Someone behind the scenes of the HBO Series 'Divorce' is a real Dennis Wilson fan.  First season featured 'You and I'.  Then I was watching season 3 recently and 'Little Bird' was featured.  Maybe this was already noticed.....been away for a while.

Take a listen to this!  I like it better than the original.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rePiU_OKJP4

and another:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ws39Lfp1SM

Happy Birth Day to the wonderful Carl Wilson!!  So thankful for him and that voice!

I always love it when people make accusations about people who have died and can't defend themselves.  Maybe Carl bought the heroin for Dennis or Brian?  Carl denies ever doing heroin - I have no reason to disbelieve him.  He also never spoke ill of others.....dead or living -- unlike his cousin Mike.

If you watch Billy Hinche's "Here and Now" about Carl Wilson, the main theme running throughout the two dvd's is his spirituality.  Almost everyone interviewed for the production mentioned it.  His ability to see the big picture of life and understand that everyone was 'doing the best they could, given their resources'.  His nephew said he had a way of 'soothing the air' when he was around.  But didn't really preach it.

I'm always a little suspect of people who feel the need to 'talk' constantly about how wonderful/spiritual they are.  To me, its something you witness based on the way a person behaves -- no need for talk.  I DO feel (from all I've read) that all three Wilson brothers were deep, soulful guys.....but Carl achieved a level of spirituality.

If you define spiritual by who meditated the most to make himself feel better, then it's Mike.  If you define it as a way of being and living your life with love towards everyone, while always keeping in mind the big picture of life and the afterlife, then I would say Carl.  His son said when he got his cancer diagnosis his first words were "I'm not afraid to die."  Seems a likely response from a  'spiritual' person. 

While I am no expert whatsoever, I do have some knowledge of Myers Briggs.  My daughter is a certified Myers Briggs test administrator.

Brian - ISFP
Carl - ISFJ
Dennis - ENFP

Carl - the best example
Dennis - the most fun
Brian - the most endearing
Mike - the most kids?
Al - the most stable
Bruce - dont really know anything.....

Al Jardine mentioned on his facebook page that Gregg Allman and Carl were friends.   Anyone have any information on that.  I can actually see that being the case....Gregg Allman was said to be shy, a gentleman, and a person who never wanted to hurt anyone.

Here is the "God save Carl Wilson" post:  (If you go to search button and type "God save Carl Wilson" you will find it

From my first memories of reading about him, the first thing I thought about Carl Wilson was this - what you see is what you get. Of all of the Beach Boys, Carl was the least prone to bullshitting. He was certainly the warmest and most inviting of any of them. A perennial albatross, always up in the air, doing his own thing while still being democratic with the group.

Brian essentially had Carl as his right-hand man. And Carl was always around for his brother. And we all know that Carl was in genuine awe of his brother's talents. For someone as sensitive (in a good way) as Carl, watching his brother slowly burn out personally (forget creatively, that's a THREAD), especially when his brother was the reason he managed to become famous and successful could only have been among the most crushing blows ever dealt to him.

When Brian retreated, a whole lot of responsibility went onto Carl's (as well as Dennis') shoulders. Early on, forced to scramble and improvise around Brian's inconsistent bursts of creativity, Carl was able to develop into a much more talented artist at a rate almost as amazing as Brian had a few years before. And Carl's hard work was certainly of great artistic merit, and led the way for the band's evolution from America's preeminent pop group to a great recording and touring rock band. The world caught on too late to Carl's efforts, and by the time they were recognized, the band was starting to slow their progression to a crawl, finally sidestepping, and taking a huge step back. While I am quite sure Carl was not one to piss on or try to lessen the value the band's initial success, all of his work from when Brian stepped back to when the oldies show came running back in full force must have been disheartening for him.

There is, of course, this one conflicting story, which came from Jim Guercio, who had mentioned to the band back in late 1973 that while the shows were good, they were too loose and the audience was inconsistently entertained depending on how well-versed they were in the Beach Boys' music. He recommended that they add more of the oldies to the setlist. And the response from all of the touring band was a unanimous "yes". Where this fits in is anyone's guess.

The Beach Boys were certainly easily convinced by the almighty dollar to jump on the relentless touring bandwagon once Endless Summer became successful. There was money to be made, and they jumped at the opportunity. Sure, it's one thing to be artistic but quite another to be artistic and working from gig to gig just to survive. Carl, as the leader during their period in the desert in the early 1970s, was quite aware of that kind of burden. Their finances dropped fast, and by 1971 they were financing their tours with Brian's royalties. And this is where the conflict comes in.

Carl did want to be an artist. But once confronted with a rapidly declining Brian and Dennis on and off stage, his own troubles with Michael and Al, his marriage falling apart, and his drug and alcohol problems, he was forced to choose what was more important to him. And this was where the Beach Boys, while they were his bread and butter, became secondary to family.

Carl was able to exorcise his demons, and he wanted to have his brothers cleaned up and brought back to prominence within the group. He was a man of great patience when it came to Brian's often embarrassing live performances and rapidly lackluster studio work, and the issue of Dennis and Michael being at each other's throats would have driven most sane people over the edge. Carl was diplomatic and let Dennis off for a time to get his act together. And Dennis was able to get back in decent shape for a bit before spiraling out of control again.

But once it became obvious that it was a situation of life or death for both Brian and Dennis, Carl decided enough was enough. Family had to come first. His brothers and cousin took priority. He was instrumental in getting Brian back under Landy's care, which, while it was a bad move in the long run, was at least enough to allow Brian to return to a healthy frame of mind. And he certainly tried what he could to help Dennis. Dennis was guided by his own whims and not even the patience of Carl was enough to convince Dennis beyond a few couple-day stints in rehab. Carl even let Dennis stay with him at one point in 1983 when Dennis was homeless.

The loss of Dennis was the first blow. You can see it all over Carl's face in the press conference video the day after Dennis died. Something inside of him was gone. He had lost one of his brothers, and Brian was slowly going back to being himself. Carl's responsibility as the leader of the Beach Boys was still of importance to him; he wanted to be sure the fans were treated to a good time every day they performed. Everyone knows the stories of Carl's charity and kindness with the fans. Family still came first. I will never say that Carl gave up. He was too good to just give up on the Beach Boys and the fans. But they did become a lesser priority. And that's why as time went on, his input in the songwriting department slowed to a crawl.

When it came to the reunion in 1995, I'm sure Carl had modest expectations as to how Brian would deliver. But it soon became obvious, no matter how great the material was, that Brian was essentially being controlled again. Not by the drugs, but by his handlers. And this was something of which Carl wanted no part. He wanted to work with Brian, not with Brian's handlers. And Carl being the lucky person to put a half-hearted vocal down on Dancing The Night Away? I would have thrown up my arms and walked out too. It was a circus. This wasn't his brother he was working with. He was working with his brother's handlers. He preferred to do the right thing and walk away. And honestly, considering what Brian's subjected us to in the last fifteen years, Carl did us a favor. The show would go on, but if Brian wasn't going to be himself, then Carl wanted nothing to do with it.

It amazes me that people have the gall, the fucking nerve, to say Carl "gave up". Need I remind anyone what Carl did when he was diagnosed with his cancer? He went right back out on tour. He was the consummate professional, performing every night. He was certainly not without difficulties while doing so; he was confined to a stool for most of the shows, standing up occasionally when he took a lead vocal, and always for God Only Knows. He needed oxygen after every single song. A lesser man would have taken a cancer diagnosis as a death sentence. Carl Wilson kept putting himself out there until he couldn't anymore. People then say that Michael was a motherfucker for saying that he couldn't bear to see Carl onstage and wanted him gone. He couldn't bear to see Carl onstage in the condition he was in. I don't know how that makes Michael a motherfucker. And it's not like Michael wanted Carl "gone". He wanted Carl to try with every part of himself to beat his illness and get back out there. And I'm quite sure Carl wanted that too. Anyone who doubts that is a truly sick individual.

Carl Wilson was a trooper right until he breathed his last. He was, by far, the most levelheaded man in the group. And he was one of the lucky ones who was around to receive all of this adoration from his fans, rather than receiving it posthumously.

He didn't give up. Nature stepped in. Carl Wilson was not a quitter.

God Save Carl Wilson.

Once an angel among us, now an angel above us.  Happy Birthday, sweet man.

Happy Birthday to the one who put the 'beach' in the boys and the 'rock' in their roll!

And one more thing regarding Mike's incessant chatter about the Wilson Brothers and their drug use.....how about their children/families?  Maybe they don't want mistakes of the past constantly brought up and rubbed in their faces.  They should have all agreed to let Mike use the Beach Boys name under the stipulation that he stop defaming the 'Beach Boys' name.   Stop dwelling on the negativity, Mr. Positivity.

It does seem like Mike Love always manages to figure out a way to get into the 'drug' conversation and point out that Brian, Dennis and Carl succumbed to  temptation, while he did not.  I mean, does anyone on this board remember the late 60's and 70's?  Drugs were so prevalent during those times.  Nobody really knew what they were getting themselves into.  I can only imagine what it was like in the rock world where they had the money and means.  I'm really tired of Mike trying to demonize them and weave it into every convo.  Drugs and Manson....drugs and manson.  It doesn't elevate him in any way when he puts them down.  It only makes him look petty and unable to move on.

How about some thanks to Dennis for hooking him up with the Maharishi and getting Mike into TM?  Dennis was into everything and unafraid to try anything.  

Very poignant story.  It's true their music just makes you feel the joy of life.

I just read the part in Brian's book where he talks about how cool it was to be honored at the Kennedy Center Tribute so I looked it up on youtube to see if I could watch it.  I'm not kidding....it brought tears to my eyes.  Remind me never to watch this at work again! The tribute to Brian was so well done, and it included footage of the love those Wilson brothers had for one another.   It was also gut wrenching when Lyle Lovett sang God Only Knows and you can see Melinda comforting Brian because she knows how hard it must be for him to hear it and think of Carl.  There was a lot love for Brian in that room that evening -- no wonder it is such a fond memory for him.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsQMR0SzlPY - Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM-uollwxh8 - Part 2

I'm confused.  I confess I didn't know who this Brix Smith person was so I looked her up.  Apparently, she and her mother moved to Chicago in 1972 so I'm a little unclear how she beat up Carl's son when she was 17?  Also, wasn't Jonah born in 1969? 

Debbie KL......she not only has first-hand experience with the Beach Boys, she also has a very honest and balanced way of conveying her thoughts.  Often the voice of reason in some heated exchanges!   I could pick her brain for hours 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_K_u_iU2tY

Ok, Pulllleeeezzzzz, why is he capitalizing on the the story of the Wilson brothers?  I am so sick of his bringing up this stuff.  If I were to look at Mike Love today and Brian Wilson today, it might be an advertisement for taking drugs!   Brian is so much more chill and Mike seems to have a lot of residual issues around the wilsons drug use.\
P.S.  Why was Mike Love taking a shower at Dennis Wilson's house?   Does anyone else find that weird?  He just stopped by....and needed to take a shower?

Not buying it.

Who doesn't give kudos to a spouse protecting their loved one?  Especially when it is Brian, who is so naively innocent about people and their motives.  I am just guessing that the only reason Mike and Brian still have a good relationship after the lawsuit is because it was Brian Wilson who was sued.  If the roles were reversed, how 'loving' do you think Mike would be towards Brian?

According to Mike's book,, he has paid 23.8 million to BRI  since obtaining the license in 1999, which has been split between the shareholders.Page 416

I have a question and please excuse me if it is an uninformed question:  If Mike has to pay $$ to BRI for using the Beach Boys name, do the shareholders get a say in the quality of his shows?  After hearing the totally auto-tuned escapade on the 4th of July, I can't say that performance was in any way representative of the Beach Boys. 

Or maybe everyone is just happy to collect their money from Mike's obsessive opportunism?

Gotta love his humbleness. Same goes for Al and David too of course.

There must be something in the Wilson brothers' DNA that resulted in genuine kindness.  When Carl found out that David Marks had been brought into the band the minute he left due to his cancer, he sends David a note letting him know how happy he was for him.  It's like they don't have a mean bone in their body.  What an incredible influence Audree must have had on those three.

I would guess the contract was written that way because it reflected the reality of the situation.  Carl was the one constant in the Beach Boys.

That's a lot to handle for the Martin family.  First the loss of Ricci at the young age of 62 (?) and now the mother.  I'm not surprised Gina has remarried 1 or 2 times.  I read somewhere that those who had a good marriage are more likely to remarry.  I can't imagine it gets much better than Carl Wilson, but kudos to her for finding more happiness.

Very well put, Bachelorofbullets!!    If it weren't for Brian, Mike wouldn't be 'auto-tuning' Beach Boy songs all over the world to this day.