VDP today on NPR said.....

[Mikie]

Eisenhower. The biggest do-nothing president there ever was. That's why Kennedy came in and got the U.S. moving again. I mean, did Ike ever do anything but play golf during his administration?

And didn't Brian call Van Dyke Parks an asshole at a party? Yes he did!

And didn't Van Dyke Parks NEVER say that he had anything to do with Pet Sounds, including playing on it? Yes!

And Van Dyke Parks say before in interviews that it was his idea about using a Cello and playing it in triplets? Yes he did, and I believe him!

[Moon Dawg]

Eisenhower. The biggest do-nothing president there ever was. That's why Kennedy came in and got the U.S. moving again. I mean, did Ike ever do anything but play golf during his administration?

  Sorry Mikie...but I'm not gonna take the bait! Everyone's entitled to an opinion. 

  JFK was a good president, yes.

[Rocky Raccoon]

  Parks has had a burr up his butt the last few years. Clearly his relationship with Brian is not what it once was. The Beach Boys, like Parks, all grew up in Eisenhower America, which isn't such a terrible thing.

Has their relationship faltered since 2004?

 I don't know any details, but things seemed good when BWPS came out. Something seemed to sour by the time of THE SMILE SESSIONS; consider Van Dyke's semi-snarky comments the least few years. AGD probably has some details and/or insights.

I think they fell out around the time of That Lucky Old Sun.  If I recall, the album was meant to be a full-fledged Wilson/Parks collaboration, not just on the spoken word sections but Parks either dropped out or was fired from the project.  I could be wrong though but it wouldn't surprise me.  It would be going the same way as Andy Paley and Joe Thomas (initially).  Perhaps he was being treated as the lesser part of the collaboration as Paley and Thomas would be (only they probably didn't mind given their hero worship for Brian) and he understandably wouldn't be happy with such treatment.  But this is just pure speculation.

[CenturyDeprived]

  Parks has had a burr up his butt the last few years. Clearly his relationship with Brian is not what it once was. The Beach Boys, like Parks, all grew up in Eisenhower America, which isn't such a terrible thing.

Has their relationship faltered since 2004?

 I don't know any details, but things seemed good when BWPS came out. Something seemed to sour by the time of THE SMILE SESSIONS; consider Van Dyke's semi-snarky comments the least few years. AGD probably has some details and/or insights.

I think they fell out around the time of That Lucky Old Sun.  If I recall, the album was meant to be a full-fledged Wilson/Parks collaboration, not just on the spoken word sections but Parks either dropped out or was fired from the project.  I could be wrong though but it wouldn't surprise me.  It would be going the same way as Andy Paley and Joe Thomas (initially).  Perhaps he was being treated as the lesser part of the collaboration as Paley and Thomas would be (only they probably didn't mind given their hero worship for Brian) and he understandably wouldn't be happy with such treatment.  But this is just pure speculation.

I don't know if this is true, but damn if "Live Let Live" isn't a seriously amazing song. Like hovering around being Brian's best song in 20 years. I wish they'd done a whole album like that.

[Mikie]

Eisenhower. The biggest do-nothing president there ever was. That's why Kennedy came in and got the U.S. moving again. I mean, did Ike ever do anything but play golf during his administration?

  Sorry Mikie...but I'm not gonna take the bait! Everyone's entitled to an opinion. 

  JFK was a good president, yes.

Glad we agree on something, Steve.   

[bgas]

Eisenhower. The biggest do-nothing president there ever was. That's why Kennedy came in and got the U.S. moving again. I mean, did Ike ever do anything but play golf during his administration?

  Sorry Mikie...but I'm not gonna take the bait! Everyone's entitled to an opinion. 

  JFK was a good president, yes.

Glad we agree on something, Steve.   

No, really? Bay of Pigs was a good thing?  What did he really do that was so great? 

[Moon Dawg]

Eisenhower. The biggest do-nothing president there ever was. That's why Kennedy came in and got the U.S. moving again. I mean, did Ike ever do anything but play golf during his administration?

  Sorry Mikie...but I'm not gonna take the bait! Everyone's entitled to an opinion. 

  JFK was a good president, yes.

Glad we agree on something, Steve.   

No, really? Bay of Pigs was a good thing?  What did he really do that was so great? 

   The Bay of Pigs plan was kicking around during the later Eisenhower years...a leader with Ike's military experience knew that it would fail miserably without air support...something the former PTO boat commander may not have fully understood. To his credit, Kennedy learned from his error. JFK did a competent plus job during his brief tenure. IMO.

[leggo of my ego]

He thought the BB were an Eisenhower era nostalgia boring band until he came along just at the right time.

Phew - Van Dick has been hanging around this BUNCH too much.



GET OVER IT DOOD! Lifes too short to spend it whining over stuff that happened 50 years ago.

[joshferrell]

Actually I was kind of wondering the other day what TLOS would have sounded Like with Brian Singing and Van Dyke doing the spoken word segments.. that would have been interesting...

[c-man]

Eisenhower. The biggest do-nothing president there ever was. That's why Kennedy came in and got the U.S. moving again. I mean, did Ike ever do anything but play golf during his administration?

Um, Interstate Highway System, anyone? NASA, anyone?

[halblaineisgood]

.

[c-man]

JFK was a good president, yes.

No, really? Bay of Pigs was a good thing?  What did he really do that was so great? 
[/quote]

Marilyn Monroe.

[Mikie]

Somebody just got served.

Really??  Who?

[halblaineisgood]

.

[RangeRoverA1]

Could some of you agree to meet in the Sandbox & talk about presidents there? Don't derail the main board, please. Now, somebody should get this on track again.

[Mikie]

JFK was a good president, yes.

No, really? Bay of Pigs was a good thing?  What did he really do that was so great?  

Marilyn Monroe.

And that ain't all. To name just a few.....

Judith Exner
Mimi Alford
Angie Dickenson
Pamela Turnure
Priscilla Wear
Jill Cowan
Marlene Dietrich
Mary Pinchot Meyer
Ellen Rometch
Blaze Starr
Gene Tierney
Gunilla Von Post
Inga Arvad

[alf wiedersehen]

And didn't Van Dyke Parks NEVER say that he had anything to do with Pet Sounds, including playing on it? Yes!

This is very confusingly worded. It seems like what you're saying contradicts what Van Dyke said in the NPR interview - that he did, in fact, play on Pet Sounds.
Now, if he does believe this, then can we really place the utmost authority in whatever else he says, like the cello part being his idea?

Far from being Eisenhower-nostalgia leftovers, the Beach Boys were strongly connected to the pop-musical zeitgeist 1962-66. It was only after VDP hooked up with Brian that the group lost touch with the cutting edge of what was happening in pop music (through no fault of VDP, granted).

Ooh, very interesting point: his association with the band was the beginning of the public decline of the group. Quite ironic that he considers the band before his involvement as the out-of-touch phase, despite this being apparently the complete opposite.

[Ron]

He thought the BB were an Eisenhower era nostalgia boring band until he came along just at the right time. He saw BW was trying to break out of that "funk" and was more than happy to help. Introducing the cello on GV for example and something about the triplet used.

So then VDP must have came around about the time of "Today", then, eh?  Never realized that.

What I DID realize a long time ago, is that VDP is his own biggest fan. 

[Mikie]

And didn't Van Dyke Parks NEVER say that he had anything to do with Pet Sounds, including playing on it? Yes!

This is very confusingly worded. It seems like what you're saying contradicts what Van Dyke said in the NPR interview - that he did, in fact, play on Pet Sounds.
Now, if he does believe this, then can we really place the utmost authority in whatever else he says, like the cello part being his idea?

Im sorry you're confused.

[Smilin Ed H]

I've seen VDP interviews before where he does that. Self-serving junk. If they were that bad, why hitch your 'star' to them. It  saddens me that someone with his talent feels the need to big himself up like this. Ironically, not unlike the Lovester banging on about Kokomo in every interview he does. I don't think introducing a cello is such a stretch bearing in mind the way Brian had used them before. "Hey Brian, remember before I came along and made you cool how you used that stringed instrument in those songs where the band was clearly in a funk?"  And then Carl shouts, "Cello!"

And as for JFK. Hell, yes.

[Cam Mott]

Far from being Eisenhower-nostalgia leftovers, the Beach Boys were strongly connected to the pop-musical zeitgeist 1962-66. It was only after VDP hooked up with Brian that the group lost touch with the cutting edge of what was happening in pop music (through no fault of VDP, granted).

Ooh, very interesting point: his association with the band was the beginning of the public decline of the group. Quite ironic that he considers the band before his involvement as the out-of-touch phase, despite this being apparently the complete opposite.

I agree.

[Ron]

Another thing to think about: If he really did feel they were square before he joined them in the studio, that would have caused a lot of contention wouldn't it?  If I were Mike, I'd have told him to go screw himself as soon as any of that started out of his mouth. 

"Look motherfucker, we've sold out shows all over the world and the guy sitting behind the mixing board is the greatest genius in the business.  Bring me a Diet Pepsi"

[hypehat]

I've seen VDP interviews before where he does that. Self-serving junk. If they were that bad, why hitch your 'star' to them.

Given some comments by VDP, it would seem he would rather be recognised for his 50+ years work of arrangement, producing, etc rather than 6 months of work that didn't get finished. The star was hitched to him, not the other way around.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

VDP is a douche.....

he can keep SMILE. I'm perfectly happy with everything before and after.

[urbanite]

Kennedy was an okay president, but he did start the U.S. involvement in Vietnam.