SMiLE Sessions box set!

[Roger Ryan]

My guess for how the SMiLE story will be presented with the new release: all members of the Beach Boys marveled at Brian's handling of the very avant-garde material but, due to factors beyond anyone's control (including Brian's), the recordings were set aside to pursue other creative choices.

[bgas]

My guess for how the SMiLE story will be presented with the new release: all members of the Beach Boys marveled at Brian's handling of the very avant-garde material but, due to factors beyond anyone's control (including Brian's), the recordings were set aside to pursue other creative choices.

and isn't that exactly what happened?  VDP decided to leave to do his own LP, thereby eliminating half of the Smile creative team and forcing the project to a close. 
It's all Van Dyke Parks' fault!

[drbeachboy]

Exactly! Here, we thought it was all Mike Love's fault. Damn you, Van Dyke!

[The Heartical Don]

My guess for how the SMiLE story will be presented with the new release: all members of the Beach Boys marveled at Brian's handling of the very avant-garde material but, due to factors beyond anyone's control (including Brian's), the recordings were set aside to pursue other creative choices.

and isn't that exactly what happened?  VDP decided to leave to do his own LP, thereby eliminating half of the Smile creative team and forcing the project to a close.  
It's all Van Dyke Parks' fault!

Yeah. He helped Brian onto drugs. He supplied Dennis with the Bolivian Marching Powder. He burned the SMiLE tapes. He shat on the sand near the tent in Brian's living room. He made a pass towards Marilyn and Diane in one single day. He befriended Charlie Manson and introduced him to the band. He burned Carnie with a cigarette whilst under the influence. He gave totally contradictory interviews to different music magazines.

The Blame Parks Campaign starts here!

[juggler]

I think the most unpalatable revisionism surrounding BWPS was the amount of screen time afforded the loathsome Loren Darro to explain that, hey, the drugs weren't so bad for Brian, y'know. The desire to firmly and repeatedly plant my fist in the exact center of his greasy visage still lingers.

I don't think I've ever owned a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson item for a briefer period of time than I owned the "Beautiful Dreamer" DVD.  I pre-ordered it from Amazon, watched it once and resold it on Amazon the very next day.  And Loren "Daro" played no small role in that.  It was disconcerting to say the least to watch 60-something "Daro," presumably aware of Brian's decades of mental health and substance abuse issues, cackling over the latter's drug use.

I'm a fan of David Leaf's writing.  The first time I ever saw an image of the Smile cover was in his 1978 book.  I didn't have a problem with the coverage of BWPS, the London premiere, etc. in "Beautiful Dreamer," but the film's treatment of the 1966-67 period was very disappointing.  Some of the reasons for that may have been out of Leaf's control (perhaps BRI prevented inclusion of any original music? Mike and Al declined to participate?), but I think the film failed with respect to its coverage of the original Smile project.  

[ESQ Editor]

Whether it's my initial post, follow up post, or any other post that appears anywhere on the Internet…the graphic associated with the press release is strictly that; a graphic. It's only there as a visual.

[Sam_BFC]

I think the most unpalatable revisionism surrounding BWPS was the amount of screen time afforded the loathsome Loren Darro to explain that, hey, the drugs weren't so bad for Brian, y'know. The desire to firmly and repeatedly plant my fist in the exact center of his greasy visage still lingers.

I don't think I've ever owned a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson item for a briefer period of time than I owned the "Beautiful Dreamer" DVD.  I pre-ordered it from Amazon, watched it once and resold it on Amazon the very next day.  And Loren "Daro" played no small role in that.  It was disconcerting to say the least to watch 60-something "Daro," presumably aware of Brian's decades of mental health and substance abuse issues, cackling over the latter's drug use.

I'm a fan of David Leaf's writing.  The first time I ever saw an image of the Smile cover was in his 1978 book.  I didn't have a problem with the coverage of BWPS, the London premiere, etc. in "Beautiful Dreamer," but the film's treatment of the 1966-67 period was very disappointing.  Some of the reasons for that may have been out of Leaf's control (perhaps BRI prevented inclusion of any original music? Mike and Al declined to participate?), but I think the film failed with respect to its coverage of the original Smile project.  

Agree with both of you; it does seem very odd that the filmaker(s) adopted this position.

[ESQ Editor]

I've been a fan of the SMiLE are since the day I discovered it. It's unmatched.

[onkster]

I adored the "Beautiful Dreamer" doc, but yes, Daro is exceedingly creepy. He reminds me of those people Robert Crumb described seeing during an early acid trip at a party...they all seemed demonic, satanic.

Daro didn't ruin the doc for me, and though I find him very distasteful, he is part of the story. And I feel like his part in the whole thing is so small, it doesn't kill the whole thing for me.

Interesting that he changed his name...is he perhaps embarrassed in some way over his 60s behavior? Hmmmm.

[ESQ Editor]

I adored the "Beautiful Dreamer" doc, but yes, Daro is exceedingly creepy. He reminds me of those people Robert Crumb described seeing during an early acid trip at a party...they all seemed demonic, satanic.

Daro didn't ruin the doc for me, and though I find him very distasteful, he is part of the story. And I feel like his part in the whole thing is so small, it doesn't kill the whole thing for me.

Interesting that he changed his name...is he perhaps embarrassed in some way over his 60s behavior? Hmmmm.

Keep in mind this is what Mike Love had a problem with.

[bgas]

I adored the "Beautiful Dreamer" doc, but yes, Daro is exceedingly creepy. He reminds me of those people Robert Crumb described seeing during an early acid trip at a party...they all seemed demonic, satanic.

Daro didn't ruin the doc for me, and though I find him very distasteful, he is part of the story. And I feel like his part in the whole thing is so small, it doesn't kill the whole thing for me.

Interesting that he changed his name...is he perhaps embarrassed in some way over his 60s behavior? Hmmmm.

Keep in mind this is what Mike Love had a problem with.

Why would Mike have a problem with his changing his name?

[Pretty Funky]

More his 60s behavior.

[buddhahat]

Whether it's my initial post, follow up post, or any other post that appears anywhere on the Internet…the graphic associated with the press release is strictly that; a graphic. It's only there as a visual.

Thanks for clarifying. I think the suggestion that Holmes' artwork won't be used based on that graphic is probably a hasty one.

[Dunderhead]

what is the problem with Loren?

[Jonas]

Its easy to put the blame on him for Brian's drug problems...

[Runaways]

on a side note.  having smile in my hands will be ridiculous.  and my age is much less than the time some of you have been waiting. 

WEEEEEE..

i hope they deviate a bit from the "blueprint".  i mean, more in arrangements.  a mix that seems just like the purple chick would be pretty eh.  but i hiiighly doubt that.  Even if the tracklist is similar.  what makes up each song will be what's interesting. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Whether it's my initial post, follow up post, or any other post that appears anywhere on the Internet…the graphic associated with the press release is strictly that; a graphic. It's only there as a visual.

Thanks for clarifying. I think the suggestion that Holmes' artwork won't be used based on that graphic is probably a hasty one.

I think the suggestion, no sorry, claim that said graphic was the artwork was, to be polite, sadly misinformed.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Its easy to put the blame on him for Brian's drug problems...

Just because he gave Brian his first acid trip, then justified it by saying that if he didn't, someone else would, and laughed about it ?

Yeah, dude deserves a pat on the back, a big cigar and a lifetime pension for services rendered to popular music.  He's just got one of those faces and personalities that requires a good slap now and then. I think his inclusion was part of a gameplan by the directors/Brian's camp to 'prove' that drugs weren't really a problem and the rest of the band were. As the kids would say today, "epic fail".

[pixletwin]

Agreed. Introducing Brian to hard drugs was far worse than anything Mike Love or anyone else is supposed to have done to Brian.

[Jonas]

Psychedelics were big at the time, there's no doubt in my mind that if he didn't get his first trip at the moment he did, he would have some other time. Especially with all the word coming back from the rest of the world. You can only blame one person for that decision, and thats Brian Douglas Wilson.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Psychedelics were big at the time, there's no doubt in my mind that if he didn't get his first trip at the moment he did, he would have some other time. Especially with all the word coming back from the rest of the world. You can only blame one person for that decision, and thats Brian Douglas Wilson.

Fair point... it was the being so damn smug and laughing about it that got my goat.

[buddhahat]

Yeah but Brian wasn't a child. He was an adult taking responsibility for his own choices, what's more he was a wealthy rock star in the mid to late 60s: Loren's right when he says someone else would've turned Brian on. With the benefit of hindsight we can see his decision to take drugs as a mistake, but ultimately it was his decision. I don't think it's fair to blame Loren, even if he does come across as slightly unsavoury, untrustworthy or whatever in that doc.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Yeah but Brian wasn't a child. He was an adult taking responsibility for his own choices, what's more he was a wealthy rock star in the mid to late 60s: Loren's right when he says someone else would've turned Brian on. With the benefit of hindsight we can see his decision to take drugs as a mistake, but ultimately it was his decision. I don't think it's fair to blame Loren, even if he does come across as slightly unsavoury, untrustworthy or whatever in that doc.

I think the phrase you're looking for is "sleaze-ball".

BTW, you used the words "Brian" and "responsibility" in the same sentence: not seen that happen for a long time. 

[Dunderhead]

A couple of points:

1. LSD isn't a hard drug, isn't addictive, doesn't have the risk of overdose and doesn't have any relation to coke/heroin/booze.
2. Without LSD SMiLE wouldn't have happened at all
3. Brian knew the buzz surrounding psychedelics, believed that he needed to do them to push forward and would have done them no matter what
4. LSD is relatively harmless. Brian's mental problems were his own. LSD can "activate" such problems, but the LSD did not cause them.

[Cam Mott]

I've said this before but I talked to Lorren several years before BWPS, so I don't know the guy but hearing him tell the story I have to think that what we saw on BD is missing a lot of context. He may be laughing but when I talked to him he had a warm regard for Brian. He told me that Brian had been pestering him for a long time about drugs but he put him off because he didn't feel Brian was suited to it. He saw the scene around Brian as juvenile and he was concerned that someone [someone in particular] was not going to be discriminating or give a fig for how Brian may handle it. Anyway, it may sound wrong headed now but I think he thought he had Brian's best interest in mind. I have to believe that the impression the scraps in the film have given may not  be an accurate one.

As I remember Schwartz changed his name for some religious/philosophical/spiritual reason unrelated to anything BB.