The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate Wouldn't It Be Nice?: My Own Story, released October 1, 1991.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/wouldntitbenicebook.jpg) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060183136/)

I like it.

Sure, it's twisted, but you do get some great anecdotes, hopefully some of which are true. My favorite part is Brian's overnight trek through the wilderness. I thought the weightloss portion of the book was very motivational and inspirational, but the overall angry tone of the book is a turn off, and the Landy worshipping plain creepy.

It is my understanding that Brian did not write word-one of this; it was all done by Landy with Todd Gold. Hence the creepiness and Landy worship.

That book is BOGUS!

This book is an embarassment in every possible way. Brian's human, but he's not capable of that kind of hatred.

A lot of it is from Brian, if you consider stories told by him to Gold.
The Stones and Elvis anecdotes are him, for sure.
But other stories, such as the Alice/Iggy story, are from Danny Hutton.
And other stories are from other people, all mashed together into Brian's "voice".
From Landy's entrance in, it's pretty much all by Landy, though.
Plenty of bad info cribbed unashamedly from other books.
Still an essential read.
2 and a half.

I've been trying to find a copy for entertainments sake.

Brian's personal obersations, in this book, about Jan Berry in the studio, are very revealing.

1. The connection through Lou Adler has been affirmed by Lou . . . to me, and to other interviewers.

2. Brian makes a few powerful statements about Jan as a producer . . . and when you add those to what Brian said about Jan, on the record, in 2002 . . . it helps affirm that not all details of Wouldn't It Be Nice are bunk.

In 2002, Brian acknowledged that Jan Berry was the one who taught him how to cut cleaner backing tracks in the studio . . . which is a nice tag to what he says in WIBN.

Because of the Landy situation . . . the co-writer situation with Gold . . . and all of the acrimony surrounding the group . . . people just tend to write the whole thing off. But there is some very useful and accurate information in that book (along with all the bad stuff). Depends what you're looking for.

M.

the definitive Brian Wilson bio has yet to be written, and WIBN is not it.

Funny how some people who attack this book are nevertheless all to eager believe the parts of it which suit their own agenda.  The bit about Brian trying give Carnie and Wendy heroin for instance.

Maybe they believe those parts because they're confirmed by other sources ?

I actually enjoyed reading this book. I took it all with a grain of salt, and it's a shame that Brian didn't write it, but I loved reading about his experiences growing up and being anxious around girls (and eventually courting the Rovells) and all that.

I think the book is useful up to the point where it obviously becomes an informercial for Gene Landy.

Yes, but I'm pretty sure (not having the thing open before me, you understand) there are other parts confirmed by other sources that they're not so willing to believe.

Mark Moore and Pirate probably have the most balanced view of the "auto"bio.

Yes, he didn't actually write it , but guess what folks? No celeb actually writes their own autobiography! That's why you always a second author credited!

I used to be among those who dismissed this book outright, until I actually re-read it.  Gold does try to write it in Brian's voice (if not his verbiage) up to about 1976, and then he writes it in Landy's voice.  And although Gold plaguarizes Steven Gaine's reporting in H & V (is Gaines the only person who DIDN'T sue over WIBN?), there are some things that could have only come from Brian - particularly the SMiLE-era. Listen to BWPS, Maybe Brian was trying to communicate what his initial artistic intentions were when describing his LSD flashbacks?

If you're a newbie and you find this book, get it, read it, and decide for yourself how much is true and how much of it isn't.

1, Brian has stated under other in court that his only involvement was to "drop off a bunch of tapes" to Gold. I'm reliably informed that in those tapes, the majority of Brian's answers were "yes", "no" or "I don't remember". Gold himself admitted as mich on a Billboard article.

2. Gold stole large chunks of the Gaines and Leaf books and put the words of others into Brian's mouth. He then justified it by saying he had to flesh out Brian's sometimes terse responses.

The most entertaining BB book out there. 5 stars.

Got mine used of amazon.com for like $12 total.

it was a good read and I wasn't even aware of the ghostwriting and "lies" until after. Still, a great 'n sad time while reading it.

7/10

Got mine used of amazon.com for like $12 total.

it was a good read and I wasn't even aware of the ghostwriting and "lies" until after. Still, a great 'n sad time while reading it. I like some of the early 1980's rare photos that I'm sure the Beach Boy estates wants to keep hidden forever (a la '77 Elvis)... Brian was a big wreck to look at.

Landy, love him or hate him, saved his life. I think there's more reason to appreciate Landy than hate him.

7/10

Then what did he use to flesh out Brian's reluctant responses? I agree that Gaines and Leaf were heavily plaguirized, but  the SMiLE chapter, especially when LSD trips are described seem like they could have come from Brian.  Did Tood Gold interview anyone else for the book and if so would he have filled in the gaps with, say Danny Hutton's recollections?

Didn't he also say that he never even read the book?

Not only that, but referred to it as "all lies and bullshit".

But when can you believe anything he says anyway?

I was thinking about getting this book and I had few quearys about it:

1) How much does Brian go into SMiLE?  :deadhorse

2) Does he talk about 70's much (unlike McCartney's book)?

3) How much does he go into Pet Sounds?

4) Is it well written or is it fluff (or written fluff)?

5) Does he go into his shakey relationship with Mike or is that just a post-BWPS thing?

What does it matter? It's all false anyway.

What all of it or just the Landy bits?

You shouldn't trust anything the book says, unless it's been corroborated elsewhere.

I can't believe how harsh you're being on this book. To me it was a wildly entertaining read, and although I wasn't aware of the bogus aspects of it back then, I think the most fascinating parts could only come from Brian himself:

Growing up/problems with girls
The "take a sh*t on this newspaper" incident
The Rovell sisters
The episode with Mike & Marilyn
Listening to Pet Sounds for the first time
Pinching that actress in the ass and stealing scoops of peanut butter with his thumb

I remember the parts with Landy sounding somewhat like propaganda, as some of you have mentioned. However, I don't think that hurts the book all that much. Landy did save his life, and the intense treatment was a large part of Brian's life. He brainwashed Brian and controlled his life, so to read that part more or less written by the guy makes sense in a weird way.

I haven't read it in a long time, but that's what I feel right now anyway. The book may not give you the facts or the truth, but it has plenty of good stories, and I think it is essential for every Brian Wilson fan.

I read all that stuff you mentioned in other books and interviews before that book was out. The ghostwriter Todd Gold did his research, read that stuff too, and wrote the book.
Sure, it's entertaining.

I just bought a copy on Amazon for 99 cents.

man... just the recollections of surfs up, this whole world and Brian, the SI song...were enough revelations to me in '91 to continue being a BB freek!!!!!!!!!!!!! te LSD experiences made me feel like i was trippin' with him.

It matters because people still quote this crappy book

I read where Brian said he never 'Proof read' it.
I like the book overall.

Terrible.  Forget the subject matter and the circumstances surrounding the book for one second -- it's still poorly composed with bad metaphors and descriptions that only serve to "inspire emotion" and stir up the drama.  However, it fails to earn any kind of sober reaction because it reads like a 13 year old girls diary!  "Nobody would listen to me!  They didn't care about my problems!  They wouldn't let me stay home when they went to Australia!"   :'(  It's embarrassing to think that people out there are under the impression that BW wrote this.

Nonetheless, I'm enjoying the book the same way I'd enjoy watching a Lifetime presentation of Brian Wilson's life, starring Lindsay Lohan as Marilyn and who cares who plays BW as long as he comes off as a vindictive little baby.

Marilyn said  brian offered carnie drugs when she was 9 or 10 and that was it, she had enough and left brian for good. It's on a bio i seen on A&E. I know this thread is old but had to post anyway.

I got about half way through this book and then found out that Brian didnt have anything to do with it, so that made me not bothered to read the rest of it

I would say that this book is essential for the pictures alone.  I doubt that Brian or the rest of The Beach Boys would agree to those pictures of Brian at his worst being published today. I wonder about certain stories in this book. Is it true that Brian didn't reckognise his own children after not seeing them for years? Also, what about that story of a show in Canada in 1979, where Brian was so drunk that he tried to go to sleep right on the stage?

Who knows what's true and false. I liked this book, It made me want to keep reading. Brian has told different stories so It's hard to know whats what.

I recently found this going in a second-hand store and the things it describes in a matter-of-fact way blew my mind.

But I have two big problems with the content, whether it is stolen or not.

"Brian" - if it is he - does Carl a huge disservice, fails to acknowledge his contribution over the years, doesn't recognise anything Carl or Dennis writes other than the tracks on "Friends", simply stating that they failed to find a hit single. I am sure Brian doesn't think this way.

The book is also inaccurate when it lists the songs Brian actually wrote. On Sunflower, we know that Brian was involved on 3 or 4 of the songs, the book underplays his involvement in mid-late Beach Boys output and obviously  focuses on the negative aspects to Brian's life.

There are more controversies, particular sexual, but these stand out.

Despite the fog of disinformation, a lot of Landy's therapy seemed absolutely appropriate at the time, in order to save Brian's life. In the end, if we read between the lines, we see both doctor and patient in a dependent relationship. The main issue which Landy could be blamed for was the drug treatment, perhaps.

I had read BB by Leaf and Heroes and Villians before reading Wouldn't It Be Nice...it only took about 5 pages before it became pretty clear that Brian wasn't involved with this book.  I ended up reading the whole thing, the train wreck syndrome....don't want to look, but end up looking anyway.  It was read with a grain of salt, but I guess it was an interesting read, even tho it was pulp fiction.
Carly

Honestly, I cut the photos out of it and then threw it away. Too much controversy surrounding the accuracy for me to want to read it again.

Seems like this thread is a lot like the following conversation;

David Anderle: "There's a few little things in there (the book) about things that went on with him and I that are so dead-on, so sharp, the memory."

Paul Williams: "He didn't write that book..."

David Anderle: "But those stories had to come from somewhere."

Okay, so if the some of the contents seems accurate to David Anderle then, perhaps, some of the contents are correct. And also it appears that Brian didn't write most of the thing and that Todd Gold pieced it together.

Some of the stories have later been confirmed by Brian on his website and in interviews.

The "autobiography" is a great tester of your Brian Wilson  sensibilities. One can discover true gold or end up with nothing at all depending on your ability to divine the truth.

Well of course some of the contents are correct. They aren't exactly Brian's own words necessarily but Todd Gold obviously got old interviews etc.. with Brian and asked people about Brian and wrote his story from there. I mean just because in the book it might say (I'm just making it up as an example): "Then I wrote Don't Worry Baby as a response to Be My Baby. Phil Spector is the greatest thing there ever was." I mean Todd Gold could easily find somewhere where Brian had said something similar and then just change it around a bit and add a few things here and there and he could easily pass it off as saying "oh those are Brian's words." But there is some things in that book that just are totally not Brian at all.

What's mainly wrong is the attitude. Brian is a very nice man, not bitter or angry like he comes off in the book.

I don't say this to be a jerk (even though I am one), but how do you know what kind of man Brian is? Like the vast majority of us, you've gotten his P.R. machine's message, not the real man. I'm sure he's got plenty of anger and bitterness, no matter what David Leaf wants the world to know. That said, the book is obviously not his work, as has been testified to in court (not to mention it uses a vocabulary that would be, if Brian's, entirely different than one he ever used before in any interview, ever).

Well I just observe his manner (which even the best PR can't completely cover) and he has an air of congeniality about him. Even when angry or negative I have never heard him talk in this way about anyone. I mean he has never been described as aggressive or condescending.
Besides I am just making the same point you are in that it's not written in the way his vocabulary flows.

I've just re-read this in the last few days, so I thought I'd chime in. 

If nothing else, the book is certainly an interesting read.  When I first read it several years ago, I didn't yet know that it was so heavily ghostwritten and that Brian had little to do with it.  Thus, it was cooler to read back then, thinking that it was really Brian saying these things.  Even knowing the truth, though, I still find myself enjoying it. 

People are pretty hard on the book, and rightfully so in certain respects, but I think the first half of it is fairly solid factually.  There are inaccuracies, naturally; sometimes large ones.  But the early years are covered quite well overall, and fun to read about. 

Where things start running into problems is when Landy enters the picture, which, of course, is no accident.  The harshness towards seemingly everyone but Landy is overwhelming at times, and the praise that is heaped on him can be nauseating.  I would love someday to have Brian tell the real story behind those years, but I doubt we will ever see such a thing.

Overall, like others have said, this book has more utility as entertainment rather than factual autobiography, but it is still a valuable part of the Beach Boys literary canon.

The early years cannot be relied upon for anything either. Dates are wrong, stories are lifted from other sources, and others have refuted info on it at such a level that I have to say I don't beilieve anything in it on its face. It's like one of those tv movies "based on a true story". Sadly too many books sicne have used the info from as cold hard fact. That's why it is such a pox on Beach Boys history, it muddied the waters of most that came after. The Mike Love Til I Die story seems to be wrong and that gets repeated everywhere. Mike has praised that song, and it was also among those aired in 2-71 on a New York radio station. If Mike hated it would he have let it be brought in?

I agree with MBE that even the recounting of the early years in WIBN?MOS can't be trusted that much.  Of course we know there are true stories there (much of the stuff that's been cribbed from previous BB bios).  But how much can we trust the "new" revelations?  For example, has Brian ever recounted his acid trips and flashback experience in such detail to any other biographer or interviewer?  How do we know that those events aren't more embellishments of Brian's "terse answers" by Todd Gold?

The second half of the book with its worship/defense of Landy is so nauseating that I never want to read it again.  There's one particular bit in there that just disgusts me to no end:

"Dr. Landy proved to be a hard taskmaster.  I gave him songs I thought were finished, and he handed them right back.  He often told me what I'd done would've been great in the sixties, but it was the late eighties and I had to bring it up to snuff."

The gall of that man!  To think he could deign to tell Brian Wilson how to write songs! >:D   I'm sure that kind of talk really did wonders for Brian's confidence in his songwriting abilities. >:(

Well I don't know MBE, Bruce has quoted that SOMEONE wasn't a fan of 'Til I Die... so if it wasn't Bruce or Mike... it was either Al, Dennis or Carl... and besides opinions change over time of course so maybe Mike didn't like it at the time, but changed his opinion later on?... And who says Mike "let it be brought in"? They were a band of course, so maybe the other guys (there was more than just Mike on that broadcast right?) wanted it to be played.

Those are valid arguments but my contention is that Gold guessed it was Mike based on Bruce's quote for Leaf. Sad thing is that now it's gone down as history that Mike hated the song. Who knows 100 percent but I for one don't trust Gold's writing at all.

I had read "Heroes and Villians" prior to reading WIBN...it only took a few pages to realize this didn't even remotely sound like the last book.  But, like a train wreck...I...must.....not....look.....I ended up reading it anyway, with a grain of salt, of course.  I liked some of the pictures.  I have read the Timothy White book, also, but found myself skimming over the stuff that didn't directly relate to the band.  It too is an interesting read.  Summer is coming, I need another BB book to read....

Several of the actual song titles quoted, and lyrics listed in the chapter about Smile are wrong. That tells you about all you need to know about how accurate this book is. The thing that I'm curios about is, why didn't Brian sue Landy and Gold when this book came out? If I were Brian, I would have sued Landy for completely fucking up my life in every possible way. I mean, the poor guy got sued by HIS OWN MOTHER over this book.

Brian couldn't have sued Landy over the book because Brian was a participant in the book: I mean, he did promotional book-signing behind it. It wasn't as if Landy did it without Brian knowing. And if I recall Andrew Doe's statements on it correctly, they probably were trying for a more accurate book than they had gotten, but when most celebs' ghost writers get decent interviews from their "author" subjects, Brian was in one-word-answer mode and Gold had to be a bit more creative.

Has anyone ever tracked down Gold and asked him?

According to this book, Al is a racist. 'Does he really have to put his arm around her' says Al. (Later he apparently makes a mocking remark regarding Brian's, er, shoes).

I mean, really...? The problem with this book is that it just clearly has such an agenda (Landy's) and as such it is frequently - page after page - utterly unbelievable! Nothing fits. People's personalities seem to bare absolutely no resemblence whatsoever to those they have in real life. Poor Carl is just destroyed in this book, it's a disgrace. No mention is made of his songwriting/producing talents. Meanwhile more attention is paid to Dennis apparently beating up a young girl then his writing any songs. In fact, Brian seems entirely unsure of what he himself did and didn't write (he was actively involved in Sunflower, as the writing credits show, yet he claims otherwise here).

It's such a shame this book excists.

I've never read this book but I knew enough about it being a Landy vehicle (and only minimally, if at all, genuine Brian) that when I watched The Devil and Daniel Johnston I felt really bad, both for him and his parents, when Daniel Johnston's parents were talking about how -- after Johnston became obsessed with Brian/The Beach Boys -- they had begun reading Brian's "autobiography" to see what they might do differently to prevent Johnston from ending up the same way.

Also, this thread kinda makes me want to read it~

It's interesting that a lot of Dennis' foibles are mentioned - in passing - in this book, but yet he is kind of held up as the one member of the family/band that will stick up for Brian. Carl, on the other hand, is opposed to Brian at every turn - despite the fact that Carl took the initiative to bring Landy back into the picture the second time. Obviously, Landy was furious with Carl for trying to have him removed when it became clear that the doc would never choose to leave on his own. I look at the pics of Brian from the mid/late 80's, and he looks fantastic, so athletic, even youthful - but at what cost? Sure, Landy got Brian off "drugs" - and replaced them with "meds". What a nightmare.

I know this is talked about in the Catch A Wave book by Peter Carlin (I just read it recently). It wasn't stated that Mike hated the song but thought that the lyrics were a downer.

Mike seems to tie himself in knots with his contradictions (or alleged contradictions): there he is in the Endless Harmony doc complaining of how the record company promoted them affected them being taken seriously ('in light of the war in Vietnam and the student demonstartions, it was completely ridiculous') and yet it seems to have always been him who objected to attempts by other band members at more artistic, serious or (supposedly) downbeat work.

I agree. If you've ever listened to Brian on interviews and heard the way he speaks (no matter what time period) and then read the text of WIBN: MOS, it's obvious that it's just not Brian talking. Also, I have serious, major doubts about the chapter claiming that Landy sent Brian on an Outward Bound adventure by himself. The one constant thing that you always hear about the Landy program was that Brian was never (or at least, almost never) allowed to be by himself, ever. Even if the story is true, and even if, for instance, Landy did swear the Outward Bound folks to secrecy or whatever, think about it: Brian Wilson hiking, climbing mountains, etc., would be too juicy of an event for the OB people not to gossip about, resulting in it making the news, which it never did. At least I don't remember any BB or BW-related stories back in 1984-85-86 mentioning it! A more appropriate title for the book would have been Wouldn't It Be Nice If It Were My Own Story!

It'd be nice in Brian would finally publicly denounce the book, purely out of respect for Carl if nothing else. And not in any kind of half-hearted shrugging 'aw i've never even read it' way...

Well, Timothy White's book The Nearest Faraway Place says that during the depositions in the case where Brian was sued by Mike, Carl, Audree, etc. for the content in WIBN, Brian was quoted as saying that the book was "absolute bullsh*t," "total fiction" and "all garbage" (or something to that effect). Even though White doesn't elaborate, I'm guessing that what might have happened during said deposition was that perhaps parts of the book were read to Brian and he might have then and there confirmed what most BB fans suspect. I seriously doubt that Landy and his goons would have let him read it, so Brian probably wasn't kidding about not having seen the final manuscript. From what I've seen, except for the interview on Larry King's show from 2004, Brian for the most doesn't like to talk about Landy or the time he was under his program all that much, and I can't say I blame him. Because of that, I doubt that he'll ever publicly denounce that book or even talk about it in a future interview. I'm sure that he probably settled things w/ Carl privately before Carl died.

I was at first interested in obtaining this "autobiography" until I found out this wasn't even written by Brian Wilson.
This was written by Eugene Landy, so I wouldn't trust this book one bit!
But then again, I haven't actually read the book. I'm just going to have to see what other people think of this.
I expect negative reviews. For now:
1 out of 5

I'm actually reading the notorious book and I'm halfway through.

At first, I didn't even want to read it because I had heard only bad things about it. After a couple of months, curiosity got the best of me.

I'm not yet into the Landy years (year/years) but I find this read most fascinating. I never expected it to be written "by" Brian - I mean, who can expect that? I think Gold did a fine job of putting Brian's inner turmoil into words. I actually think it's quite touching, the way it's written. Simple. Of course I agree that some of it is harsh on Carl and Marilyn, but I think there can be truth in Brian not seeing, as ill and self-consumed as he was, that anyone truly loved him and cared for him as best they could. "He" talks about how he did not get help from people around him and that must have been a large part of his experience. Feeling alone and no one who could understand the depth of his suffering.
 
Anyway, that's what I'm getting from it and I really appreciate the new perspective. When it comes to Brian and the Beach Boys, one can't read only one book and claim to know the truth. The truth is what people make of it, in a particular time and place. I believe a lot of it is true, even though these are not Brian's own words. I think his own words and thoughts can only be found in his music.

As for Brian calling it "all garbage" in court, well, I'm not surprised. Once the book came out and seeing the shitstorm caused by it, I can't think of any other reaction of Brian's other than to disavow the whole thing. Just to get away from the storm.

+ About Landy: even though most of us don't like him for his methods and the way he manipulated and isolated his patient,  Brian has numerous times said that he really loved him and was grateful for what he did, despite the bad stuff. I think this has to be taken into consideration.

This is the book (a birthday present in 2003) that re-introduced me to Brian and The Beach Boys. So I'm biased in its favour, if only for that reason. 

I thought it was a fantastic read and still do (I've read it at least twice). 

There are others far more in the know than myself about how things were----I wasn't there. However, as a book, a page-turner if ever there was one, in the words of Janice Nicholls on Thank Your Lucky Stars, "Oi'll give it foive".