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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / My experience in the crowd and backstage in Toronto
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on: June 22, 2012, 12:09:55 PM
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I just wanted to share some of my experiences Tuesday night. We've already heard what great concerts the Boys have been putting on, and this was no exception. The seated area of the Molson Amphitheater was sold out and they opened up the lawn area at the back, and there were a fair number of people there as well. It was a very receptive crowd. Lots of Beach Boys fans here in Toronto. I think an outdoor venue is ideal for this tour. When it started at 7:30 pm, it was nice and sunny, perfect for the upbeat car and surf songs. Then we had the intermission, and then after that, it was suddenly dark out and we dug in and got to the heart of the matter. The stamina these guys are showing is pretty incredible. Guys 70 years old have no right sounding so good and performing 45+ songs. It became pretty overwhelming: the Dennis tribute, the Carl tribute, "Good Vibrations," "California Girls," and on and on. I thought the video accompaniment was terrific. The video for TWGMTR is probably the first cool Beach Boys video I've seen. And the studio footage of the recording of "Good Vibrations" reminds us all how vibrant Brian was in his youth. I haven't talked to anybody who left the theater thinking they had not seen a phenomenal performance.
It was a particularly special night for me as I got to go backstage and present my book to each of the guys. I found a moment with Brian, who was sitting with Paul von Mertens a few tables away from where Mike was sitting. I let him know that I wrote my book out of love for his music and I truly hoped he would enjoy it. I asked him to sign my own copy, to which he replied "Sure. What's your name?" So much for making an impression! Alan seems to me to be the guy enjoying all this the most. He was upbeat, chatty, and was the only one who came outside to talk to the fans after the show. When his wife Mary Ann saw that Alan Boyd was one of the people interviewed for my book, they asked me how he was doing. They seemed genuinely concerned. Bruce has been a champion of my book for a long time, so it was great finally meeting him face to face. Randy Bachman was also there. He has a bunch of unreleased songs he recorded with Carl for KTSA. I told him he should talk to the guys about getting some of that stuff on any forthcoming boxed set. I handed Mike a copy of the book and said "I hope you like it," to which he said with mock ominousness (at least, I hope that was the case) "I hope so, too." I also spoke to David, who seemed to be very much in the zone. And I have to say that all those supporting players, down the line, are truly great guys. I asked one of them how it was all going and he said, "Great. Surprisingly smooth, given this group."
This 50th anniversary is a true blessing and the guys are enjoying it for all it's worth. Certainly it will be a night I will never forget.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again
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on: June 11, 2012, 06:32:04 AM
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It was intended as the final track after Til I Die.
Correct, but we can't bump the title tune out of that spot 40 years down the road. I guess the only real context would be as bonus tracks after the album proper. I always thought it would have made a great leadoff track to that album, just as Dennis's "Slip on Through" opens Sunflower. Just to clarify: I'm talking about "4th of July" as the perfect Surf's Up leadoff track...
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again
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on: June 10, 2012, 06:54:23 PM
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It was intended as the final track after Til I Die.
Correct, but we can't bump the title tune out of that spot 40 years down the road. I guess the only real context would be as bonus tracks after the album proper. I always thought it would have made a great leadoff track to that album, just as Dennis's "Slip on Through" opens Sunflower.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: It's all Dave's fault...
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on: June 09, 2012, 07:00:00 AM
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Hey Mark, one of your fellow Canucks (Rich Panteluk) personally delivered a copy of your book to me last week. I'm enjoying it right now and recommend it to others here.
Zach95 is right. This guy should be publicly humiliated for not doing his homework.
Thanks, Mikie. I appreciate the plug!
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Number #1
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on: June 04, 2012, 01:35:07 PM
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Be patient. iTunes will be promoting this thing in partnership with EMI. It will start on June 5. And I'm thrilled to say that my book is supposed to get some mention in the promotional mix.
Great to hear!! I will have no problems whatsoever saying "I was wrong" when this happens. I'm enjoying your book by the way Mark. I'm reading a few each day - it was Alice Cooper, John Sebastian, and Hal Blaine this morning. It really is an effective, fruitful concept you've come up with - the 50 different songs, 50 different interviews. And I'm impressed by many of the people you enlisted. Your narrative is toned just right to guide the reader through anecdotes from the interview subject while at the same time telling a story and relaying background information. But most of all, it's just pure fun to read. Thank you! Thanks, Catbirdman. I'm so glad you're enjoying it. I am very lucky in terms of who spoke to me. It's very telling of the love out there for the Beach Boys.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Number #1
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on: June 04, 2012, 11:31:35 AM
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And yet.
Go to the iTunes store main page - NOTHING.
Go to the iTunes main page for just Music - NOTHING.
Let's not start getting disgusted yet, Capitol might actually get it right this time.. I doubt it though to be fair, i don't think there's any point on advertising an unreleased album on iTunes Actually, you're incorrect: on the front page they advertise prominently all the upcoming releases. The Beatles' Yellow Submarine songbook (which will also be released tomorrow) has been the most easily viewable thing on that whole page for weeks now. But there's no sign of the Beach Boys, even when you navigate to the music only page of the store. In general, I think many people on this board tend to see through rose-colored glasses. It's understandable given that by coming to this board every day, you're basically surrounded by those who've drunk the Kool-Aid. But when it comes to the Beach Boys' overall stature and presence in the public mind, I find there's a gaping discrepancy between what people here want to believe and what the truth actually is. Be patient. iTunes will be promoting this thing in partnership with EMI. It will start on June 5. And I'm thrilled to say that my book is supposed to get some mention in the promotional mix.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys update and Canadian launch events
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on: May 31, 2012, 02:04:54 PM
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Mark, your new book just arrived today via Amazon, and I'm totally impressed. When I ordered the book I had presumed that you had mainly edited together a bunch of submissions from other people discussing 50 Beach Boys songs. For example, my assumption was that Zooey Deschanel wrote the entire section discussing Wouldn't It Be Nice, and so on, for each of the 50 songs. And while the reader does get to hear the perspective of Zooey Deschenal, et al, the majority of the the writing is yours, and also incorporates a number of references to previously published material, resulting in one neat package explaining the history and progression of The Beach Boys in chronological order thru the story behind 50 of their songs.
(Hey, and one more thing, thanks for using Aug. 21, which was the day I bought it, as the release date for Sunflower, rather than the more commonly used estimate of Aug. 31.)
Thank you for the kind words about my book. Regarding the earlier release date for Sunflower, I got that info from Endless Summer Quarterly. Was it you who wrote that letter explaining it?
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys update and Canadian launch events
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on: May 30, 2012, 06:02:12 PM
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Nice to see Mark's book get such a significant mention in the L.A. Times article on the upcoming Hollywood Bowl gig: A Beach Boys homecoming at the Hollywood BowlMay 28, 2012 Some surprises among the stats: “All This Is That,” a relatively obscure song from the 1972 album “So Tough,” which was credited as Carl & the Passions, has been included nearly every night — as has “Don’t Back Down,” a song that never charted from 1964’s “All Summer Long” album. “This Whole World,” from 1971’s “Sunflower,” has turned up 10 times, according to the obsessive documentarians at www.setlist.fm. The group’s Top 10 hit that has surfaced least frequently? “Dance, Dance, Dance,” which has been played, played, played just five times so far. New thoughts on old songs: In Mark Dillon’s new book “Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys,” the Canadian author interviewed — yep — 50 different sources about their favorite songs from the group’s career. What is Alice Cooper’s favorite number, you ask? In the book, they quote him discussing “In My Room”: “I was 15, I was the perfect age for that. Your room is your sanctuary. It’s your Batcave. It’s the only thing you own, so there’s a certain holiness to it. ‘Mom, Dad — don’t come in my room. It’s off limits.’” As for the ubiquitous Zooey Deschanel? She cites “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” from the watershed 1966 album “Pet Sounds” album. “Talk about blowing my mind. I can listen to the song over and over again.” She’s also a big fan of the separate vocal and instrumental tracks that became available with the 1997 “Pet Sounds” box set: “Listening to just the vocals is really exciting. It still sounds fresh. It always makes me happy.” http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/05/a-beach-boys-homecoming-at-the-hollywood-bowl.htmlThanks for posting, Ed. And for your fine photos!
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Has anyone read this book about Dennis?
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on: May 26, 2012, 02:09:46 PM
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I'm especially intrigued by Lisa B. Falour, author of I Was For Sale: Confessions of a Bondage Model, whose website, CuteCatFaith.com, advertises for a new publisher:
Lisa Falour's bondage modeling career spanned from 1980 to 1994. Most famous of all her work were the HENRY ALTER photos she posed for for 14 years for this former Hollywood private secretary to Paul Henried, whose illustrious career was the topic of a book, "MY FRIEND HENRY," serialized in German PLAYBOY!
Henry gave her ALL the negatives. She has HUNDREDS of them. They are for sale ONLY TO A BOOK PUBLISHER, who will produce them with her text. Henry wanted his story told! There is nudity, but no porn, and Henry was careful to take a smiling picture of Lisa and her lovely pals on each roll of film he so carefully took! These photos have been turned down by one of the top book publishers in the world! Why, we don't know. Do YOU want them? They appeared in numerous magazines over the years, and Lisa would laugh when suits would ogle her in the elevators of the Halls of Commerce. She has always been totally open and honest about her work, which was all done in the name of ART. Her life . . . is an open book! SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY, PLEASE!
Anyway, in all seriousness, folks who've worked both sides of the publishing know writers can be just as ... um ... demanding as publishers can be dodgy. But this seems an egregious case for sure.
Mark, I was going to mention I've just finished Fifty Sides. Great job! The stories were a lot of fun. I especially liked the "KTSA" and "I'm Bugged at My Old Man" chapters. Lots of great stuff in there.
Thanks, Kirk. I'm really glad you liked it.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys update and Canadian launch events
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on: May 17, 2012, 06:20:33 PM
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Hello everyone, I think I'm due with an update on my book. The original launch date was June 1, but Amazon is already shipping out copies and I've heard reports of it appearing in bookstores everywhere from Toronto to California. Here is a nice review I got from Publishers Weekly: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-77041-071-8. For those in Canada, I am slated to do a couple of TV interviews: Canada A.M. June 4 and CHCH Morning Live (Hamilton) on June 8. Regarding the launch events, in Toronto it will be at the Gladstone Hotel on May 28. Doors open at 7 p.m. and it gets underway at 7:30 PM. I'll be participating in a Q&A with Liz Worth, author of a very cool oral history about the Toronto punk scene entitled Treat Me Like Dirt. A good local band called the Roughtones will perform, adding a few Beach Boys songs to their repertory. The Montréal launch event is at 2 PM on June 16 at Paragraphe bookstore. There I will be interviewed by Bernard Perusse, music critic for the Montreal Gazette and a BIG Beach Boys fan. It would be great to see any of you out if you happen to be in the area.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Joe Thomas 2.0
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on: May 16, 2012, 10:07:47 AM
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It would appear that Thomas is very strongly involved on writing the new tracks, since credited songwriting collaborators Jim Peterik (of Survivor "Eye of the Tiger fame) and Larry Millas are Illinois-based cronies of his. And despite what the credits might indicate, Thomas was also quite involved in the studio. In a recent interview I asked Brian what role Thomas played and he replied "co-producer."
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