Brian's "autobiography"

[MBE]

No I doubt he was fooled.

[The Heartical Don]

No I doubt he was fooled.

  Reminds me of the '60s Dutch Fluxus artist Wim T. Schippers. He made turds out of premium brown breakfast cake and beer, and put them out on the most prestigious Amsterdam shopping street late Saturday night.
Imagine the horror of all rich ladies walking their poodles on Sunday morning, and seeing that their precious pets devoured those turds with utmost glee...

[Surfer Joe]

I read the book in 1991 and dismissed it from my mind...but most of the sordid stuff, I think, is just recycled from Gaines' book, which was questionable enough to begin with.  Using one to corroborate the other is about one step from using a message board to corroborate something. I'll give Gold this much credit: I think the Murry as naked Tarzan stuff was news to me.

But the Murry/plate story, I believe, comes from a 1971 Rolling Stone article which- again, if my faltering brain serves, was the first public revelation of past abuse in the Wilson home.  Story goes that Murry made a furious call to Brian, and I'll leave it to somebody who has the verbatim quote to tell us what Brian supposedly said to the elder genius.

Gaines or someone said that he had at least three different versions of the plate story, all sworn to by people who were presumably there.  One version is one too many for me.

Brian also gave a really, REALLY out there interview around that time to Dr. Demento, of all people, in which a playing of "Two-Step Side Step" inadvertently triggered some awful stories of the many moods of Murry. It circulated on a radio station LP.

Landy was always on about how Brian had been badly "parented" (I hate to acknowledge the verb "to parent"), so he was "re-parenting" Brian. "Parenting" Brian Wilson was once a lucrative profession. As the Hi-Los would say, nice work if you can get it.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

One thing that I've always wondered about. It implies that Brian and Tandyn Almer had sex, and that's the only time I've read that anywhere.

I havn't read Brian's book yet, but I know in the Gaines' book there is a story about how Brian was convinced that Marilyn wasn't satisfied so he tried to talk her into sleeping with Tandyn Almer, but then when he walked in on them actually doing it he was pretty upset.  But that would be the first I have ever heard anything about Brian and Tandyn.

Going off of memory (and it's been about a decade since I last read this book), the passage says that same thing, and when it didn't work, Brian slept with Almer. The line in  the book says something like "but the experience was almost more than I could bear."

[The Heartical Don]

One thing that I've always wondered about. It implies that Brian and Tandyn Almer had sex, and that's the only time I've read that anywhere.

I havn't read Brian's book yet, but I know in the Gaines' book there is a story about how Brian was convinced that Marilyn wasn't satisfied so he tried to talk her into sleeping with Tandyn Almer, but then when he walked in on them actually doing it he was pretty upset.  But that would be the first I have ever heard anything about Brian and Tandyn.

Going off of memory (and it's been about a decade since I last read this book), the passage says that same thing, and when it didn't work, Brian slept with Almer. The line in  the book says something like "but the experience was almost more than I could bear."

Was that when Almer undressed and Brian discovered he is a man?

[Andrew G. Doe]

So.... Murry didn't actually make Brian merda on a newspaper?

I think he did. I recall reading it in numerous other places. Perhaps also in the Tom Nolan serialized articles for Rolling Stone? And did Noland 'borrow' the anecdotes from David Leaf? Don't know, hey Doe!

Would be a good trick for Tom Nolan to borrow anything from DL for the 1971 articles, seeing as it was reading said pieces that made David a brianista. :-)

[Andrew G. Doe]

But the Murry/plate story, I believe, comes from a 1971 Rolling Stone article which- again, if my faltering brain serves, was the first public revelation of past abuse in the Wilson home.  Story goes that Murry made a furious call to Brian, and I'll leave it to somebody who has the verbatim quote to tell us what Brian supposedly said to the elder genius.

Brian's alleged response was "let's tell him you hit me on the head with a plate and I sh*t in your ear". 

[The Heartical Don]

So.... Murry didn't actually make Brian merda on a newspaper?

I think he did. I recall reading it in numerous other places. Perhaps also in the Tom Nolan serialized articles for Rolling Stone? And did Noland 'borrow' the anecdotes from David Leaf? Don't know, hey Doe!

Would be a good trick for Tom Nolan to borrow anything from DL for the 1971 articles, seeing as it was reading said pieces that made David a brianista. :-)

  one never ceases to learn... I have the complete Nolan series as an introduction to my BBs sheet music book, so that is why I couldn't exactly date them - but cheers anyway!

[Beach Boy Author]

Can anybody tell me the full story about how Brian got involved in the whole "autobiography" mess? Did Brian actually right ANYTHING in it? I just got the book about a week ago. I don't put much, if any, faith in it....I got it just as a weird curiosity. Did Brian ever actually believe any of what was said in the book? How does Brian feel about the book now? Has he ever talked about it in interviews?

I wrote "Heroes and Villains" and I can tell you that huge portions of Brian's so-called autobiography were stolen wholesale from my book.  I easily could have sued them, but I didn't want to get sucked into all of that negative energy.

As far as Gene Landy quotes in my book, I was there.  I covered Brian and Landy for a magazine called New West and Landy wanted desperately to be on the cover of Rolling Stone so he could be famous as the "addiction doctor" and he gave me total access.  I was Landy and Brian's shadow for two weeks.

Once I got locked in Landy's office with Brian when the doornob fell off, but I think it was one of Landy's oddball schemes.

[Surfer Joe]

But the Murry/plate story, I believe, comes from a 1971 Rolling Stone article which- again, if my faltering brain serves, was the first public revelation of past abuse in the Wilson home.  Story goes that Murry made a furious call to Brian, and I'll leave it to somebody who has the verbatim quote to tell us what Brian supposedly said to the elder genius.

Brian's alleged response was "let's tell him you hit me on the head with a plate and I merda in your ear". 

A low bow of thanks.  I had it just about right in my memory, but a line that good needed to be delivered to the board perfectly.

Beach Boys Author...this could be an interesting visit.

[TheLazenby]

So in other words, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is the Brian equivalent of "The Lives of John Lennon", basically?

[Surfer Joe]

So in other words, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is the Brian equivalent of "The Lives of John Lennon", basically?

No, Wouldn't It Be Nice is the Brian equivalent of the latest science fiction novel by the late L. Ron Hubbard.  Some would say that the Brian equivalent of The Lives of John Lennon, if any, was written by someone who has posted in this thread, though that may be a bit harsh.  I'll leave it to our distinguished guest to respond to that, and I'll be very interested in anything he has to say.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Brian's alleged response was "let's tell him you hit me on the head with a plate and I merda in your ear".

roflmao

[Bicyclerider]

I wrote "Heroes and Villains" and I can tell you that huge portions of Brian's so-called autobiography were stolen wholesale from my book.  I easily could have sued them, but I didn't want to get sucked into all of that negative energy.

As far as Gene Landy quotes in my book, I was there.  I covered Brian and Landy for a magazine called New West and Landy wanted desperately to be on the cover of Rolling Stone so he could be famous as the "addiction doctor" and he gave me total access.  I was Landy and Brian's shadow for two weeks.

Once I got locked in Landy's office with Brian when the doornob fell off, but I think it was one of Landy's oddball schemes.

Any interesting stories you can tell us about your time with Landy and Brian that didn't make the New West article?  do you still have all the interviews you did for the Heroes and villains book?  We Beach Boys/Brian obsessives would love to get access to source material like that.  I understand Marilyn gave a bunch of interviews.

[Beach Boy Author]

I'm not sure where to post this.

I saw a google alert with my name and it brought me to this site and I read some of the posts about Brian's autobiography.

So, it's me, and it's no big deal, actually.

I've written a lot of books about different subjects and sometimes they're not popular with fans.  I know the book has a lot of factual errors, but none of the substantive material, about Landy or the relationships between the members, etc., is incorrect. 

[Beach Boy Author]

The story that was around in the old days was that Brian crapped on a plate and served it to Murry to eat.

I don't believe there's a passage about Brian trying to get Marilyn to sleep with anybody, and I don't believe Brian ever served Murray such a feast.

[Bicyclerider]

I asked this above, but it was buried in a quote - Any interesting stories you can tell us about your time with Landy and Brian that didn't make the New West article?  do you still have all the interviews you did for the Heroes and villains book?  We Beach Boys/Brian obsessives would love to get access to source material like that.  I understand Marilyn gave a bunch of interviews.

By the way, I thoroughly enjoyed the book - I've heard it criticized for focussing on the sensational aspects of the Beach Boys (the scandals and mental illness etc.) - but that stuff is what it is.  And it sells more books.  Loved the Van Dyke quotes.

[the captain]

I don't believe there's a passage about Brian trying to get Marilyn to sleep with anybody, and I don't believe Brian ever served Murray such a feast.

"Even more bizarre was Brian's desire for Marilyn to have an affair with another man. He chose Tandyn Almer for this role, and encouraged Tandyn to make love to Marilyn. ... Tandyn once went to bed with both of them. ... This relationship came to a bad end one day when Brian went shopping ... and arrived home to find Tandyn and Marilyn romantically involved by the swimming pool." p 249-250, "Heroes & Villains," Stephen Gaines, 1985 (First Da Capo Press paperback edition 1995)

[Mark A. Moore]

In the Autobiography (1991), Brian relates the story of Murry calling Jan & Dean pirates. And Brian's comments on Jan are more detailed than in the Gaines book.

But in the Gaines book . . . (pp. 103-104, first edition hardback 1986) . . . there's the story that Murry called Jan & Dean pirates, and that Jan showed up at a Beach Boys session in an elaborate pirate costume.

In 2002, I was consulting historian for the Jan & Dean episode of A&E's Biography . . . and when asked by the producer about the "pirate incident," Brian had no memory of it. He remembered Jan throwing toilet paper out of a hotel window in New York, but nothing about the pirate thing.

WELL . . . it just illustrates that Brian's memory is sometimes off (as happens with all of us) . . . and that he's probably also a bit lazy in certain interviews.

Because the fact is . . . I have Brian on tape in 1964, talking with Jan . . . and Brian makes a direct reference to Jan's pirate get-up.

So there ya go . . . You can hear that and more on track 28 of our new Jan Berry / Jan & Dean tribute album.

M.

[Beach Boy Author]

The story that was around in the old days was that Brian crapped on a plate and served it to Murry to eat.

I don't believe there's a passage about Brian trying to get Marilyn to sleep with anybody, and I don't believe Brian ever served Murray such a feast.

I guess I forgot about the Tandyn Almer stuff.  It's been a while since I wrote that book.



By the way, it's Steven, with a "v", not Stephen.

Yes, I have all the tapes from the book, they're all in a bank vault and have been for years.

I've written half a dozen books since Heroes and Villains so my memory of it all is sort of blurred.

(I did interview Marilyn and her sister and her parents at length.  Any interviews I did for the book are on tape, including one of Landy's "therapy" sessions with Brian.)

[Surfer Joe]

One of the things I like about the book is the vivid portrayal of the Rovells, and ditto for the Marks family and David Marks in general.  Some of the overall tone is off-putting to fans, of course, but the information was fresh for sure, and it covered a lot of different territory with the management and so forth.

Would you be up for having your own thread, as some other guests have, and taking on some questions and discussions?

[Andrew G. Doe]

I'm not sure where to post this.

I saw a google alert with my name and it brought me to this site and I read some of the posts about Brian's autobiography.

So, it's me, and it's no big deal, actually.

I've written a lot of books about different subjects and sometimes they're not popular with fans.  I know the book has a lot of factual errors, but none of the substantive material, about Landy or the relationships between the members, etc., is incorrect. 

I happen to know that the information regarding the band's financial dealings and contract clauses is accurate.

[mikeyj]

So there ya go . . . You can hear that and more on track 28 of our new Jan Berry / Jan & Dean tribute album.

Mark is there some way we can hear a 30 second preview or something of this track? And how long does that track go for and is the whole track just Brian in the studio with Jan or what? Any details would be much appreciated

[MBE]

As a writer myself I know I get caught up in revising my work over and over. I have a few questions for you regarding that. I know the germ of the book was born in 1976 and it came out 10 years later. How long did the process once it became a definitive book take you? Also what are you proudest of in the book, and what would you most like to change? Any input from any Beach Boy after it came out.

[Mark A. Moore]

So there ya go . . . You can hear that and more on track 28 of our new Jan Berry / Jan & Dean tribute album.

Mark is there some way we can hear a 30 second preview or something of this track? And how long does that track go for and is the whole track just Brian in the studio with Jan or what? Any details would be much appreciated

The track is a montage . . . and the parts with Brian were pulled from a very lengthy session of Jan and Brian working together. Because of space limitations, we couldn't use the whole thing. So instead, we added the Jan & Brian clips to a montage that highlights Jan working with other people, as well.

If we can ever get a true Jan & Dean Box Set released, I'd like to put the whole Jan & Brian thing on there.

M.