In Ron's defense, I wonder if he had any idea of the tangled web of whitewashing, distorting, and dishonest historians that bubbles under the BB's fan universe.

I would love to know that too. This is why I'm trying to be more sympathetic to Ron here, because this Beach Boys world is a minefield of idiot politics, petty disagreements that have led to some incidents (and I'm not just talking about forum nonsense), and mis/disinformation. Writing a book about any aspect of this band is bound to be impacted by some of this stuff.

Me too. And I'm curious to hear if Ron chooses to reply just how much of this he was aware of going into this project. When you have people (call them historians, experts, fact-checkers, gadflies, whatever...)  sitting in a self-made ivory tower declaring who or what is "toxic" and determining what information is worthy of consumption by the masses of fans, it's more than a minefield, it's a clusterf*ck. When you have the politics of all this leading to distorting and lying about *message board discussions* about a book, never mind the book itself, you know it's a situation that can best be described as F.U.B.A.R. Or, maybe there is some legit concern and worry about what kind of information still exists that didn't make it to this book.

Waal, truth be told - I was a bit naive when I got involved and did my best to skirt the minefields and intrigue that surrounds this fabulous band. We, meaning the publisher and I, and eventually Rocky, wanted to create a fun and entertaining product. Rocky's original manuscript was that and a whole lot more. What we focused on and what interested me was the interplay between band and management, mixed in with family, sibling rivalry, stardom and backstage personalities. Did I know all the things listed in this very insightful quote above? The simple answer is nope. Many of the details, were, in my mind, not nearly as entertaining as the behind the scenes peek a the interplay between the Loves and the Wilsons, band and management, the exigencies of the music industry, with sex, drugs, and rock and roll thrown in. The aficionados of the Beach Boys will always know more than me. But Rocky was there, behind the curtain and trust me, nobody was in in anybody's pocket during his wild ride inside the BB's world. Were we sensitive to the enormously powerful personalities involved that we were writing about? You betcha. It's one thing to blog. It's quite another to distribute a commercial product like a book on the world stage.
I've said it before, I came away with enormous respect for everyone involved.

It’s about the 1994 lawsuit....

Oh lordy, I hope there’s tapes. 

If there are, there's probably as good a chance as hearing them as we'd have of ever hearing the Brian/Carl-produced Manson tapes.

The tape that is discussed in the Pamplin book is the audio recording of the Australian punch-out conference with David Frost. According to the book, Stan Love secretly taped that meeting. No mention of whether or not that recording has survived. 
FYI.

That is not the tape we're thinking of and also not the tape Rocky mentioned here which was potentially explosive.

Ok... I went back and hacked through the RockRush thread for context.  Having read this work, I'll confirm that there's no smoking gun on the songwrtiting credits front.  Based on the nature of the earlier Rush thread, it would have been silly for me, as a reader, to expect anything of that sort in the book.  In my case, that had no bearing on the decision to read the book.  The book is not a pro-Mike book; it is, among other things, a "let's steer clear of Mike" book. What it is, in the end, is an anti-Dennis Wilson book, and perhaps also an anti-Wilson brothers book.  This is because what comes across in the book – per Rocky’s opinions, perhaps influenced by Reynaldo/Ron – is that as of the late 1970s, the Wilson Bros. were, each in his own way, obstructing the continued success of the Beach Boys and therefore had to be dealt with in different ways. 

This probably accounts for why fans object to the book and to Rocky and all that, but it should be obvious (even before this book came out) that Rocky had the implicit backing of the Beach Boys organization to do whatever it was he was doing. 

And - apologies for getting didactic -  but it's worth keeping in mind that the BB story is about a number of different things. Overall, there's (I) Music (art, creativity, expression); (II) Business (how to make money in the rock 'n' roll business; and (III) Family.  So any potential reader ought to know that the RockRush book has nothing whatsoever to do with music.  By the time Rocky enters the picture in the 1970s, there is no more music in the Beach Boys. It is a business, and a family business at that.  Therefore, you get a viewpoint which portrays certain people as "good guys" and certain people as "bad guys". It is basically the flip-reversal of how story of the Beach Boys in the mid-60s  is commonly told. Dyuring the Pet Sounds/Smile era, the artist is the good guy, the hero, while the money guy is the bad guy.  As of the mid and late 1970s, the organization has turned 180 degrees and the roles are reversed. It is now a 100% commerce organization, and the messed-up, chaotic artsy types are getting in the way of what "Beach Boys" had come to represent.  This in my opinion is why some fans object to Reynaldo and Rocky and that whole mentality - because we fans like the Beach Boys because of their music - the art - and have no interest in their later efforts to stay in business.  So the book is yet another reminder - "this is a business"

I will also say that this book is a bit strange in that it appears to be a case in which the co-writer came in not just to shape the grammar and syntax, etc., but actually to impact the substance of what the primary author wanted to say.  Also, based on the previous RockRush thread, it appears that the draft excerpts Rocky posted remain more or less unchanged in the final version.  That is, in the end, it may be that Rocky did more of the writing than might otherwise be assumed, and that Ron/Reynaldo did more of the interpretation of the material than might otherwise be assumed.

There's a lot of water under those bridges.

...and as Bob Dylan sang, "a lot of other stuff too..."

Thoughtful take.

Hi Smile Board,
Sorry I haven't been around to absorb some of the recent insults hurled at me. I'm a dunce, huh? I don't navigate the site well enough to respond to those insulting individuals one by one. Perhaps someone could instruct me as to how to do that. I'm always willing to "grow" from their learned opinions.
Are we having fun yet? Apparantly, that's how people get their kicks on this site. I had expected more but, that's the way of the world these days. I can understand that Rocky, in the past, got in unpleasant exchanges with some members, but where do they get the right to insult me? They don't know me and it's hurtful in one sense and really sad in another. Got nothing better to do, people? I came on this site to talk about the book, answer questions, etc, because it may be of interest to the site. I've been insulted and accused in ridiculous ways myriad times. Is that what this site is about?
The publisher and I found a manuscript about the BB. There was something really interesting in it. It was too harsh and "tabloidish" and mean spirited in the original form, so we turned it into something else, an insightful and interesting book about a band and the music we loved, same as you all, supposedly.
One of your members, Mtabor, (something like that) actually went out of his way to post a harsh and insulting review on Amazon and hasn't even read the Book. Really guys. Wow, hey tabor, get a life.
To the others on the site, thank you for your thoughtful and insightful comments. I learned a lot from many of you - get some better fact checkers for one thing. Ha. I maintain that Rocky got to see this great band from the inside, behind the curtain, if you will,  during a really interesting time in the bands history. 
Read it, don't read it. The world at large will make its judgement about the book, but keep this in mind. My and the publishers intentions come from a good place. Keep that in mind, please.
HNY 2019 to all of youse!

It’s about the 1994 lawsuit....

Oh lordy, I hope there’s tapes. 

If there are, there's probably as good a chance as hearing them as we'd have of ever hearing the Brian/Carl-produced Manson tapes.

The tape that is discussed in the Pamplin book is the audio recording of the Australian punch-out conference with David Frost. According to the book, Stan Love secretly taped that meeting. No mention of whether or not that recording has survived. 
FYI.

That is not the tape we're thinking of and also not the tape Rocky mentioned here which was potentially explosive.

Ok... I went back and hacked through the RockRush thread for context.  Having read this work, I'll confirm that there's no smoking gun on the songwrtiting credits front.  Based on the nature of the earlier Rush thread, it would have been silly for me, as a reader, to expect anything of that sort in the book.  In my case, that had no bearing on the decision to read the book.  The book is not a pro-Mike book; it is, among other things, a "let's steer clear of Mike" book. What it is, in the end, is an anti-Dennis Wilson book, and perhaps also an anti-Wilson brothers book.  This is because what comes across in the book – per Rocky’s opinions, perhaps influenced by Reynaldo/Ron – is that as of the late 1970s, the Wilson Bros. were, each in his own way, obstructing the continued success of the Beach Boys and therefore had to be dealt with in different ways. 

This probably accounts for why fans object to the book and to Rocky and all that, but it should be obvious (even before this book came out) that Rocky had the implicit backing of the Beach Boys organization to do whatever it was he was doing. 

And - apologies for getting didactic -  but it's worth keeping in mind that the BB story is about a number of different things. Overall, there's (I) Music (art, creativity, expression); (II) Business (how to make money in the rock 'n' roll business; and (III) Family.  So any potential reader ought to know that the RockRush book has nothing whatsoever to do with music.  By the time Rocky enters the picture in the 1970s, there is no more music in the Beach Boys. It is a business, and a family business at that.  Therefore, you get a viewpoint which portrays certain people as "good guys" and certain people as "bad guys". It is basically the flip-reversal of how story of the Beach Boys in the mid-60s  is commonly told. Dyuring the Pet Sounds/Smile era, the artist is the good guy, the hero, while the money guy is the bad guy.  As of the mid and late 1970s, the organization has turned 180 degrees and the roles are reversed. It is now a 100% commerce organization, and the messed-up, chaotic artsy types are getting in the way of what "Beach Boys" had come to represent.  This in my opinion is why some fans object to Reynaldo and Rocky and that whole mentality - because we fans like the Beach Boys because of their music - the art - and have no interest in their later efforts to stay in business.  So the book is yet another reminder - "this is a business"

I will also say that this book is a bit strange in that it appears to be a case in which the co-writer came in not just to shape the grammar and syntax, etc., but actually to impact the substance of what the primary author wanted to say.  Also, based on the previous RockRush thread, it appears that the draft excerpts Rocky posted remain more or less unchanged in the final version.  That is, in the end, it may be that Rocky did more of the writing than might otherwise be assumed, and that Ron/Reynaldo did more of the interpretation of the material than might otherwise be assumed.

There's a lot of water under those bridges.

...and as Bob Dylan sang, "a lot of other stuff too..."

Thanks for that interesting post. I had hoped that we had painted Dennis as a sick person, and not a bad person. Clearly Dennis suffered from the disease of addiction and we hoped to have pointed that out in various ways. Dennis may be, in my opinion, the most interesting and cinematic character in the BB constellation and certainly the most trajic. The disease of addiction, as anyone can discover through the Alanon program is a family disease. Carl may have been in the grips as well, but to become aware of Dennis' downward spiral into addiction was both fascinating and horrifying and had far reaching effects on his own brothers and the trajectory of the BB overall. He was enormously talented and Pacific Ocean Blue, his solo album, showed great promise. Carl was in the same vein, and had each of them not poisoned their individual talents and potential at least to some degree due to the horrific disease of addiction, the fans of this music would have had lot's more to enjoy from the Wilson side.
The Love brothers, all significantly still alive, have a remarkably intricate history and it ain't over yet, I'm hoping. From the sidelines where I stand and observe, there's a deep well of love, respect, and sibling rivalry that went a bit off the tracks and I'd be most happy to see those relationships heal. Nothing is impossible while people are still alive. Forgiveness is a beautiful thing especially where families are concerned. We're all capable of it and these three talented and powerful men I believe have it in their power to be connected again.

Ron, forgive me if this has already been asked, but did Rocky ever mention Mike’s early 90’s lawsuit against at all?

Yes, there is quite a bit more about that lawsuit that I have heard about, but some non disclosure agreements prevent a commercial product with that information on display, so to speak.

I have also seen the docs regarding Stephen Love's exoneration of all embezzlement charges against him. I actually have copies of those docs.
 

Ron, what do you know of the current relationship between Rocky and Stan? Are they on friendly terms? Seems like Stan was a big help with the book. And are Stephen and Stan also on good terms?

There's a lot of water under those bridges. I'm hoping that this book may repair some of those relationships. You question is above my pay grade. Sorry.

Ron, forgive me if this has already been asked, but did Rocky ever mention Mike’s early 90’s lawsuit against at all?

Yes, there is quite a bit more about that lawsuit that I have heard about, but some non disclosure agreements prevent a commercial product with that information on display, so to speak.

I have also seen the docs regarding Stephen Love's exoneration of all embezzlement charges against him. I actually have copies of those docs.
 

Ron, thanks for coming on to dialogue. I've been writing my thoughts and opinions in this discussion to the point where it's repeating the same points and questions, however when such a radical if not bizarre shift in both focus and opinion comes from the same man in the span of two years, speaking on the same people and subjects both times related to his book (Wipeout originally, now Endless Wave), something starts to sound..."off". To be polite.

Reading your recent posts as of today, it's almost crystal clear. If we're wrong, please feel free to correct.

The fear of legal action from Mike Love changed the whole thing.

If so, that's pretty damn sad. But in one sense, it might be fortunate that we got to read the "real" Rocky opining a few years ago versus the Rocky whose opinions and statements of fact changed out of fear that he'd get screwed over by Mike through the legal system. Which in itself is ironic since one of the focuses of Rocky's original manuscript for "Wipeout" was how Mike screwed over his brother and cousin among others similarly involved.



In answer to the 180 degree turnaround regarding the tone of the book, which keeps coming up,  I'll try and give a cogent answer.

The original manuscript was very interesting, but problematical. I finally found a publisher that saw the potential that I believed was there for a publishable book. During the publisher's editor polish and rewrite, I had myriad occasions to listen to Rocky recount amazing story after amazing story. Often, during what turned out to be a year of patient and fascinated listening I would remark, "Why isn't that in the book? That's a much more interesting bit of history than other incidents that ARE included and could be considered mean spirited and legally dangerous, at best."
When the edited version arrived I read it and and asked if I may take a writer's pass at it. Rocky was naturally suspicious. "Who was I to take a pass at his book?" It was a fair enough response for sure. I had written screenplays, directed an unheralded low budget feature film, but still. I am experienced in  talent management, music and film biz, but still, it was his book.
He reluctantly agreed to look at a first couple of rewritten chapters. During that year, we'd discovered that his written take on the subject did not actually match up with what I was hearing. Most glaringly, and this has caused lots of suspicion here on this site, was the fact that Rocky actually had an immense respect for Mike Love in many areas. His response to that revelation was, "Really?" There were other areas that were similarly revealed about Stan Love, Steve Love, Dennis, Carl, lawsuits, family squabbles, non-disclosure agreements and more.

There were other areas where what I heard was not alined with what was written.
I was encouraged to continue. About 2/3 of the way through my pass he remarked yet again how pleased he was with what I was doing and how it was considerably different from the tone of the original manuscript. Both Rocky and the publisher felt it was a better and more commercial product and book that was emerging. We are, after all, in the book business. We are not free to express as we may on this site and as Rocky has in the past.
Somewhere along the line, I said to Rocky, "If you praise my writing one more time, I'm going to ask to share writing credit with you." To my "fall off the couch surprise" he agreed. So we finished the book in concert with a more "tolerant, forgiving, insightful" and yeah, dare I say, "commercial" tone in mind.
Clearly we did not pay enough attention to specific details for the learned BB aficionados' on this site, but I can promise you the insights we discovered from our shared review of what we covered are revelatory in their nature. I believe we accomplished a behind the scenes look at things that is quite interesting, remarkable and enjoyable. 

All I can add is this visual, which sums up so much of the Beach Boys' more pathetic and sad incidents and happenings through the decades:




PS: I assume the audio tape is still in existence? It would be great to have that come out some day if it's as explosive as Rocky suggested.

So where's Reynaldo? Did the Mike stuff chase him off?

Nope, not chased off.

"And we come full circle returning to what was said a few pages ago: If Rocky and/or Stephen Love had the facts and the truth on their side when they were sharing details of various issues and lawsuits and whatnot involving Mike, there would be *no grounds to sue*. That's as simple as it can get. Or even more simply, the burden of proof for someone suing for libel or slander depends entirely on first proving that lies and falsehoods were told about that person or persons enough to damage them personally or in a business sense."

It's never as simple as that.  Even if the truth is on your side, the cost of defending yourself from a lawsuit is enormous.  Most people will give it up rather than face the time and costs of attorneys' fees in defending themselves from a lawsuit.  If you are sued and you win, you don't get your attorneys' fees back, they are down the drain.  And if a judge makes a decision that turns a case upside down, even if that decision is wrong, that is one of the risks of a lawsuit.  The road to good intentions is paved with all kinds of bad and incorrect outcomes in lawsuits, especially in sunny California.

Side note: this is also probably why the brand licensing issue will never be touched with a ten foot pole.

Also - I'm sure I've seen dozens tv shows/movies of people getting paid off and contracts drawn up in exchange for silence and photos/video to simply vanish, etc. Feels like we're in a Dallas or Columbo episode or something. We'll certainly never know the real story here, but it would seem that an about face and change of tone doesn't just happen out of the blue for no reason. I'll just have to assume the tape (and Rocky's original intentions/tone as stated in his messages on this board) went into the void of the "lost chapter" in Mike's bio where Mike -with great sincerity and conviction - talked about regretting filing the failed 2005 lawsuit against Brian and all the embarrassing details of that.

So the suggestion is, and it's no surprise for those who have followed this band's history, that anyone who might have something to share or publish or write in general has to walk on eggshells out of fear that Mike Love and his lawyers will start throwing lawsuits and c&d orders at them to try to stifle anything he doesnt want to have made public.

That's nice, isn't it? Avoid things by having an atmosphere of fear and discourage people from talking by threatening them through the legal system instead of dealing with the issues like a man.

Real class, there. Positivity personified.

It's the way of the world. Same quote, " A rich, vexatious client can always cause trouble."

"And we come full circle returning to what was said a few pages ago: If Rocky and/or Stephen Love had the facts and the truth on their side when they were sharing details of various issues and lawsuits and whatnot involving Mike, there would be *no grounds to sue*. That's as simple as it can get. Or even more simply, the burden of proof for someone suing for libel or slander depends entirely on first proving that lies and falsehoods were told about that person or persons enough to damage them personally or in a business sense."

It's never as simple as that.  Even if the truth is on your side, the cost of defending yourself from a lawsuit is enormous.  Most people will give it up rather than face the time and costs of attorneys' fees in defending themselves from a lawsuit.  If you are sued and you win, you don't get your attorneys' fees back, they are down the drain.  And if a judge makes a decision that turns a case upside down, even if that decision is wrong, that is one of the risks of a lawsuit.  The road to good intentions is paved with all kinds of bad and incorrect outcomes in lawsuits, especially in sunny California.

"A rich, vexatious client, can always cause trouble."

Thanks for your post. I am sensitive to this as you might imagine.

TRULY bizarre to write a garbage book full of long debunked inaccuracies and false portrayals of the dead and then come onto a forum to make weird spiteful comebacks to people.

Isn't it peculiar how people get upset when they're trying to find the actual definition of something and are instead sent to an urbandictionary page written by a middle schooler?

Interesting post. Have you read the book OR my posts?

And we come full circle returning to what was said a few pages ago: If Rocky and/or Stephen Love had the facts and the truth on their side when they were sharing details of various issues and lawsuits and whatnot involving Mike, there would be *no grounds to sue*. That's as simple as it can get. Or even more simply, the burden of proof for someone suing for libel or slander depends entirely on first proving that lies and falsehoods were told about that person or persons enough to damage them personally or in a business sense.

If the people being sued are telling the truth, there is no case. It's that simple.

So assume Rocky's claims are true, and he got the ubiquitous threats from Mike Love and his lawyers...If he told the truth, Mike and the lawyers could go sh*t in their collective hat for lack of a better term.

If Rocky was lying, then yeah - You can't publish known lies about someone without almost expecting legal action.

I will repeat the words from my learned attorney and friend, "A rich, vexatious client can always cause trouble." You got an extra $25-35 thousand dollars around to prove you are telling the truth.
Mama didn't raise no dummy.

So where is that audio tape, what happened to it?

I just went on Amazon and posted a review, based on the one chapter I read here.

Wait a second. I'm curious. How can you post a review on Amazon? My understanding is that you cannot post a review on Amazon unless you've purchased the book on Amazon?

 Am I incorrect?

I have a hard time believing that anyone can post a review without some proof that they've seen the material. I don't expect the world to be fair, but that would be an egregious example of an unfair forum.

What am I missing?

BTW, if you went out of the way to bash the book and only read one chapter, I find that monumentally sad. Get a life. Check out my reply Range Rover. Goes for you too.

Tnx.

You "have fun" with smb. else. I quit this dull thread.

Luv it. And you are genuinely funny. Gonna take your ball and go home? I'm disappointed. Perhaps you should write a book. You know, get a little skin in the game. Maybe you'll have the pleasure of being sniped at by someone like you, who won't read it and bashes it and you. It's an eye opener, believe me. (I forgot, you don't) Oops

I guess it gets dull when it's at your expense?

the most enjoyable for me to read

Ta. If need be will insult again, ha. Say hello to rocky dork pimple. Bye

I must admit, grudgingly, I like your style. Are we having fun yet?

Let's not pay respect to this reynaldo whoever. We don't owe any respect to this tool. He's tool & troll. This is the dullest thread with no point.  You, folks, really interested to read trash like that dummy's posts, banal, typical as hell, "nothing new" type posts, filled with mistakes? The way he posts is reaaaal snoozer, let's not deny. He's "polite" CLEARLY to sell his book, it's not genuine & he doesn't care, doesn't like BBs AT ALL. It's FAKE. So...he said "he grew up with Beach Boys music". And? Everybody can say it, it's very easy. It's, like, the banalest thing anybody can ever say.
Let's be mean towards this tool. It's the best treatment for creatures like that.

Hi All,
Thanks for all your responses to the chapter we posted with the Publisher's permission on the Smile site. From a marketing point of view I think we "screwed the pooch." My mistake. It was foolish to think that a summary of a take on BB's would be gently received by hard core fans. Good on ya I suppose.
I chose to answer this particular post because it was the meanest and most insulting, and oddly enough the most enjoyable for me to read. It singles me out as a "tool" and someone you and your site should be "mean" to.
If I were to take that to heart and part of me does, I'm only human, after all, I would be devastated by such a "call to arms."
It strikes me as school boyish and petty. We all know how to deal with a bully. As an adult I'm smart enough to simply walk away.
I'll say it again, "contempt prior to investigation" is a monumental waste of time. It's partially equivalent to the story of 3 blind men examining an elephant. None of the even come close to getting an accurate view of the beast in question.
Berating their discovered viewpoints would be cruel and pointless and life is too short.
Thanks for sharing whoever you are. You don't know me and I don't know you. The one difference is I wish you well. Sorry you didn't like my posts or my efforts to illuminate the BBs

I haven't read the book. I read the chapter posted here.

There were no doubt, neccesary, logical and perhaps even ethical and legal reasons for tidying up Rocky's narrative as was on display here back in the day.

But when the book starts coming at the story from a historical perspective, and the facts are at worst incorrect, and at best biased, then the book will have a hard time standing up, especially in places like this where a lot of people can be described as experts on the band.

I think the sweet spot for a book from Rocky, would have been in those intimate moments where he was travelling with Brian, or that story when they went to a bar (and I think Dylan was there??) These stories, or stories of clowns being beaten, could be entertaining, and could be taken with a grain of salt for Rocky's creative license. Any attempt to try and manipulate facts about the general history of the band is a losing proposition.

One thing, I do want to say, even though It's unlikely I'll purchase the book. Rocky said he was going to write a book, and he did. I can imagine it's a challenging task, so good for him for getting it done.

and the parts of their career I attempted to bring some insight to.
When and if you ever read the entire offering I'll be happy to chat more but for now, Adieu.

Thanks for this. Point well taken. You I would encourage to read the book. I'm neither a tool nor someone to be "mean" to as someone quipped. The book is pretty darn entertaining. I actually think you'd like it. It was in fact Rocky's intimate moments, either poignant or edgy or, quite frankly, harsh and even ugly, that are touched on that make it fresh and never before revealed. Like him or not, Rocky was there, at a pivotal time in Brian's and BB's history. His recounting of what went on from his point of view is interesting from all kinds of perspectives.

I'm curious. Have you seen more than the one chapter?

Yes I have.  I've seen your posts.  They bury you under an avalanche of misinformation, assumptions, preconceptions, and redacted sources of, in the final analyses, fact-free foolishness.  I don't give a flying nun whether or not you've spent time in show business.  That doesn't make you a writer, a researcher, credible or even honest.  Then you toss this sample chapter of yawn-inducing 'sycopathetic' and misconstrued 'gobbledeegoop' onto the 'pile' and have the audacity to suggest that it all magically, somehow, against all odds, gets 'better' .  The only way this gets better is if the book is used like an old Sears and Roebuck catalogue out in the hunting camp outhouse.  Go peddle your papers to the totally and completely uninformed.  Maybe you can pass this hogwash off on them.

This will be my last communication with you regarding this useless piece of sh!t you have the unmitigated audacity to refer to as a "book".  [good thing we didn't step in it.]

Promise?

Let's not pay respect to this reynaldo whoever. We don't owe any respect to this tool. He's tool & troll. This is the dullest thread with no point.  You, folks, really interested to read trash like that dummy's posts, banal, typical as hell, "nothing new" type posts, filled with mistakes? The way he posts is reaaaal snoozer, let's not deny. He's "polite" CLEARLY to sell his book, it's not genuine & he doesn't care, doesn't like BBs AT ALL. It's FAKE. So...he said "he grew up with Beach Boys music". And? Everybody can say it, it's very easy. It's, like, the banalest thing anybody can ever say.
Let's be mean towards this tool. It's the best treatment for creatures like that.

Hi All,
Thanks for all your responses to the chapter we posted with the Publisher's permission on the Smile site. From a marketing point of view I think we "screwed the pooch." My mistake. It was foolish to think that a summary of a take on BB's would be gently received by hard core fans. Good on ya I suppose.
I chose to answer this particular post because it was the meanest and most insulting, and oddly enough the most enjoyable for me to read. It singles me out as a "tool" and someone you and your site should be "mean" to.
If I were to take that to heart and part of me does, I'm only human, after all, I would be devastated by such a "call to arms."
It strikes me as school boyish and petty. We all know how to deal with a bully. As an adult I'm smart enough to simply walk away.
I'll say it again, "contempt prior to investigation" is a monumental waste of time. It's partially equivalent to the story of 3 blind men examining an elephant. None of the even come close to getting an accurate view of the beast in question.
Berating their discovered viewpoints would be cruel and pointless and life is too short.
Thanks for sharing whoever you are. You don't know me and I don't know you. The one difference is I wish you well. Sorry you didn't like my posts or my efforts to illuminate the BBs

I haven't read the book. I read the chapter posted here.

There were no doubt, neccesary, logical and perhaps even ethical and legal reasons for tidying up Rocky's narrative as was on display here back in the day.

But when the book starts coming at the story from a historical perspective, and the facts are at worst incorrect, and at best biased, then the book will have a hard time standing up, especially in places like this where a lot of people can be described as experts on the band.

I think the sweet spot for a book from Rocky, would have been in those intimate moments where he was travelling with Brian, or that story when they went to a bar (and I think Dylan was there??) These stories, or stories of clowns being beaten, could be entertaining, and could be taken with a grain of salt for Rocky's creative license. Any attempt to try and manipulate facts about the general history of the band is a losing proposition.

One thing, I do want to say, even though It's unlikely I'll purchase the book. Rocky said he was going to write a book, and he did. I can imagine it's a challenging task, so good for him for getting it done.

and the parts of their career I attempted to bring some insight to.
When and if you ever read the entire offering I'll be happy to chat more but for now, Adieu.

I'm curious. Have you seen more than the one chapter?

Yes I have.  I've seen your posts.  They bury you under an avalanche of misinformation, assumptions, preconceptions, and redacted sources of, in the final analyses, fact-free foolishness.  I don't give a flying nun whether or not you've spent time in show business.  That doesn't make you a writer, a researcher, credible or even honest.  Then you toss this sample chapter of yawn-inducing 'sycopathetic' and misconstrued 'gobbledeegoop' onto the 'pile' and have the audacity to suggest that it all magically, somehow, against all odds, gets 'better' .  The only way this gets better is if the book is used like an old Sears and Roebuck catalogue out in the hunting camp outhouse.  Go peddle your papers to the totally and completely uninformed.  Maybe you can pass this hogwash off on them.

Here's the entire quote regarding my suggestion that "contempt prior to investigation" is a sad way to roll, maybe you'll get the point.

 "There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
     --HERBERT SPENCER


This will be my last communication with you regarding this useless piece of sh!t you have the unmitigated audacity to refer to as a "book".  [good thing we didn't step in it.]

You are guaranteed to stay small. To quote Bob Dylan, another one of my favorites. "He who is not busy being born is busy dying."

I'm sorry you won't check out the book. Your loss.

No hard feeling or insult absorbed over here. We're all entitled to our opinion. Your opinion about the book is an opinion about nothing since you haven't read it.
I was taught to be polite to strangers, and that's about as polite as I can be. I sincerely hope the rest of the Smile board, a knowledgeable and worthwhile bunch it seems, won't be jaundiced by your uninformed dismissal.

Mike Love is a snake who set you and Rocky up.

I repeat. I've never met Mike Love. Never talked to the man. My opinion of him comes from a life long career in sho biz. I'm hardly a big shot, but I know talent, I know management, I know the record and film business from the inside, from hard won lessons learned experientially in that field.
I'm not guessing any more than a world cup sailor would be guessing about a round the world sailing trip he was reviewing.

Nobody set me up.

Have you read the book or just the one chapter?

Lee is da man!

Like it or hate it. Insult me, as you wish. However if you haven't read the entire book, you're just blowing smoke, aren't you?

If this all over one chapter, how can I take your insults seriously?  True enough, I strolled onto your turf as a Johnny come lately. However I've earned the right to call myself credible in Show biz. I've earned the right to have an opinion about Rocky's interaction with the band, and I'll stick to my guns about my work on the product.
It is after all, a product and I'm in the entertainment business. Stomp your feet and complain all you wish. I'm used to people from sniping from the sidelines. Comes with the territory.

[don't]

Ya think that I might have been a little rough on dear ol' Ron Craig?  Well guess what?  I have no time for people who think because they've had something of a 'hand' in tossing together a few words, ideas and semi-fictional stories provided by ill-informed 1/2 milers, part-timers and a host of others looking to have their bottoms smooched, buffed and polished, that we will idly just sit back and encourage yet another barrage of pure unadulterated bull excrement to be wafted down upon the great unwashed.

The guy is as transparent as they come.  He admits he doesn't know the people he's 'writing' about, that he's merely some level of 'fan-boy' and that he's somehow qualified here because he's stood on or near a stage professionally.  Whoop-dee-doo.  His sources for accumulating and deciphering facts are clearly and desperately 'wanting'.  This tripe wasn't even ready to be proof-read and edited let alone printed.  Yet he's in here chastising folks who haven't read the obvious foolishness at hand. 

To me?  THAT doesn't deserve a pass.  It does encourage scorn though.  [and plenty of it.]  Better to call a spade a spade.  If Ron wants to save his reputation he should do everything he can to make the point to the powers that be that this 'book' is not ready to hit the shelves.  If it does though...bind it like a little girl's diary and then don't provide any keys with which to open it.  Trees will die for THIS!!!???!!!???!!!

I'm curious. Have you seen more than the one chapter?

There otta be a law. 

Tried again to post the pics. Can't get them to copy on to the site.
Anybody got some suggestions as to how I can get that accomplished?
Thanks.

As promised, here's the 2ed Chapter. I'm going to try and figure out how to get the "before" and "after" pics of Brian that were taken by Stan Love posted as well but they did not seem to print out when I transferred the chapter. Not sure why.

The Beach Boys' Endless Wave - Chapter two

Last Ditch Effort

Let’s back up a bit. This is a good time to explain some of the entangled Wilson and Love family history, introduce you to other assorted brothers and cousins, and give you some perspective as to why my best friend Stan and I entered the Beach Boys’ orbit.

Stan had five family ties to the Beach Boys. Four were in the band: Stan’s oldest brother, Mike Love, who has always been front man and lead singer, and his first cousins, Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. Stan’s middle brother, Stephen Love, was the Beach Boys’ business manager.

The oldest Wilson brother, Brian, is the gentle genius who co-founded what’s often called "America’s Band" in 1962. Enough about him for now; I’ll fill you in on his challenges and accomplishments throughout Beach Boys’ Endless Wave.

Brian’s younger brothers, Dennis and Carl, are dead now. When they joined the Beach Boys in their middle teens, both boys had sweet voices and attitudes and did whatever their big brother and cousin asked of them. Dynamics sure changed as they grew up.

Mike Love, the oldest Beach Boy, has a long and involved relationship with his younger cousin, Brian. They co-founded the Beach Boys, and for years cooperated on songwriting. Mike has his own variety of hardworking genius; he’s the invaluable mixture of glue and sweat that held the band together for decades.

Mike has always been the dependable Beach Boy, sober and present through thick and thin and thousands of gigs. As the frontman and lead singer, he embodied the Beach Boys image with his voice and mesmerizing stage presence. The Beach Boys would have folded in 1964 without him, and he’s kept the band on the road for well over 50 years.

Even though he was not a family member, rhythm guitarist and vocalist Al Jardine was an important influence on the emergence of the band.

He was there when the group was still in high school, left for a while on the suggestion of his father to attend dental school, but luckily returned and stayed. Al sang the lead on the band’s first number one hit song, “Help Me Rhonda.”

His interest in folk music inspired Brian to arrange “Sloop John B” for the band to cover and Al later composed an unfinished original about his wife entitled, “Lady Lynda,” which Brian helped him finish and the band recorded. It has been on their live stage play list ever since.

Stephen didn’t aspire to be one of the Beach Boys; instead, he focused on academics and athletics. He was student body president of Morningside High School, class of 1965, and graduated seventh in his class of 535 students. Stephen was a star player on the Monarchs’ football team and earned first team all-league honors as a wide receiver on offense and as a safety on defense. Playing both offense and defense is rare enough; winning first team honors for playing both sides is almost unheard of.

Stephen was offered several football scholarships, including one to the University of Southern California, but he’d just had his heart broken by his high school sweetheart and he couldn’t muster the requisite enthusiasm to play football at the college level. Instead, he decided to accept an academic scholarship at USC, thinking he should buckle down and learn something useful that would prepare him for a career.

Stephen excelled academically at USC, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish in 1969. His grades were so good that he applied for and received a full-ride fellowship to USC’s prestigious Graduate School of Business Administration.

The summer he graduated from college and before he started his two-year MBA program, Stephen visited his younger brother, Stan, in Eugene, Oregon. Stan played center on the University of Oregon basketball team, and he was fast becoming one of the top college players in the country.

As Stan’s roommate and close friend, I met Stephen during his visit. Since I was a running back for the Fighting Ducks of the University of Oregon, our shared football background helped us become good friends. We just clicked. It takes courage, athleticism and intestinal fortitude to play the game of football, and we recognized and respected these qualities in each other. You could say we were cut from the same cloth.

Stephen began working for the Beach Boys full-time that summer, and he worked part-time in the group’s offce during the school year until he earned his MBA. He assisted the band’s business manager, Nick Grillo, a man who was under a lot of pressure because the group was in decline, revenues were down, and the bills were piling up.

The band was not as popular as it had been before the British Invasion. The music scene changed dramatically with the likes of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cream, and The Who. Jimi Hendrix had the bad taste to announce, “Well, we’ll never have to listen to that lame surf music again,” at the Monterey Pop festival in 1967.

That was, at best, mean-spirited crap in my opinion.

Since Brian had written most of the songs either alone or with Mike, he still received a good income from royalties, but the other Beach Boys’ income mainly depended upon touring. They never managed to tone down their lavish lifestyles, and they were in dire need of cash. Brian and his wife Marilyn took it upon themselves to keep the group afloat during the band’s lean days in the late Sixties and first few years of the Seventies.

Stephen’s involvement in the business offce was perfect timing. Even before he became manager, he brought fresh energy into a problematic scenario. The band (minus Brian) took to the road, and slowly but surely, a turnaround in their fortunes took place, as always, on the back of Mike Love, the reliable workhorse, day in and day out. In fact, if this book ever had an alternative title, it would be something like Mike Love—I’m Still Standing. (Kudos to the Rocket Man himself, Elton John, who is celebrating 50 years of music fame and fortune with a TV special titled—yup, you guessed it—“I’m Still Standing,” after his enormous hit record of the same name.)

When Stephen took over the reins and replaced Nick Grillo as manager in April, 1972, momentum was finally building as the Beach Boys’ concert tours became increasingly popular. One of Stephen’s first major decisions was to start a repayment program from the band to Brian and Marilyn for $330,000 they’d poured into the group over the previous few years (well over two million dollars in today’s money). Stephen had Brian’s back. When all the money was eventually repaid, Marilyn gratefully told Stephen, “Thanks for looking after us.”

In 1972, the Beach Boys were commanding a pitiful baseline “performance fee” of only $5,000 per show. This was just the minimum fee for showing up—it didn’t include a percentage of the gate or memorabilia sales, of course. During Stephen’s tenure as manager, he ramped up the performance fee tenfold to $50,000 per show.

The first really big check the band got in the early Seventies was for a 1974 concert in Oakland, one that didn’t include Brian. They sold out the stadium, and promoter Bill Graham sent them a check for $150,000. Stephen took a picture of that check and framed it.

November, 1965, partying in the early days before fame, fortune, drugs and the excesses of the rock-and-roll lifestyle derailed Brian Wilson. This intimate party celebrated the release of a new album, Beach Boys Party! Back row, left to right: Al and wife Lynda Jardine, Carl Wilson, Carol Botnick (friend of Marilyn Wilson), Dennis and his rst wife Carole Wilson, Ron Swallow (roadie). Front row: Mike Love, in the company of adoring fans, Bruce Johnston (who toured as Brian’s replacement), Brian with his wife Marilyn Wilson, and college freshman and future Beach Boys manager Steve Love.

In 1975, Rolling Stone magazine recognized the Beach Boys as one of the biggest concert draws in the business, and they named the band’s road crew, under the direction of workhorse Jason Raphalian, the best on tour. Stephen and the band were especially proud of that accolade.
However, touring and playing your greatest hits in every concert venue is one level of success; making creative new music is entirely another level. What was really going to put the Beach Boys back on top was Stephen’s creative and risky “Brian’s Back” campaign, a public relations masterstroke that led to the securing of a multi-million-dollar record deal with CBS Records in 1977. The new deal included a whopping $2 million cash advance against future album deliveries—worth well over $8 million in today’s dollars. The deal’s full potential was $8 million in 1977 dollars, or over $32 million today. It was one of the biggest music deals of the Seventies.

Under Stephen’s guidance, the band would complete their deal with Reprise Records and join the CBS Records family.

The entire music industry was intrigued by the prospect of the long-idle Brian Wilson returning to active duty as a composer and producer. With the sold-out concert tours and new major label deal in place, the career of America’s one-time favorite pop music group was undergoing a massive resurgence.

The viability of the CBS deal was contingent upon Brian Wilson’s active participation: CBS insisted that Brian write and produce 75% of the new music. Though the Beach Boys were still viable on the road, they needed new music to feed the insatiable public beast or they’d fade from view.

If Stephen could get the musical wizard Brian Wilson to compose again after a decade and record his matchless melodies and vocal arrangements, he might be able to orchestrate a complete resurgence of the band’s career.

If Brian still had some magic left in his battered soul, he just might be able to recreate the lush sound he was so famous for, the harmonies that were a major component of the soundtrack of the Sixties. If the dormant genius could rise to the occasion and produce hit songs as he had before, doing his own version of Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound,” the chances were good that their careers could be resurrected.

Brian cried when he signed the CBS contract. Could he miraculously create another hit record? For Brian, the thought was painful and frightening; he really wanted no part of fame or success again. After all, look what it had brought him before, nothing but heartache and disappointment. Brian had been a broken man for almost a decade.

Did he have the mettle to put his fragile self, his talent, and his soul on the line again? That was the multi-million-dollar question. We were going to see if Stephen could prop Brian up, with my help and Stan’s, and get the golden goose to produce a hit record that would resonate with the times.

A lot had happened during the years that Brian had been in bed, not writing music, totally withdrawn from the band. Cocaine and heroin had become his drugs of choice. He would call his dealers at all hours, day or night, and tell them there was a thousand dollars in the mailbox (that always guaranteed a quick delivery). Brian was a physical and emotional wreck. At his peak weight, he carried over 300 pounds on his 6-foot, 3-inch frame, had greasy hair down past his shoulders, a scraggly beard, unclipped toenails, nicotine-stained fingers, and went unbathed for days, sometimes weeks at a time.

To further complicate the challenges he faced, Brian heard voices on a regular basis, voices sometimes telling him to harm people, or that people were about to harm him.

Brian had his first nervous breakdown two days before Christmas in 1964, when he suddenly left a concert tour, vowing never to tour again. Instead, he focused on writing new music for the band; he wanted to expand creatively and write with people of his own choosing.

Brian stayed home to write music over the next couple of years, and the Beach Boys toured without him. Brian’s music evolved through several new albums in 1965 and 1966, with his masterpiece, Pet Sounds, coming out in 1966. In 1967, he was hard at work at what was to be its follow-up, Smile.

Mike was not happy with some of the esoteric lyrics Brian’s new collaborators were writing. Though he recognized that Pet Sounds was a musical masterpiece, he knew what worked for the band. He thought Brian should stick to the proven and comfortable formula of surfing, hot rods and California girls, and he was essentially correct. It took years before Pet Sounds sophisticated brilliance was broadly accepted, and it never became a commercial hit.

Since the group’s founding, Brian had always shared the credit with Mike because he was gentle, generous, and he’d looked up to his older cousin. In the early years, they shared the same vision of the band’s sound and image—fun in the sun, bikinied babes, fast cars, and the California surf style of living.

Now all Brian wanted to do was stretch out and explore further reaches artistically, to compete with the likes of the Beatles.

In 1967, Mike’s discomfort with Brian’s new musical direction caused things to get more than a little heated. As portrayed in the film Love and Mercy, they had an ugly scene, and it brought things to a head. Brian had reached his breaking point; his mental and physical reserves were stretched so thin, he was done.

At that point, Brian effectively quit the band and withdrew into a cocoon of drugs and disenchantment. He vowed he would never write songs again for the Beach Boys, and he opted to slip into oblivion. He just couldn’t take it anymore. He checked out. Why, he asked himself, should he continue shouldering the awesome responsibility that comes with writing the songs, doing the arrangements, teaching the others their parts, both vocally and instrumentally, slaving away in the studio, all the while dealing with a changing audience that was seemingly turning on him and his music?

Years went by and Brian stayed in his cocoon, sometimes not leaving his bedroom for months except to go downstairs to the kitchen and eat (and eat and eat). Brian had hit his lowest point. He was in the throes of addiction, a seemingly hopeless lost cause, and he’d been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. He had absolutely no interest in life, love, music or anything of value. Being a productive member of society was dead last on Brian’s list of priorities. He was not interested at all in writing or recording new music, singing, or touring—those were the very things that had overwhelmed his childlike, overly generous, sensitive, and creative nature.

He was a defeated shell of a man, simply waiting to die. If ever there was a modern-day tragic Shakespearean character, Brian filled the role. He had, in the vernacular of surfers, wiped out.

Psychologist Eugene Landy was hired for the first time in 1975, but he was fired by Stephen after his fees climbed to over $22,000 a month. Marilyn reached the end of her rope in 1976, when she felt Brian was a danger to himself and to the family. She threatened to have him committed to a mental institution.

Stephen pleaded with Marilyn to delay committing Brian and to give it one more try, take one last chance to save Brian. He asked her permission to hire his younger brother, Stan, to enter their home and drag Brian out of bed—against his will, if necessary—to try and save Brian’s life. Marilyn acquiesced, thank God.

When Brian’s youngest brother, Carl, learned about the arrangement, he enthusiastically said, “Smart move, Steve.”

Mike was guardedly optimistic. His brother Stan was a professional basketball player who had a stint with the Lakers, but did that make him a qualified protector—essentially a life preserver?

Stephen lobbied hard. “Listen, Stan is our brother, he’s Brian’s cousin, and he’s absolutely trustworthy. He has Brian’s best interests at heart. That kind of loyalty isn’t available anywhere else, at any price.”

Mike agreed.

Stan’s duties included making Brian take a daily shower, driving him to his psychiatrist, getting him to a gym for exercise, watching his diet, and eventually getting him back into the recording studio to write and record again for the first time in years. This was a monumental task, but Stan, who had come off a two-year stint with the Lakers, had the stamina and the discipline.

It wasn’t smooth going at first. After years of not working and not getting out of bed, Brian had an aversion to doing anything except eating, sleeping, and taking drugs. He was rich and famous, used to making his own rules, and hellbent on

fulfilling his subconscious death wish.

Brian steadily fought the idea of having a keeper, and he tried to fire Stan at the least provocation, ranting, “This is my house. Leave me alone! You’re fired!”

Marilyn would always push back. “You either do what Stan tells you to do, or you’re going to the mental hospital.”

Clearly, Stan needed more backup in the extremely demanding, nearly impossible task of saving a lost soul who would go to any length to get drugs. That’s when Stan suggested to Stephen that they bring me aboard to help.

This was the situation I walked into when Stan first brought me to Brian’s mansion. I was hired the day after Stan introduced me to Brian and Marilyn, and Stephen’s dynamic duo, as he referred to us, was in place. Stephen’s "No Drugs in Brian’s Life" policy was implemented with extreme urgency. “No drugs” wasn’t just a policy, it was our law. No drugs of any kind, anytime, anywhere, from anybody. Ever, period!

Marilyn agreed.

Stephen declared that if Stan and I couldn’t keep drugs out of Brian’s life, no one could. He said this with the resolute confidence of a born leader. He had sworn us to our task.

Our mission was to save Brian’s life, a daunting undertaking, and we took it seriously. We monitored Brian around the clock. It wasn’t easy. After all, Brian is a genius, and he would prove to be extremely crafty and resourceful when it came to feeding his drug habit. Brian didn’t hesitate to approach complete strangers and beg them for drugs. Many were all too keen to accommodate him just because of who Brian is, a famous and legendary pop star. This was just one element of our ever-challenging task. Being vigilant 24/7 was the name of the game for our crew.

Stephen’s last-ditch effort to avoid institutionalizing Brian worked, despite some surprising actions by Brian’s own brothers, and despite every wily effort Brian made to get drugs. Brian did come back from the edge, and Stephen’s "Brian’s Back" campaign made the band richer than it had been in its heyday in the Sixties.

If a Hall of Fame for rock managers existed, Stephen likely would have been inducted. Instead, all too soon, he was exiled. I’ll tell you the story, for I’m partly responsible for what happened; in my view, however, Stephen could be considered an unsung hero.

Again, not having read the book, but having read the original thread with Rocky, and new snippets/reviews of the book here, one could almost be led to believe that the book could have turned out in a way to favor the pro-Mike "side" of the story (compared to how Rocky seemingly originally was going to have the book go in a possibly different direction, from what I remember of Rocky's posts from awhile back, which admittedly I have not re-read)... and I do wonder if Mike's people found a way to get Mike's political clout to encourage/strongarm Rocky's book turn out in a way that favors what Mike would want it to say (and not say). Is it out of line to make that assumption? I also understand that a perfectly straight answer for this might not be in the cards either. I also don't imagine there'd be a single person who'd want to admit that.

And hey, I'd assume that many wealthy and powerful celebs might do the same, if an insider had stuff to potentially say in a book; I imagine there are ways to get a particular book watered down prior to release to benefit what they do/don't want public. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but it's hard to assume that a bunch of complex politics are not at work with regards to any release involving this band we love. Just like I imagine there had to have been a bunch of behind-the-scenes discussions with Mike with regards to the 2000 TV movie turning out in a way that he wanted, being that his buddy was an executive producer.  Same goes for Love & Mercy, of course.

Haven't met Mike Love. I know talent, I know management and I know the record and film bizness. The insights Rocky's and my collaboration reveal in the book reflect that and they're damn good.
Rocky  was there. I listened to him for a year or so, hour after hour of information from "behind the veil" so to speak, behind the scenes. Rocky was not in a position to assess what he was telling me from my experienced point of view. Read the book. Buy one, pass it around. Accept our offer of a discount but don't bash it without reading it. Doesn't make sense.

I may indeed read the book at some point, and this wasn't meant as bashing,  just my attempt to be realistic based on what glimpses I've had thus far. I'm still somewhat curious. Yet I can understand that powerful parties who potentially stand to gain or lose based on the book's content could yield their power (via methods that I have no insight on), much like I assume that the final cut of the film Love & Mercy (as well as it turned out IMHO) was almost certainly impacted politically in *some* fashion by not just what the filmmakers wanted to say, but what they could/couldn't say without problems arising.  If lines are crossed, I imagine the wrath of known litigious folk could be a result. While you personally haven't met Mike Love, that in and of itself doesn't tell me that my assumption above is by definition completely incorrect.  I frankly think it would be rare and gutsy/stupid for any book like this by any insider about a famous band to simply be released without certain considerations being made. 

Good news I think. Rocky and I have permission to post one full chapter of the book for Smile perusal. As I mentioned this site was very influential in getting me involved and I'm indeed thankful.
It's the 2ed chapter titled "Last Ditch Effort" and we hope you'll like it. It will be along probably within a day. A few logistics are left to be worked out.
You are astute in your observations about having to be careful about a book including rich, influential people.
As one of my attorney friends reminded me when I realized that my name would actually go on the book, and I'll quote him here because it is an amusing and brilliant and frightening quip, all at the same time, "A rich, vexatious litigant can always cause trouble." Ha.
Believe me, that was on our minds. More to come.

The book is getting a review in the British Magazine "Record Collector" sometime in the near future and I will, in a shameless act of self promotion, post it here when it comes out.

The Chapter 2 is coming as promised along with what we call the before and after Pics of Brian when he went from 300+ pounds down to his "fighting" weight of 195.
That physical transformation with regard to the old adage "a pic is worth a thousand words" is quite remarkable, and for any of you doubters as to the efficacy of the Stan Love/Rocky Pamplin effect, this will be undeniable proof. I think you'll like it. Fun stuff.

My overview on what Rocky recounted to me is a stone cold professional's assessment of the Beach Boys history. Walk a mile in my shoes and read the book before you stomp on me.
Otherwise, you're the one blowing smoke.

While this is less about what's in the book than some of the characterizations you've made here, you do realize that Rocky Pamplin was only involved with the group for a short portion of their history, right? Sure, he stayed in varying degrees of contact with other people who had varying degrees of contact with the band.

But, I'm guessing, Rocky Pamplin has not first hand knowledge of what occured, say, in the 60s, or the mid-late 90s, or the 2012 reunion, etc.

Does the book portend a thorough history of the band's entire career? Or does it start and end mostly with Rocky's stint with the group, with then a few tangential items outside of those years? If it's the latter, then your book nor your words are really characterizing the band's "history", but rather one small portion of it.

Have you read McParland's "The Wilson Project" (preferably the updated 2013 edition), which focuses on Brian's circa 1986 work with Usher? That's a book that has a very detailed breakdown of one small section of Brian's life/career, but doesn't pretend to then deduce any grand final judgements on his life or career.

So, and again this pertains more to posts on this thread rather than specifically the book, if a book is co-written by someone whose stint with the group included Carl Wilson's short run of drug/alcohol difficulties, and who is arguably most famous in the BB sphere for punching out said member of the group while the member was intoxicated/high, then it becomes problematic that that one short section of Carl's life/career becomes the centerpiece of discussion.

It appears this leads to subsequent assessments of Carl's career posted here on this thread that paint him as unprofessional (while pointing to Mike Love as the consummate professional of the band), and such an assessment shows a *glaring* case of tunnel vision of focusing so much on a roughly two-year period where Carl had a rough time.

This isn't a case of BB fans being in denial. I would imagine Carl's story is more complex than any book has yet told. But we have *ample* evidence from Carl's roughly 36-year career in the music business. Whatever one wants to say about his career (and there are plenty of things to criticize; his solo albums aren't exactly A-list material), making a broad judgment of Carl as "unprofessional" and "inconsistent" is *not* something supported by that ample evidence.

Again, the co-author has been kind enough to speak to some of what he did or didn't know going into working with Pamplin on this book. Using Pamplin as a primary source to characterize the group's entire history is justifiably going to cause fans and scholars concerns. I'd say the same thing if McParland had used Usher to draw broad conclusions about the entire band. Same thing with any narrow-focus biography/autobiography related to the band.

Fair enough assessment and I don't pretend that the book is a history of the Beach Boys. But of all the other Beach Boys books, none of them started with someone who was there day in and day out, inside the story, behind the scenes, for any length of time. It's a pretty cool peek into somewhere no other book has gone.
A historian, I, and certainly Rocky, ain't.

I'm gonna get a chapter posted for Smile.