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Poll
Question: Rate Wouldn't It Be Nice?: My Own Story
5 - 9 (19.1%)
4 - 2 (4.3%)
3 - 8 (17%)
2 - 5 (10.6%)
1 - 6 (12.8%)
0 - 17 (36.2%)
Total Voters: 38

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Author Topic: Wouldn't It Be Nice?: My Own Story  (Read 52443 times)
paulisdead
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« Reply #25 on: March 11, 2006, 12:31:17 AM »


What does it matter? It's all false anyway.

What all of it or just the Landy bits?
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Aegir
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« Reply #26 on: March 11, 2006, 01:25:30 AM »

You shouldn't trust anything the book says, unless it's been corroborated elsewhere.
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« Reply #27 on: May 04, 2006, 03:45:57 PM »

I can't believe how harsh you're being on this book. To me it was a wildly entertaining read, and although I wasn't aware of the bogus aspects of it back then, I think the most fascinating parts could only come from Brian himself:

Growing up/problems with girls
The "take a sh*t on this newspaper" incident
The Rovell sisters
The episode with Mike & Marilyn
Listening to Pet Sounds for the first time
Pinching that actress in the ass and stealing scoops of peanut butter with his thumb

I remember the parts with Landy sounding somewhat like propaganda, as some of you have mentioned. However, I don't think that hurts the book all that much. Landy did save his life, and the intense treatment was a large part of Brian's life. He brainwashed Brian and controlled his life, so to read that part more or less written by the guy makes sense in a weird way.

I haven't read it in a long time, but that's what I feel right now anyway. The book may not give you the facts or the truth, but it has plenty of good stories, and I think it is essential for every Brian Wilson fan.
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I. Spaceman
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« Reply #28 on: May 04, 2006, 06:05:13 PM »

I read all that stuff you mentioned in other books and interviews before that book was out. The ghostwriter Todd Gold did his research, read that stuff too, and wrote the book.
Sure, it's entertaining.
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Daniel S.
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« Reply #29 on: May 04, 2006, 07:48:28 PM »

I just bought a copy on Amazon for 99 cents.
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« Reply #30 on: May 06, 2006, 01:45:45 PM »

I can't believe how harsh you're being on this book. To me it was a wildly entertaining read, and although I wasn't aware of the bogus aspects of it back then, I think the most fascinating parts could only come from Brian himself:

Growing up/problems with girls
The "take a merda on this newspaper" incident
The Rovell sisters
The episode with Mike & Marilyn
Listening to Pet Sounds for the first time
Pinching that actress in the ass and stealing scoops of peanut butter with his thumb

I remember the parts with Landy sounding somewhat like propaganda, as some of you have mentioned. However, I don't think that hurts the book all that much. Landy did save his life, and the intense treatment was a large part of Brian's life. He brainwashed Brian and controlled his life, so to read that part more or less written by the guy makes sense in a weird way.

I haven't read it in a long time, but that's what I feel right now anyway. The book may not give you the facts or the truth, but it has plenty of good stories, and I think it is essential for every Brian Wilson fan.
man... just the recollections of surfs up, this whole world and Brian, the SI song...were enough revelations to me in '91 to continue being a BB freek!!!!!!!!!!!!! te LSD experiences made me feel like i was trippin' with him.
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MBE
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« Reply #31 on: June 24, 2006, 06:42:49 AM »

I was thinking about getting this book and I had few quearys about it:

1) How much does Brian go into SMiLE?- A bit but it's all from the Gaines book

2) Does he talk about 70's much -Only the year with Landy

3) How much does he go into Pet Sounds? Very surface mosly based on Tony Asher interviews with Nick Kent

4) Is it well written or is it fluff (or written fluff)? Very poorly writen. Just mean not like Brian at all/

5) Does he go into his shakey relationship with Mike or is that just a post-BWPS thing?
Yes Mike is Satan and gets a total of one nice thing said about him. Merly that he encouraged Brian to start the group.What does it matter? It's all false anyway.
It matters because people still quote this crappy book
« Last Edit: March 04, 2009, 11:54:48 PM by MBE » Logged
MBE
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« Reply #32 on: June 24, 2006, 06:50:47 AM »

I can't believe how harsh you're being on this book. To me it was a wildly entertaining read, and although I wasn't aware of the bogus aspects of it back then, I think the most fascinating parts could only come from Brian himself:

Growing up/problems with girls-Gaines and Leaf
The "take a merda on this newspaper" incident- Gaines
The Rovell sisters- Gaines
The episode with Mike & Marilyn- Earl Leaf article and Gaines and Leaf
Listening to Pet Sounds for the first time-Marilyn interviews over the years
Pinching that actress in the ass and stealing scoops of peanut butter with his thumb Probably told by Landy but funny.
« Last Edit: March 04, 2009, 11:56:19 PM by MBE » Logged
Harley
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« Reply #33 on: August 14, 2006, 10:20:15 AM »

I read where Brian said he never 'Proof read' it.
I like the book overall.
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Harley
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« Reply #34 on: April 22, 2007, 11:28:29 AM »

Terrible.  Forget the subject matter and the circumstances surrounding the book for one second -- it's still poorly composed with bad metaphors and descriptions that only serve to "inspire emotion" and stir up the drama.  However, it fails to earn any kind of sober reaction because it reads like a 13 year old girls diary!  "Nobody would listen to me!  They didn't care about my problems!  They wouldn't let me stay home when they went to Australia!"   Cry  It's embarrassing to think that people out there are under the impression that BW wrote this.

Nonetheless, I'm enjoying the book the same way I'd enjoy watching a Lifetime presentation of Brian Wilson's life, starring Lindsay Lohan as Marilyn and who cares who plays BW as long as he comes off as a vindictive little baby.
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sherryluvsbrian
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« Reply #35 on: August 28, 2007, 04:00:21 AM »

Marilyn said  brian offered carnie drugs when she was 9 or 10 and that was it, she had enough and left brian for good. It's on a bio i seen on A&E. I know this thread is old but had to post anyway.
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mikeyj
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« Reply #36 on: October 03, 2007, 06:36:57 PM »

I got about half way through this book and then found out that Brian didnt have anything to do with it, so that made me not bothered to read the rest of it
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« Reply #37 on: October 03, 2007, 08:21:16 PM »

I would say that this book is essential for the pictures alone.  I doubt that Brian or the rest of The Beach Boys would agree to those pictures of Brian at his worst being published today. I wonder about certain stories in this book. Is it true that Brian didn't reckognise his own children after not seeing them for years? Also, what about that story of a show in Canada in 1979, where Brian was so drunk that he tried to go to sleep right on the stage?
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sherryluvsbrian
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« Reply #38 on: October 20, 2007, 10:25:13 PM »

Who knows what's true and false. I liked this book, It made me want to keep reading. Brian has told different stories so It's hard to know whats what.
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« Reply #39 on: February 03, 2008, 11:09:03 AM »

I recently found this going in a second-hand store and the things it describes in a matter-of-fact way blew my mind.

But I have two big problems with the content, whether it is stolen or not.

"Brian" - if it is he - does Carl a huge disservice, fails to acknowledge his contribution over the years, doesn't recognise anything Carl or Dennis writes other than the tracks on "Friends", simply stating that they failed to find a hit single. I am sure Brian doesn't think this way.

The book is also inaccurate when it lists the songs Brian actually wrote. On Sunflower, we know that Brian was involved on 3 or 4 of the songs, the book underplays his involvement in mid-late Beach Boys output and obviously  focuses on the negative aspects to Brian's life.

There are more controversies, particular sexual, but these stand out.

Despite the fog of disinformation, a lot of Landy's therapy seemed absolutely appropriate at the time, in order to save Brian's life. In the end, if we read between the lines, we see both doctor and patient in a dependent relationship. The main issue which Landy could be blamed for was the drug treatment, perhaps.
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carlydenise
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« Reply #40 on: February 05, 2008, 05:37:57 PM »

I had read BB by Leaf and Heroes and Villians before reading Wouldn't It Be Nice...it only took about 5 pages before it became pretty clear that Brian wasn't involved with this book.  I ended up reading the whole thing, the train wreck syndrome....don't want to look, but end up looking anyway.  It was read with a grain of salt, but I guess it was an interesting read, even tho it was pulp fiction.
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melissalynn
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« Reply #41 on: February 06, 2008, 08:33:27 AM »

Honestly, I cut the photos out of it and then threw it away. Too much controversy surrounding the accuracy for me to want to read it again.
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Bill Tobelman
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« Reply #42 on: March 21, 2008, 06:36:42 PM »

Seems like this thread is a lot like the following conversation;

David Anderle: "There's a few little things in there (the book) about things that went on with him and I that are so dead-on, so sharp, the memory."

Paul Williams: "He didn't write that book..."

David Anderle: "But those stories had to come from somewhere."

Okay, so if the some of the contents seems accurate to David Anderle then, perhaps, some of the contents are correct. And also it appears that Brian didn't write most of the thing and that Todd Gold pieced it together.

Some of the stories have later been confirmed by Brian on his website and in interviews.

The "autobiography" is a great tester of your Brian Wilson  sensibilities. One can discover true gold or end up with nothing at all depending on your ability to divine the truth.
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mikeyj
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« Reply #43 on: March 21, 2008, 07:35:25 PM »

Okay, so if the some of the contents seems accurate to David Anderle then, perhaps, some of the contents are correct. And also it appears that Brian didn't write most of the thing and that Todd Gold pieced it together.

Some of the stories have later been confirmed by Brian on his website and in interviews.

The "autobiography" is a great tester of your Brian Wilson  sensibilities. One can discover true gold or end up with nothing at all depending on your ability to divine the truth.

Well of course some of the contents are correct. They aren't exactly Brian's own words necessarily but Todd Gold obviously got old interviews etc.. with Brian and asked people about Brian and wrote his story from there. I mean just because in the book it might say (I'm just making it up as an example): "Then I wrote Don't Worry Baby as a response to Be My Baby. Phil Spector is the greatest thing there ever was." I mean Todd Gold could easily find somewhere where Brian had said something similar and then just change it around a bit and add a few things here and there and he could easily pass it off as saying "oh those are Brian's words." But there is some things in that book that just are totally not Brian at all.
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MBE
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« Reply #44 on: March 21, 2008, 09:14:56 PM »

What's mainly wrong is the attitude. Brian is a very nice man, not bitter or angry like he comes off in the book.
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« Reply #45 on: March 23, 2008, 09:19:28 AM »

What's mainly wrong is the attitude. Brian is a very nice man, not bitter or angry like he comes off in the book.

I don't say this to be a jerk (even though I am one), but how do you know what kind of man Brian is? Like the vast majority of us, you've gotten his P.R. machine's message, not the real man. I'm sure he's got plenty of anger and bitterness, no matter what David Leaf wants the world to know. That said, the book is obviously not his work, as has been testified to in court (not to mention it uses a vocabulary that would be, if Brian's, entirely different than one he ever used before in any interview, ever).
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« Reply #46 on: December 09, 2008, 06:21:30 PM »

What's mainly wrong is the attitude. Brian is a very nice man, not bitter or angry like he comes off in the book.

I don't say this to be a jerk (even though I am one), but how do you know what kind of man Brian is? Like the vast majority of us, you've gotten his P.R. machine's message, not the real man. I'm sure he's got plenty of anger and bitterness, no matter what David Leaf wants the world to know. That said, the book is obviously not his work, as has been testified to in court (not to mention it uses a vocabulary that would be, if Brian's, entirely different than one he ever used before in any interview, ever).

Well I just observe his manner (which even the best PR can't completely cover) and he has an air of congeniality about him. Even when angry or negative I have never heard him talk in this way about anyone. I mean he has never been described as aggressive or condescending.
Besides I am just making the same point you are in that it's not written in the way his vocabulary flows.
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Chris Brown
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« Reply #47 on: December 11, 2008, 07:36:23 PM »

I've just re-read this in the last few days, so I thought I'd chime in. 

If nothing else, the book is certainly an interesting read.  When I first read it several years ago, I didn't yet know that it was so heavily ghostwritten and that Brian had little to do with it.  Thus, it was cooler to read back then, thinking that it was really Brian saying these things.  Even knowing the truth, though, I still find myself enjoying it. 

People are pretty hard on the book, and rightfully so in certain respects, but I think the first half of it is fairly solid factually.  There are inaccuracies, naturally; sometimes large ones.  But the early years are covered quite well overall, and fun to read about. 

Where things start running into problems is when Landy enters the picture, which, of course, is no accident.  The harshness towards seemingly everyone but Landy is overwhelming at times, and the praise that is heaped on him can be nauseating.  I would love someday to have Brian tell the real story behind those years, but I doubt we will ever see such a thing.

Overall, like others have said, this book has more utility as entertainment rather than factual autobiography, but it is still a valuable part of the Beach Boys literary canon.
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MBE
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« Reply #48 on: December 11, 2008, 10:13:43 PM »

The early years cannot be relied upon for anything either. Dates are wrong, stories are lifted from other sources, and others have refuted info on it at such a level that I have to say I don't beilieve anything in it on its face. It's like one of those tv movies "based on a true story". Sadly too many books sicne have used the info from as cold hard fact. That's why it is such a pox on Beach Boys history, it muddied the waters of most that came after. The Mike Love Til I Die story seems to be wrong and that gets repeated everywhere. Mike has praised that song, and it was also among those aired in 2-71 on a New York radio station. If Mike hated it would he have let it be brought in?
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Ganz Allein
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« Reply #49 on: December 12, 2008, 05:43:09 PM »

I agree with MBE that even the recounting of the early years in WIBN?MOS can't be trusted that much.  Of course we know there are true stories there (much of the stuff that's been cribbed from previous BB bios).  But how much can we trust the "new" revelations?  For example, has Brian ever recounted his acid trips and flashback experience in such detail to any other biographer or interviewer?  How do we know that those events aren't more embellishments of Brian's "terse answers" by Todd Gold?

The second half of the book with its worship/defense of Landy is so nauseating that I never want to read it again.  There's one particular bit in there that just disgusts me to no end:

"Dr. Landy proved to be a hard taskmaster.  I gave him songs I thought were finished, and he handed them right back.  He often told me what I'd done would've been great in the sixties, but it was the late eighties and I had to bring it up to snuff."

The gall of that man!  To think he could deign to tell Brian Wilson how to write songs! Evil   I'm sure that kind of talk really did wonders for Brian's confidence in his songwriting abilities. Angry
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