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Author Topic: Brian's "autobiography"  (Read 15028 times)
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« Reply #50 on: August 22, 2008, 06:08:18 AM »

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.

I'd like to change all the mistakes.  Hah!   There was no fact checker.  I did the best I could.  A few mistakes are serious, but those mistakes were mostly about the music and albums.  There were no substantive errors about the situation and the people involved in it.

In the early 1970s I was the rock and roll columnist for the New York Daily News and the editor of Circus magazine and I always loved the Beach Boys, but it was two friends of mine, now both dead. writer Scott Cohen and A&R man Bob Feiden, who really got me into the whole mystique and incredible personal story.  We listened to the albums hundreds of times.  We were convinced, even though the group was no longer respected by mainstream rockers, that the Beach Boys were the best group on the planet and that Brian was a genius, a label he hated, I would learn.  For whatever reason the Holland album became a special favorite of mine.  Go figure.

It was almost coincidental that I took the assignment from New West magazine to cover the "Brian is Back"/Gene Landy story.

As I said, it was during this two week period I did my preliminary interviews with the members of the group.

I was invited to Brian's birthday party in Malibu and met Paul and Linda McCartney and the whole cast of characters, save for Murray who was already dead.

Lorne Michaels and his film crew all hated Landy with a passion. 

When the New West article came out Landy was furious.  It was called, I think, "Brian Wilson is Trying to Catch Another Wave."  I didn't write anything bad in particular about Landy, I just let him be himself.  The article turned out to be some of my best writing and New West flew me back to Los Angeles from New York, where I lived, to do press for the article.  It was the talk of the town in L.A.

One of the most telling moments with Landy was the phone call he received from Alice Cooper.  I had written Alice's autobiography "Me Alice" for him in 1974 (or so) and we remained quite close.  One night I was at Landy's house listening to his grand schemes when Alice called because he heard that Landy worked with people who had drug and alcohol problems.  I just happened to be sitting there and Landy put me on the phone to help convince Alice that he should become Landy's patient.  I didn't want to shill for Landy so all I said was "Alice, I got to talk to you about Doctor Landy."  The next day I went to Alice's house and warned him, but to no avail, Alice went into treatment with Landy anyway.  I forget how it ended, something about one of Landy's "watchers" and a hypodermic needles in the glove compartment of Alice's car.  It's muddy, it happened so long ago.

After the New West article appeared Landy called me on the phone in New York and tried to get me to say that I had intentionally made him look bad.  I was positive he wanted to sue me.  I kept saying on the phone that all I did was write what I saw, that I had no ulterior motives, and that was 100% true.  I was prepared to embrace Landy as a talented psychologist who could help Brian.  But clearly Brian was very ill and he needed another kind of treatment, medication, etc.  I realized that Landy was selfish in trying to treat Brian, self-aggrandizing and altogether a bad bad man.

Years later, before I wrote Heroes and Villains,  I wrote a bestseller about the Beatles called "The Love You Make" with a guy named Peter Brown, and a few months later Dennis drowned.  New American Library called the second the news broke and asked me if I had any connection or interest in the Beach Boys and I presented the New West article as a proposal and...we were off to the races, as they say.

I moved to Los Angeles and started work.  My first chore was getting David Leaf to trust me and to purchase his files.

I was crazy about Marilyn Wilson, I thought she was terrific. 

More later about Brian's alleged autobiography and the three Beach Boy lawsuits in which I was an "expert witness."

 
« Last Edit: August 22, 2008, 06:22:12 AM by Beach Boy Author » Logged
mikeyj
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« Reply #51 on: August 22, 2008, 06:15:11 AM »

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.



Thanks for the details Mark. Sounds really interesting!
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« Reply #52 on: August 22, 2008, 06:25:30 AM »

Thanks Steven for your insights. I guess one of the things I've always thought about your book is that there were very few books on the band back then so it must have been a lot harder to find information on the history of the band etc.. But it's cool and interesting to read your personal stories and experiences of being around guys like Landy etc.. And I think most people around here share your feelings towards Landy, what a creep!!
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Rich Panteluk
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« Reply #53 on: August 22, 2008, 11:49:50 AM »

Just wanted to say thanks Steven for coming by and posting.  Your insights are most welcome and I just loved reading your last post about Landy and Alice Cooper.

Bravo.  More please!
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the captain
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« Reply #54 on: August 22, 2008, 01:58:26 PM »

By the way, it's Steven, with a "v", not Stephen.
Sorry about that. Considering I obviously had just pulled out the book to get the quote and page numbers, you'd think I'd have gotten your name spelled correctly, too. I need a fact-checker for me when I'm checking facts. I might have to consider posting sober from now on.
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« Reply #55 on: August 22, 2008, 06:23:58 PM »

Thanks Steven for all the very interesting stories. I have the New West article and it is one of the best pieces writen on Landy. I say that because what you wrote then gave insight few of us would have on him until the 1991 lawsuit, perhaps you got too close to the real him. Marilyn is a great person from when I have talked to her, I think she really has a strong voice in your writing. I also enjoyed your insight into Dennis' last few months. Something that was unpleasent, but I thought you were able to recreate that time vividly.  The thing that sticks out is how he made several attempt to dry out, and how close he seemingly came. By the way what did you think about the TV movie based on your book?
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« Reply #56 on: August 22, 2008, 09:35:31 PM »

Was "Summer Dreams" or "American Family" based on Steven's book? 
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« Reply #57 on: August 22, 2008, 09:49:25 PM »

"Summer Dreams"
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« Reply #58 on: August 22, 2008, 09:53:06 PM »

Steve, thanks so much for making the time to post here, and tell all of us some of your stories. I have a question for you, if I may. Actually, it's more like a request. Would you PLEASE digitize all of your original interview tapes?  Grin If not to release them publicly(I doubt you could, for various legal reasons), then at least to perserve them. I'm sure that there is way to much important information to lose if those tapes deteriorated(God forbid). Simply put, those interviews are a Beach Boys fanatics wet dream.  Grin
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« Reply #59 on: August 22, 2008, 11:52:33 PM »

By the way, it's Steven, with a "v", not Stephen.
Sorry about that. Considering I obviously had just pulled out the book to get the quote and page numbers, you'd think I'd have gotten your name spelled correctly, too. I need a fact-checker for me when I'm checking facts. I might have to consider posting sober from now on.

Luther, are you ever NOT drunk? Cheesy
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The Heartical Don
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« Reply #60 on: August 23, 2008, 03:57:00 AM »

I would really, really appreciate it if Steven would be willing to be honoured with a writer's thread of his own, like the other ones. His insights are very worthwhile and informative.
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« Reply #61 on: August 23, 2008, 09:51:37 AM »

Steve, thanks so much for making the time to post here, and tell all of us some of your stories. I have a question for you, if I may. Actually, it's more like a request. Would you PLEASE digitize all of your original interview tapes?  Grin If not to release them publicly(I doubt you could, for various legal reasons), then at least to perserve them. I'm sure that there is way to much important information to lose if those tapes deteriorated(God forbid). Simply put, those interviews are a Beach Boys fanatics wet dream.  Grin

Jay;

I wish I could release the tapes, but...there's personal stuff on the tapes, not just things that the Beach Boy coterie said, but personal things I said in the course of doing the interviews.  It doesn't even have anything to do with the Beach Boys, just the kind of observations people make about life when they're in deep conversation and forget the tape recorder is running.

However, I'm leaving those tapes, and all my tapes, the Beatles, the hundreds of musicians and music business people I've interviewed, to the archives of a University--which one is still undecided.  So one day when I'm not here to be embarassed by them, the tapes will be available to everybody.

I hate to go to the bank vault, but I'll see if I can find some sections of tape that I can post here.

I'm surprised at all the interest.  I never would have none that this board existed were it not for a Google alert that my name appeared in a blog.
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« Reply #62 on: August 23, 2008, 10:27:31 AM »

I'm surprised at all the interest.  I never would have none that this board existed were it not for a Google alert that my name appeared in a blog.
We're nerds.  Grin As for which university ... how about MIU, in Fairfield, Iowa? Seems appropriate!
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« Reply #63 on: August 23, 2008, 12:59:05 PM »


I was invited to Brian's birthday party in Malibu and met Paul and Linda McCartney and the whole cast of characters, save for Murray who was already dead.

Is that the party in the Beach Boys: American Band movie, around the time of 15 Big ones? That must have been a blast - I think I'm going to have to dig out your book again!
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« Reply #64 on: August 23, 2008, 10:41:46 PM »

I'm surprised at all the interest.  I never would have none that this board existed were it not for a Google alert that my name appeared in a blog.
We're nerds.  Grin As for which university ... how about MIU, in Fairfield, Iowa? Seems appropriate!

Actually, it's called MUM now, Maharishi University of Management. I looked it up awhile ago, it's a very interesting school. The food in the dining halls is all vegetarian/organic, and students are required to go to some sort of exercise class every day.
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« Reply #65 on: August 24, 2008, 01:43:17 AM »

I'm surprised at all the interest.  I never would have none that this board existed were it not for a Google alert that my name appeared in a blog.
We're nerds.  Grin As for which university ... how about MIU, in Fairfield, Iowa? Seems appropriate!

Actually, it's called MUM now, Maharishi Institute of Management. I looked it up awhile ago, it's a very interesting school. The food in the dining halls is all vegetarian/organic, and students are required to go to some sort of exercise class every day.

*has nightmare: MUM, out of its own principle, selling all of Steven's tapes to the highest bidder, an anonymouse Japanese businessman, who locks them away again ASAP*
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« Reply #66 on: August 25, 2008, 06:46:09 AM »

I'm surprised at all the interest.  I never would have none that this board existed were it not for a Google alert that my name appeared in a blog.
We're nerds.  Grin As for which university ... how about MIU, in Fairfield, Iowa? Seems appropriate!

Actually, it's called MUM now, Maharishi Institute of Management. I looked it up awhile ago, it's a very interesting school. The food in the dining halls is all vegetarian/organic, and students are required to go to some sort of exercise class every day.

*has nightmare: MUM, out of its own principle, selling all of Steven's tapes to the highest bidder, an anonymouse Japanese businessman, who locks them away again ASAP*

I'll NEVER sell those tapes.  Those tapes will go to a University that will appreciate their value.  I don't want money for those tapes, nor for the Beatle tapes, nor for the thousands of other tapes I have of all the great rock bands of the 20th century.  I want them to be available for research and for posterity.
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The Heartical Don
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« Reply #67 on: August 25, 2008, 07:11:37 AM »

I'm surprised at all the interest.  I never would have none that this board existed were it not for a Google alert that my name appeared in a blog.
We're nerds.  Grin As for which university ... how about MIU, in Fairfield, Iowa? Seems appropriate!

Actually, it's called MUM now, Maharishi Institute of Management. I looked it up awhile ago, it's a very interesting school. The food in the dining halls is all vegetarian/organic, and students are required to go to some sort of exercise class every day.

*has nightmare: MUM, out of its own principle, selling all of Steven's tapes to the highest bidder, an anonymouse Japanese businessman, who locks them away again ASAP*

I'll NEVER sell those tapes.  Those tapes will go to a University that will appreciate their value.  I don't want money for those tapes, nor for the Beatle tapes, nor for the thousands of other tapes I have of all the great rock bands of the 20th century.  I want them to be available for research and for posterity.

...is the right answer! Cheers man!
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