The Peter Ames Carlin Thread

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,1217918_7_0_,00.html



Haven't had a chance to pick it up yet...

Don't feel bad, neither have I.  But soon, I will have it!

[JRauch]

Ordered your book today, and I´m really looking forward to it. I haven´t read any other BB-book yet, but judging from the reviews, this one looks "essential".


P.S. They said it will be delivered in about 7 - 15 days.  Can´t wait til the bottle crossed the ocean.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Saw the book in Borders today (along with, for the first time anywhere, the GV single!) but couldn't buy since I'm still waiting for Amazon to get the lead out.

RRRRRRR....

[Glenn Greenberg]

I bought it at Barnes and Noble today.

I'll cancel my order at Buy.com.

[Zander]

When my copy finally arrives (assuming it does--bloody Buy.com still hasn't shipped it!), will there be any reason to also get a copy of the Stephen Gaines book, "Heroes and Villains"?

Yes! It's a throughly good read and though it is a little dated and a little National Enquirer-esq, it is one of the best books. Especially the first two chapters on Dennis. It was the first book I bought on the Boys and I still go back and read it once in while!

Go to www.beachboys.com for a full review! 

[Glenn Greenberg]

When my copy finally arrives (assuming it does--bloody Buy.com still hasn't shipped it!), will there be any reason to also get a copy of the Stephen Gaines book, "Heroes and Villains"?

Yes! It's a throughly good read and though it is a little dated and a little National Enquirer-esq, it is one of the best books. Especially the first two chapters on Dennis. It was the first book I bought on the Boys and I still go back and read it once in while!

Go to www.beachboys.com for a full review! 

Thanks!

[Glenn Greenberg]

Mr. Carlin--

I was flipping through your book last night and ended up reading the section on the Surf's Up album and the work that went into completing the title track.

You wrote that the second half of the 1971 version of the song, the part with Brian on lead vocals, was culled from the "Inside Pop" TV special from 1966.  But I've read accounts that state this wasn't the case--that the 1966 recording of Brian playing the song on piano (the full version of which appeared on the Good Vibrations box set) was actually recorded AFTER the TV special was filmed.  That seems right to my ears--the Inside Pop performance, which I've seen via the "American Band" documentary, doesn't sound like the same performance as the one included in the box set.

Am I missing something here?

Thanks!

[TV Forces]

I finally got my copy from Amazon today, I'm happy to report.

Time to dig in!

[TV Forces]

I just breezed through the first 52 pages, which makes up the first three chapters.  So far it's very entertaining and I'm just lovin' it.  Thank you Peter.  I thought I knew it all, and learned some new things.  I like how fast it's moving..  in Tim White's "The Nearest Faraway Place," Brian isn't even born until about page 170 or so.   

My only gripe so far is the glaring omission of Mike Love's contribution to the Beach Boys through co-writing with Brian.  Peter talks about Gary Usher and Roger Christian..  but no mention at all of Mike helping out.  Now I'm not a Mike fan at all..  but all he gets (so far) is how he shared writing credits with Brian on "Surfin'" and helped Brian with the lyrics of "Don't Back Down."  Heck, Peter talks more about Bruce Springsteen then Mike assisting Brian with songs.. no mention of helping with "Warmth of the Sun" or anything.

Other than that, this book is awesome.  I didn't know the band auditioned for Al Jardine's mom for extra money to rent instruments when the Wilsons were out of town.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Mr. Carlin--

I was flipping through your book last night and ended up reading the section on the Surf's Up album and the work that went into completing the title track.

You wrote that the second half of the 1971 version of the song, the part with Brian on lead vocals, was culled from the "Inside Pop" TV special from 1966.  But I've read accounts that state this wasn't the case--that the 1966 recording of Brian playing the song on piano (the full version of which appeared on the Good Vibrations box set) was actually recorded AFTER the TV special was filmed.  That seems right to my ears--the Inside Pop performance, which I've seen via the "American Band" documentary, doesn't sound like the same performance as the one included in the box set.

Am I missing something here?

Thanks!

Both the performance that appeared on air and the studio recording were recorded "for" inside pop.  That is to say, Brian recorded the CBS piano/double-tracked vocal that Steve and Carl used for the Surf's Up LP under the "guise" of the TV special.  However, there are some who think that was simultaneously an experiment to see if Brian could go solo.

But no, the performance that ended up airing is not the performance that was commited to tape and brought in as part 2 of Surf's Up in 71.

[Peter Ames Carlin]

Okay guys, let me to try to figure this out.

Regarding "Surf's Up" : I'll defer to Aeijtzsche on that one....if only because I may have goofed up what I wrote. I think I knew that the version on the record was not the version on the tv special. But if it didn't come out that way in print, I blew it somehow. Sorry about that.

Regarding Mike: Read on, man. I give MIke all credit for 'TWOTS," and the other great lyrics he contributed. Just as he give him full credit for the stuff he was involved in that was less great. Lawsuits, and so forth.

And can I just add that I'm thrilled you guys are reading the book, and responding to it, and etc?  And I'm pre-emptively sorry for whatever other mistakes are in there?

[Cam Mott]

However, there are some who think that was simultaneously an experiment to see if Brian could go solo.

I guess some forgot about "Caroline, No" earlier in that year. 

[TV Forces]

No mention of the Today album?  Brian's first masterpiece?
Unreal.

I can't wait until my work day is done so I can go home and read some more.

[No. Fourteen]

Mr Carlin,

I'm 70 pages into the book, and really enjoying it.  Thanks so much.  I'm curious about your pages on the infamous "Rhonda" session.  There are a few details that you describe that compelled me to pull out the tape and listen again.  Without spoiling anything, I had never picked up on the Loren-related stuff that occurs, but sure enough there it is.  Did you piece together the events just by reviewing the recording, or did you get specific recollections through your interviews regarding that session? 

Again, thanks very much!

[donald]

Bought it at Borders yesterday, apparently they've had it for a while.

Although I ordinarily have some restraint and try to read a book through without skipping around, I just could  not do that with this one.  Guess I was eager for some kind of revelation, something I didn't know.   And I found some interesting passages, new twists on the old story here and there.

I have to say it is generaly a good  read and well crafted.

And Peter, I had been wondering how you managed to get to a place where you could get those interviews and have access to archives and anecdotes yet unpublished.  I didn't know you were an established writer and journalist who had already written about the band.

You did a great job for someone whose interest in the band  came on the heels of the release of Endless Summer.

I'm looking forward to sitting back this weekend for a couple of hours and really digging into the book.

[TV Forces]

Hi Peter.. another question..   

During the part on the Rhonda section, you mention Lorren..  but a few pages later, Lorren says he met Brian through Tony Asher.. who Brian didn't meet until later that year.

You were write to point out later, the contradiction between Lorren's and Brian's stories on his early drug use.. though most of the time I'll tend to believe anyone but Brian because of how often he changes his story or says something we all know to be false.

[jlaird]

Just got it yesterday, I'm really excited as this book looks like it's going to be fantastic!!!

[Peter Ames Carlin]

Hi TV: The assertion that Loren met Brian through Tony comes directly from Loren. I figured he was the best resource on that, so there it is. And I think Brian had met and chatted briefly with Tony at Western months before they actually sat down and started working together. So maybe that's the confusion?

[TV Forces]

Lorren is a pretty shady dude..   but I can already tell this is one of those books where I'm going to hope it never ends.  The brief run through of Wilson family history was a lot more entertaining and memorable then Tim White's 100 page account of the lives of Brian's great great great great great great great great grandpa.

[Dave in KC]

Peter, just into the first chapter today and love it. But on another topic, what did you do to get Bill O'reilly mad at you today? He said some nasty stuff about you on his radio program.

[Peter Ames Carlin]

Hi Dave: It's my dayjob. I'm a tv critic, and wrote a piece about Fox News (pegged to a press conference I attended here in L.A., a long story) that noted, in passing, that O'Reilly will on occasion make personal attacks on people. That made him angry, so now he's apparently callling me names (which he actually did another time a few years ago).

But I hadn't heard this time around. What'd he say?

[Wilsonista]

Just writing my new favorite book on Brian Wilson would have been enough to make you my new hero. But inciting the ire of  Bill O'Rielly?  That elevates you to sainthood!


I bet Bill's too chickenshit to have you on his show. 

[Peter Ames Carlin]

I dunno. Seems weird to me that he would defend himself against my observation about his making personal attacks by launching a personal attack against me. I mean....cognitive dissonance.

I don't like it when Keith Olbermann does it, either, btw. He was goofing with an O'Reilly mask here the other day, and did a Nazi salute. Not funny, by my estimation. Like, it's so easy to rip on O'Reilly. And that's the best you can come up with?

[busy doin nothin]

I got the book in my local Borders today.  It seems like an excellent, very thoroughly written work and I very much look forward to settling down to read it.  I was very annoyed, however, to read how much some later BB albums -- especially M.I.U. -- were trashed in the book.  For the life of me I cannot understand why a biographer would be so dismissive of his subject's work (especially given that Brian contributed, or co-contributed, 8 songs to MIU).  Believe it or not, there are a number of BW/BB fans who really love MIU (myself included).  Just check out the MIU review thread on this site and you'll find out.

I've seen this phenomenon in a number of biographies -- for example, Matthew Bruccoli dismissing many of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories, Joseph McBride trashing 1941, Always, and Hook (three of my favorite Spielberg movies).  If you're going to write a book about someone, certainly you should say if their work flopped (as MIU did).  But why write a lengthy screed about how crappy it is?

That complaint aside, as I said, I look forward to the book and based on my perusal so far it appears to be very well-researched and written.

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

I don't like it when Keith Olbermann does it, either, btw. He was goofing with an O'Reilly mask here the other day, and did a Nazi salute. Not funny, by my estimation. Like, it's so easy to rip on O'Reilly. And that's the best you can come up with?

http://newsbusters.org/node/6605

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http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/living/115386991813780.xml&coll=7