Last known pictures of Dennis and Carl

[Outie 315]

Mike Love said about Carl ,

That he didn’t know if he was crazy or
Courageous……?

I was lucky to see Carl at The Oakdale and Harborlights
before he passed away.....

Outie

[MBE]

Like Andrew G. Doe, for example. What kind of inner satisfaction does he get as he gathers minutia about concert dates and studio sessions and meticulously organizes it for his site, Bellagio 10452? Does he feel like a zen monk tilling a Japanese rock garden while he catalogs all of the Beach Boys 1977 concert dates? Is it a response to the chaos in his personal life?  Is he obsessive compulsive in other areas of his life? (just kidding about those suppositions, by the way) There's so many questions to be asked. He would definitely be the first person I'd try to interview.

It's a quirk, albeit on a huge canvas. When I like something, I have this odd need to know as much about the subject as possible. The Beach Boys just pushed more buttons than most.

Exactly I don't know why but since I was a kid I was really interested in dating photos of people I like. Styles changed so much from the 50's to the 80's that I was always fascinated by putting it in order. It's actually helped me a few times in the books I have worked on. So yes I can tell you when Brian started putting on weight sometimes to the month, or when Carl's beard turned grey, or when Dennis first looked rough etc. It's a weird skill but I have it.

Rocker thanks for your concern it was just for a small hernia. I am not 100 percent yet but I am getting better.

[Bean Bag]

   That is an interesting skill!  Kind of a need for "visual order" type-thing. 

[MBE]

I guess you are right. When it comes to music how you present yourself gives an insight in a way. It helps me understand what I am going to hear. It's hard to articulate why it's so interesting to me but whenever I hear music I can picture the person singing it and what they looked like at the time.

[Jay]

  That is an interesting skill!  Kind of a need for "visual order" type-thing. 

It's a rare form of OCD that affects certain types of people that like certain types of music. 

[Jay]

This image was taken at the Concord Pavilion on August 2, 1997.  From what I remember Carl sat on a stool for the entire show and stood only when he took his lead on God Only Knows.  After that song Mike made a comment about Carl having cancer and not feeling well.

That is a weird picture. Carl's hair and beard don't even look real.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Well, it was a wig. The beard looked odd due to him swelling up...made it not look right on his face.

[Lady]

When did Carl get ill? A lot of people are now saying that it was in early 1997, but I distinctly remember hearing rumors of Carl having cancer back in 1996......

I was looking through photos I’d taken of the band, and I found some of Carl on stage at a Valley Forge concert in the spring of 1996.  I didn’t piece it together until recently but… it’s my personal opinion (only his family knows for sure)…that Carl might have known/suspected he was ill by 1996.

I have a few reasons for stating that, but I’ll sum it up by saying that in 1995, Carl was joking and upbeat backstage.  I know he was wearing his back brace then, so he was obviously having back problems, but he was still smiling and happy.  In 1996, he looked…troubled. 

It was sad to look at the photos of him, because he really was such a nice man, and he was so good to his fans.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I was at that show - Carl looked, and acted, decidedly distracted. His hair was most odd.

[Jay]

On the Status Quo video for Fun Fun Fun, carl's hair looks halfway bald. It almost looks like his hair from the back was combed over to the front. It was really strange looking.

[Jay]

Lady- is it possible that you could post a picture or two of that concert you talked about?

[Rocker]

I haven't searched through the whole site, but maybe here's something:

http://www.igotaround.com/

[Emdeeh]

Eyewitness account: I was face-to-face with Carl Wilson on several occasions in 1996. That was his own hair in '96, decidedly attached to his scalp, not a wig or a combover, but more a case of overuse of hairspray, gel, etc. I did notice he was thinning at the temples, that's why I know it was his own hair.

Having said that, I was one of the people who noticed Carl wasn't quite himself in '96, especially when I saw him in the fall. He was more subdued, for own thing. The most disturbing moment in retrospect was when I saw him walking towards us from a distance and didn't recognize him at first.


Edit: For some reason I originally typed the wrong year -- it was actually 1996 and I've corrected that.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Doing this from memory (always a bad idea for me), but wasn't Carl's cancer diagnosis announced in April 1997 ?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

March or April, yeah.

[Lady]

Carl backstage in 1995:

[Lady]

Carl on stage 1996:

[Lady]

Carl on stage 1996:

(You may have to right-click photo and select "Open Link in New Window" to see larger)

[Lady]

Full stage photo 1996:

[Lady]

1996 stage:

Sorry, this one is blurry.

[Lady]

And back to 1995, Carl and Gina.

[Lady]

I was at that show - Carl looked, and acted, decidedly distracted. His hair was most odd.

In the photos you'll note that he was looking down in almost every photo (that I have at least), and as you said, it leaves the impression of being distracted.  My opinion is that there was a marked difference in him from 95 to 96, but it could have been related to other issues.  Either way, he's missed.

[Jay]

Lady-Thanks for all those photos! 

[Jay]

I was just wondering, are there any known pictures taken of Carl after he stopped touring in August 1997? I suspect that if there were any, they are private family owned pictures.

[Lady]

Lady-Thanks for all those photos! 

You're welcome!