A good old Brian Wilson meeting from 1974

[astroray]

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2014/09/brian-wilson-true-story/#more-54711

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Wow.

[Don Malcolm]

And to think that I was less than half a mile away when this was going down... 

What did Danny Hutton say--"he would get REAL FRIED..." 

[c-man]

Maybe Eddie remembers this...Eddie? You around?

[Mr. Cohen]

Sounds like the genesis of Rollin' Up To Heaven/Ding Dang. Still think a '74/'75 Beach Boys album could've been ridiculous, a mixture of classic songs (California Feelin', Good Timin', Had to Phone Ya, and It's OK) with insane stuff (Ding Dang, Child of Winter, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Shortenin' Bread). Songs like Just An Imitation and Dennis' Rainbow, Barnyard, Holy Man, and POB were floating around, too.

Seriously, how would the public have reacted to album released like that, just as the group was on the upswing again? I think it would've worked out better than 15 Big Ones, anyway.

[phirnis]

Fascinating stuff.

This is the kind of scene I'd love to see in a biopic.

[Ed Roach]

Great to read this story; I was just disappointed that he didn't get another interview in Toronto.  Also, I have to wonder what it was specifically that was making Brian freak out when he interviewed him in '94...

I have written here before about that piano of mine.  My Grandma bought it for me in my early years in Brooklyn, and I dragged it cross country to Santa Monica, then up to Topanga in the late 70's.  Everyone loved the tone of it, and somehow Dennis got it out of my house one night, and moved it on to The Harmony.  Can't even remember all the people who played it up in Topanga, as we lived at just about the halfway point between The Coral, and Neil Young's club, The Gold Rush, in the last days of Topanga being a rock & roll heaven.

As for the apartment building in Santa Monica, only Jeff and one other person lived there before my ex-wife & I took it over.  We then proceeded to fill it with the greatest assortment of freaks, including Patti Davis, daughter of then Governor Ronald Reagan.  Patti wrote quite a bit about the building in her autobiography, "The Way I See It".  Just wish I could remember if Jeff ever played that tape for me...

[Ed Roach]

Regarding Brian's visits, I never did know if he liked our company, the atmosphere of our building, or if it was precipitated by my piano.  He never arrived with Dennis, although they would sometimes bump into each other there.  Whatever the reason, that piano provided me with endless joy in the music that was played and sometimes created on it. 

[donald]

I have a mental picture of a bunch of stoned freaks  dragging this gigantic old upright piano down to the Harmony and somehow hoisting it up onto the deck.  Can you expand on this story  ,and give some details?

[Ed Roach]

I have a mental picture of a bunch of stoned freaks  dragging this gigantic old upright piano down to the Harmony and somehow hoisting it up onto the deck.  Can you expand on this story  ,and give some details?

Not too far off, except for the "gigantic old upright piano" part.  The piano was something they referred to as a 'nightclub spinet' back in the day, ( http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Forum/1/topic/023383/Number/0/site_id/1#import ), and had a lot to do with me being a photographer rather than a musician.  The nuns at my Catholic school wouldn't give me lessons, because I didn't have an 88 key piano at home.  (Also because I think they dreaded the thought of having me around later than 3!)

Anyhow, it exited my house on the occasion of my 30th birthday, at a huge party held in my honor.  Dennis arrived with a whole contingent of friends from Venice, and gave me this really cool sterling silver tragedy/comedy pin, along with a handmade birthday card, where all the Venetian's drew self portraits.  (You can see a blow-up of the one Dennis did of himself in the final pages of Jon's book, "The Real Beach Boy").

The party was a blast, and Dennis provided a good deal of the entertainment.  He'd been after the piano for years, but I was afraid of the sea air damaging it, so wouldn't budge on letting him 'borrow' it.  Well, he got me singing along at one point, and it was probably a high point of happiness in my life at that time, when he again expressed how much he loved the piano.  Couldn't he just 'borrow' it, not for The Harmony, but just to use in this little basement cubby hole of this huge house where all of these Venetians were living with him?  I said, "Yes, Dennis, alright, guess that would be o.k. at some point".  Next thing it knew, it was being hoisted out of my house, at about 3am!  I asked what the hell he was doing, and how they were planning on moving it now?  Turned out he had this all pre-planned, and had measured the trunk of this huge beat up old Pontiac before they drove over.  (He'd already measured the piano, I guess). Boy, what a way to end the night...

Later on, I agreed to let him move it on to The Harmony, but only for a matter of weeks. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Love your stories, Ed! Ever thought of writing a beach boys book yourself?  I'd pre-order the hell out of it

[donald]

Love your stories, Ed! Ever thought of writing a beach boys book yourself?  I'd pre-order the hell out of it

I second that!   nothing better than tales by those who were there when it happened.

[mikeddonn]

Ed, did you get the piano back?

Put me down for a copy of your book!  It would be a great read for sure, along with all the great photos you've posted on facebook. 

[leftybass77]

Good story!