Peer reviewed opinions? Isn't there something in the US Constitution against that?

Yes!    It seems that way, in any case.

I think many of us have had to write in both a scholarly fashion and in a format with style guidelines for popular publications.  It takes a different mindset.  They are two very different things - and the US is pop culture at heart, whether we like it or not. 

Thus, Mike's book was written for pop culture from the large number of excerpts I've seen (and I can't imagine it being anything else, frankly), intended to sell to the masses, as was this review.  If I'm in the mood for academic papers, this works - https://www.academia.edu/  I don't think you'll be finding either Mike's or Brian's books.  ;-) in this location.

  As an academic, I know exactly what you're saying. I would guess in Musicology (not my field), Brian's work has been examined extensively by scholars and will  continue to be so. The Pitchfork writer probably had an editor and it looks like she has some credible work behind her. But, yeah. The bios sure aren't aimed toward the academic audience. I think the Pitchfork article, amidst its maybe a little belabored conceit 9although it's hilarious given the BBs unending lawsuits), has a strong point to give.

This sounds great. Thank you!

That sucks

Thanks, Billy, but it was really mild and almost no one would know except me and a few others. Since it happened a long time ago, it's easy for me to forget how that same thing can  affect people who've been living with it for a long time. Famous folks don't have that luxury. They get half-truths thrown about them all the time. I didn't really get it until  it happened to me. It was half-truthful enough to be painful, if that makes any sense.

Since the BBs have been famous since 1963 and all the insane PR of being teen idols, then the post-Watergate expose coverage of the rock star excesses, to TMZ, to twitter, it's all going to be warped.  If I read Mike's book I know I'll disregard most of what he says about Brian's emotional/mental state because he seems to have an almost Scientologist's view of mental illness and treatment.

I'm really looking forward to this because I love hearing/reading about the artistic process, and when an artist of this caliber explores his or her motivations, background, perceptions--the ways he or she creates, it's always exciting and inspiring.  Also illusive, so it will be a pleasure to get some insight. But there's always this unknown factor with that level of creative brilliance.

It got really dusty in here while I was reading that review.

I'll read Mike's book, too, because I have to admit, I like prurient gossip sometimes. Mike's point of view will be interesting but I have no illusions that it will be through anything other than his particular lens. It might be enjoyable in a People Magazine kind of way. (Like Mike telling Dennis about certain sexual things. Who didn't have an older cousin tell them some stuff? Shall I tell you about my older cousin's influence? Hint: He got all of his younger cousins high for the first time.)

 Mike is genuinely talented and has worked his ass off. But there is a difference between Mike's considerable talent and Brian's off-the-charts, how-do-you-account for this brilliance. Mike knows it. We all know it.

If this Huffpo review is accurate, Brian's memoir will be something to savor as a glimpse into extraordinary life and perceptions of one of the most important musician-composers of the latter part of the 20th century. We are very fortunate to have this.

I haven't read Brian's book, but this review makes it look really promising.  It doesn't sound like tabloid detritus so far - as I said, something more inspiring. As far as the People Magazine stuff, I really am not into that so can't comment.

Actually, I'd be grateful for just a glimpse into how he sees his creative process! 

I like stories. But I didn't live it the way you did. 

I just realized that 's a crummy thing to say. I was an unnamed person in a former friend's memoir. She wasn't former friend until I read the memoir and got a painful glimpse of what she really thought of me.  I had to shrug it off as "this is what you get for hanging around with writers," but it hurt. She'd stayed in my home. And yes, I knew she was writing about me.

It isn't some tabloid stuff. These are lives.

I'm really looking forward to this because I love hearing/reading about the artistic process, and when an artist of this caliber explores his or her motivations, background, perceptions--the ways he or she creates, it's always exciting and inspiring.  Also illusive, so it will be a pleasure to get some insight. But there's always this unknown factor with that level of creative brilliance.

It got really dusty in here while I was reading that review.

I'll read Mike's book, too, because I have to admit, I like prurient gossip sometimes. Mike's point of view will be interesting but I have no illusions that it will be through anything other than his particular lens. It might be enjoyable in a People Magazine kind of way. (Like Mike telling Dennis about certain sexual things. Who didn't have an older cousin tell them some stuff? Shall I tell you about my older cousin's influence? Hint: He got all of his younger cousins high for the first time.)

 Mike is genuinely talented and has worked his ass off. But there is a difference between Mike's considerable talent and Brian's off-the-charts, how-do-you-account for this brilliance. Mike knows it. We all know it.

If this Huffpo review is accurate, Brian's memoir will be something to savor as a glimpse into extraordinary life and perceptions of one of the most important musician-composers of the latter part of the 20th century. We are very fortunate to have this.

They are a really good-looking family!

Thanks for posting this.

Coughing and hacking from allergies. Pollen is not my friend, though the trees are beautiful. Got a manicure. Don't feel like cooking.

The semester is almost over but that means I have to read all my students' work. Hence, writing here to procrastinate as I don't post much here. (But lurk a lot)

Sounds like a fun concert.  And although there are other performers, it does say they're headlining.  A nice new tradition in keeping with the old 4th of July concerts.

There is something called "shallow water blackout" caused by hyperventilation which sounds very much like what happened to Dennis. My own opinion was that it was an accident that alcohol  played a part in. I don't buy the theory that Dennis just gave up, as tragically romantic as that may sound.

I don't find it romantic, although it may seem so from my statement above. The cold water, multiple dives, and hypothermia no doubt played a part. IIRC, there was no indication that he'd hit his head according the autopsy?  Maybe I've just been around long enough to know that sometimes people are just done. It's not an active choice, just a sort of..ok.

OK, so 28 29 then.  

1969
May 2  - University of Oklahoma, Norman OK (trouble getting back from India)

1970
February 26 - Gonzaga University, Spokane WA [2 shows] (hospitalised)
February 27 - Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver BC, Canada [2 shows] (hospitalised)
February 28 - Opera House, Seattle WA [2 shows] (hospitalised)

March 1 - Civic Auditorium, Portland OR [2 shows] (hospitalised)

1983
June 15  - Broome County Veteran’s Memorial Arena, Binghamton NY (strep throat)
June 16 - Civic Center, Erie PA (strep throat)
June 17 - Timber Wolf Amphitheatre, King’s Island OH (strep throat)
June 18 - Blossom Music Center, Cleveland OH (strep throat)
June 19 - Saratoga Springs NY (strep throat)

1985
May  4 - Hi Corbett Field, Tucson AZ (?)
July 26 - Kingswood Music Theater, Toronto ON, Canada (?)

1986
December 17 - Sullivan Arena, Anchorage AK (? - Brian stepped in)

1990
May 28 - Atlanta-Fulton County  Stadium, Atlanta GA [postgame] (in Japan with ESBB)
May 28 - Hoover Stadium, Hoover AL [postgame] (in Japan with ESBB)
May 31 - Timber Wolf Ampitheater, Kings Island OH (in Japan with ESBB)
May 31 - Clipper's Stadium, Columbus OH (in Japan with ESBB)

June 1 - Cardinal Stadium, Louisville KY [postgame] (in Japan with ESBB)
June 2 - Molson Park, Barrie ON, Canada (in Japan with ESBB)
June 2 - Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland OH (in Japan with ESBB)
June 3 - Pilot Field, Buffalo NY (in Japan with ESBB)
June 29 - Canadian Olympic Park, Calgary AB, Canada (?)
June 30 - Evergreen Park, Saskatoon SK, Canada (?)

July 1 - Centennial Park, Grand Falls NL, Canada (?)
July 2 - Montreal QC, Canada (?)

That is astonishing.  Amazing stamina and work ethic. Probably more rewarding and fun than sheet metal work. 

There are people who feel that when he was down there, he decided enough was enough. I'm one of them.

I suspect this is accurate. I think he was just. plain. tired.

Could we not have a daily summary thread? Give one person the responsibility to report here to us?

Here's a summary:

DRUGS!!.....   .....mi...key... 80,000000 views.....!!!!!   pUnCH 

Then some weird Q'ran quote.

I wonder if Rocky is an obsessive emoji/emoticon user when he texts. I can't help but admit his emoticon overuse is rather hilarious - I don't take him as seriously as many others here.

It's impossible to take him seriously. I am, however, glad to not know him in real life.

Could we not have a daily summary thread? Give one person the responsibility to report here to us?

Here's a summary:

DRUGS!!.....   .....mi...key... 80,000000 views.....!!!!!   pUnCH 

Then some weird Q'ran quote.

I think the time is right for Rocky Pamplin fanfic.  We should all come up with our own sample chapters in homage to Rocky.

Who throws the first punch?

Or inserts the first emoticon?

Boy I bet some legal representatives are going to have a field day when this comes out.

Libel laws in the US are much more lax than those in the UK. It's really hard to sue for libel in the US.

There is a genre called Creative Nonfiction (CNF), under which memoir fits. There are debates in the field about how factual CNF has to be.  With memoir, it's understood that memory has its limits and "truth" is not always "fact."  Using "I" pretty much indicates to anyone it's to the best memory of the writer.  You can't make stuff up, but it's not the same as journalism or history.

When in doubt, however, leave out dates or places unless you have notebooks or journals from the time. Memory is a tricky thing.

Ok, back to popcorn.

ETA: At that time, actually, it probably wouldn't have gotten reported.  Celebrity stuff wasn't that big a deal.

Obviously memoirs are subject to perspective, but what is reported in a memoir as hard fact, i.e. dates, places, are meant to be correct in a nonfiction category. This is not debated. And local news would certainly report an assault on a parade clown, celebrity assailant or not. Have none of you ever read your local newspaper?

Journalism is not Creative Nonfiction in most cases. Memoir is not "hard fact."  As I stated above, this is debated among those of us in the creative writing profession. If you'd like to join me at the Associated Writers and Writing Conference in LA, you can listen to many panels and talks about it.

You can choose to believe that all memoirs have "hard facts" but you will be disappointed. They may have some facts, and when given, like the one ol' Rocky gave, they should be accurate and checked.

There is a genre called Creative Nonfiction (CNF), under which memoir fits. There are debates in the field about how factual CNF has to be.  With memoir, it's understood that memory has its limits and "truth" is not always "fact."  Using "I" pretty much indicates to anyone it's to the best memory of the writer.  You can't make stuff up, but it's not the same as journalism or history.

When in doubt, however, leave out dates or places unless you have notebooks or journals from the time. Memory is a tricky thing.

Ok, back to popcorn.

ETA: At that time, actually, it probably wouldn't have gotten reported.  Celebrity stuff wasn't that big a deal.

All Dressed Up for Trump

The Ballad of Ol' Trumpy

Bull Session With Big Donny?

Busy Doin' Trumpin'

Trump don't Tell Me

Hang on to Your Ego.

He looks like Scott Bakula, which is not a bad thing at all.  IMO, it's a great thing.

But the "if he'd lived pic" has a bad 90's haircut which Dennis would never have.

From his photos, he only went through one period when he had a bad haircut which was in his later years when he had short hair and bangs. (I'll post a pic when I can find it). If Dennis had lived to be in his 70s he would have a close-cropped beard and that long-ass amazing Wilson hair.

And he'd be cool, of course.

Besides that, he'd look like the guy in the picture.

I immediately thought that you were referring to what some people thought Brian's voice sounded like (and that he could be embarrassed by it. I'd never heard Mike's voice referred to as "girly." Nasally? For sure.

Also, in no way did it seem that you thought Brian's voice was girly.

It's sad that the BBs had to put up with the 70s notion of  the "whiny ass pinched nose girls voice."  Since Brian is now considered to have had one of the top 100 voices in popular music (#50 in Rolling Stone), it goes to show how idiotic we could be back then.  And Carl? Well, that goes without saying. It's funny because it seemed like it was always guys who got all bent out of shape about male falsetto voices--calling it girly. We female types didn't seem to have a problem with it--in fact found it gorgeous. Just like hearing Blondie sing Wild Honey is gorgeous and it rocks. Both Carl and Brian could rock the house when they chose to. Brian had one of the most flexible and expressive voices in contemporary music. Its purity was only matched by Carl's, except in general, Brian could sing higher. It was a true loss for American music when Brian somehow got the notion that his angelic falsetto wasn't cool anymore. But in the 60s and 70s that was the thing for white guys. Our loss.

This isn't a criticism of you, Rocky, since I haven't heard you. I am, however, contradicting your opinion regarding what was right at the time in the 70s. Because a rough, rockin' voice what the "cool guys" said (the radio jocks) The BBs would have done fine if they understood that girls (which included adult women) would buy their records if Brian Wilson had continued to use that soaring falsetto. And so would a lot of guys--maybe secretly. The hip critics would have barfed because they were the cool guys (see: magazine, Rolling Stone) and would come around years later (as they have) because as you know and we all know, it's great f*cking music that has influenced generations.



I think it's a great idea that you've shifted from 3rd person to 1st person. Your last installment gives a lot of insight into you point of view--what you were feeling and thinking when you met Dennis.

Effing righteous, Emily.

I think the anecdote about Brian befriending someone on a plane and going to Minnesota is in at least one of the books. Obviously, Brian got home and got shoes somehow.

Rocky, would you be willing to respond to this assertion in Heroes and Villains on pages 322-323 that after Marilyn fired you and Stan, you "'stopped seeing Marilyn that day.'" (Your words.)
Then on page 323:

But Rocky wouldn't leave it at that. For months to come Marilyn received obscene messages from Rocky on her answering machine, in which he called her a "kike" and a "Jew." "I told her everything I ever felt about her," he said.

What was that about?

What a great ear worm. It's been playing in my head all day. Love the Krupa-esque drumming in the beginning, like Sing, Sing, Sing.

The Dude sums it up for me:

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

My thoughts exactly. Hated the Eagles as a 70s teen. Hotel California still causes shudders.

Comparing Mike Love and Don Henley is apples and oranges. Different careers and backgrounds. Mike Love was already a pro by the time Henley was getting started.

Fascinating, much thanks for the insight.

I wonder what Landy's motivation was to have all of Brian's daily activities videotaped. I mean, did it NEVER dawn on Landy that they could one day be used against him? I guess Landy only thought they were a means of controlling Brian, making Brian afraid to break Landy's rules while being recorded doing so... but how truly weird is it that Landy - as conniving and crafty as he was - never realized that it's not good to do illegal things like fudge with medical prescriptions while being videotaped doing such? What a dummy.

Thinking you're invulnerable is an aspect of grandiose narcissism.

Yeah, look at Richard Nixon.

Peter, that was a great read and puts so much in context.  You've done a great service to a lot of people. Thank you.