Questions about Dennis's death

[Rocker]

Does Brian know that Mike released a solo album?

If he hasn't heard it, he really should.  It's got "Be My Baby" on it   

Brian played on that version....

[37!ws]

Heh....remember the Endless Summer TV show the Beach Boys had in 1989? During one of the "campfire" segments:

BRIAN: What about "Be My Baby"?
MIKE: "Be My Baby?"?
BRIAN: You did it on your album.
MIKE: Uhhh...what album?
BRIAN: Looking Back With Love. You absolutely did it on your album. It was in the key of "A."
CARL: [strums an A chord]

[mind you, this is from memory, so this might not be verbatim, but it's pretty close.]

[Andrew G. Doe]

Does Brian know that Mike released a solo album?

If he hasn't heard it, he really should.  It's got "Be My Baby" on it   

Brian played on that version....

... and sang bvs, and produced the basic session.

[phirnis]

Heh....remember the Endless Summer TV show the Beach Boys had in 1989? During one of the "campfire" segments:

BRIAN: What about "Be My Baby"?
MIKE: "Be My Baby?"?
BRIAN: You did it on your album.
MIKE: Uhhh...what album?
BRIAN: Looking Back With Love. You absolutely did it on your album. It was in the key of "A."
CARL: [strums an A chord]

[mind you, this is from memory, so this might not be verbatim, but it's pretty close.]

From what I remember, Mike Love seemed like he did not exactly want to be reminded of that album.

[Thunderfingers75]

The fetal positions story sounds like a pantload to me. Who supposedly saw him in this position, the divers who retrieved the body?

[The Heartical Don]

The fetal positions story sounds like a pantload to me. Who supposedly saw him in this position, the divers who retrieved the body?

I prefer a good fable over grim reality anytime.

[Wilsonista]

Heh....remember the Endless Summer TV show the Beach Boys had in 1989? During one of the "campfire" segments:

BRIAN: What about "Be My Baby"?
MIKE: "Be My Baby?"?
BRIAN: You did it on your album.
MIKE: Uhhh...what album?
BRIAN: Looking Back With Love. You absolutely did it on your album. It was in the key of "A."
CARL: [strums an A chord]

[mind you, this is from memory, so this might not be verbatim, but it's pretty close.]

From what I remember, Mike Love seemed like he did not exactly want to be reminded of that album.

Mike was visibly cringing at the mention of LBWL.  Not exactly a glowing recommendation of the album.

[Andrew G. Doe]

The fetal positions story sounds like a pantload to me. Who supposedly saw him in this position, the divers who retrieved the body?

Just answered your own question.

[SloopJohnB]

The fetal position could indicate that it wasn't suicide - it's the recommended position when you fall into cold water, as it slows down body heat loss. Most people do it instinctively.

[Jon Stebbins]

According to Tom Noguchi's (the coroner at that time) report, Dennis had a bruise on his head. Maybe he tried to surface and hit his head on a piling rendering him unconscious. I read this in Dr. Noguchi's book Coroner At Large, published in 1985.

What Noguchi's report fails to mention is that Dennis had been in a violent brawl the day before he died. He probably had more than one bruise on his head that had nothing to do with his drowning.

[c-man]

Another possibility is that Dennis blacked out under water...he'd been having seizures on and off over the prevous year, and blacking-out episodes.  But if that were the case, he probably wouldn't have looked so peaceful when found.  But then again...I would think it a natural, uncontrollable reaction to fight against drowning, meaning I wouldn't think it'd be that easy to "let go" and lie down in a peaceful position. 

I do know that when it happened, I wondered if he had "let go"...the last his companions saw of him, he was waving to them.  I thought, "Waving goodbye?".  I dunno.  Hal Blaine's convinced he hit his head.  Karen Lamm was convinced it was negligance or foul play.  The Occidental Life Insurance Company refused to pay because they considered it a possible suicide.  I guess only God knows, and Dennis, wherever is. 

As far as his friends running off to search the bars, I read that they did first jump in the water after him, but couldn't find him.  When the divers got there, it still took them something like twenty minutes. 

[Sheriff John Stone]

Until this thread, not only did I never read about the possibility of suicide, I never even THOUGHT about it. With young Gage, no....

[DonnaK]

I agree with the Sheriff. I like to think, in my mind, that he was so drunk, that in the end, it was peaceful, and he just let go....................................which is probably what we should do with this topic.

[the captain]

Honestly, I don't recall whether Dennis's death as a suicide ever occurred to me. But now that it did, I don't think I'll give it many more thoughts.

[Pretty Funky]

Heh....remember the Endless Summer TV show the Beach Boys had in 1989? During one of the "campfire" segments:

BRIAN: What about "Be My Baby"?
MIKE: "Be My Baby?"?
BRIAN: You did it on your album.
MIKE: Uhhh...what album?
BRIAN: Looking Back With Love. You absolutely did it on your album. It was in the key of "A."
CARL: [strums an A chord]

[mind you, this is from memory, so this might not be verbatim, but it's pretty close.]

Very close

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4ooltsYHGg

at 57 seconds. Brian also says he listened to the song a few times so guess he has heard (part) of the album.

[joe_blow]

I remember in the British Wouldn't It Be Nice documentary someone (Ed Roach?) saying that the theory was he hit his head on a cement dock coming up.

[c-man]

I remember in the British Wouldn't It Be Nice documentary someone (Ed Roach?) saying that the theory was he hit his head on a cement dock coming up.

That was probably Hal.

[Beach Bum]

Heh....remember the Endless Summer TV show the Beach Boys had in 1989? During one of the "campfire" segments:

BRIAN: What about "Be My Baby"?
MIKE: "Be My Baby?"?
BRIAN: You did it on your album.
MIKE: Uhhh...what album?
BRIAN: Looking Back With Love. You absolutely did it on your album. It was in the key of "A."
CARL: [strums an A chord]

[mind you, this is from memory, so this might not be verbatim, but it's pretty close.]

Very close

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4ooltsYHGg

at 57 seconds. Brian also says he listened to the song a few times so guess he has heard (part) of the album.

Boy, that was tough when Carl came in for his leads on Kokomo. I had forgotten how much I missed him.

It was just Dennis' time, I guess. If it had been up to us, no. But it had always been up to him. He had been drowning himself for years, sadly.

[The Shift]

Heh....remember the Endless Summer TV show the Beach Boys had in 1989? During one of the "campfire" segments:

BRIAN: What about "Be My Baby"?
MIKE: "Be My Baby?"?
BRIAN: You did it on your album.
MIKE: Uhhh...what album?
BRIAN: Looking Back With Love. You absolutely did it on your album. It was in the key of "A."
CARL: [strums an A chord]

[mind you, this is from memory, so this might not be verbatim, but it's pretty close.]

From what I remember, Mike Love seemed like he did not exactly want to be reminded of that album.

Mike was visibly cringing at the mention of LBWL.  Not exactly a glowing recommendation of the album.

I saw this a false modesty  -  and suspect that Brian was prompted to give the fact that Mike'd had a solo album a verbal plug.

So, pre-show rehearsals...:

Carl: So what songs are we gonna do this week guys?
Mike: well, we could do...
Brian: Be My Baby! We gotta do Be My Baby!
Mike: Okay Brian, great idea... I know, you can introduce it, tell the viewers it was on my album. I'll pretend to have forgotten about it, so they don't think I'm bigheaded or anything, cos I'd hate for them to think that. You know, a bit of "gee shucks guys..."
Brian: You done an album Mike? What was it called?
Mike: it was called Looking Back With Love - sh*t Brian, you even appeared on iut and produced bits!
Brian: never heard of it.
 
etc etc etc

[warnakey]

I wanted to post some photos that maybe no one has seen before. They're all public and etc. Very enlightening.

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6466/dennisobit5ni2.jpg <-- a very large obituary in a 1980's beach boys newsletter




http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6954/image0012wn4.jpg

[Beach Boy]

Has nothing to do with this thread but I'd like to mention something odd. I am reading Ron Wood's autobiography and he mentions that he met Bo Diddley in 1985 at some all star gig or whatever, and he wrote that Carl and Dennis were there too ... .   

[Magic Transistor Radio]

In the book, "The Little Bird was Dennis" it states many clues left by the Beach Boys in the BB85 album, Kokamo and Summer in Paradise. For example, if you play Kokamo backwards you can here "Dennis is alive! Dennis is alive! Dennis is alive!"

They say that he faked his death and was replaced by an imposter (John Stamos)

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Never heard of that book.

[37!ws]

Has nothing to do with this thread but I'd like to mention something odd. I am reading Ron Wood's autobiography and he mentions that he met Bo Diddley in 1985 at some all star gig or whatever, and he wrote that Carl and Dennis were there too ... .   

That must have been when he autographed that copy of the 1985 album that was on eBay a few years ago...

[The Heartical Don]

In the book, "The Little Bird was Dennis" it states many clues left by the Beach Boys in the BB85 album, Kokamo and Summer in Paradise. For example, if you play Kokamo backwards you can here "Dennis is alive! Dennis is alive! Dennis is alive!"

They say that he faked his death and was replaced by an imposter (John Stamos)

Of course. You are right. Now take two of the blue and three of the yellow pills, and go to bed.