.  I think that one is 81 or 82.

1983 at some point in the year. I found this on a file sharing site

Something about that doesn't look right...

I'm looking at the photo for 10 minutes. What don't look right? Just curious.

He looks too good in that photo for it to be '83.  My guess would be '81.

Look at the edge of hia jaw, and the beard on the left side of the picture. Notice how blurry the beard is? It looks photoshopped. Badly done, too.

Edit: It looks like the picture was taken down. I can't see it anymore.

 Dennis looked different in nearly every picture in 1983. Some pictures in early 83 he might look worse than in June of 83.  Then worse in July.  My guess he was having health (liver) issues.  Bloating up and then thinning down.  It's those last three months or so, that I've not seen pictures of and that's the time ,I'm assuming, James Taylor saw him and described him as looking green and unrecognizable.
 

I was told he was really bad. He was tore up from the floor up.

Sorry, thought you were talking about the most recently posted photo in this thread...from the remarks about the beard looking blurry, I surmise you actually are referring to the one with Mike playing the saxophone and Bruce holding a mic to it?  Yes, I gotta say that one looks like Dennis has been photo-shopped.

alright, let me break up this sad morbidity for a post

(http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/4hmquk6fx4gu/5x718t/denniswilson.jpg)
(http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/86202792.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF8789215ABF3343C02EA548994545DC32A74FFCDA4F055908BDBF76B60CCF0A61FE2840)
(http://themusicsover.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/denniswil.jpg?w=230&h=239)

dennis was kind of unreal.  i'm saying this in as straight a way as possible but damn

No, it's a black and white picture of dennis. It's a fairly close up shot. I can't see it anymore...I don't know what happened. Denny'schild says she can still see it though.

Denny'schild says she can still see it though.

I can see it. You can't?

Nope. It should be right after the picture of dennis at the drums. It was posted by slp22.

The middle photo don't look like Denny. The face is to round. Are you sure that's Denny.

Middle photo is Carl

Ok. now that I look again.

yeah i sandwiched carl in there

I never knew James Taylor did meet Dennis again after TLB. In fact I've never heard anyone talk about the other, which surprised me, because I thought they would hit it off as musicians and Taylor liked the Beach Boys (I remember an interview where he said he loved "Surfin' safari"). Do you got more infos? I would really like to know more about that. I was going to start another thread for that topic, but maybe another time

I'm trying to find the article I read with little luck. To my recollection ,Taylor said he was broke down on the road in his car, a flat tire if I recall correctly. A bum looking guy walked over to him and started talking. He said he was Dennis. Taylor didn't recognize him at first and in the article said he looked green. 

My guess and only that, is he probably was looking like he had jaundice.
I'll keep looking for the actually article.

The story was that Taylor got into a fender bender near the Santa Monica pier on PCH. He was surveying the damage and some shirtless, shoeless bum walked up to him and said "Hey James!" He just ignored the guy thinking it was some creepy street creature. The guy got closer and said "hey, don't you recognize me...it's Dennis!" Taylor said he was shocked when he finally realized it was DW...unrecognizable, bloated, green. He didn't know what to say, i think he just turned away.

BTW, there are photos of the Two Lane Blacktop shoot that show Dennis and Barbara hanging out with James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. I have heard there were some moments of singing and guitar playing etc... I've also heard that Dennis and James didn't really get along, perhaps some jealousy and tension through competition. I've also heard that Taylor had a serious heroin problem around that time, which doesn't make for an open social environment. The truth is probably a little of each of these things, they had some fun, they hung out a little, they grew weary and paranoid, they each had their own issues to deal with...and probably never got close.

THANK YOU Jon!!   I've spent the last hour googling  James Taylor and Dennis Wilson.
 You're great, thanks again....kirt

Yes, thank you !

Thanks Jon. Great Info.

The story was that Taylor got into a fender bender near the Santa Monica pier on PCH. He was surveying the damage and some shirtless, shoeless bum walked up to him and said "Hey James!" He just ignored the guy thinking it was some creepy street creature. The guy got closer and said "hey, don't you recognize me...it's Dennis!" Taylor said he was shocked when he finally realized it was DW...unrecognizable, bloated, green. He didn't know what to say, i think he just turned away.
[/quote]That probably happened to dennis a lot in the last few weeks/months of his life, which probably just made him feel even more depressed and desperate.

And then theres the story Blondie relates in the (fantastic) BBC docu on Dennis, he (Blondie) was playing at the Roxy when same guy grabs him by the ankles. Blondie starts to kick him off, not knowing who it is and then he hears "It's me!" and is mortified by the reaction. One of the more chilling parts of the docu.

Love that photo of Carl wearing two pairs of shades at once -- it really captures his sense of humor!

Curious where this photo was found.  I snapped that one in Trancas Canyon, just before we took the boys boogie boarding.  And yes, it was taken at Gage's first birthday party.

Just found a bigger version and some others from that show:


http://www.corbisimages.com/images/67/883B9335-12A4-46C1-83B6-E220ADE2FA2B/BE068234.jpg (http://www.corbisimages.com/images/67/883B9335-12A4-46C1-83B6-E220ADE2FA2B/BE068234.jpg)
http://www.corbisimages.com/images/67/D92F1287-ABC6-41AC-BDB7-54F7EE4D9CE6/BE068262.jpg (http://www.corbisimages.com/images/67/D92F1287-ABC6-41AC-BDB7-54F7EE4D9CE6/BE068262.jpg)


http://www.corbisimages.com/images/67/E1B215D4-661A-426F-B612-BCB1632F7977/BE068272.jpg (http://www.corbisimages.com/images/67/E1B215D4-661A-426F-B612-BCB1632F7977/BE068272.jpg)

(http://api2.corbis.com/wscorbisone/fulfillment/PN009128.jpg?AUBLzopTQvZlvLk1Y6wxIztey2XhP%2b6wb%2bC0f0zET8pDDQsk9uUaFe0i1gLgbZ8%2fFknp9UxBQd3QYNppTrHt3Y%2bOYV%2fsSNzTiR0wUa4JvpMJMPGGDqc2UNMfPYlomDP%2fflDkn72VJQu44G%2bk0Rg0lakZMlglNfjscojHHEIaeEn47%2fKiZ1uil%2bvAId%2bXIsVAjKHaHPKGEC1INDXxZhTfGj%2fycpDUrHFak88RFJZ6MfTzthUx8jFPMQyweu10scplhmJTENvqhHHMpA442HIx211gfsw%2ffEWFcnwnG5II1q1sZ05PRhNVjkb2QfDMNrnH4JWWy3zg%2fb6edHN0%2bUrpxCxn4hJ3YyrvDZVOArinybaUwXo2rxFUmxmv9TDJNt46ENdd4qWNUGg0XKUqSCTkGiTARjF3N%2fwZlOc%2bGHnrmPsFLHzOXT08gTfPO%2bn0olOPFZaPCwP%2fjVe5cqlnRFxV5zpNgq16M5gaL7sldVLH5xJzw1Nf8lcwDZQSTIenYXtW2a8ea9HfAwzhpZXJaE1SQM8fM59JMXFlbHQ43hmuqozYcSryO0YOfgxXcKsszW5pASX2KNzHXywHRBSiJkI2Te3oBWWwj7ma9WoWV%2f97zbo88jsWaZJIPOI1I5wO5szQxbwIEh9zMtHXusIEzQWr0NAOklh9nPx64795CAV6NwlCk6wznCceCgd%2fg9Qb%2bG7VoFjXQVX71HAENVSKC2IUgmkw5%2bPjODurqNv5BdV7f9xe94c%2fxUAla3OdJShXHxQ935oX2Qv1%2f5hcL6vhHJAnd9mBf0CYWfCk1eiyoJEXRSH38XwJ2YPMbiI95z7Tj2wU9N1VQr3wRj2QmTh5mktAvAuGW0T8jpe5ynWfaZD9J7DJW3LZ3hqQyCNIiImMw7kZRB8ACu9vZdIixjYtd2Hoz%2fuJrSCGJhrRT5D94yig%2fCE%3d)


(http://api2.corbis.com/wscorbisone/fulfillment/PN009131.jpg?AUBLzopTQvZlvLk1Y6wxI%2bEEOubolrBtpxFZDVcwkVySLGTUo5MXAVc099JfTu5k1EboKOzWyUQhoK7W5DYTOlRfrO7JDBbE160UIQwvL6tGe1P4RVXZ3z1FOVSz9Yv3qHh%2fp4qh%2fFmbcCnXKUNm6ent9Z%2fwuyQPBmY1DahD7WBYhoDojRSDw2LzoTsRnE571M%2bXz5dGUDWcJdmP%2f6dSbFhLCghHXBkEiNDiyyBglDI4xTrYRingr39Ma3BV0CDxKE4icaVQ6rFQ43qaXb86MAiTvpdwdS2ANoYH2Bct2FjziiWrLz1G7%2fXUrA7HKUlInvN%2bB9Oq1j6FtmEbKQ8y9JAyy9lAlWMRGE79ikfx09XdGGV5afM6%2f1Tm49B%2bxKWV0gXFFcW92m1YhS5Ahy61GpIixb3LZxC0hystmiVIS943bYQf2i3fFPyJ1gcST6jLbevJ5cm41EiSl8G8yJuQ2dojdiojV9NCi36DVb%2bwO0%2boEuHc8RNr5L4zcJy7j0JtUQoGT%2bVIwMPbTnMMgB04YggV4qDVgFPKOpYvYHtDbzlgz1RoulQwFvHfYinwhIS33cF5%2fg%2f4r1A8HZTdjeR6rKcDQq5zyiQnwPDEw%2bmIfZj7HnGoWwLMZaEqjYokZP0W15bIgTtxAzp3woPiTBorBL8cJfgZb9X5puuRh0L0DNk8GASRnXAQVk4aPM4jEp3qdhrY0eDFaGHNErNZ8mXHHbvCCRQXUxg5GVX6XqNAVFMHD03%2bt93Mac4qUMb0Nu9BL6hRobGrqhhdXHS6V28nUsgxcCx3SlGUKEjCqWBjT8msH3xl3W0zZL3XS4Ib1CkFJA9XbuQQuwZuYzJ0Kce7TFLZahUHBJcCXWFGBXRyaH3wNxq5ZkPaQggqJOX3iPDPJgCPuFphLMnTcnRpvLnY2W56RrkmrFA50P70lz75kFA%3d)




This is from Donald Trump's 50th birthday, so it must be '96 Not that near the end but since he sat out on some tours (afaik).....
(http://api2.corbis.com/wscorbisone/fulfillment/0000317610-009.jpg?AUBLzopTQvZlvLk1Y6wxI4EZMOsBjOaUvR0GWPWHsVFbrtDjoUMb%2bmQ2HhzH1FLHEB8192btfILOpDMGoKrzbHId6Witm%2bPuHLHN2HUoW1pj4h6FPP4ie4QGYz1CQlmQvdqQ16qooBYikKe6Ij6ssY3A99lVGJIKhR1qRb4xq%2blFscn0PHjKR7VBjOlAPN%2b33KCAF94KYfofjgcwcCfxHBZxR%2bf3c4U5ygpTi%2bw1Z30ie3SA7tF9biiW%2bI2HJpPILdXqDWUIajLJUBKz%2fQzwRf9DJzteWIuXUXjDxp28H3wqNZqUc1tE6%2f%2bm4T6W18fGgEY1zUj9ybXh1HBZpqbTyC0pgooyTJo2OyEwjcdPWVgk1ku2C2XFG7fqhPztF9odrm138A913R42qXHGcx0UBKE%2b75cLY2sZqUcZV%2b58S9dKUgKsVlBrP6qlr02ZpixHK49WqgeUm4xrWgIQ3jdF1UjocfvZxPuOHcyvq6UtMhvsON52dIsuPDXpS9p9DAolVh%2bqCVHRAs7dTwjUZOoXAnotAIy3%2fie8OTTvcRLC8841AqU9oXKQFxeIezx0ScttbP4N6kuStnFCbWQw%2bPTweIhYUVTWe6YakiotIOHYiOGURM8%2b5vt16RCWHERNhFIBuSvo%2bAxQQqhpQ3R3ccdDGP6duYa8L9uyd%2fE%2fTpoURfNk%2fxCMuVtXhHX2nQsvlMgguiX%2fRnnZzjl3UksGED8eBB8tsD9jGar3YZM5tvNufn9UfIcTQ%2fvUsYQMtn7XdNt%2fzv8gBP05Q8UxetnfxsVritcUx2Zo%2fGdEa0LS8qJe7nNHBYI61EUa620rWE5nxyOemveNfIdsBb7GeUBeQkd8nfsSVsx9MQXbouoGwvWJ2jxQ%2bzPWnJs%2bTXxXtY%2fsHTRUqh7KD76apuyhL%2fF8YHh73MwHv0M0eF%2fH33TDcgD2MFg%3d)




Hope you can see the pictures. If not, let me know

Good shots!

Any date for the first 2?

No idea why, but I think it's San Diego, May 8th 1983

Oh yeah, I can smell the ocean breeze blowing in over the stage.   :)

Really. were you there?

Wasn't the Seattle show just a few days later? He's totally clean shaven in that. It's strange how shaving made him look totally different.  ;D

I found this late picture of Carl buried somewhere on my computer.

(http://s1.directupload.net/images/120928/ko867ay8.jpg)

This would be from the 1997 tour

edit (crop) away the two backing musicians and you are looking at one hell of a portrait picture of Carl. very haunting. It is perfect, and a very good picture to remember him by.

except that he is suffering from the physical effects of the cancer treatment, but it is a testament of how he continued to fight on and tour during his final months

That is a great picture, very sad at the same time though.

Is that Peter Yarrow from Peter, Paul & Mary to Carl's left (our right)?  :lol

no, longtime Beach Boys keyboardist Mike Meros, unfortunately now also deceased

Yeah, it is a great pic. He doesn't look bad there, but definately showing some signs of his illness.

Um you wouldn't mind posting it up again? I don't see it, i'm quite interested in seeing it :o

Yeah, me too, because I was at that concert in 1997 (now Sleep Train Pavilion).

Fans, such as Mikie, living on the Left coast are SO Lucky!  You get the chances to see alot more shows and cool happening events...

Just came across this. Check it out:


Dennis Wilson LAST CONCERT 1983 Pomona 30 PHOTOS Set RARE Brian Beach Boys 50th

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Dennis-Wilson-LAST-CONCERT-1983-Pomona-30-PHOTOS-Set-RARE-Brian-Beach-Boys-50th-/251256050677?pt=Dischi_Vinile_33_giri_12_&hash=item3a800713f5

The Beach Boys actually played for Donald Trump's 50th birthday party? how embarrasing.

Why? Are only certain people allowed to like the Beach Boys? Or the Beach Boys only allowed to play for certain people?

Probably said it before but there's something oddly fascinating about all the images from 1983 and I don't mean in a morbid way first and foremost. Bit hard to explain I guess...

Why I'm happy you asked!   It would look just like this!  (well, if it were a slideshow of his whole adult life)   :)

http://dellydel.com/brianwilson/brianwilson.html

That is awesome!!



phirnis posted this in the media section:
http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,1990.msg361521.html#msg361521


(http://24.media.tumblr.com/39d5e45d6720d94579e24d5f781e194f/tumblr_mkht4oHDjX1qc4hwjo1_500.jpg)

That is fantastic! My favourite is 1985 'Live Aid' Brian.

That whole series is well done!

No, not at all. It's embarrassing because along with mYke Luhv, Trump is one of the larger assholes on the planet.

I think Trump's wig hides his Mike Love baldness.

‍

Is it a wig or just a very bad comb over?

Donald Trump and Fox News are the worst things about the US.

That is fuckin' sweet. Honestly, I wish somebody would do a facial morph video on YouTube of Brian. I've seen 'em for Michael Jackson, Mickey Rourke, and Keith Richards and it's so interesting. Brian would be quite interesting as well. Quite a few different looks. Not gonna lie, sometimes it's hard to reconcile the fact that the guy I saw on stage last year is the same guy who created Pet Sounds.

I don't know... the whole murder, drugs, and unemployment things are pretty high up there too...

Hey, Yorick: Why not include those black conservative Americans who spoke out about the state of our nation, the federal government and the liberal mentality in general on Fox News a few nights ago?  If you hate Fox News and Donald Trump, you must REALLY detest those guys/gals!

Somebody on here mentioned that ESQ published a bunch of pictures of Carl from 1997. Would anybody here be willing to post a few?
 
On another note, I was browsing through a Beach Boys Agallery somebody had posted on Facebook, and there was a close up shot of Dennis wearing sunglasses, on what seemed to be a boat. The caption had the picture dated as being from 1983. In the picture Dennis's beard was almost completely white. I have looked all over for it, but I cant find it anywhere now. Does anybody know of the picture I'm talking about?

Though they certainly aren't highlights, they are far from being the worst things about the US. Remember Fox is loved by prob 30-40% of the US population, which means relegating them as the worst of the US is basically saying that 40 % of Americans are the worst thing about America which doesn't really makes any sense (or does it?)
But Trump is a massive asshole on the same lvl as Myke, and the like-minded tend to mingle.

...

Well I must be among the worst thing in the U.S, along with millions of other Americans. For God's sakes, can't you people do any better than that?  You're so tiresome with the name-calling and intolerance of other viewpoints. Fox News is practically the only news station that actually presents a range of opinion across the spectrum, does not engage in the personal attacks that are the hallmark of the Left, and its news staff are among the most respected in the business.  If you don't like the conservative commentators, which are different from the news side, fine, stick with Matthews and Maddow and Olbermann and Schultz and Maher and the rest of the angry name-callers on the Left who are unable to actually discuss issues, and can't handle the idea of conservative minorities and women getting off the plantation by thinking for themselves rather than toeing the party line. But I'm not sure what any of this has to do with the Beach Boys.

30-40%?  Don't they consistently dominate in the ratings every single night?  Their lowest-rated show usually gets more ratings than CNN's highest-rated show in prime time. 


Hear, hear!  Enough with the intolerance people have with differing viewpoints.  It is the very reason nothing gets accomplished anymore.


They played for Trump?  And yes, Trump is a windbag. 

Not seen a pic of DW with a beard in 1983, or with a beard that was anything close to white, ever. Pretty sure he didn't have one in the last year anyway.

I've seen a number of pictures of Dennis with a beard in 1983. A few that I can remember off the top of my head come from a concert where Carl is singing without a microphone, and Brian is standing at center stage by Mike, playing a tambourine.

Carl is singing without a microphone? Could anyone hear him?

Oops. I meant to say that he was holding and singing into a microphone, without a guitar.  ;D

I genuinely feel sorry for you. 

Yup... that was when CW was doing "What You Do To Me" during the main show. But, and here's the germane point - Denny's beard wasn't white. BTW, Carl had a hand mike, but no guitar in the picture I'm thinking of. Black shirt & pants, looking slim (for Carl). Open air gig.

I'm certain I've seen a picture on here somewhere with Dennis sporting a silvery greyish beard. The funny thing is the hair on his head was pretty much the same colour it had always been. Is that the same picture other posters are thinking of?

September 1983

Carl on his last tour at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach SC, July 1997

http://www.timbullard.com/carlwilson.jpg

I just got a copy of 'Denny Remembered, Dennis Wilson In Words and Pictures' by Edward L. Wincentsen. It's put together as more of a fan-style scrapbook, with lots of personal stories and memories written by friends and family (including Dennis's kids). There are also lots of great, rare photos included as well. Many of the photos I have not seen before, and there are a decent bunch included from later in Dennis's life, including some promo and tour shots from 1983, and a few photos with Gage and Shawn. The quality isn't the best – the entire book is in black and white – but the photos all tell fantastic stories.

Don't bother, your condescension is not needed. I notice you didn't dispute what I said, which would have been impossible since my statement was factually correct, but that does not surprise me. Fairly typical. Facts are such pesky things for liberals whose idea of diversity is for everyone to agree with them.

A 63 year old conservative from Texas?! No way, can't be!

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to look for it.  ;D Unless anybody happens to have a scan of any of the pictures?

Here's a fact: Political discourse is far more involved than picking a side (or more likely, having your side picked for you by Fox news) and blowing raspberries at the other.

Still feel sorry for you. x

NHC comes to a thread on the last pictures of Carl & Dennis to preach the gospel of the 'fair and balanced' horseshit that is Fox News. Buddy, I'm not even American but that nonsense is ridiculed and frowned upon around the world.
Only the most deluded of humanity would take that for 'fair and balanced'. This is a thread of pictures of Carl and Dennis, who both were clearly liberal people. I would suggest you go to the fan forums of the Fox celebrities to circlejerk their fairness.

Fox News: As always, we are fair and balanced.
Fox viewer: Damn, these guys sure are fair and balanced.

Fox news has plenty of lefty opinions.  They are allowed to be challenged.  That scares the lo fo mo fo's.

Please take Fox to the Sandbox

The new Stebbins book has a picture of Carl from one of his last concerts...if it was anybody but Carl, it wouldn't be so sad -- it'd be just some guy with an unusually large gut. :(   Really, it doesn't even look a lot like Carl.

Carl became very chubs towards the end. I don't think the dude ever had a healthy lifestyle and it was bound to catch up with him sooner or later. However he was truly a great artist and a great person according to everyone I've ever heard  :-\.

I think it was possibly steroids he would have been taking for his cancer that would have made his weight balloon near the end.  You're right about him having some weight problems at different points of his life.  Nothing major like Brian but not as athletic as Dennis.

Where was it taken? Is it a picture we've seen before?

It was from the Rosemont Theater, August of 1997. He looks much worse (for Carl, at least; again if it were just some random guy you'd never know something was wrong) than the July 1997 picture posted above.

Carl's appearance in the Summer of 1997 wasn't because he was "chubs".  Very insensitive.  I had the opportunity to be with Carl in August of 1997, if only very briefly. His entire body, including his face, torso, etc. was very bloated from his cancer treatment. His resembled his former self only remotely.  He retreated to his own private environment pre and post show because his immune system was low from the cancer treatment.

Carl actually had a very healthy lifestyle after he gave up drugs for good (1979-80?). It was a few more years before he gave up the dreaded cigarettes.

Not to be to overly negative, but Carl allegedly started drinking heavily again during the fight to get Landy removed from Brian's "care".

Only read that in the Todd Gold book, a publication I don't pay any mind to it unless I get a story confirmed elsewhere.

Yeah, I wouldn't lend any credibility to that story based on the source - after all, Gold aka Landy's #1 goal with that book was to portray all of Brian's family as evil parasites. I don't doubt, though, that the ongoing court battles took a great toll on Carl.

Well, that and an advertisement for his services...

Actually, I remember somebody on here mentioning that they saw a show from around 1996, and Carl drank throughout the show. It was also mentioned by one of the experts here(possibly AGD?) that the whole issue with Landy and the "autobiography" had taken a huge toll on Carl.

I remember that as well.

Didn't remember that but I wouldn't dismiss out of hand. I still really am hesitant to put much stock in Gold. (Or silver jk)

I think it's difficult to determine causality between the emotional/psychological toll that the Landy issue took on Carl and his cancer.  It's possible that the stress impacted his health, but it's also possible that people mistook early symptoms of his cancer as the result of stress from the Landy issue.  Since he was diagnosed in stage IV, he probably had the cancer a long time before it was diagnosed, possibly as long as several years.

Don't remember that. Was it an audience member or insider? Only ask as how would an audience member know what he was drinking? Heck, he did summer tours for over 35 years in some pretty hot weather at those outdoor gigs. Doesn't mean it was alcohol.

It was in a brown paper bag, I seriously doubt it was orange juice.

I will say that between 1991 and 1997 I saw Carl backstage at nearly every California show the group did.  On each occasion I spoke with Carl briefly, saw him in his dressing room and on the band's tour bus. Not on one occasion did I see him with anything stronger than a bottle of Perrier.  Now did he retreat to his hotel room after shows and drink?  That I cannot say. But before, during and around shows during that time period I never saw him with alcohol.

A few reliable sources have intimated to me that Carl was "not feeling well" as early as 1994.

I remember quite clearly discussing Carl with my dad back in 1996. He had heard from somewhere(I believe he said on the radio) that Carl was quite ill from some type of cancer. So there definitely was some talk about something going on with Carl before the "official" announcement.

Ok, this might seem like a dumb question. In the official announcement, we learned that Carl had lung cancer with secondary tumors in the brain. It was already stage IV by then, right?

Yeah.

In the few recordings I've heard from  that period, you'd never be able to tell anything is wrong. Carl sounded just a beautiful as ever. God Only Knows took on a new meaning. I can't decide whether his decision to tour was a good thing or not. It was very brave of him to want to keep touring, but did it eventually take more out of him than he could afford to lose?

It still kind of bugs me that Brian didn't join the group with his brother one last time on that tour.  >:(

‍

Or was it caught early when we didn't know about it, but it just spread and progressed quickly?

It's hard to know with Carl. He kept a lot private and his friends respect that still.

I respect that he was a private man, and his family still probably wants it that way, but it's so frustrating as a fan!  ;D If you look at pictures and videos starting at about 1995 and on, it's fairly obvious that something was wrong. I've heard stories about him having gout(sp?) and wearing a back brace, but I can't even find out any details about that.

Eh I don't know if that's the most tasteful emoticon choice for this discussion...

It is frustrating as a fan. As a writer I feel I have all the good info on him as an artist or a Beach Boy. It's his true private life (especially past the seventies) I don't know much about. That's actually a choice made by me because my biographical information is mainly centered around their public life. I mean I talk about them personally, but mainly in relation to how it effected the group. Of course Carl's death ended the group basically so I asked about it. Really most of the people I interviewed just were not around the last years enough to know, or if they were I decided what they offered was enough.

I've also heard that Carl suffered from gout.

I can confirm that he wore a back brace in his later years. It was kind of noticeable when you hugged him. ;D

I've also spoken with fans who were backstage when Carl was dealing with severe back pain between 2-up shows. It's bad enough to have to stand during for one show in pain, and then have to face another one. It's rather remarkable that he didn't resort to sitting on a stool sooner.

His back problems began with that bad injury in the mid-'70s when he tried to lift a TV set and wound up in traction. He seemed to be OK in the '80s, but chronic back troubles returned in the '90s.

Playing a rather large looking Gibson in the mid 1990's probably made it even harder on his back. I wonder why he didn't trade it for something lighter?

He did play his Strat now and then

I remember how slim - for Carl - he looked on his solo tours, and throughout most of the 80's; hadn't seen him in a couple years when the Beach Boys did Regis and Kathie Lee in 96 to promote S&S, and I thought Carl looked like he had put on a lot of weight again. Beyond that, there was just something about his appearance that concerned me. Still, I never dreamed he'd be gone less than 2 years later.

I remember Carl looking very tired/haggard during some of the Boys' 1995 appearances. But then his overall appearance REALLY changed in 1996 when he aged drastically. It was almost like it happened overnight. Somehow, I can't help believing that a thorough medical exam as early as '94 or '95 might have ultimately saved Carl's life. But then again, who knows whether the cancer may have actually been discovered earlier than 1996?

How I wish someone in the Wilson's inner circle would write or speak publicly about the last years of Carl's life. I certainly understand the family's need to respect Carl's wishes to keep his private life private. But I don't relish the thought that I'll never know anything more about the life and death of this man that I've admired my entire life.

when I saw carl last it was the end of may 1997 in Columbus oh. with Chicago. carl sang well but looked really tired and bad. he got huge applause after each song he sung and nodded at the crowd. but he look bad.
I thought something was wrong with him when I saw him in may 1995 on the big red boat show. even said so to our group. something just wasn't right.

The Gibson 335-style guitars he played are semi-hollow, they're not much heavier if at all than a Strat despite the body size. If he had been playing something like a specific year solidbody Les Paul, it may have been more of an issue, but even then only a few pounds heavier. The average Strats and Gibson semi-hollowbodies like Carl's usually weigh in around 8-9 pounds.

I feel the same way. It still makes me extremely sad - on the verge of tears - to think how this wonderful man's life ended so early.

‍

Oh, how I wish I would have met The Beach Boys and seen them in concert when I had the chance. It was in November of 1996, so it may have been right around the time Carl was starting to have health issues.

I'm afraid to talk. The fear of God that Murry instilled in me as a child still looms large – and the man has been dead 40 years.  ;)

You know what would be interesting? Finding the last known pictures of Murry Wilson!  :) >:D

Trying to think... not sure I've seen a pic of him post 1967. He gained a ton of weight towards the end.

Actually yeah 1967 is the latest. Weird so many years he wasn't in photos we've seen. Of course things like the Iowa 1973 session only recently showed up so I bet there is some.

Not sure but one of Getty Images shows Murry (written incorrectly as "Murray") standing with The Beach Boys (except Brian), all leaning to an orange car. Carl in a swamp green shirt. The date says "16 Jun 1968". While The BBs look indeed very 1968-ish, Murry seems fake, to my eyes. Sth. about the quiff is not real Wilson-ey. And overall I suspect it's not Murry at all.

You are right, its not Murry, its the guy that drove them that day.

That pic was taken in June 68 In Salt Lake City without Murry

Bill Hesterman and discussed here.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15065.0.html

I just got Ian and Jon's book, and that picture of Carl at one of his last shows really hurt. I had read it was bad, but...damn.  :( If there are other pictures of him looking like that, I'm glad I haven't seen them. Same with any audience videos that may exist.

Yeah, got the book today and that photo really made me sad. What a brave man to play a show under these circumstances.

Not only did he play, he sounded as if nothing was wrong with him.

This may have been addressed before, but so many of the later photos of Dennis, especially after 1981, have him tilting his head to the left . While some of the photos just make him look endearing (holding his baby boy, looking at Brian, etc.), it just seems to be too frequent. Was this due to an injury? The reported beating that he took from Mike's brother and Rocky?

Now that you mention it, that is kind of weird. I didn't realize there were so many pictures of him like that until you pointed it out.

There is a picture of Dennis that I've never seen before in this video, at about 36 seconds in. It looks to be from around 1983-ish. He has his head tilted to the side. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enpW2NLY6q8&hd=1

At 1:49 there's a photo where he tilts his head to the other side. That's much earlier, of course, but maybe he liked tilting his head?

Maybe he had water in his ears and tried to get it out? I'll check it out as soon as I get Jon's book.

Pic was taken 9/3/83, at Gage's first birthday party.

Some concert photos from 1983 with Dennis on drums:

http://sfgiantsphotos.mlblogs.com/tag/beach-boys/ (http://sfgiantsphotos.mlblogs.com/tag/beach-boys/)

Some of those are mis-labeled:  the ones with Carl on the left (as we see it) are 1982 (the only year he stood on that side of the stage, at least since the mid-'70s), and the ones with him on the right (as we see it) are 1983.

I got very confused here because for some reason I had it in my head Dennis died in '81.

Now that that's cleared up, I must say great work here! Some great shots [if heartbreaking].

Hope it's ok bumping the thread, sorry if it isn't.


You've probably found it by now but I'm guessing this is the photo - sad pic.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=439124076189292&set=o.168908843320461&type=1&relevant_count=1


(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/157084_341479179287116_836784934_n.jpg?oh=d119fca1977e35a135952eb88e09ad42&oe=54B82AF5&__gda__=1425116697_f8911a5eb52c811d7866f8f637f9e57c)
Taken the same day with Billy Hinsche. (found here https://www.facebook.com/groups/169634233152990/permalink/643181279131614/)

Thanks for posting!
That doesn't look too bad to be honest

Rocker, my thoughts exactly. He still looks pretty cool and "presentable" here, like the genuine rock star that he was.

Looks good to me too!

Thanks for posting, wild neon sins. Yeah, it doesn't look as bad as I remembered it.

I remember some post about a shot of Denny with a white beard, and thinking "WTF ? Nice to know that, for once, I was right.  ;D

Mea Culpa.  ::)  ;D

Dennis looks as good there as some of his contemporaries of the time (John Lennon looked about like that in 1980).

If that picture is indeed from 1983, then Dennis looks surprisingly not too bad. I’ve seen photos and footage of him from 1981 and 1982 where he looks far worse.

It seems to have been taken at the same time as the 'selfie' further back n this thread.

If the selfie pic you are referring to is this one:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=439124076189292&set=o.168908843320461&type=1&relevant_count=1

I think this one really just breaks my heart, because he looks so much older than 38 in this photo. 

Somehow I hadn't seen this. Thanks for the link. I hope this works:

(https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/1531931_439124076189292_1534960495_n.jpg?oh=1290c3b8b6ba65dee95a742eb2d8930f&oe=54B2C43B)

That's the one, and yes, he looks older in that one. >:(

I think even that photo doesn't look too bad for circa 1983 Dennis.

It's ironic, two of the worst pics/pieces of footage I've ever seen of Dennis were both high profile TV/media events: He looks far worse at the white house event in June, 1983. I'd also say his appearance with the group on the Dick Clark 30th anniversary TV special (presumably from late 1981 or early 1982) was really bad. It's probably not coincidental that they never do a close-up on him. But he looks so off on that footage that it's hard to believe it's him.

The real question is what he looked like in late December, 1983.

Granted they're from far away, but Dennis looks pretty good in the photos from Candlestick Park.

David Dalton threw in references to Dennis having white hair/werewolf beard in his last years in his Beach Boys/Manson Gadfly & Mojo features so that could've caused a false memory.


eta: it's less how he looks physically that makes it a sad pic for me, but how he he looks emotionally if that makes any sense. 

obsessive/morbid post warning:

is there a date on the photo of him holding Gage, that's in Denny Remembered, it's the last photo just before the BBFun tribute repro & end section celebrating The Beach Boys (page 159). He's in a car I think (it's a bit hard to make out because of the picture quality), w/ somebody next to him, Gage on his knee w/ a bottle, an unlit cigarette in his mouth and (to me anyway) a really bleak expression on his face.

Can't post it without photographing the book - I've seen it online as well but it's buried in a facebook fan page.

Looks now like it's actually from 82.

Thanks Ed.
https://www.facebook.com/roachclips68/photos/a.168909366653742.1073741827.168908843320461/277684415776236/?type=1

eta: Bily Hinche took the photo and he says it was "taken during a Beach Boys tour - in Casper, WY, July, 1983 ... "https://www.facebook.com/roachclips68/photos/a.168909366653742.1073741827.168908843320461/277684415776236/?type=1&comment_id=278083269069684&offset=0&total_comments=15

Indeed. Reckon all of you saying "he looks good" were royally tricked by that 1st shot; Dennis hung his head towards Billy, so we see only one side of the coin, so to speak. Meaning, the aging doesn't show much.

Recently a new candidate for "last known pic of Dennis" has emerged, in the hands of a private collector: dating from late September, he looks reasonably good (considering), and his beard has a few mild white patches.

Any chance he or she can come down & show that pic? Do some talks with them.

Nope. That's all I was told.

Well, I won't believe till I see it, then. Dennis's last pics - those I've seen here - are bad.

So you're calling me a liar ? Listen up lady, no amount of "English is not my first language" will allow you to squirm out of this one.

Gee, you're such a drama magnet. 1st, I don't go on repeating "English" bit too often, or anymore. 2nd, you said you saw a new "last pic of Dennis" where he looked fairly good. But thing is, it's all in the eyes of the beholder. What if I wouldn't share your opinion & still think he looks bad?

Edit. Okay, you didn't actually saw the picture, just told the collector's description. Still, I would rather see it myself than take his/her word on Dennis looking good. Check up the TWGMTR reviews thread - there were some that didn't like - oh, shock! - the suite! In the same way, we'd have disagreements over 1 single picture. Do I make sense now?

"Drama magnet".  I've hearda "Chick magnet", but never "Drama magnet". I'll have to use that one sometime.  :-D

Nowadays a lot of people have a mobile phone in their pockets and are constantly taking pictures.  We (or one of his friends) would probably have one of Dennis on the day he died if it happened now and not 1983.

I'd be surprised if there weren't any photos of him taken at Christmas if he was with his family. Holidays are usually the times when one is most likely to be photographed, even back then.

But then again, I don't know how he spent his last Christmas, so I couldn't really say.

A rock star drinking through an entire rock show? NEVER!!!!

I wonder how many of us drink through this entire board.

Andrew's famous churlishness is both dramatic and magnetic. And never let it be said that RR isn't capable of giving as good as she gets!!

 :hat

(ducking for cover...)

From the People article "Death Of A Beach Boy":

"A few days before Christmas he checked into the detox unit at St. John's Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica. Dr. Joe Takamine, who runs the 21-day detox program, said a blood test taken on admittance showed a.28 alcohol level and traces of cocaine. "He told me he was drinking about a fifth of vodka a day and doing a little coke," Dr. Takamine adds. "I put him on 100 mg. of Librium every two hours so he could come down slowly and maybe start the program in five days." On Christmas, however, he suddenly left. He spent that day drinking with a friend. At 3:30 a.m. Dec. 26, he reportedly checked into the Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital but walked out the next day and later met with Shawn. Then he took off again."

Jon can fill in the finer detail but I doubt family and/or photos played much of a part that day.

Thank you, AGD. Very sad, but good to know.

Refound this while sorting through random things/pics saved - was posted on ebay last year by somebody selling a set of Dennis' drumsticks.

details from the listing:
(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/jend80/dennisdrumsticksebay_zpse5a0129b.jpg)

(http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/jend80/dennis83_zps937fa26a.jpg)
Large photo (http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/jend80/dennis83large_zps5b4f5970.jpg)

Looking at that pic, I would heavily question it being late September 1983. More like June/July. Towards the end, Dennis wasn't that well-groomed.

 Agreed re timeframe. The shirt Dennis is wearing is the same as worn in group shots circa mid-83. There's a nice full-color pic of the guys from the summer 83 tour in Milward's 25th anniversary book. How damn young they all still were! I don't think Dennis looks terrible, but things were catching up with him for sure.

What about the earliest pictures of Dennis & Carl? Anything with the umbilical cords still attached? Any pictures of Mrs. Wilson while she was pregnant with the younger 2 Wilson boys?

:lol

http://denniswilsonthebeachboys.tumblr.com/ (http://denniswilsonthebeachboys.tumblr.com/)

Anyone ever seen the two avatar pictures at the top of this site? They look like they could've been taken in 1983, don't they?

They do. Good find.

So damn funny!! :lol :lol :lol

They definitely look like they could. Good find!

(http://33.media.tumblr.com/avatar_8f03dafbbf32_128.png)

This isn't anywhere near a last known, but I found it in my files, and I like it...  

    (http://i62.tinypic.com/e01xkj.jpg)
                            

Never seen this one before!   8)

It came from my negative...

I can't believe how different Dennis looks in the latter years of his life. It's so sad to see. There are pictures where he doesn't look so bad but then others (on bad days I guess) where he looks about 70. The pictures above are Dennis at his best in my opinion.

Meaning that you shot this one?  My compliments, if so; great photo!

In my early days of BB fandom I actually had some difficulties recognizing his face in some of the early-80s footage. That said, I think he still looked pretty cool at least most of the time. And then there's that video of the group performing the 1981 (or '82?) BB medley on TV where he almost looks like his POB-era self. Fascinating how he would change styles so drastically from time to time.

Phirnis, I'm guessing it depended on how sober he was that day. I've seen a picture in 83 that I personally don't think he looks too bad in but others view as really quite bad. I guess it helped when he was smiling too.

Dennis didn't smile much in the last years of his life. I guess he may have been missing some teeth, because his mouth is closed in all the group shots from 1980 to 1983.

Another big thumbs up to that '70s photo of Dennis and Carl!

A wonderful photo, thanks for sharing!  :afro

Well spotted - they've been posted now.

(http://41.media.tumblr.com/d93ffbb1b7f27b81e6737867126543ef/tumblr_njkq6lIuB01tfa1ymo2_540.jpg)

(http://41.media.tumblr.com/c3b8a1203d9351000a3ee337830af67f/tumblr_njkq6lIuB01tfa1ymo4_540.jpg)

The Beach Boys outdoor concert on the island of Maui, Hawaii, 1983 (http://denniswilsonthebeachboys.tumblr.com/post/110658252552/the-beach-boys-outdoor-concert-on-the-island-of#notes)

Is that the early 1983 gig where Landy "allowed" Brian to play with the band before going back into seclusion for a few more months?

Denny was still looking fit at that late point. He seemingly couldn't grow a gut/pot belly if he wanted to, even with all that drinking.

Are you positive?  ;D

This of course is far from being the last picture of Dennis and yet it has a strong connection to his end. The following was posted by Ed Roach on facebook (Dennis Wilson 1944-1983). Thanks for sharing this Ed! I felt strange when I saw it...



(https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/11168582_377739839104026_7274213363005035125_n.jpg?oh=048a6af934e13ecb58bff7b8e649a131&oe=5655E7BA)

Funny how life gets in the way at times; had to neglect DW's page for a few days.
However, I had read people discussing the things Dennis was diving for 'that day'.... This is the image he pulled from the ocean floor, undamaged & tightly sealed in a sterling silver frame.
Was absolutely blown away years later when Karen told me that after that day it forever sat on her mantle. They both found such piece & contentment in the image; only hope they have truly found it now

Captured some good vintage Bruce Johnston mic adjusting too. 

 :lol

That's a nice pic Ed put up today.

Those '83 photos really show how quickly Dennis changed facially, it must have been so upsetting to see him like that as a brother/friend. I really think it depended on how he was each day during the last year as the photo I have seen from later on that year doesn't look that bad. Well, that's my opinion.

So this is the photo that Denny brought up out of the water?  Wow.

In contemplating the events of that fateful, terrible early evening, I've always found the fact that Dennis brought a photo of he and a loved one back from the ocean floor such a touching gesture on his part.  Sad, but romantic.

I've often wondered what the photo looked like.  I guess I always pictured a kind of formal, Wedding Day-styled portrait, or something.

But this photo is so heartwarming, I can see why Denny wanted to preserve it.

I'm really glad that Mr. Roach shared it with us.


EDIT: About how long did the picture sit at the bottom of the marina, again?

What happened to the photo of Carl from the Concord Pavilion that was posted earlier in this thread?  I've never seen it.

...

Maybe it's just me projecting hindsight, but in that 1983 shot with Bruce, DW's eyes look 'dead', lacking the spirit, humour and hope of the pic posted of him and Carl earlier in this thread. Dennis' eyes remind me of pics of Elvis in 1977, where you get the feeling he's given up and knows he's 'too far gone to turn around' re. the lifestyle/ drugs, almost resigned to the inevitable.

Thanks, I'm glad to see you all appreciate the photo. 

It was probably at the bottom of the slip for a couple of years, at least.  Karen had it framed in this really expensive sterling silver frame, and I guess it must have been water tight, for it to have been preserved as it was for that long.


https://www.facebook.com/roachclips68

Wait, that's the actual copy of the picture Dennis brought up that day?

This is a question for Ed Roach, or any other photographers out there...

Ed, I hope you don't take this question the wrong way; it's not intended that way. But, I wanted to ask you about something that has, for lack of a better word, bothered me ever since I read the reports about Dennis's last day alive in 1983. Since it involves a Beach Boy, in this case Dennis, I thought I'd finally ask. It's basically a two part question.

First, after throwing some items, including a framed picture, into the Pacific Ocean, is it reasonable that Dennis knew EXACTLY where to locate it - at the bottom of the ocean, years later? I mean, when items are thrown into an ocean, do they drop straight down and stay there, not being swept away by the undercurrent?

And second, no matter how well-made or expensive a picture frame may be, it is still a picture frame. And the actual picture is, well, made of paper. After sitting at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean for a few years, how is it possible that the paper picture can even survive, much less look in pristine condition?

Thanks, Ed, for all the great photos and reminiscences of Dennis you've given us.

The videos of Brian and Carl around Live Aid are very awkward. Is that because Landy is floating around or because Carl thinks Brian is going to say something totally spaced out?

On the Dennis last day issue, do the other people who were with Dennis that day bear any responsibility for not trying to stop him making those last dives?

Not much undertow in a Marina, so items might not drift too far. And these items weren't dropped out at sea, they were basically thrown overboard from his parking spot. If you show up to work in your parking spot, in the same place for years, you'd be able to find it again.

Photographic film is sturdier than a sheet of plain A4. Also, if it's pressed up tight against the glass, then as long as the glass doesn't shatter, it could reasonably be watertight.

I stand to be corrected by the guy who took it, but I very much doubt that.

Just stumbled upon this one of Dennis taken in 1983:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=873386669434099&set=o.168908843320461&type=3&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=873386669434099&set=o.168908843320461&type=3&theater)

All I see is a box with an x in it.  :brow

Fixed the link. :)

I don't think I've ever seen that one before. Is it just me, or did Dennis always tilt his head to the side in all of the later pictures? Somewhere in this thread AGD mentioned that another picture recently surfaced that is a new candidate for the last picture ever taken of Dennis. I wish I had asked him about it while he was here.

One of the saddest BBs pictures ever... :(

Maybe I already said this in this thread a long time ago, but I'm always wary of reading too much into random candid photos.

Dennis was in bad shape in 1983 by most accounts; I don't think this latest photo really speak any more to that one way or the other. I've seen perfectly healthy young people look weird in photos simply because of how it was captured; eyes awkwardly closed, etc.

I don't know if it was in this thread or elsewhere where some purported 1983 photos were shown and elicited comments like "you can tell he didn't have long", etc., and then it turned out the photo was from like 1981 instead.

I've seen pics of Dennis in 1983 where he looked better than his worst moments in 1980, and so on.

I could be wrong but he looks like he is mimicking Gage.

Is that Shawn? she's cute. Dennis looks awful, though. Sad to see.

During the time Dennis and Shawn were together, after they had Gage, I would think they would have all 3 made appearances at least at some BB shows. Did Mike just avoid/stonewall all three of them completely? I cannot imagine how excruciatingly awkward it would have been for a woman who stated she believed he (Mike) was his daughter, and she resembled Mike, but Mike wouldn't publicly accept paternity, to have this family unit (including Mike's probable grandchild) still making appearances and hanging out backstage at periphery of BBs shows.  

Was the divide so great in '82/'83 that Mike could just insulate himself from them by distance/proximity at shows, and pretend they were not his concern? Yet I have seen photos that someone posted on here of Shawn and Gage at a late '80s (1988 I think?) BB show backstage, where Mike is visible in the same photo as both of them. So I would think there was - at least at some point, past Denny's passing - some minor contact at minimum. Certainly a sensitive subject, and one I've never heard any information about. I've sadly witnessed similar excruciatingly awkward divides at my family, also between an estranged father and daughter, at family reunions/birthday parties, and you could cut the tension with a knife.

I wonder if that whole ordeal makes the book...?

So, if that's Shawn (and I assume it is), it appears she is handing something to Mike or he is handing something to her……either that or they are holding hands. 

Or is it simply an optical illusion?  Anyone?

Must be an illusion.  I'm seeing Shawn's index finger on her left hand pointing.  There is no physical contact going on.

Yeah, you may very well be right.  But I can't quite seem to rule out that Mike is reaching out, and possibly touching her.

Oh, well.

These of defiantly some of the last photos of Dennis, if the last maybe?

Looks to me like Shawn is pointing at Carl, perhaps telling Gage "here's your Uncle Carl"? Mike, to me, looks to be just pointing at Gage, sort of perhaps maybe saying "AWWWW look at Gage". Who knows, except for the parties present. As far as the Dennis pics from Maui, while he does look tired and more aged than previously in them, he looks far better than he did at times that year, particularly towards the very end. IMHO

I think that Shawn is actually pointing at Al and saying to Gage: " Oh, don't worry about him, your grandfather will be kicking him out of the group soon anyway".

I've seen one particular photo of Dennis from 1983 where he looks genuinely good, in my opinion. In the picture he's sitting down in a chair, wearing a dark colored sweater. He doesn't even seem to have the grey hair he has in most pics from that year. It was posted on the Hoffman board, in a thread that was quickly deleted.

Others in the set. Note Gage hugging Carl.

Ya gotta wonder what Mike's thinking there....if you can get past that he is dressed like a total tool.

What are you talking about?  Those sunglasses are totally Rad!

I really do wonder what he's thinking there too. It would really be painful to think that they had next to zero relationship as father/daughter/grandchild. But who knows. If the upcoming book sideskirts their very existence entirely, that would be quite a shame.

This one? I found it on the web as dated 1983 but I don't know if that is true.


(http://www.stephenjohnkalinich.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Dennis-Wilson.jpg)

Looks more like 1973!  That's either Michael or Carl (2 of Dennis' other sons) I believe.

Nope. If I knew how to post pictures here I'd post it. It's a fairly dark picture. He has a full head of dark hair, and he's clean shaven.

I'm pretty sure that's Gage.

Judging by the shirt collar it looks more like a 70s picture than an 80s picture to me. :-D

Agrre. That looks like 1970's Dennis with either one of his sons Michael or Carl.

I've never known that to be anything other than a 1983 picture. In fact, it often comes up in internet searches for "Dennis Wilson 1983".

Not that Internet sites can't be accurate but very often photos are posted with inaccurate dates. I've related this before but the Getty archive had thousands of photo and almost all were poorly dated. When I inquired they told me that they'd acquired collections and that most were undated.  I offered to date them for them and I did so for about their pictures but it's an exhausting job and I stopped after a while

No way is that from the 80s, for a couple of reasons

1)That is not Gage

and

2) Dennis's face was puffier and far more bloated in the 80s.

It looks like Carl B to me.

It is most definitely Carl B.

I find it interesting in the pictures of Shawn and Gage with everyone standing around.....who is the one who bends down to Gage's level to interact with him?  Who is the one who reaches in for a hug?   Yes, folks.....that would be Carl.  Carl who loved ALL family, no matter the circumstances of their lives.

Yes and no...Carl was his uncle.  The other 2 aren't relatives..( well maybe one of them isn't.....)

Actually, you can most certainly remove the "maybe". Even if one buys into the premise that Mike wasn't Shawn's father, he'd still be 110% blood-related to Gage via Dennis. Mike is inarguably Gage's older cousin via Mike's 1st cousin being Dennis... and most likely in addition to that relation - also Gage's grandpa.

And I second that Carl's open arms seems to be in keeping with the kind of very decent guy he's always portrayed as.

Is it just me, or does Carl seem really annoyed that somebody is taking a picture of him as he's hugging Gage?

Is Carl hugging him or trying to pick him off?  ;D

I thought that when I first saw the picture too.

That would be from the Love gene.

....I'll get my coat. ;D

Possible. But again, I think candid snapshot photos will often simply reveal odd faces that don't mean anything.

Has anyone else here ever gone though old photos including themselves? Sometimes a camera just catches a seemingly curt glance or something that has no particular deep meaning.

If there was a succession of photos of Carl getting more and more pissed and coming closer and closer to the camera as if he's coming after paparazzi, then I'd be willing to say he's pissed off or something.

My high school graduation pics all look like I'm pissed off or bored. I wasn't; it turns out I was one of the only idiots who didn't bring sunglasses with them to a mid-June outdoor ceremony in California. The bleachers faced the sun directly, and I simply spent the entire time squinting and trying to avoid the sun.

Carl definitely spots the camera.  Something I have noticed about him in many videos and pictures - he was VERY aware of his surroundings.  I have seen several videos where he spots the camera guy as his eyes are sweeping the room.  The best was the one where he is performing at Largo in Maryland and he spots the camera guy pointing at him and he shakes his head and motions to him to cover someone else. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXwNfIDtRJs

at 2:26

Actually he does that also during Cali Girls on the Nashville DVD. I don't have it with me but I think he says "More Michael " to the cameraman. :lol

I get the feeling that Carl was kind of "camera shy". If you watch "Goin' On" from the "Fridays" tv show, he also looks a little uneasy.

My experience with taking photos of Carl was different. He was quite willing to pose for me (and maybe he was just humoring me by posing), but every third shot or so, he'd make a goofy face. Other photographers had similar experiences, I've heard; and there's a promo shoot contact sheet of Carl goofing off in front of the camera that's been published in one of the BB books. It was part of his sense of humor.

Slightly off-topic, but does anyone have a link to this video on the internet?  It used to be on Youtube but I can't find it.  They played Keepin the Summer Alive and Goin On/Good Vibrations.  I think it's the best Carl has ever looked, and his guitar solo on KTSA is great.  I'd like to see it again. 

Is this the video you are referring to?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7s9LrAlD_I

Partly!  Somewhere out there there's also video of them doing Keepin the Summer Alive (the song) on the same show.  It was previously on Youtube as a separate clip (but you can tell it's the same set because they're wearing the same clothes, standing on the same stage) but it disappeared from Youtube.  It's a really good live version of KTSA, which, I have to admit, is a song I've always liked despite the fact that lots of people detest it. 

Thanks!

Maybe one of his last "poses" was from this concert?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUiWjUYUhOg

Hmm, pretty sure he was talking to the audio people and he wanted to hear more Mike in the mix

It's from the show Friday's that aired in 1979-80.  Bbs taped this app on April 3 1980 and it aired in June

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CeZQnoTXIAA6QnE.jpg)

Beach Boys Legacy originally posted it on twitter (off topic: thread was about their On This Day type Beach Boys facts account but sadly got hijacked by board 'refugees' complaining about here) - they dated it as March 1983 but pos got the photo from an obscure tumblr/ blog etc.

https://twitter.com/beachboyslegacy/status/713346234275258368
"Beach Boys Legacy
‏@beachboyslegacy
Today in 1983, The Beach Boys played at the Rockford Center in Illinois
12:46 PM - 25 Mar 2016"

Annie (or Ed) Roach reshared it (hope the link's ok) -
https://www.facebook.com/ann.m.roach.1/posts/10208816639126582
Joanne Figueroa took the pic & shares some memories (Dennis literally gave her the shirt of his back).

These videos have some late pictures of Dennis that I never saw before:

dennis wilson rainbows last photos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpX-lPjWkF4


DENNIS WILSON (LAST PHOTOS 2") Farewell My Friend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXiwufFo3KQ

I know this is an old post but this has resurfaced - very good live appearance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h62YsU1GZc

This has the Jack Burns intro, then KtSA, then a Jack Burns joke (presumably not at the Beach Boys' expense - I think it's a callback to something earlier in the show - but given their history you have to wonder how the guys felt about it... watch the video and you'll see what I mean), then Good Vibrations segueing into the hugely-underrated Goin' On.

I was going through this entire thread, and I came across several pictures posted by a former member here by the name of Lady. Unfortunately all of the pictures are now long gone. Does anybody happen to have them saved anywhere? If I remember correctly they were all pictures of The Beach Boys in concert in 1996. I believe most of the pictures were mainly of Carl. I think there were one or two pictures of Carl in 1997 that are no longer here that I'd like to see again.

I agree, as a noob this thread is really intriguing, but it is missing many photos of Brian abd Dennis from the early 80s as well as Carl mid 90s. I’d like to be able to see them especially since I just finished Jon Stebbins book about Dennis.

I found this again recently too!  I was so happy to see it again - I think this is a great performance and love the version of Good Vibrations and Goin On. 

Billy Hinsche posted this on Facebook. Certainly not the last picture, but probably '83, I'd guess.


(https://scontent-ham3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/150258514_5728459390513640_1800302906199828666_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=eqjb36jNH_wAX8i2TT9&_nc_ht=scontent-ham3-1.xx&oh=977767a5ebab40627156ca58db7dc2b6&oe=604E9C2D)

Definitely 83 probably sometime between April and July as Dennis looks similar to the way he looked in Seattle video but looks worse than he looked in the 1982 video from candlestick park when he looked pretty good