I can't find anything particularly laudable about Daro.  He was a pencil pusher in an entertainment agency, no matter how much of a psuedo-intellectual he was (and having an advanced degree doesn't mean he's not of the psuedo variety), or who he introduced Brian to (and there are stories that he didn't introduce Brian to either Asher or Parks, they all just happened to run in similar circles).  He never wrote or produced anything in the arts, he just hung out with people who did.  His ratting out Terry Satchen is an attempt to make Brian's family largely responsible for his problems, because  Terry is a cousin just like Mike Love is a cousin.  He doesn't deserve the attention he's gotten in the bios, or the documentaries, or "American Family," or this latest blog post.  He may be right that he's not that influential in the direction of Brian's life.  He mostly got attention because he was unintentionally humorous. If you change your name due to the influence of numerology, that can happen.  

Some of the people around Brian in the mid-'60s made critical remarks about Marilyn in various interviews and biographies.  I think it seemed odd for outsiders that a young, successful guy living in Beverly Hills would be married to a woman who looked and acted like a regular person.  I'm sure if Marilyn were some air-headed, tall, slim, beautiful model or actress type, they would have accepted her more, even if she did criticize his choice of company and use of drugs.  She also wasn't very hip.  There's some bio where one of his friends didn't like the fact she served things like steak at dinner.  Some of them were just snobby guys.  

As for Loren, he comes off as a delusional (in the literal sense) egomaniac by claiming no less than two songs were written about him and his wife.  Crazy people believe things are about them.  If that is Loren.  If IJWMFTT isn't about Brian per se, it might be Tony Asher writing about young people in general, including himself, just as the song "That's Not Me" is about young adulthood.  The entire album has that theme, and Tony has said that's what the project was about, as well as Brian. 

Actually, Good Vibrations was inspired by Loren Daro's wife.   

Not to mention "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" being about Loren Daro Schwartz's struggle as a creatively unfulfilled member of the office staff of the William Morris Agency.

He's also in England so he doesn't know anything about American ticket sales or venues.

Do they lack the Internet in England? What would make an American more privy to that information?

American false belief in omniscience is a trait inherited from the British.

I didn't read the whole thing, but his belief that the Beach Boys tour isn't selling out was someone (possibly an American) who posted a comment on his blog.  The blogger ran with it and his hope is that the Beach Boys don't do well, or in any case, that the tour is a one-time thing and will be forgotten.  He's rooting for the failure of the tour.  If he likes Brian, why would he want it to fail?  I've been to a Brian gig where there were only 500 people in a theater that held thousands more, and it was for TLOS, no less.  You'd think the guy would want more fans to know about Brian Wilson.  The more people who show up to hear "Kokomo" and see Mike Love and the car songs, the more people who will be exposed to Brian as well.

He's also in England so he doesn't know anything about American ticket sales or venues.

Do they lack the Internet in England? What would make an American more privy to that information?

You get what I'm saying, right?   Like he would know more about Brian's ticket sales in England than most Americans would, or whether it's significant if the venue is in London or in Bumf#%&-on-Mare.  The guy also claims that every tour in England that Brian ever did was a sell-out, and I'm not sure if that's the case or not.

No one, American or British, ever knows what tickets sales truly are, anyways, due to the fact that people buy tickets and are no-shows.  So, someone at a gig could see empty seats, but it could actually be a sell-out in terms of ticket sales, just not in turn out.  Sometimes people buy tickets months in advance then have other plans come up. Scalpers in the states often buy tickets anticipating demand but find out later they can't unload them at an inflated price, and have a hard time getting takers close to show time even if they reduce the prices because then nobody is looking for seats.  Conversely, a show could sell poorly, and the seats might be filled with tickets that are given away free, particularly at places attached to casinos.  It's hard for anyone to have an exact figure unless they're on the inside of the operations.  The Newsweek articles claims $70 million in ticket sales, so that's doing well, at least.

I wouldn't want a dialog with the guy, personally (should he ever choose to participate in this or other forums).  He's not going to change his opinion about how things were.  I do understand that he wants people to know he was a "serious" guy involved in the music industry, who held a series of steady day jobs, and wasn't some stoner drug dealer.  I just don't think he's particularly kind to Brian's family or to Brian, for that matter.   The person who could resolve whether those two songs were written about Loren and his wife would be Tony Asher, since Daro claims Brian can't be trusted.  But I don't think Asher would lower himself to responding to that even if he were asked, and Daro would refute what he'd have to say, anyways.

As for Brian "making up his breakdowns," yes, there have been other people who accused Brian of that.  Murry Wilson comes to mind.  In some ways, what happened on the plane can be described as a childish tantrum as much as a breakdown.  But it would be a stretch to say Brian was "making it up" in decades since, including a few stints in mental hospitals, which are hard to get due to the laws.

The guy writing that blog doesn't like the Beach Boys.  He's a Brian Wilson fanboy who doesn't like most of the work of his hero, or he wouldn't call the Beach Boys albums prior to "Pet Sounds" abominable.  He's also in England so he doesn't know anything about American ticket sales or venues.

I think it's legit, personally. Why would anyone go through the trouble to make that up?

I wonder if Tony Asher agrees with Daro's assessment of what those two songs are about, if that is Loren who posted?  Tony would know.  He not only wrote IJWMFTT, he also wrote the first set of lyrics for GV.  

Even if this is "Daro," the man who changed his name to be correct according to numerology, can anyone believe a word this guy says?  He says "Good Vibrations" was about his (Daro's) wife, Lynda, and that Brian was forced by the people around him to change the story to the song being about Audree Wilson, his mom.  Huh?  He also says that Brian's signature tune, "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" was about himself, Daro.  Not Brian.  He's trying to take away one of Brian most poignant signature pieces about himself.  Sure, Tony Asher wrote most of the words, but he supposedly wrote them about Brian.  Daro also takes credit for introducing him to both Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks.  Here's Daro's quote from his comments about GV and "Times":

I don't like doing this and casting doubt, but isn't there as much of a possibility that any of the statements above is true rather than false, or vice versa? The part about introducing Brian to Tony and Van Dyke...that makes sense. And it would make more sense if a story were concocted whenever they were asked how they met Brian to avoid having to say "There is this publicist guy in Hollywood who works with a lot of musicians, and he was also sitting on a stash of pure Owsley acid, great hash, and has great connections." See the Lovin' Spoonful for an example of what happened when someone did name names in this whole scene, not to mention the legal problems.

And if Daro knew Asher before knowing Brian, can we rule out the notion that maybe some of Tony's words were about Daro in some ways and Brian in others? It's a stretch, but this stuff does make you think about other possibilities.

The biggest "possibility" and "myth-busting" I see in Daro's self-serving screed is that Brian is not mentally ill and has been malingering for years, just to get out of touring,etc.  According to Daro, and that's cruel.  A lot of mentally ill people don't see themselves that way and will discount their symptoms to other people, especially when it first starts occurring.  According to Daro's buddy, Tony Asher, Brian behaved oddly and had emotional outbursts when they were collaborating on "Pet Sounds."  None of that was to put on a show for the band or the record label.  Other than Daro's claim of Brian's not being mentally ill, I don't see any great revelations there.  Unless you count saying that Marilyn Wilson is "bovine," that his cousin Terry is the one responsible for getting Brian hooked on drugs, and that two of Brian's most lauded songs were written about Daro and his wife.

Even if this is "Daro," the man who changed his name to be correct according to numerology, can anyone believe a word this guy says?  He says "Good Vibrations" was about his (Daro's) wife, Lynda, and that Brian was forced by the people around him to change the story to the song being about Audree Wilson, his mom.  Huh?  He also says that Brian's signature tune, "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" was about himself, Daro.  Not Brian.  He's trying to take away one of Brian most poignant signature pieces about himself.  Sure, Tony Asher wrote most of the words, but he supposedly wrote them about Brian.  Daro also takes credit for introducing him to both Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks.  Here's Daro's quote from his comments about GV and "Times":

All I can say in my defense is that it is universally understood that Brian’s best work followed in the next two years: ‘Pet Sounds’, ‘Good Vibrations’ (written about my wife, Lynda), and ‘Smile’, among others. (Incidentally, ‘I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times’ was written about me.) Mike Love hated all this new, modern work, and viciously attacked Brian about it again and again; for years, Mike employed teams of lawyers to harass him. He called ‘Good Vibrations’ “avant-garde sh*t”. Ask yourself, how you would have liked to have spent years on the road with (again, in my opinion), the detestable Mike Love?

Please keep in mind that Brian, to this day, is humble, self-effacing and eager to please others. He has always abhorred confrontation of any kind. He was unable to stand up to powerful villains like his father and Mike Love – not to mention Marilyn and a greedy herd of record business executives. Running away and pretending to be mentally ill was his only solution. He was fenced-in by selfish, narrow-minded mediocrities.

Because of this, Brian could not mention my name in public, or to any of them, except in ‘regretting’ his LSD experience. Brian’s mother, Audrey, became the inspiration for ‘Good Vibrations’. Just reading the lyrics will explode that myth. Also, that ‘I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times’ was about himself. ‘Not made for these times’? ‘What goes wrong’? It makes no sense.

BTW, Andrew, we do use the expression grammar school here in the states for the kindergarten through sixth grade years.  I'm not sure about the salon bit, but the fact that's in books may have originated with quotes from interviews with people who were around at the time, including Daro. The Gertrude Stein/salon thing is not that odd of a comparison, and some of the people involved were that pretentious.  It is a pretty well-laid out hoax if it is, though.  Not a very nice thing to do to Terry Satchen or Marilyn Wilson, whether it's a hoax or the actual Daro. 

I've never understood the reverence Brian's "friends" from the '60s and '70s were held in.  Whatever terrible things Murry or Mike Love/Beach Boys or Capitol Records supposedly did to him, those people didn't sound any better and gave him a lot of support to take drugs, which made his problems that much worse.  Most of them also didn't seem to believe or understand anything about mental illness.  What "Daro" says about Marilyn Wilson is particularly pathetic.  He should be ashamed of himself, but he is 75, so I guess he's entitled to a senior citizen discount in the shame department.  

Oh, yeah, it's soooo hard to tour in a rock band and get free travel, hotel rooms, play first class venues like the Hollywood Bowl, etc.  The BW band member doesn't appreciate what he has in life.  I call that being kind of a jerk, and I don't care if he does have to put up with Mike Love and Bruce Johnston.  I also don't think Brian Wilson is pure "art," sorry.

I want to know which Brian band member was quoted, he should be fired immediately

Yes, whichever Brian Wilson band member who said he's slumming in a "fairground act" on the Beach Boys reunion after doing "art" with Brian as a solo act.  He doesn't deserve the fat paycheck he's getting, with fans paying up to $500 to go see this "fairground act" he's talking about.  It shows a lack of respect for the audience.  It also overlooks that Brian does a lot of the same fairground oldies on every tour he's done and has played fairground  and casino venues himself.

It's a confusing, long-winded article that trots out every cliche about the band members, particularly Brian and Mike. This guy also seems to be under the impression that Brian writes his own lyrics, and that's usually not the case. 

Is it possible that any of the retailers will have special throw-ins on release day, like bonus tracks, a key chain or whatever?  Best Buy sometimes has little extras, though not as often as they used to, and more often for DVD's than CD's.  Target, too, but they don't even seem to have it available for pre-order. Best Buy also sometimes has new releases for $9.99 or less.

Most shirts with that type of big bright stripe pattern and a button front are rugby shirts.  Do a search for striped rugby shirt and you might find something similar if not identical.

"The Night Was So Young" done instrumentally brings out what a pretty song it is.  It almost sounds like a film theme.  Great work.  I didn't notice Barnshine's other videos having Hebrew character titles, d'oh.

The new one is excellent, too.  I like Barnshine's accent, though I can't place where he's from.

What time is the sound check, as in how far in advance of the show starting time?  I'm not doing the VIP thing, but just wonder how much earlier to the venue they have to get prior to the show and how much waiting around there is.  That would seem like a drawback right there, on top of the price.

Paisley seems like a Brian Wilson thing.  I'm pretty sure he was wearing a paisley shirt at a book-signing in San Francisco in the early '90s (along with acid-washed jeans, which were the height of fashion back then).  He also wore a lot of those types of patterns during the "Smile" era. Perhaps their costume designer chose a paisley print  in honor of the "Smile" boxed set.  Though he/she could have chosen one more tasteful and less hideous.

I like some of Selvin's books but he was clueless about Dennis. "snubbed by fans"...guess he never saw the TAMI Show, or heard about the girls storming the stage and knocking the other band members aside to get to Dennis (just ask Brian), or the lines of fans outside his hotel room wherever they stayed. Selvin didn't do enough research to know that Dennis got more fan mail than all of the others combined. His whole premise is incredibly flawed. Read his Rick Nelson book, but ignore his take on the Beach Boys because he's miles off.

I' ve only read portions of the Rick Nelson book and am just a middling Nelson fan, but I know that a lot of his fans were not happy with Selvin's slightly tabloid approach to Nelson's life, including implying that his twin sons had an incestuous relationship.  As a resident of the Bay Area and years-long reader of the SF Chronicle, I have to say that Selvin has always seemed slightly out of touch.  He became a rock writer after dropping out of high school and writing about the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.  He's always seemed stuck in that time and oriented towards the hippie Bay Area rock bands from that era.  His writing about Dennis and the Beach Boys may reflect the attitude of Northern Californians of that era.

Amazon has a pre-order listing for a vinyl single for $11 and change, but it says it won't be released until July 3.  It would be cheaper than getting it in one of those packages, though.

Barry Gibb posted a video tribute to his brother on YouTube a couple of days ago, featuring clips that include family home movies and their early career:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf7HbY_lafk

Admittedly, these guys eluded me for years. Maybe it's my old curmudgeonly self lately but this band has really begun to hit a few spots with me. Besides, what's not to love about soft rock?

Baby I'm A Want You is a fantastic song.  It has a haunting quality to it that is just beautiful. 

Hey anyone remember that episode of "The Wonder Years" where Kevin buys Winnie a "Bread" LP for Christmas but he feels funny about going in and purchasing it because they were a "chick band"?  That just came to mind, funny stuff.

there was another episode where Wayne sings a tragicomic version of "If" to a girl he digs

Any respectable version of "If" is ok with mehe

Does the Telly Savalas version count?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8dDkIrVuRg

It takes a lot of skill to put something like that together.  I salute you.

Link to archived (for now) playable doodle.  This thing is so cool.  It's an amazing piece of technology and Google should be proud.  It would be great if someone could turn this into an app for Android and/or iTunes.

http://www.google.com/doodles/robert-moogs-78th-birthday