"Wouldnt it be nice.. My own story"

[Bill Tobelman]

The LSD related experiences depicted in the book have always been my favorite passages.

Studies have shown that LSD experiences can be vividly & emotionally recalled 40 years after they originally occurred (my source for this is a book about Oscar Janiger's LSD studies). If someone invented these accounts for WIBN they did a great job of faking things.

[Pretty Funky]

Reboot of this thread after 11 months!

Just coming down from a LSD trip Bill? A lot has happened in BB land while you were away.

[Bill Tobelman]

Fill me in.

[Lonely Summer]

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.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Just a few thoughts...

First of all, I have to say that while I have to agree that WIBNMOS is a hunk of crap, I do suspect that the day-by-day detail-by-detail description of Landy's treatments probably are accurate; it makes the book serve as a commercial for Landy's services. It is interesting how a lot of the chapters are a bit vague, but then when Landy is introduced suddenly "Brian" discusses everything.

I love how in the list of different tracks recorded for Smile "Brian" actually has "George Fell" in the list!

And the picture of Brian with the dog that's allegedly Banana....uhh, no, beagles don't look anything like that!

Brian laying down a bass track for Pet Sounds?? Sure.

BTW, am I the only one who despises the Timothy White book?? You could probably write a small book just about the inaccuracies in it...

WIBN is a sack of crap. And agreed, i don't much like the Timothy White book either. He's almost completely dismissive of stellar albums like Surf's Up and - in particular - Holland, but then he foams at the mouth with praise for Beach Boys '85 (now i actually think BB '85 is a lot better than it's dreadful rep implies, but ''almost as good as Sunflower''...?)

[Letsgoawayforawhile]

I read up until he meets Landy, and then I stopped, because it gets really creepy.

[KittyKat]

Landy wrote it.  Although from a couple of old interviews I read from that time period Brian talked like Landy sometimes.  Brian repeated a lot of therapy lingo and said nasty things about his family, but also that he wasn't allowed to see them very much.  Brian was brainwashed.  He seemed like a kidnap victim who started to agree with the people keeping him captive so he wouldn't get in any trouble.

[AllIWannaDo]

wierd I've just read this on holiday last week (having read 'catch a wave' a couple of years back).

I'd heard it was kinda co-written with Landy a while back so was a bit skeptical.
Defo interesting in a kinda ghoulish way, more so in the latter 3rd.
This book has distorted my head abit so I think I'm going to have to reread 'catch a wave' again striaght off to get some better oversight.

bad example but.. I'd watched this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZSAQX2uuUY
aages ago, but hearin it mentioned in WIBNMOS was interesting.

I don't know whether or what to believe with the relationship with his dad & family, stan love etc, really shockin if the majority of it is true.
It's amusing hearing Landy's various job title's as the book progress's 

It's got me wondering is there another book other than 'catch a wave' i could read to get a more rounded view, sure WIBNMOS is SKETCHY to put it mildly but it's got me keen to read another book that's not so dubious/'managed'/ulterior content as this but diferent from 'catch a wave'

These are the only 2 I've read on the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson & would love to read another, I'd thought I'd throw it out and ask for a recommendation from you if that's okay?

[Pretty Funky]

Can't go wrong with this IMO but I'm sure AGD or others can give you there thoughts on whether it rates 5 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Nearest-Far-Away-Place/dp/0805047026


...and you should also consider this.

The Lost Beach Boy. As a bonus, The author Jon Stebbins posts here so thats got to show the quality of the guy!

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Beach-Boy-founding-members/dp/B005HKVVBU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346647141&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lost+beach+boy

[hypehat]

wierd I've just read this on holiday last week (having read 'catch a wave' a couple of years back).

I'd heard it was kinda co-written with Landy a while back so was a bit skeptical.
Defo interesting in a kinda ghoulish way, more so in the latter 3rd.
This book has distorted my head abit so I think I'm going to have to reread 'catch a wave' again striaght off to get some better oversight.

bad example but.. I'd watched this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZSAQX2uuUY
aages ago, but hearin it mentioned in WIBNMOS was interesting.

I don't know whether or what to believe with the relationship with his dad & family, stan love etc, really shockin if the majority of it is true.
It's amusing hearing Landy's various job title's as the book progress's 

It's got me wondering is there another book other than 'catch a wave' i could read to get a more rounded view, sure WIBNMOS is SKETCHY to put it mildly but it's got me keen to read another book that's not so dubious/'managed'/ulterior content as this but diferent from 'catch a wave'

These are the only 2 I've read on the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson & would love to read another, I'd thought I'd throw it out and ask for a recommendation from you if that's okay?

Catch A Wave is really the best one. People criticise it for being Brian-centric (it is a biography of Brian expressly, no sh*t), but he gives everyone a fair shot at portraying themselves IMO. Mike's interview is great. It's also the best overview of the career as whole.

Carlin also drops in here on occasion, too.

If you're looking for a different approach, Steven Gaines' Heroes & Villains offers an at times incredibly inaccurate but sleazy and honest portrayal of the group. The Nearest Faraway Place is great in terms of California history.

If Smile floats your boat and you can find it cheap, Dominic Priore's Smile book (NOT Look Listen, Vibrate, Smile - you need to own that anyway) is good for the extensive Van Dyke interviews, less so on little details.

[Dunderhead]

Have you read the David Leaf book Hypehat? I keep hearing good things about it, but a used copy is expensive

[Jay]

there are two stories in the "autobiography" that I've always wondered about, but I never have been able to get a straight answer on here. One is the story of a 1979 gig in Canada, I believe. "Brian" talks about being so drunk that he actually laid down on the stage and fell asleep. The other one talks about Brian totally rearranging a song right in the middle of a concert. Did either of these stories ever actually happen?

[hypehat]

Have you read the David Leaf book Hypehat? I keep hearing good things about it, but a used copy is expensive

I haven't, for the same reason.


Jay, the 'key of BW' quote springs to mind....

[Slow In Brain]

The story of Brian chasing Barbara Rovell and her ripping a wart off his thumb has stuck in my mind as something Brain recounted in one of those terse interviews with Todd Gold...sounds  implausible enough to have really happened

[AllIWannaDo]

Can't go wrong with this IMO but I'm sure AGD or others can give you there thoughts on whether it rates 5 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Nearest-Far-Away-Place/dp/0805047026


...and you should also consider this.

The Lost Beach Boy. As a bonus, The author Jon Stebbins posts here so thats got to show the quality of the guy!

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Beach-Boy-founding-members/dp/B005HKVVBU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346647141&sr=1-1&keywords=the+lost+beach+boy

ace, thanks vmuch for this

[AllIWannaDo]

If Smile floats your boat and you can find it cheap, Dominic Priore's Smile book (NOT Look Listen, Vibrate, Smile - you need to own that anyway) is good for the extensive Van Dyke interviews, less so on little details.

aha!!! I've heard alot of good things about Dominic Priore & 'Look Listen Vibrate, SMiLE' but never managed to discover a copy yet (at least one i can afford when i spot it).
I'll def be checking that bad boy out (Yes I am sadly ANOTHER SMiLE fanatic..).

The other Book by Dominic sounds really interesting, especially for the Van Dyke interviews

Thanks for evryone's help on here, great to be pointed in the right direction and be given a fair few options on what to go for 

[halblaineisgood]

In my own story, many things would be funny to hear actually spoken aloud by Brian.
"... he was a skinny kid with a unique perspective and a fondness for amphetamines"

[GhostyTMRS]

I wouldn't go quite as far as others have and call this a pile of garbage. If you've never read the other Beach Boys biographies that this generously steals from you might find something of value in it up to the point where Landy enters the picture and then it turns into one long turgid infomercial. I knew enough about Brian when it came out to know that he'd be incapable of writing his autobiography so I wasn't fooled.
In fact, the only rock star autobio to not be ghostwritten by someone else that I'm aware of is Dylan's slim volume of "Chronicles Vol. 1" which only goes to show you that what the artist remembers and wants to write about is probably not what the audience wants to read anyway (although Dylan's book is great for what it is).

There are probably a handful of stories that Brian told Todd Gold that made the book, but that's about it. If it were an honest book, it would probably only be enough to fit a pamphlet. 

[punkinhead]

is this the same book with a different cover? I have the one with the cover of him by the ocean in a black jacket.

http://www.amazon.com/Wouldnt-It-Nice-Brian-Wilson/dp/0747531455/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1346872529&sr=8-6&keywords=brian+wilson

[Paulos]

is this the same book with a different cover? I have the one with the cover of him by the ocean in a black jacket.

http://www.amazon.com/Wouldnt-It-Nice-Brian-Wilson/dp/0747531455/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1346872529&sr=8-6&keywords=brian+wilson

Yeah same book, different cover, I've got the one shown in the link.

[punkinhead]

is this the same book with a different cover? I have the one with the cover of him by the ocean in a black jacket.

http://www.amazon.com/Wouldnt-It-Nice-Brian-Wilson/dp/0747531455/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1346872529&sr=8-6&keywords=brian+wilson

Yeah same book, different cover, I've got the one shown in the link.

when was that photo taken?

[MBE]

It's the very worst book for research purposes I have ever read and almost everything in it is very wrong.

[runnersdialzero]

It's the very worst book for research purposes I have ever read and almost everything in it is very wrong.

This made me laugh and laugh and I'm not entirely sure why.

[Sound of Free]

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.

[Lonely Summer]

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.

Yep, it was all motivated by Landy's desire to have Brian as his prisoner forever. Damn those Wilsons for actually wanting some contact with their son, brother and father!