Okay boys, neutral corners . . .
Smile4ever
Thanks for your question about Judy Bowles as a follow-up to my earlier post about my forthcoming book
Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961-1963.
All of the obvious questions (and some not so obvious) questions about Judy were just one aspect of the band's early history that nagged me (and others), literally for decades. Most books about the band are career spanning and, in their interest to get to the band's most productive and controversial periods, tended to gloss over obvious inconsistencies in the band's origin story. They raised more questions than they answered. No disrespect intended, but when the late editor of
Billboard gets it wrong, you know you're in trouble.
Judy was one of the most glaring aspects of the story that writers tended to ignore. I'm not sure why. They just did not take the time to look for her. More egregious, in my humble, is that nearly everything printed about her is incorrect. Totally fabricated. How does that happen? It's disappointing, actually.
Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961-1963, has 1,200 end notes. I didn't fill in any gaps with fiction. That would have been the antithesis of why I wrote the book in the first place. If I don't come up with a specific answer, I present the most likely scenario or possible scenarios. I am hoping the book will spark some robust discussion.
I began my book in April 2006. Nine years ago. Apart from working on it in my free time (I'm a veterinarian in my real life), one of the reasons it took so long was because I worked from a list of every question and every person involved in the early history and went about trying to answer the questions and trying to find and interview the people. This after after re-reading and re-viewing EVERYTHING out there, on both sides of the Atlantic, that even touched upon the early days. You have to know where you were before you know where you're going. Some folks took years, off and on, to find. Some folks took a year or more to persuade them to speak with me. Some I found, but they declined to participate. I called, I wrote, I enlisted friendly emissaries, and then I respectfully backed off. There is one person who I truly regret did not respond. Perhaps, if there is a second edition. Some I never found. Some I knew were deceased. Some, I now believe, are deceased. Some, sadly, passed away during the writing of the manuscript.
But Judy was at the top of my list. Why had no one spoken with her? I can't answer that. She told me I was the first person who took the time to seek her out and speak with her. So, we were off to a good start. As I mentioned earlier, she is a lovely, wonderful, and kind person. With a great sense of humor and life perspective. I enjoyed speaking with her immensely. I have about 20 hours of taped interviews with her. Who was she? What was she like? What did she look like? How did she meet Brian? What was their relationship like? Where did they go on dates? What did she recall about Brian and the early history of the band? What did she recall about his songwriting? About the early workings and inter-personal relationships within the band? What did she recall of Murry? The list goes on and on. Did she keep a diary? Photographs, letters, cards, poems, scrapbook? What was the story of their engagement and the diamond ring? What was the story of the break-up? Did she ever meet Brian again? Did she have any regrets? Did he seek her out after they broke up? Did he have any regrets? Re-read the lyrics to "The Warmth of the Sun."
The book is filled with these kind of stories. If you love the band, which I assume you do since you're here, you should really enjoy the book. I have loved the music of the Beach Boys since fall 1966 (yeah,
that song) and I am especially enamored with their early history and origin story. While I assemble the Index, while listening to
No Pier Pressure repeatedly, I am rereading the manuscript and enjoying it all over again.
I think it should be out by June.
bgas
Thanks for re-posting my earlier discussion of Judy.
Andrew (my kindred spirit, along with several others, in untangling the early history)
Brian never asked for the ring back. And now, given the way things worked out, I don't suspect he needs it. Or the money
Author
