Abandon Beach Boys mythology

[the captain]

Have you ever considered how much of your personal Beach Boys-related experience is not purely musical, but related to their history and mythology? It struck me how much most of us get into this or that member's personal stories, the infighting, the illness, the business decisions, the unreleased material (and reasons behind it), the "might-have-beens."

How different would your personal experience be different, and would it hold up? Would it be as rewarding to you? Do you need to know such personal information to properly enjoy music (this music, that is)?

I was thinking back, and the Smile mythology is really what brought me into fandom. I found Pet Sounds first, and liked that, but it was the story behind Smile that even got me to listen to a lot of the music. (I had heard the earlier hits from Endless Summer because my parents had that LP, but that is about it.) And I am not sure I can even imagine taking out those semi-romantic thoughts of a "lost masterpiece," a "tortured genius," or the "band turned against their leader," etc. (Phrases in quotes to signify I don't think they're facts now...just what I was led into at the time.)

Anyone have any thoughts?

[Mahalo]

To make it short and sweet, not much different. The music ultimately speaks for itself. Nobody has ever sounded like the BB's, and they have really interesting musical ideas in so many of their songs. I don't think I would need to know the stories to appreciate the music. I am drawn to their music because it is beautiful, uplifting, and very diffrent than most other bands. The stories and mythology were only discovered when I wanted to learn more about this beautiful music.
 imo

[melissalynn]

My 'obsession' with them (for lack of a better term) came to be through the music first and foremost. I heard 'Til I Die' somewhere and I thought, 'Wow, this is awesome'. I went that night and bought 'Surfs Up' so I could have the song on vinyl. I didn't know anything besides the 'hits' at the time, which I grew up listening to. I didn't know anything at all about the Beach Boys' history when I became a real fan...and it stayed that way for a little while. But me, being a big history buff...I just have to know the story behind the music. I'm happy listening to the music, but when I know WHY the music was created and WHO created the music, I am happiest. I don't really know why...it's just something I have to know. It somehow gives the music a more personal feel...more depth. I'm probably not making any sense...but that's just how I see it. I would be happy just hearing the music...proof in that is that I liked them for so long without even knowing their names. But some part of me would always feel incomplete because I didn't know who the men were that created this wonderful sound.

[endofposts]

I was drawn to the story before the music.  Or I always admired the music, but never went out and bought any.  I just listened to it on the radio or borrowed my sister's copy of "Endless Summer."  But always thought of them as just the Beach Boys, sort of like there's just the Supremes or any other old music act.  Certainly not on the par with the Beatles or Rolling Stones.

When I was still in grammar school, I saw the "It's OK" documentary, which mainly attracted me because it had Belushi and Ackroyd.  Of course, I also saw Brian on SNL, doing "Good Vibrations" in a sandbox.  I also read about Brian and the Boys in Rolling Stone, which my sister subscribed to.  That began my fascination with Brian, the person.  In addition to being drawn to his story/tragedy, I also learned that he wrote, arranged, and produced all that music himself.  Since I knew it took Lennon and McCartney plus George Martin to do the same for the Beatles, that alone made me respect him.  Even though I had less respect for his music overall, because it was just oldies-type music to me.

So, I'd have to say, for me personally, you can't seperate the mythology from the music.  Never.  It's what drew me to begin with.  With the release of the Gaines' book, I refamiliarized myself with Brian and the Beach Boys music.  Again, the story preceded the music.  I re-listened to "Endless Summer," and developed a fascination with "Let Him Run Wild."  I bought "Spirit of America," and discovered "Little Girl I Once Knew."  Which led me to buy "Pet Sounds."  After four listens to "get it," another obsession was born.  What deepened the obsession?  Watching "American Band" on a local TV station in the late '80s.  Where I discovered the Bernstein "Surf's Up" film, along with all those odd snippets of "Smile."  Plus, more info on the weird inner world of the Beach Boys.  I don't think you can separate the music from the mythology, if that's how you got into the music.  And for many people such as myself, I think we did get into it that way.

[Emdeeh]

I became a fan in the early days, before the mythology existed. (David Marks was still a member of the band, that's how long ago it was.) It was the music and the voices that drew me to the Beach Boys, and their live performances cemented my fandom. I never much cared for the mythos that later surrounded the BBs, and never gave it much credence. I've always been more curious about the real people behind the music than bigger-than-life characters.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

When I started getting into the Beach Boys I didn't know anything about them, or what they looked like.  I just really loved Pet Sounds.

Then the obsession came, and now it's progressed to a semi-delusional state where I believe that I am friends with the Beach Boys and am living in 1965 and know all of them personally and whatnot.

But the music still stands on it's own for me.  Even if I would still be obsessed with the Beach Boys even if all of their recorded music was erased from my memory tomorrow and I could never hear it again...

[Aegir]

I liked California Girls, Surfin' USA, Fun Fun Fun, et cetera. Decided I should get Pet Sounds. It was great. Decided I should get the follow up to Pet Sounds. It was funny and interesting. Decided to find out the story behind it. That got me into the "mythology". But I always loved the music.

[Eric Aniversario]

I became a fan in 1991, while a junior in high school.  My first two purchases were the "Absolute Best Vol. 1 &2".  Vol. 2 had a lot of stuff that was new to me, and I wanted to learn more.  Soon, I bought all the Capitol 2-fers (the first round of releases) and read the liner notes with great interest.  I checked out Brad Elliott's "Surf's Up!" from the library frequently, seeking information on unreleased recordings, and searched and searched for copies of the then-recently-out-of-print 70's CD re-releases. 

I enjoyed reading about the band's music, but when I read biographies about them, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth, and I had to promise myself to not re-read certain books.  Brian's "autobiography" and the California Myth book especially told me stuff that I would rather have not known.  I was more into the music than into the Beach Boys' personal lives, but that knowledge gave me some insight into the music. 

Those were my early days of fandom.  Now in the 2000's, I keep up on the latest goings-on with the remaining Beach Boys, but I like to keep my enjoyment of the music separate from the celebrity aspect.  I'll go to Mike & Bruce's shows, Al's shows, Brian's shows, and Dave's shows, and enjoy them all immensely.  My knowledge of the latest lawsuits, spats, etc. has little effect on my enjoyment of the concerts and/or the conversations I have with anyone backstage.  It's just kind of like knowledge that I have but don't hold against anyone. 

In my 15 1/2 years as a fan (wow, that's exactly half my life!), yes, I think that the Beach Boys' story has added some interest to my fandom, but even if I didn't know all that stuff, I'm sure I'd still be a big fan, because their music stands the test of time.  But I find it hard to think that I could possibly keep up with all the latest releases without knowing the latest gossip, too...they kind of come hand in hand.

[SloopJohnB]

Here's how I discovered the 'Boys... (copy/paste from a similar thread on brianwilson-fans.com):

I guess there's been a strong parental influence: my dad is a big fan of the Beach Boys, but he's only interested in what they did from 1962 to 1966. He doesn't particularly like Pet Sounds , except for the well-known hits (that is to say “Wouldn't It Be Nice”, “Sloop John B.” and “God Only Knows”). I think that there are only 3 songs of the post-PS era that he likes: “Good Vibrations” (of course), “Heroes And Villains”, and “Cotton Fields” (because of its "country" style)...

Actually, I guess he doesn't know much about the post-PS era, and that the early beach hits remind him of his youth... 

On the other side, my mom doesn't like the 'Boys at all. She likes the music (and is consequently fond of "Let's Go Away For Awhile", "Summer Means New Love", and various backing tracks), but she always says that "their singing spoils the music", and that "they sound gay" (in the sexual meaning of the word, but I think you guessed it)!

Personnally, I like nearly everything they did from 1961 to 1989, and I don't think they sound gay at all...

My first strong encounter with the music of the 'Boys happened in 1991/1992. My dad had a Chrysler Voyager and at the time, in France, there was a TV spot for the Voyager that featured "Good Vibrations" as background music! (this actually is my very first musical memory)

From the age of 4 to the age of 9, I only was familiar with the "beach hits", and with Good Vibrations. My dad had been telling me about "that big guy with the falsetto voice", and that fascinated me. I don't know why, but the idea of a big man with a voice like that one was funny and interesting to me. Of course, I would eventually learn later that this man was called Brian Wilson...

Then, at the age of 10, I decided one day to play one of their CDs. It was the 1986 compilation "Made In U.S.A.", which still owns a special place in my heart today, since it has been the beginning of something essential in my life.

And then it happened. The shock. The revelation. For the first time, I was hearing “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “God Only Knows”, and, most of all, two incredible gems that fascinated (they still do, actually) me: “Heroes And Villains”, and “Caroline, No”.

I didn’t understand English at the time, but as Brian once said it, “the real thing is the music”. Imagine that: at the age of 10, without understanding the lyrics, without knowing anything about Brian and his life, I couldn’t help but cry when hearing “Caroline, No”! 

It might be very pretentious to say that but now, looking back, I am sure I was (and still am) waaaay advanced musically and emotionally speaking. For instance, I would play the intro of “California Girls” over and over, because I thought it was just so great! “Good Vibrations” was also one of my favourites. (At the time, my friends were still listening to music aimed at children...)

I had even developed a theory about the meaning of “Heroes And Villains”. I had guessed the meaning of the title (“Hero” = “Héros” in French), and I was persuaded that the “dark” chorus (“Heroes and villains, just see what you’ve done…) was supposed to evoke the “Villains” side, whereas the verses, that were full of joy, were supposed to represent the “Heroes” side.
That way, the alternation of the joyful verses and of the dark choruses was supposed to represent an endless “fight” between the Heroes and the Villains… (because if we follow my theory, the Villains' threat appears again at the end) (I still think this theory isn’t totally wrong. Any thoughts or comments on it?)

Then, at the age of 12, I became less interested in the Beach Boys. I only had that CD, and I knew all the songs by heart (except some of the last ones, like “Getcha Back”, which I used to skip), and hearing them tired me. 

And the “download-era” came. That was 4 years ago. I was looking for all the mp3s of the Beach Boys that I already knew, and during that search, I discovered other tunes that fascinated me (mainly “Pet Sounds” songs, like “Don’t Talk” or “IJWMFTT”). Among those tunes, there was one whose title intrigued me: “Cabinessence”. When I heard it for the first time, it made me feel strange. I thought the track was so weird, but I couldn’t help playing it over and over! 

That introduced me to “SMiLE”. I wanted to know where “Cabinessence” came from, and I found some mp3s on a British site (I think it was the SMiLE Odeon 2nd edition). More intriguing song titles were on their way. “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow”, “Child Is Father Of The Man”, “Do You Like Worms”, “I Love To Say Da Da”… Fabulous music. And that's where I began being interested by the "story behind the music"...

Then everything went very fast. I learned everything about the ‘Boys, I bought “Pet Sounds” (so in fact I "knew" SMiLE before knowing Pet Sounds...), the “Today/Summer Days” two-fer (two highly underrated albums!), the “30 years” Box Set, many DVDs (live shows, An American Band, Endless Harmony...)...

Today, I own their complete official discography (from “Surfin’ Safari” to “Stars And Stripes Vol. 1), virtually all hard-to-find (yet released) albums (“Lost & Found!”, “Endless Harmony Soundtrack”…), Brian’s complete solo discography (from his 1988 album to “What I Really Want For Christmas”)… I also have many rarities and rare songs.

A day isn’t complete if I don’t listen to the Beach Boys. They’ve become an essential part of my life… Too bad there aren’t a lot of younger fans of the Beach Boys (and there are even less in France)!

So here's my story.

And, even though I'm sure that I would still like the music without knowing the story behind it, the Beach Boys' story is certainly a plus and enhances some of the feelings you can get from a song. For example, listening to 'Til I Die, knowing what Brian was and had been going through, is way more heartbreaking than just listening to it.

And, in my opinion, their story is by far the most interesting of all the stories I know about other bands!

This is a great topic... Thanks for reading and keep the replies coming!

[endofposts]

I seem to be in the minority as someone who got into the Beach Boys because of their personal story.  But the fact is, yes, I always liked their music.  But was convinced, as many people are, that there was no substance to the music.  Or that it just somehow materialized out of thin air, or was put together by a bunch of music professionals, as so much of the music of their main era was.  Being introduced to the saga of Brian Wilson, and the fact that he was the genius behind most every sound on the record, made them compelling and made me think there must be something deep about their music.  You can hear that depth in the music itself, but it took some information about Brian to figure that out.  Also, it's not just the tabloid stuff; I also read the Beach Boys' profile in the "Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock 'n' Roll."  Which gave information about Brian's contributions and abilities.  But also contained speculation about Brian's dilemma.  I know a lot of people find that stuff unpleasant, but to me, it is part of Brian's music.  If you know about it, it make things such as "Pet Sounds," "Smile," "Til I Die," "Love You," or even much of "Today" more emotional.  Because you get a sense that Brian's emotional being led to those recordings.  Again,  you don't need any of the personal info, but it just makes it easier to appreciate or even see the depth of where Brian was coming from.   I think some of Brian's biographers and documentarians, including David Leaf and Don Was, share that opinion, or they wouldn't have created the books and films that they did.  It's almost like using the backstory as a selling point to get the non-fan or casual fan to see Brian's music as deeper and more hip than popular culture has presented it as.

[the captain]

I seem to be in the minority as someone who got into the Beach Boys because of their personal story.  But the fact is, yes, I always liked their music.  But was convinced, as many people are, that there was no substance to the music. 

I'm right there with you--except for me, I didn't even like their music. Granted, it is because I only knew the early hits, but I never would have checked out the late-60s through early-70s music if not for the back story.

[Sheriff John Stone]

forget marie, I feel pretty much the way do, and you expressed it very well in your posts.

I first got hooked by the "Brian Is Back" campaign in 1976. I watched the TV shows and read the magazine artricles, and, later, the books. I couldn't believe what I was seeing/reading, and I wanted more. It absolutely led to the depth of the music, or vice versa. Brian was the real deal. He was what you read about in stories, but there he was, being trotted out on stage or on TV. It was riveting actually. So, yeah, that led to me "appreciating" the music in a certain way. The story of Brian Wilson (and The Beach Boys) is in many ways, not in all ways, but in many ways, a tragedy. And in some ways, I guess, there's something inside of us that is attracted to stuff like that. This topic made me realize that a lot of my favorite music and artists have this similar thread running them. I especially enjoy the music of Pink Floyd (with Syd Barrett), The Doors (with Jim Morrison), Bob Dylan (with his trials and tribulations), Frank Sinatra (divorces, suicide attempts, demons), The Rolling Stones (with their darkness), Dennis Wilson, and there are several others.

[the captain]

This topic made me realize that a lot of my favorite music and artists have this similar thread running them. I especially enjoy the music of Pink Floyd (with Syd Barrett), The Doors (with Jim Morrison), Bob Dylan (with his trials and tribulations), Frank Sinatra (divorces, suicide attempts, demons), The Rolling Stones (with their darkness), Dennis Wilson, and there are several others.

This is something I think most people share. I recall starting a "tortured genius" thread, maybe on this board or maybe the old one before it moved, to talk about it. I think across most genres of art, people WANT to hear about a guy cutting off his ear, a guy staying in bed, a guy convinced he's writing his own requiem. I don't know why, exactly, but we do. And I think many fans praise troubled artists more than those who seem to have it all together--the lunch-pail, get up and go to work guys. We'd rather believe in this insanity. Some people (Captain Beefheart, anyone?) seem to intentionally exploit that.

[MBE]

I think by being so open about their problems and conflicts it makes me respect the group more. They seem like real people to me which I find refreshing in celebrities. Sure they have acted weird or had money issues, but  if you are famous your life is examined more closely.Things are going to get out about a 30 year old mistake that in a regular persons life would  be all but forgotten. So does the story help me relate to them...yes. Do I think it is as lurid as some people have painted it....no.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Although, I do find the personal stories very interesting, ultimately the music has to back it up. The stories behind Smile are interesting and the music is great. The story behind Holland is good, and the music is good. The story leading up to 15 Big Ones is interesting, but the music doesn't live up to it at all. To me, if the music isn't very good, then I will lose interest in the story.

[Pretty Funky]

Aside from the music which still stands my test of time, I find the stories past and present just so incredible. Its like the Anna Nicole train-wreck set to music!

You have it all. Yet if the Beach Boys had never exsisted and you wrote a fictional book about "a band", nobody would buy it because nobody would believe it.

[MBE]

Although, I do find the personal stories very interesting, ultimately the music has to back it up. The stories behind Smile are interesting and the music is great. The story behind Holland is good, and the music is good. The story leading up to 15 Big Ones is interesting, but the music doesn't live up to it at all. To me, if the music isn't very good, then I will lose interest in the story.

That's usually true. A good way of looking at it. I will say though that the book on the  Brian Usher sessions of 1986 and 1987 is interesting though I think the music is pretty tepid.

[Reggie Dunbar]

My personal opinion parallels many others, as I've been a fan since before there
was any inside information on the band at all, negative or otherwise. The primary
things published were in Rolling Stone, Creem, et al, or what you could glean from
the back side of an album sleeve. Slim pickings, indeed.

The past twenty years or so have been a revelation with a wealth of information on
the 'Boys, and although the output will never rival The Beatles I am happy to digest
it all as it becomes available.

[Sheriff John Stone]

The story leading up to 15 Big Ones is interesting, but the music doesn't live up to it at all. To me, if the music isn't very good, then I will lose interest in the story.

The stories behind 15 Big Ones, and to some extent, Love You, have especially "aided" me in appreciating those two albums more. The stories at least EXPLAIN why I'm hearing what I'm hearing.

Sometimes, it works the opposite way and the stories work against my enjoyment of the music. Only recently have I realized that maybe I've read too much. The negativity within the group over the last twenty-some years has soured me a little bit. I never thought that would happen...

[Andrew G. Doe]

True, dat.