"Wouldnt it be nice.. My own story"

[Disney Boy (1985)]

If believed every word of this book, then I'd have to be not only anti-Mike, but anti-Carl, anti-Al, and anti-pretty-much-anyone-named-Wilson, with the exception of Dennis, who, in spite of his many faults, is forgiven because, after all, he was an out of control drug addict. Carl is blamed for his death, Landy is God.....oh how I hate this book.

We all know Dennis had a big heart, was Brian's biggest musical supporter from within the band during the Smile period, etc., but I think Dennis was "forgiven" because he was no threat to Landy. Carl, Audree, Marilyn, Carnie and Wendy were all anti-Landy, and the book came out at the time of the conservatorship fight, so Landy was trying to trash them and prove that HE was the one who loved Brian, not his greedy family.

The only Wilsons who weren't a threat to Landy when the book came out were Murry and Dennis. He HAD to hit Murry hard in the book because that stuff had all been out there for so many years. But there was no reason to take shots at Dennis, so he didn't.

Apart from in the opening chapter when Dennis beats the sh*t out of some girl... Read the book as a spoof and it's great fun, read it as it was intended however and it's frustrating and depressing.

[William Bowe]

For all that is hateful about the book, I recall a lovely anecdote early on about Mike encouraging an initially reticent and self-deprecating Brian to write a song with him, telling him that (from memory here) "the stuff you play when you're fooling around on the piano is better than two thirds of what's on the radio" - and Brian being forever grateful for it. I don't have my copy to hand unfortunately, but it would nice if somebody who does could confirm that I have this more or less correct.

[Sound of Free]

Yeah, William, that's in the book. For a book that's VERY anti-Mike, it's good that the story is included.

Whatever else you can say about Mike, he was the first person to believe in Brian's songwriting ability, and Brian has always needed someone to believe in him.