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Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson
Now the subject of the movie Love & Mercy, starring John Cusack! Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, along with Mike Love and Al Jardine--better known as the Beach Boys--rocketed out of a working-class Los Angeles suburb in the early sixties, and their sun-and-surf sound captured the imagination of kids across the world. In a few short years, they rode the wave all the way to the top, standing with the Beatles as one of the world's biggest bands. Despite their utopian visions, infectious hooks, and stunning harmonies, the Beach Boys were beset by drug abuse, jealousy, and terrifying mental illness. In Catch a Wave, Peter Ames Carlin pulls back the curtain on Brian Wilson, one of popular music's most revered luminaries, as well as its biggest mystery. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before heard studio recordings, Carlin follows the Beach Boys from their earliest days through Brian's deepening emotional problems to his triumphant re-emergence with the release of Smile, the legendarily unreleased album he had originally shelved.
510 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 16, 2006
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August 12, 2010
WE'VE BEEN DOING DRUGS ALL SUMMER LONG
Beach Boys fans read this excellent book at their peril. There are a very few good vibrations in the story of Brian Wilson and his group, but there's no shortage of extremely bad vibrations. By the end of the book you may feel you're heartily sick of each and every drug-addled, money-obsessed, talentless washed-out Beach Boy with the exception of Brian himself. These days they're a living, breathing embarrassment. They sue each other perpetually, and Al Jardine and Mike Love now tour America with rival bands claiming to be the Beach Boys.
Pity rich pop star Brian Wilson. First he was bullied and humiliated by his father, the repulsive Murray Wilson. Later he was bullied and harrassed by Mike Love. Years after that he was taken prisoner by a deranged psychiatrist who terrorised him 24 hours a day and was paid for by himself on the orders of his own family. Top that!
COMPLEX CHORDS AND REAL MENTAL ILLNESS
What all these people wanted was - more hit songs! More! Another million seller! Now! It was so blatant, it was brutal. By 1963 the exhilaration of making hit record after hit record quickly became a relentless treadmill. Brian was the sole creative force in the group. (Compare Beatles here). By the age of 22 he was composer, lead singer, bass player, arranger and producer. After two years of that he had his first breakdown and quit touring. The wave crested in 1965 when everything was working out - Brian had fired Murray Wilson, his caricature domineering alpha male worst-nightmare father who had formerly though he knew everything about managing a band and producing records too. They'd all agreed that Brian shouldn't tour any more. There was a perfect logic to it - Brian stayed home and wrote more hits and the group toured. But then he began to change. Within three years there was "Pet Sounds", which wasn't received with delight by the other Beach Boys, the still astonishing single "Good Vibrations", and then the artistic and personal disaster of "Smile" (was ever a project named more ironically?). There was Brian's increasing psychological problems and the commencement of heavy drug intake. And there was the complete revolution in youth culture too, so that by 1968 the desperately unhip Beach Boys were pulling crowds of 200, hopelessly out of fashion.
The 1960s was a very fast decade.
WHAT'S MY FAVOURITE VEGETABLE? BRIAN WILSON
During the next 20 years (!) Brian was not a functioning human being. His colossal intake of drugs and food was in inverse proportion to his tiny output of songs. The whole sorry saga makes for gruesome reading. "As Carnie remembers, her father began most of his days with a dozen eggs and an entire loaf of bread" and for dinner "he'd eat his entire steak in two bites". From the late 60s to the mid-80s the other Beach Boys were perpetually dancing around trying to get Brian to lay more golden eggs for them. They tried anything they could think of, including tough love (pretending to fire him from the group). They ended up hiring a 24-hour-a-day showbiz psychiatrist to rescue him, Dr Eugene Landy. And before you could say "medical ethics" Brian had started writing songs again but they were credited to "Wilson/Landy". So the Beach Boys sued the psychiatrist. You have to laugh.
AN UNEXPECTED HAPPY ENDING
This story of grim Californian irony does have a happy ending though - after trudging through Peter Carlin's (always well-written and readable) catalogue of unhappiness we arrive at the year 2001 when Brian, now married to Melinda Ledbetter (who sounds like one of the few really nice people in the whole book), finally - 34 years later! - finishes "Smile" and even performs it live on stage to universal acclaim. And as we know Brian continued to create and even wrote a whole new album which was .. well, pretty good! ("That Lucky Old Sun").
SADDER BUT WISER - AGAIN
As you finish the book you think "Enough - I don't ever want to read another word about these horrible Beach people or about poor tormented Brian - I just want to listen to their beautiful music". And in some ways I'm sorry I did read this book. It's strange to admire the Beach Boys' great mass of brilliant music so much but to dislike them all as human beings. Except Brian of course. You don't dislike him, but you do pity him. I don't believe the author intended to perform hatchet jobs on all these people, he just let the ghastly facts speak for themselves.
Beach Boys fans read this excellent book at their peril. There are a very few good vibrations in the story of Brian Wilson and his group, but there's no shortage of extremely bad vibrations. By the end of the book you may feel you're heartily sick of each and every drug-addled, money-obsessed, talentless washed-out Beach Boy with the exception of Brian himself. These days they're a living, breathing embarrassment. They sue each other perpetually, and Al Jardine and Mike Love now tour America with rival bands claiming to be the Beach Boys.
Pity rich pop star Brian Wilson. First he was bullied and humiliated by his father, the repulsive Murray Wilson. Later he was bullied and harrassed by Mike Love. Years after that he was taken prisoner by a deranged psychiatrist who terrorised him 24 hours a day and was paid for by himself on the orders of his own family. Top that!
COMPLEX CHORDS AND REAL MENTAL ILLNESS
What all these people wanted was - more hit songs! More! Another million seller! Now! It was so blatant, it was brutal. By 1963 the exhilaration of making hit record after hit record quickly became a relentless treadmill. Brian was the sole creative force in the group. (Compare Beatles here). By the age of 22 he was composer, lead singer, bass player, arranger and producer. After two years of that he had his first breakdown and quit touring. The wave crested in 1965 when everything was working out - Brian had fired Murray Wilson, his caricature domineering alpha male worst-nightmare father who had formerly though he knew everything about managing a band and producing records too. They'd all agreed that Brian shouldn't tour any more. There was a perfect logic to it - Brian stayed home and wrote more hits and the group toured. But then he began to change. Within three years there was "Pet Sounds", which wasn't received with delight by the other Beach Boys, the still astonishing single "Good Vibrations", and then the artistic and personal disaster of "Smile" (was ever a project named more ironically?). There was Brian's increasing psychological problems and the commencement of heavy drug intake. And there was the complete revolution in youth culture too, so that by 1968 the desperately unhip Beach Boys were pulling crowds of 200, hopelessly out of fashion.
The 1960s was a very fast decade.
WHAT'S MY FAVOURITE VEGETABLE? BRIAN WILSON
During the next 20 years (!) Brian was not a functioning human being. His colossal intake of drugs and food was in inverse proportion to his tiny output of songs. The whole sorry saga makes for gruesome reading. "As Carnie remembers, her father began most of his days with a dozen eggs and an entire loaf of bread" and for dinner "he'd eat his entire steak in two bites". From the late 60s to the mid-80s the other Beach Boys were perpetually dancing around trying to get Brian to lay more golden eggs for them. They tried anything they could think of, including tough love (pretending to fire him from the group). They ended up hiring a 24-hour-a-day showbiz psychiatrist to rescue him, Dr Eugene Landy. And before you could say "medical ethics" Brian had started writing songs again but they were credited to "Wilson/Landy". So the Beach Boys sued the psychiatrist. You have to laugh.
AN UNEXPECTED HAPPY ENDING
This story of grim Californian irony does have a happy ending though - after trudging through Peter Carlin's (always well-written and readable) catalogue of unhappiness we arrive at the year 2001 when Brian, now married to Melinda Ledbetter (who sounds like one of the few really nice people in the whole book), finally - 34 years later! - finishes "Smile" and even performs it live on stage to universal acclaim. And as we know Brian continued to create and even wrote a whole new album which was .. well, pretty good! ("That Lucky Old Sun").
SADDER BUT WISER - AGAIN
As you finish the book you think "Enough - I don't ever want to read another word about these horrible Beach people or about poor tormented Brian - I just want to listen to their beautiful music". And in some ways I'm sorry I did read this book. It's strange to admire the Beach Boys' great mass of brilliant music so much but to dislike them all as human beings. Except Brian of course. You don't dislike him, but you do pity him. I don't believe the author intended to perform hatchet jobs on all these people, he just let the ghastly facts speak for themselves.
June 5, 2016
I saw the Beach Boys in 1976. In fact, I saw two of them, Mike Love and Carl Wilson, up close. That summer the Rolling Stones and Beach Boys played within about a week of each other at the Capitol Center in Landover, Maryland. As the Stones concert was ending, Love and Wilson came down from their seats (probably a sky box), and stood at an exit close to where I was sitting. I had seen their band play about a week before, and truth be told, big Stones fan that I am, when it came to singing, the Beach Boys put on a better live show. The main reason being that Jagger’s voice, not the greatest live instrument in the first place, was shot, while the Beach Boys were all clear as a bell. I also had the added benefit of seeing the very iffy Brian Wilson, who at that time was a hulking figure behind a piano (I think he played about three songs).
At that time the Beach Boys were still trying to make it as a viable creative band. I think not too long after this tour – or maybe even during it, they released 15 Big Ones, which I thought kind of sucked. On the cover of that album there was Brian, again being rolled out as the center of the band. Maybe, but he was at best, according to author Peter Ames Carlin, a disinterested and fragile center. What in fact was keeping the band going was the country’s slide into nostalgia, as it benefitted from new exposure in the soundtrack for American Graffitti, their own outstanding greatest hits album, Endless Summer, and, later, the Reagan and Fonzie years. But when it came to new albums, the Beach Boys just couldn’t seem to get out of the middle 50s on the charts. People wanted the old hits.
The band would eventually cave to this reality, and by the mid 80s, they had become, according to Carlin, an act that was little more than self-parody:
To watch the Beach Boys perform now – chauffeured across baseball infields in woody station wagons, performing on stages crowded with unironic surfboards, and of them dressed in clothes that had come to resemble an eccentric cross between high school letterman’s garb and geriatric leisure wear – was to see a group of musicians who no longer had any idea what their songs meant or why they were still so important to the people who came to hear them sing. (p. 250)
Carlin, to his credit, does remember, and he does an admirable job in 300 or pages recounting a story that probably needs over a thousand pages to tell. I was at first surprised at how things started out, with Carlin going back to the Wilson’s (and Love’s) grandparents’ time, around the turn of the century. For a few pages there I found myself recalling The Grapes of Wrath, as these transplants from the mid-West made a go of it in California, living initially in tents, working (and drinking) hard, and yet finding some relief in sing-alongs around the fire.
Jump forward to the Eisenhower years, with the post war boom really taking off. At this point, the Wilsons were a typical blue collar suburban family, but one that retained a love of music, as the patriarch of the bunch, Murry, who worked at Goodyear, would dabble in music writing. Murry was abusive and controlling, but he also could see there was something unusual, when it came to music, about his oldest child, Brian. (He also may have contributed, due to a blow to the 6 year old’s head, to Brian’s deafness in his left ear.)
By the time Brian was out of high school, he showed every sign of being a prodigy. The band, originally constructed as a family affair by Murry, would turn out hit after hit. They even, to some extent, weathered the Beatles storm once it arrived. Part of the reason for this was they were more than a surf band – at least that’s how Brian thought of them. Brian liked what the Beatles were doing, and as result dropped the surf formula of cars and girls for something more complicated and beautiful: Pet Sounds, which to my mind stands shoulder to shoulder with Sgt. Pepper. The other members of the band were uncomfortable with the effort, thinking it a bit weird, straying off the Beach Boy message. But it was with this effort, one where Brian still retained enough control of the band, where we hear his genius on full, album length display. Carlin does an excellent analysis of album, even making a strong argument (that I totally agree with) for the necessity of “Sloop John B.” Sadly, and it’s only 1966, this would be the high water mark for Beach Boys albums.
As much as Brian admired the Beatles, thinking they were showing him new possibilities with his own music, it was Wilson that probably showed the Beatles which way to go, since Pet Sounds preceded Sgt. Pepper. (The Beatles were in awe of Pet Sounds.) Once the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper, Brian seemed to feel he had to answer with yet another masterpiece, which lead to the Smile album effort. This was the end. The band was pulling in one (commercial) direction, Brian, creatively, wanted to go in another. And then there was the late 1960s, with drugs drugs drugs becoming the new Fun Fun Fun. Brian essentially suffered a nervous breakdown, as the "Smile" effort was shelved on the eve of its release.
What follows next, with still over half the book to go, are Brian’s ups and mostly downs. His weight would balloon up over 300 pounds, lots of drugs, lots of food binges, while only occasionally dabbling with music for a band he no longer seemed to like. The other members of the band would struggle on with their own problems: Dennis would meet the Manson family, and even join in an orgy with the Manson chicks, Love would keep getting married, Carl would become an alcoholic, and Murry would rage over being cut out from managing the band. This all gets to be pretty sordid stuff that can match the Stones, the Doors, or the late Elvis in rock and roll decadence any day. The low point, I thought, was when the drunken Dennis Wilson “introduced” Mike Love to his new girlfriend – who just happened to be Love’s illegitimate child. Wilson was trolling for yet another fistfight with Love (who is a major dick himself).
Throughout this story Carlin dutifully covers each album, which is perhaps overkill, and weighs the merits of the songs – most of which I find second rate compared to those shimmering pre-1969 efforts. Carlin tries to make this a triumphant story, with Brian Wilson eventually recovering. On a personal front this may be true, but I don’t think the music, those “Good Vibrations,” has never come back in quite the same way.
At that time the Beach Boys were still trying to make it as a viable creative band. I think not too long after this tour – or maybe even during it, they released 15 Big Ones, which I thought kind of sucked. On the cover of that album there was Brian, again being rolled out as the center of the band. Maybe, but he was at best, according to author Peter Ames Carlin, a disinterested and fragile center. What in fact was keeping the band going was the country’s slide into nostalgia, as it benefitted from new exposure in the soundtrack for American Graffitti, their own outstanding greatest hits album, Endless Summer, and, later, the Reagan and Fonzie years. But when it came to new albums, the Beach Boys just couldn’t seem to get out of the middle 50s on the charts. People wanted the old hits.
The band would eventually cave to this reality, and by the mid 80s, they had become, according to Carlin, an act that was little more than self-parody:
To watch the Beach Boys perform now – chauffeured across baseball infields in woody station wagons, performing on stages crowded with unironic surfboards, and of them dressed in clothes that had come to resemble an eccentric cross between high school letterman’s garb and geriatric leisure wear – was to see a group of musicians who no longer had any idea what their songs meant or why they were still so important to the people who came to hear them sing. (p. 250)
Carlin, to his credit, does remember, and he does an admirable job in 300 or pages recounting a story that probably needs over a thousand pages to tell. I was at first surprised at how things started out, with Carlin going back to the Wilson’s (and Love’s) grandparents’ time, around the turn of the century. For a few pages there I found myself recalling The Grapes of Wrath, as these transplants from the mid-West made a go of it in California, living initially in tents, working (and drinking) hard, and yet finding some relief in sing-alongs around the fire.
Jump forward to the Eisenhower years, with the post war boom really taking off. At this point, the Wilsons were a typical blue collar suburban family, but one that retained a love of music, as the patriarch of the bunch, Murry, who worked at Goodyear, would dabble in music writing. Murry was abusive and controlling, but he also could see there was something unusual, when it came to music, about his oldest child, Brian. (He also may have contributed, due to a blow to the 6 year old’s head, to Brian’s deafness in his left ear.)
By the time Brian was out of high school, he showed every sign of being a prodigy. The band, originally constructed as a family affair by Murry, would turn out hit after hit. They even, to some extent, weathered the Beatles storm once it arrived. Part of the reason for this was they were more than a surf band – at least that’s how Brian thought of them. Brian liked what the Beatles were doing, and as result dropped the surf formula of cars and girls for something more complicated and beautiful: Pet Sounds, which to my mind stands shoulder to shoulder with Sgt. Pepper. The other members of the band were uncomfortable with the effort, thinking it a bit weird, straying off the Beach Boy message. But it was with this effort, one where Brian still retained enough control of the band, where we hear his genius on full, album length display. Carlin does an excellent analysis of album, even making a strong argument (that I totally agree with) for the necessity of “Sloop John B.” Sadly, and it’s only 1966, this would be the high water mark for Beach Boys albums.
As much as Brian admired the Beatles, thinking they were showing him new possibilities with his own music, it was Wilson that probably showed the Beatles which way to go, since Pet Sounds preceded Sgt. Pepper. (The Beatles were in awe of Pet Sounds.) Once the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper, Brian seemed to feel he had to answer with yet another masterpiece, which lead to the Smile album effort. This was the end. The band was pulling in one (commercial) direction, Brian, creatively, wanted to go in another. And then there was the late 1960s, with drugs drugs drugs becoming the new Fun Fun Fun. Brian essentially suffered a nervous breakdown, as the "Smile" effort was shelved on the eve of its release.
What follows next, with still over half the book to go, are Brian’s ups and mostly downs. His weight would balloon up over 300 pounds, lots of drugs, lots of food binges, while only occasionally dabbling with music for a band he no longer seemed to like. The other members of the band would struggle on with their own problems: Dennis would meet the Manson family, and even join in an orgy with the Manson chicks, Love would keep getting married, Carl would become an alcoholic, and Murry would rage over being cut out from managing the band. This all gets to be pretty sordid stuff that can match the Stones, the Doors, or the late Elvis in rock and roll decadence any day. The low point, I thought, was when the drunken Dennis Wilson “introduced” Mike Love to his new girlfriend – who just happened to be Love’s illegitimate child. Wilson was trolling for yet another fistfight with Love (who is a major dick himself).
Throughout this story Carlin dutifully covers each album, which is perhaps overkill, and weighs the merits of the songs – most of which I find second rate compared to those shimmering pre-1969 efforts. Carlin tries to make this a triumphant story, with Brian Wilson eventually recovering. On a personal front this may be true, but I don’t think the music, those “Good Vibrations,” has never come back in quite the same way.
March 2, 2018
I love the Beach Boys more than any other rock group in the world! I've been a fan more than thirty-five years, and I've read every book I could find about them. I enjoyed this book very much, but I don't feel that it adds much that hasn't already been said by other authors.
The problem with Peter Ames Carlin as an author is that he takes the myth of Brian Wilson at face value, presenting his "lost" album SMILE as if it's the most important thing the Beach Boys ever did. As a result, he gives too little attention to the greatness of the music of their "classic" period, from Surfin' Safari in 1962 to Califonia Girls in 1965. Like most critics, Carlin has an almost exaggerated contempt for "popular" music and is anxious to dismiss the big Top 40 Hits as the product of Beach Boy greed, personified by the much-maligned lead singer, Mike Love.
In my opinion, however, songs like "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" and "Dance Dance Dance" are as good as anything on PET SOUNDS or even on SMILE. But Carlin (like most Beach Boy writers) clearly enjoys celebrating the myth rather than the facts.
There are times, too, when as a biographer Carlin can be almost too sympathetic. Everyone knows Brian Wilson is a beautiful, fragile, childlike individual, a sensitive artist who had a horrific childhood and suffered permanent brain damage due to drugs in the Sixties. We all admire him for the album PET SOUNDS and we wish he could have completed SMILE. But it's a bit over the top to hear that Brian was a "mythic hero" like John Henry.
Brian Wilson, gentle soul that he was, never really stood up for his music, or challenged authority in any way. You can see him as a sweet, helpless figure, but he's more like Tiny Tim (the Dickens character, not the singer) than like John Henry.
John Henry was a mythical black folk hero with superhuman strength who worked driving steel spikes on the railroad. According to legend, when an automatic drill was invented, John Henry refused to admit that a machine could be stronger than a man. He challenged the steam drill and beat it, but then died immediately after.
So how exactly is Brian Wilson like John Henry? Brian was a passive, fragile victim who always backed down from conflict. John Henry was a proud, determined man who died rather than admit defeat.
Why not just compare the lyrics of "Surfing U.S.A." to the "I Have A Dream" speech by Martin Luther King? Or the lonely teen in "In My Room" to the mad king in KING LEAR?
The problem with Peter Ames Carlin as an author is that he takes the myth of Brian Wilson at face value, presenting his "lost" album SMILE as if it's the most important thing the Beach Boys ever did. As a result, he gives too little attention to the greatness of the music of their "classic" period, from Surfin' Safari in 1962 to Califonia Girls in 1965. Like most critics, Carlin has an almost exaggerated contempt for "popular" music and is anxious to dismiss the big Top 40 Hits as the product of Beach Boy greed, personified by the much-maligned lead singer, Mike Love.
In my opinion, however, songs like "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" and "Dance Dance Dance" are as good as anything on PET SOUNDS or even on SMILE. But Carlin (like most Beach Boy writers) clearly enjoys celebrating the myth rather than the facts.
There are times, too, when as a biographer Carlin can be almost too sympathetic. Everyone knows Brian Wilson is a beautiful, fragile, childlike individual, a sensitive artist who had a horrific childhood and suffered permanent brain damage due to drugs in the Sixties. We all admire him for the album PET SOUNDS and we wish he could have completed SMILE. But it's a bit over the top to hear that Brian was a "mythic hero" like John Henry.
Brian Wilson, gentle soul that he was, never really stood up for his music, or challenged authority in any way. You can see him as a sweet, helpless figure, but he's more like Tiny Tim (the Dickens character, not the singer) than like John Henry.
John Henry was a mythical black folk hero with superhuman strength who worked driving steel spikes on the railroad. According to legend, when an automatic drill was invented, John Henry refused to admit that a machine could be stronger than a man. He challenged the steam drill and beat it, but then died immediately after.
So how exactly is Brian Wilson like John Henry? Brian was a passive, fragile victim who always backed down from conflict. John Henry was a proud, determined man who died rather than admit defeat.
Why not just compare the lyrics of "Surfing U.S.A." to the "I Have A Dream" speech by Martin Luther King? Or the lonely teen in "In My Room" to the mad king in KING LEAR?
April 13, 2016
Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Beach Boy’s Brian Wilson by Peter Ames Carter is a 2006 Rodale Books publication.
Who doesn’t love that fun, upbeat music of the Beach Boys? How can you deny Brian Wilson’s creative genius and contributions? But, who knew the extent of his suffering, the intense family drama, and tragedy that he endured?
I admit I didn’t always take the Beach Boys seriously, thinking their music was just fun, catchy, and made me feel good. Nothing wrong in that, but with maturity, I began to see things differently. However, even with a deeper appreciation of Brian Wilson, in particular, I can’t say I knew all that much about him. I had heard things about an abusive father, about his living in his room for years, and suffering from some kind of mental illness, but I never read any sort of biography about his life, or watched any documentaries about him or the Beach Boys.
But, when the film “Love and Mercy” came out, I had heard some very high praise for the film. I decided to check it out and was very impressed with it, and found the story so incredible, I began to search out a valid, trustworthy book about Brian’s life.
This book came highly recommended so I picked it out to start with. There are other books out there, as well, which might help piece things together more cohesively and maybe someday I’ll get around to reading those too. But to get an overall picture of Brian’s life, this book is a decent good place to start.
One thing I feel I should mention is that this book doesn’t focus solely on the period of time Brian was under Landy’s influence. This is a book that details Brian’s musical talents, his thought process, the dynamic between himself and the other members of the group, as well as a mention or two of Brian's marriages and children.
The book did not go into great depth with his intimate personal life, in fact, his first wife is mentioned only briefly, and the incredible story of how he met his second wife, it completely glossed over, and their adopted children are not mentioned either.
But, we are given some ideas about how Brian functioned in the studio, how difficult the album “Smile’ was to complete, what the many problems were with recording it, the drug problems, the infighting, and how all of this effected Brian’s emotional wellbeing.
However, this book is not as comprehensive as I would have liked, only briefly stopping along the way to touch on a point or discuss an event or situation, which only whetted my curiosity, not satisfying it, which is why I would like to find more reading material on Brian’s life, and maybe even the Beach Boys as a unit, too.
There is a lot of tragedy in Brian’s life, and it is terribly sad that the family is so ripped apart, that such bitterness exists between them, and continues to be a problem, even now. But, there is a lot triumph in these pages, as well.
Once diagnosed with serious mental health problems, suffering from physical health issues too, Brian, with the help of a few good people, was able to pull himself up from the ashes and live a relatively normal life. He finally got the recognition as an artist, he craved and deserved, releasing “Smile” to critical rants and raves, resurrecting his career and giving him the laugh last, so to speak.
Brian’s story is ultimately inspirational, because only he could do the work that was necessary to achieve his goals, and he had the will and strength to pull that off. He’s still eccentric, a little aloof, but considering everything I think he deserves the accolades and hopefully he has found peace and contentment in his life now.
This is a good book for someone like myself, that had very little knowledge of Brian’s life, giving the reader a pretty fair depiction of events, without bogging it all down with too much minutia. It’s an interesting outline of Brian’s life, a well organized peak into the life of one of the most creative and talented musicians out there.
3.5 stars
Who doesn’t love that fun, upbeat music of the Beach Boys? How can you deny Brian Wilson’s creative genius and contributions? But, who knew the extent of his suffering, the intense family drama, and tragedy that he endured?
I admit I didn’t always take the Beach Boys seriously, thinking their music was just fun, catchy, and made me feel good. Nothing wrong in that, but with maturity, I began to see things differently. However, even with a deeper appreciation of Brian Wilson, in particular, I can’t say I knew all that much about him. I had heard things about an abusive father, about his living in his room for years, and suffering from some kind of mental illness, but I never read any sort of biography about his life, or watched any documentaries about him or the Beach Boys.
But, when the film “Love and Mercy” came out, I had heard some very high praise for the film. I decided to check it out and was very impressed with it, and found the story so incredible, I began to search out a valid, trustworthy book about Brian’s life.
This book came highly recommended so I picked it out to start with. There are other books out there, as well, which might help piece things together more cohesively and maybe someday I’ll get around to reading those too. But to get an overall picture of Brian’s life, this book is a decent good place to start.
One thing I feel I should mention is that this book doesn’t focus solely on the period of time Brian was under Landy’s influence. This is a book that details Brian’s musical talents, his thought process, the dynamic between himself and the other members of the group, as well as a mention or two of Brian's marriages and children.
The book did not go into great depth with his intimate personal life, in fact, his first wife is mentioned only briefly, and the incredible story of how he met his second wife, it completely glossed over, and their adopted children are not mentioned either.
But, we are given some ideas about how Brian functioned in the studio, how difficult the album “Smile’ was to complete, what the many problems were with recording it, the drug problems, the infighting, and how all of this effected Brian’s emotional wellbeing.
However, this book is not as comprehensive as I would have liked, only briefly stopping along the way to touch on a point or discuss an event or situation, which only whetted my curiosity, not satisfying it, which is why I would like to find more reading material on Brian’s life, and maybe even the Beach Boys as a unit, too.
There is a lot of tragedy in Brian’s life, and it is terribly sad that the family is so ripped apart, that such bitterness exists between them, and continues to be a problem, even now. But, there is a lot triumph in these pages, as well.
Once diagnosed with serious mental health problems, suffering from physical health issues too, Brian, with the help of a few good people, was able to pull himself up from the ashes and live a relatively normal life. He finally got the recognition as an artist, he craved and deserved, releasing “Smile” to critical rants and raves, resurrecting his career and giving him the laugh last, so to speak.
Brian’s story is ultimately inspirational, because only he could do the work that was necessary to achieve his goals, and he had the will and strength to pull that off. He’s still eccentric, a little aloof, but considering everything I think he deserves the accolades and hopefully he has found peace and contentment in his life now.
This is a good book for someone like myself, that had very little knowledge of Brian’s life, giving the reader a pretty fair depiction of events, without bogging it all down with too much minutia. It’s an interesting outline of Brian’s life, a well organized peak into the life of one of the most creative and talented musicians out there.
3.5 stars
August 10, 2012
Brian, in my mind, is the greatest arranger and one of the greatest songwriters modern music has ever known. His music and harmonies speak to me like no one else. This book is difficult to read a lot of times, knowing how much suffering Brian had to endure. It wasn't fun for me.
Brian was a slave and a machine throughout most of his life. He was tortured and abused.
Murry, his father, did it, then his band and the record companies did it, then Landry did it and there are others who did it
and for all I know they're still doing it. It's tragic and horrifying. But these are the facts.
I wish I lived in a world where Brian got support and encouragement for all his hard work instead of the exact opposite...alas...
I enjoyed a lot of this book. It gets a bit dull after the smile bits every now and again but it picks up once Brian is back on the horse.
The other Beach Boys have their moments in the book, and it's a great read for the hardcore fans. Sometimes the author just kind of lists what happens though, and that kind of makes everything stall out. A lot of times, I had to stop reading so I could listen to the albums mentioned.
And if you hated Mike Love before, like most Beach Boys fans do, you'll hate him more after this.
Brian was a slave and a machine throughout most of his life. He was tortured and abused.
Murry, his father, did it, then his band and the record companies did it, then Landry did it and there are others who did it
and for all I know they're still doing it. It's tragic and horrifying. But these are the facts.
I wish I lived in a world where Brian got support and encouragement for all his hard work instead of the exact opposite...alas...
I enjoyed a lot of this book. It gets a bit dull after the smile bits every now and again but it picks up once Brian is back on the horse.
The other Beach Boys have their moments in the book, and it's a great read for the hardcore fans. Sometimes the author just kind of lists what happens though, and that kind of makes everything stall out. A lot of times, I had to stop reading so I could listen to the albums mentioned.
And if you hated Mike Love before, like most Beach Boys fans do, you'll hate him more after this.
January 8, 2025
I'm a fairly casual fan of The Beach Boys, but fascinated by their personal stories, which are wild.
As such, it's difficult to write a dull book on this subject. But I thought this could have been a lot more engaging, given the material at hand.
A lot of space is given over to in-depth descriptions of many, many BB songs, including deep cuts. I ended up skimming over these, as I wasn't familiar with the songs. Meanwhile, the tragic deaths of two of the band are covered in a few paragraphs, with little fanfare.
The life of Brian Wilson, and the other band members, is a fascinating and dark story but this is merely an OK telling of it.
As such, it's difficult to write a dull book on this subject. But I thought this could have been a lot more engaging, given the material at hand.
A lot of space is given over to in-depth descriptions of many, many BB songs, including deep cuts. I ended up skimming over these, as I wasn't familiar with the songs. Meanwhile, the tragic deaths of two of the band are covered in a few paragraphs, with little fanfare.
The life of Brian Wilson, and the other band members, is a fascinating and dark story but this is merely an OK telling of it.
Read
April 28, 2024Picked this up to read in conjunction with the new Jokermen podcast series on Brian and the Beach Boys. And as a believer of Pet Sounds to be the best album ever made. And "Mr. Wilson" to be the best John Cale song. And many other long-held curiosities about the myth of Brian. Was very surprised to find this to be the saddest book I've ever read in my damn life! As much I kind of like some of the post-Smiley Smile Beach Boys albums, they clearly should have broken up by 1970. This paints such an unflattering portrait of show business and the insufferable egos required to "make it" with any longevity. The degree to the all the Beach Boys dealt with long-term mental illness and severe drug and alcohol dependency was unexpected to me, as was their horrific upbringing, made all the worse by the fact that all three Wilson brothers hated each other by the time 2 of them passed away. And all for music that none of them particularly seemed to enjoy playing, which they purely continued to do for money and fear of giving up a cushioned life that devolved in debauchery. At least the Beatles, the Velvet Underground, Talking Heads, etc all quit when they hated one another. The fact these guys kept on with this till their deaths was incredibly depressing to me, and honestly changed how I listen to this music, which I still do love.
Some other memorable moments: an engineer comparing the "Beach Boys Love You" album to Brian's autobiographical version of Eraserhead (LOL x 10000), Dennis briefly dating Christine McVie, delving into Mike Love's love for Reagan, Dennis beating up Mike on stage, Dennis proposing to Mike's illegitimate daughter in a truly tragic and disturbing Shakespearean display of deep resentment, Mike's 7 divorces by the time he was 42. Mike Love in general....just a huge idiot.
I found it hard to read this for long stretches given how despairing it is. This band was truly the most miserable band in rock n roll. But sure enough, it ends on a redemptive note, though it took nearly 30 years of misery to get to that point. Either way, much love for Brian, always and forever, who miraculously comes out this as a truly heroic figure.
Made a Spotify playlist of my favorite tracks and WTF moments in relistening to the catalogue:
Peyton's Beach Boys Playlist
Some other memorable moments: an engineer comparing the "Beach Boys Love You" album to Brian's autobiographical version of Eraserhead (LOL x 10000), Dennis briefly dating Christine McVie, delving into Mike Love's love for Reagan, Dennis beating up Mike on stage, Dennis proposing to Mike's illegitimate daughter in a truly tragic and disturbing Shakespearean display of deep resentment, Mike's 7 divorces by the time he was 42. Mike Love in general....just a huge idiot.
I found it hard to read this for long stretches given how despairing it is. This band was truly the most miserable band in rock n roll. But sure enough, it ends on a redemptive note, though it took nearly 30 years of misery to get to that point. Either way, much love for Brian, always and forever, who miraculously comes out this as a truly heroic figure.
Made a Spotify playlist of my favorite tracks and WTF moments in relistening to the catalogue:
Peyton's Beach Boys Playlist
July 10, 2020
I came across this book in a used bookstore and while I was never a Beach Boys fan, I knew the story of Brian Williams and was curious about it. This book is a great way to examine the details of Wilson's life without it getting overshadowed by the legend of the Beach Boys. Carlin gets into the whole of not only Brian's life, but of the Wilson family, going over their history in coming to California and the traits that became part of Brian's generation.
The stories are likely not going to be new to many fans. Murray Wilson was controlling, Mike Love becomes more and more of a jerk over time, the Beach Boys fell in and out of style. What is fascinating is seeing how no matter their own desires, the group kept Brian around, and the tremendous stress and pressure that put on him. It's impossible not to feel for Brian as you see the darkness behind the Beach Boys. However, the story of Brian healing and bringing his masterpiece 'SMILE' back from the dead is the ending we hope for. While Carlin can come off as a bit of a fanboy describing Brian's music, he still created a worthy account of one of rock's most legendary figures.
The stories are likely not going to be new to many fans. Murray Wilson was controlling, Mike Love becomes more and more of a jerk over time, the Beach Boys fell in and out of style. What is fascinating is seeing how no matter their own desires, the group kept Brian around, and the tremendous stress and pressure that put on him. It's impossible not to feel for Brian as you see the darkness behind the Beach Boys. However, the story of Brian healing and bringing his masterpiece 'SMILE' back from the dead is the ending we hope for. While Carlin can come off as a bit of a fanboy describing Brian's music, he still created a worthy account of one of rock's most legendary figures.
September 11, 2014
As a lifelong Beach Boys fan who has always been fascinated by the life of Brian Wilson, I was highly interested in the subject matter of this book. But although Brian Wilson's life does indeed make an extraordinary story, this book manages to be a tedious read. It's poorly written and the author is so blinded by adoration for his idol that he glosses over everything that may reflect badly on Brian. The long passages that describe music are kind of pointless unless you've heard all the songs -- and are actually listening to them as you read.
June 9, 2008
The title suggests a well organized read is at hand. I was disappointed in the fact that the writing was rather poor and hard to wade through. The saving grace was the story of reviving the SMiLE sessions. Redemption, indeed.
July 21, 2016
I couldn't stop. It was a fair and thorough look at the disturbed genius. Mike Love doesn't start out awful, but he's awful. Most of the other people are also awful.
April 24, 2019
Mike Love is an asshole.
September 4, 2025
takes a very clear side on the wilson v. love debate, without totally dogpiling on mike it rarely passes up on opportunity to throw shade. carl, dennis, al, bruce are all collateral along the way (though i feel it lets dennis off way lighter than he deserves), with murray, landy, and mike as the arch villains who kept brian in chained up and rarely able to express his full potential
book is an excellent chronology of the beach boys' career, full of good anecdotes and careful to thread certain lines very carefully...... to that end, not much to say, most of this stuff has been captured elsewhere but this is about as thorough of a biography as i've found, without reaching for much in the way of deeper themes or historical context (fine)
my very unpopular take is that some fans and biographers really weigh brian's emotional labour as much more important to the beach boys narrative than the labour labour of the rest of the band, especially mike who despite many gaffes and terrible personal attributes has been playing hundreds of shows a year for like.... 65 years? as carlin demonstrates through much of the book, the real divide was that mike's work ethic didn't jibe with brian's artistic ambitions, as mike just wanted to feed the machine, while brian wanted to create something timeless and revolutionary.... i can understand if you think brian's suffering was the direct consequence of the band's perpetual motion, but was it, or was he spiralling on his own? i don't think mike should get so much hate for basically doing the job he was hired to do and got demoted from in 1965 (not to mention his boss ripped him off). yeah he's not exactly a working class guy, but he probably pays a billion dollars a year in alimony
i think there's lots of evidence to support that even the people who loved brian exploited him on some level, but i also think everyone was under the impression that if brian was going to be a member of the band he needed to play an active role on some level.......... clearly no one understood his mental health issues, and his drug habits, myopia, bathrobe and other eccentricities probably felt like he was just being a bad employee at a certain point while getting all the credit for their work...... i don't know, what do i know, i wasn't there..... i guess the problem is that they wouldn't let brian go, but it's not clear that brian really wanted to leave the band? was he really a kept man or was the dynamic much more complicated than a biographer can express, built on psychological abuse, mental illness, and different vices?
i do think that brian wilson was a rodgers seeking a hammerstein, or a sullivan without a gilbert, and the thesis of the book is really that brian flourished when he had someone to collaborate with, did the job when someone was bullying him, and the rest of the time just kind of disassociated, and i guess the real tragedy (as carlin makes clear) is that any time brian started to work his way out from under the thumb of exacting and rapacious record execs and father figures he would get slapped back down and told to get with the program and surf
i think the hagiography can be a bit much, and i wish the book were a little more willing to acknowledge the brian was a legitimately freaky guy (it doesn't even mention his weird affair with his wife's sister). people always say "love you" was the album that most captures brian's authentic personality, so how come his biographies never resemble the weirdo on that record at all..... is he an adult child or not!
also how come none of these bios ever mention apples in stereo, or olivia tremor control.... its legacy stuff sure, but deserves more credit for delivering on what brian started in the 60s
also miu album underrated
book is an excellent chronology of the beach boys' career, full of good anecdotes and careful to thread certain lines very carefully...... to that end, not much to say, most of this stuff has been captured elsewhere but this is about as thorough of a biography as i've found, without reaching for much in the way of deeper themes or historical context (fine)
my very unpopular take is that some fans and biographers really weigh brian's emotional labour as much more important to the beach boys narrative than the labour labour of the rest of the band, especially mike who despite many gaffes and terrible personal attributes has been playing hundreds of shows a year for like.... 65 years? as carlin demonstrates through much of the book, the real divide was that mike's work ethic didn't jibe with brian's artistic ambitions, as mike just wanted to feed the machine, while brian wanted to create something timeless and revolutionary.... i can understand if you think brian's suffering was the direct consequence of the band's perpetual motion, but was it, or was he spiralling on his own? i don't think mike should get so much hate for basically doing the job he was hired to do and got demoted from in 1965 (not to mention his boss ripped him off). yeah he's not exactly a working class guy, but he probably pays a billion dollars a year in alimony
i think there's lots of evidence to support that even the people who loved brian exploited him on some level, but i also think everyone was under the impression that if brian was going to be a member of the band he needed to play an active role on some level.......... clearly no one understood his mental health issues, and his drug habits, myopia, bathrobe and other eccentricities probably felt like he was just being a bad employee at a certain point while getting all the credit for their work...... i don't know, what do i know, i wasn't there..... i guess the problem is that they wouldn't let brian go, but it's not clear that brian really wanted to leave the band? was he really a kept man or was the dynamic much more complicated than a biographer can express, built on psychological abuse, mental illness, and different vices?
i do think that brian wilson was a rodgers seeking a hammerstein, or a sullivan without a gilbert, and the thesis of the book is really that brian flourished when he had someone to collaborate with, did the job when someone was bullying him, and the rest of the time just kind of disassociated, and i guess the real tragedy (as carlin makes clear) is that any time brian started to work his way out from under the thumb of exacting and rapacious record execs and father figures he would get slapped back down and told to get with the program and surf
i think the hagiography can be a bit much, and i wish the book were a little more willing to acknowledge the brian was a legitimately freaky guy (it doesn't even mention his weird affair with his wife's sister). people always say "love you" was the album that most captures brian's authentic personality, so how come his biographies never resemble the weirdo on that record at all..... is he an adult child or not!
also how come none of these bios ever mention apples in stereo, or olivia tremor control.... its legacy stuff sure, but deserves more credit for delivering on what brian started in the 60s
also miu album underrated
June 18, 2025
I'm always a sucker for biographies on musicians. I had always heard about Brian Wilson's genius and how the Beach boys influenced so many musicians and this was a very interesting deep dive into their band dynamics, family, and Brian Wilson's own struggles.
November 16, 2016
Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is the title; it uses a classic Beach Boys anthem from their early days as a metaphor for the unbelievably fascinating life of Brian Wilson. I loved watching LOVE & MERCY last year, and I was interested in the amazing story of the Beach Boys' lead singer and musical creative genius. Like a wave, Brian's life rose suddenly only to crash down precipitously due to a combination of mental illness, drug abuse, and pressure from family, the music industry, and others. The beauty of this narrative, as opposed to earlier biographies of Brian Wilson, is that it was written after the "redemption" phase of Brian's life. Being born in 1988 and having southern Californian parents who were around to cherish the surf music when it debuted, I was fascinated to learn about why my dad was so mystified and excited to bring home a copy of SMILE in 2004. This book cleverly sets up the anticipation, mystery, disappointment, and folklore around an album promised in 1967 and largely shelved for just shy of four decades. To have that album come together after all those years is truly miraculous and inspiring. I really enjoyed discovering that story that I'm sure meant A LOT to the original generation of Beach Boys fans.
That being said, there were many soul-wrenching as well as frivolous stories wrapped up in this narrative about a musical prodigy born into a working class family who endured all sorts of abuse: physical (subsequently deaf in one ear from an early age), emotional (family members blurring innate concern for his health with the desire to keep the cash-cow producing), and psychological (a megalomaniacal psychotherapist that manipulated Brian to unimaginably unhealthy ends and siphoned off a pretty penny in the process). The paradoxical blend of carefree, youthful surfer-inspired exuberance with a soulful depth of emotions in the Beach Boys music is revealed to be a fairly true reflection of the experiences of Brian Wilson and his brothers, cousins, and bandmates. Themes about the American Dream broadly and the California myth locally can be found in the music, and Carlin is a successful guide in walking readers through the journey chronologically. Although I have a professor in graduate school who repeatedly makes the point that chapter titles and subsections are a crutch for weak writers, I would have appreciated them in this book to help organize some of his thoughts thematically, but I understand the historical logic Carlin opted for instead. From the psychodelic '60s, to the funky '70s, to becoming "America's Band"in the '80s, to a return to the top of the charts in the '90s with "Kokomo," to revisiting all the music made along the way and re-releasing never-ending album collections, this is an amazingly nuanced portrait of not only Beach Boys music but of American history in the second half of the twentieth century. There was a real creative turn at PET SOUNDS in 1966 that will forever mark the apex of Brian's innovative style and influence on American musical composition/production, but the love fans have for the earlier songs about surfing, cars, and girls as well as the strangeness of the songs developed after SMILE failed to materialize as well as Brian's "Imagination" album in 1998 and subsequent Beach Boys music all have their place in the hearts and heads of fans cutting across the generations from the Baby Boomers to the present. As far as interesting biographies go, this is a wave you'll want to catch (and read along with the soundtrack of songs referenced--very fun to look up on Spotify and listen to the songs that Carlin is explaining and critiquing throughout his comprehensive narrative).
As I am preparing to teach an American Studies summer course at Boston University--LIFE’S A BEACH: The Beach Boys, Surfing, and the Influential 1960s Southern California Subculture--this book has given me added confidence that there is fertile soil to till in examining American culture through the lens of southern California surf music in the 1960s and beyond. In some ways, I see the surfer of the 20th century replacing the cowboy of the 19th century and the frontiersman of the 18th century as the tall tale archetype for the American Dream of the age: a metaphorical figure that captures the zeitgeist of postwar optimism and confidence. "Catch a Wave" indeed.
That being said, there were many soul-wrenching as well as frivolous stories wrapped up in this narrative about a musical prodigy born into a working class family who endured all sorts of abuse: physical (subsequently deaf in one ear from an early age), emotional (family members blurring innate concern for his health with the desire to keep the cash-cow producing), and psychological (a megalomaniacal psychotherapist that manipulated Brian to unimaginably unhealthy ends and siphoned off a pretty penny in the process). The paradoxical blend of carefree, youthful surfer-inspired exuberance with a soulful depth of emotions in the Beach Boys music is revealed to be a fairly true reflection of the experiences of Brian Wilson and his brothers, cousins, and bandmates. Themes about the American Dream broadly and the California myth locally can be found in the music, and Carlin is a successful guide in walking readers through the journey chronologically. Although I have a professor in graduate school who repeatedly makes the point that chapter titles and subsections are a crutch for weak writers, I would have appreciated them in this book to help organize some of his thoughts thematically, but I understand the historical logic Carlin opted for instead. From the psychodelic '60s, to the funky '70s, to becoming "America's Band"in the '80s, to a return to the top of the charts in the '90s with "Kokomo," to revisiting all the music made along the way and re-releasing never-ending album collections, this is an amazingly nuanced portrait of not only Beach Boys music but of American history in the second half of the twentieth century. There was a real creative turn at PET SOUNDS in 1966 that will forever mark the apex of Brian's innovative style and influence on American musical composition/production, but the love fans have for the earlier songs about surfing, cars, and girls as well as the strangeness of the songs developed after SMILE failed to materialize as well as Brian's "Imagination" album in 1998 and subsequent Beach Boys music all have their place in the hearts and heads of fans cutting across the generations from the Baby Boomers to the present. As far as interesting biographies go, this is a wave you'll want to catch (and read along with the soundtrack of songs referenced--very fun to look up on Spotify and listen to the songs that Carlin is explaining and critiquing throughout his comprehensive narrative).
As I am preparing to teach an American Studies summer course at Boston University--LIFE’S A BEACH: The Beach Boys, Surfing, and the Influential 1960s Southern California Subculture--this book has given me added confidence that there is fertile soil to till in examining American culture through the lens of southern California surf music in the 1960s and beyond. In some ways, I see the surfer of the 20th century replacing the cowboy of the 19th century and the frontiersman of the 18th century as the tall tale archetype for the American Dream of the age: a metaphorical figure that captures the zeitgeist of postwar optimism and confidence. "Catch a Wave" indeed.
October 2, 2016
Not being a total Beach Boys devotee, I thought this book got too bogged down on the intricacies of every song and not enough into the life and times of the Beach Boys. I like biographies that really give you a sense of the places and times that the protagonists operated in and this book didn't really do it for me.
April 7, 2015
I believe this is the latest biography of the Beach Boys, or maybe rather the biography of Brian Wilson which is almost the same thing. The subtitle is “The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson.” It is maybe the best of their biographies I have read and according to Brian himself, much better than the 1991 biography of Brian, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” Since the latter book came out, Brian has disowned it as having been too influenced by his former caretaker and in home psychiatrist, Dr. Eugene Landy.
Have you ever seen a picture of Eugene Landy? If he ever appears in a future Beach Boys movie, he needs to be played by Paul Giamatti. He looks almost like an identical twin. Really.
The story of these boys from Hawthorne, California is certainly far from the ordinary as they became worldwide stars almost immediately after High School. Actually, Carl Wilson may have still been in High School. It begins with the story of their father and their tumultuous relationship and overbearing pressure he put on the band almost to the day he died. But the most fascinating parts of the book are when it describes in detail the ultimate unparalleled genius of Brian Wilson himself and his musical wizardry innovating music that left other artists in awe including the Beatles.
His work was more prolific than I had previously thought and the number of albums that came out of Brian extended far beyond their more famous work in the sixties. Albums have come out of Brian throughout all of his fifty years of being a musician to this day. I believe he has one that just came out titled “No Peer Pressure.”
The judgement of the author is the greatest period of his creativity was through the sixties up until he had published “Pet Sounds” and began work on the famous “Smile” album. Somewhere in the middle of composing “Smile” the pressure from the band, the rejection of the band of his new innovative work, and loss of confidence did him in mentally to the point he became a shadow of himself. He continued to work in spurts off and on and produced recognized compositions, but never returned to the peaks he had achieved earlier.
The deaths of Carl and Dennis are covered along with the many battles and lawsuits between band members. The split of Mike Love and his “Beach Boys” is a topic towards the end along with the solo breakaway for Brian Wilson. The book at its best is during the coming of age years for the Beach Boys and then is followed by their breakup years.
Good book and enjoyed it as much as any other Beach Boys book read previously. I also read somewhere that Mike Love has a new book coming out next year covering his side of the Beach Boys story. That one ought to be interesting and probably will be quite a contrast with the books about Brian. Looking forward to it.
Have you ever seen a picture of Eugene Landy? If he ever appears in a future Beach Boys movie, he needs to be played by Paul Giamatti. He looks almost like an identical twin. Really.
The story of these boys from Hawthorne, California is certainly far from the ordinary as they became worldwide stars almost immediately after High School. Actually, Carl Wilson may have still been in High School. It begins with the story of their father and their tumultuous relationship and overbearing pressure he put on the band almost to the day he died. But the most fascinating parts of the book are when it describes in detail the ultimate unparalleled genius of Brian Wilson himself and his musical wizardry innovating music that left other artists in awe including the Beatles.
His work was more prolific than I had previously thought and the number of albums that came out of Brian extended far beyond their more famous work in the sixties. Albums have come out of Brian throughout all of his fifty years of being a musician to this day. I believe he has one that just came out titled “No Peer Pressure.”
The judgement of the author is the greatest period of his creativity was through the sixties up until he had published “Pet Sounds” and began work on the famous “Smile” album. Somewhere in the middle of composing “Smile” the pressure from the band, the rejection of the band of his new innovative work, and loss of confidence did him in mentally to the point he became a shadow of himself. He continued to work in spurts off and on and produced recognized compositions, but never returned to the peaks he had achieved earlier.
The deaths of Carl and Dennis are covered along with the many battles and lawsuits between band members. The split of Mike Love and his “Beach Boys” is a topic towards the end along with the solo breakaway for Brian Wilson. The book at its best is during the coming of age years for the Beach Boys and then is followed by their breakup years.
Good book and enjoyed it as much as any other Beach Boys book read previously. I also read somewhere that Mike Love has a new book coming out next year covering his side of the Beach Boys story. That one ought to be interesting and probably will be quite a contrast with the books about Brian. Looking forward to it.
May 16, 2014
A fascinating read for a number of reasons:
1) Written before the 2012 reunion album/tour, the book leaves off with the original band essentially shattered into pieces due to long-standing personal and legal conflicts; culminating with 2004's solo re-record of "Smile".
2) The challenge in capturing the story as a whole is extremely difficult, in that each BB member has their own perspective as to why Brian has never completely returned to his revered status (by the band or its fans) since the original "Smile" debacle in 1967...or does he continue to be a misunderstood genius, whose interim work(say, 1970-1998)really is outstanding? See what I mean?
3) The narrative is relatively unflinching in its portrayal of Brian's inability to function at a basic level for a quarter century, or more. But was this due to years of psychological abuse at the hands of an unwitting father? Is this the result of long-term physiological damage by unfathomable amounts of chemicals and other substances consumed by Brian (along with most of the others)? Is this a case of Brian stretching out creatively, to the point where only he understood its value? Is it all of the above? There are no simple answers to be found here. And that's okay...
4) While the book is very Brian-friendly, it's relatively easy to see why the other band members grew tired of the excuses, and seemingly half-hearted efforts put forth by someone who was getting all the glory and praise. It becomes an unsolvable chicken or egg conundrum. When Brian would create, the band would reject it for its lacking commercial value, but then they would complain that Brian wouldn't contribute...and from the early 80's on, it became clear that live audiences only wanted to hear the hits...the hits that came from Brian's pen.
5) There are a couple chapters dealing with the Eugene Landy situation, and references to Brian's seeming disinterest in the band as time wears on, to the point where he finally appears to be at peace with himself...or at least as close as he'll ever get.
A nice review of the entire Beach Boys saga for fans; but don't look for a happy ending...it isn't there.
1) Written before the 2012 reunion album/tour, the book leaves off with the original band essentially shattered into pieces due to long-standing personal and legal conflicts; culminating with 2004's solo re-record of "Smile".
2) The challenge in capturing the story as a whole is extremely difficult, in that each BB member has their own perspective as to why Brian has never completely returned to his revered status (by the band or its fans) since the original "Smile" debacle in 1967...or does he continue to be a misunderstood genius, whose interim work(say, 1970-1998)really is outstanding? See what I mean?
3) The narrative is relatively unflinching in its portrayal of Brian's inability to function at a basic level for a quarter century, or more. But was this due to years of psychological abuse at the hands of an unwitting father? Is this the result of long-term physiological damage by unfathomable amounts of chemicals and other substances consumed by Brian (along with most of the others)? Is this a case of Brian stretching out creatively, to the point where only he understood its value? Is it all of the above? There are no simple answers to be found here. And that's okay...
4) While the book is very Brian-friendly, it's relatively easy to see why the other band members grew tired of the excuses, and seemingly half-hearted efforts put forth by someone who was getting all the glory and praise. It becomes an unsolvable chicken or egg conundrum. When Brian would create, the band would reject it for its lacking commercial value, but then they would complain that Brian wouldn't contribute...and from the early 80's on, it became clear that live audiences only wanted to hear the hits...the hits that came from Brian's pen.
5) There are a couple chapters dealing with the Eugene Landy situation, and references to Brian's seeming disinterest in the band as time wears on, to the point where he finally appears to be at peace with himself...or at least as close as he'll ever get.
A nice review of the entire Beach Boys saga for fans; but don't look for a happy ending...it isn't there.
August 17, 2022
“I can do anything I want to now. Let’s make some music.”
I've been wanting to unpack Brian's story for decades, this book did not disappoint. The author is a complete fanboy so you'll see biases and read long passages about B-side after B-side. You'll also see the genius, the dysfunctions, the triumphs. I came in knowing nothing more than a handful of radio tunes and what Barenaked Ladies taught me. I am now intrigued by Pet Sounds and so much more.
So much for Transcendental Meditation. Who's up for some Shortenin' Bread in the round? Here's to highly-sensitive royalty. Select quotes below.
-------SPOILERS-------
The Four Freshmen and the Five Trombones—and listened to the whole thing. The record mesmerized Brian, and talking about it later, he speaks in near-religious terms, describing his soul opening up, the music entering him and carrying him to another sphere of consciousness. “It brings a feeling of love inside of me,” he says. “It does. It really does. That feeling of harmony.”
“Brian was way advanced of what anybody was doing at that point, and I think the Beatles recognized that,” Graham Nash recalled
As in our fantasies of America, what matters about a person in a Beach Boys song has nothing to do with who he or she is and everything to do with the strength of his or her ambition and the things he or she chooses to do with it.
Two months earlier, the pressure had finally overwhelmed Brian, as the increasingly chunky musician suffered a vicious anxiety attack during a flight to a show in Houston. “I can’t take it anymore,” he had wailed, his shrieks muffled only by the pillow he’d pressed to his face.
Now that they had to compete with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan, recording new music was terribly important to all of them. “I foresee a beautiful future for us as a group,” Brian told the others, and they all believed it.
“Because of the situation between father and son, you go nowhere,” Brian explained to a magazine writer at the time. “It was done more or less maturely. Finally, we decided he is better as a father than a manager.”
Danny Hutton, then an aspiring musician producing tunes for the sound tracks of The Flintstones and other Hanna-Barbera cartoons. “Compare it to the hottest acts now, only times ten. The Beatles had that dominance, and so did Dylan. But none of those guys could do everything—write, arrange, sing, and produce—on the level Brian could. Brian had it all, and he knew he was good. When Brian was around, he was the authority. He was in control.”
Music is genuine and healthy, and the stimulation I get from molding it and from adding dynamics is like nothing on earth.”
Once music had been the only thing that made sense to him. No matter how bad things got around him, no matter how frantic he got in his own skin, Brian could wander off into his music and create a reality that didn’t just make sense, but actually rang with beauty. Only now the music couldn’t keep Brian’s demons away anymore, because now they had gotten inside the music.
When Brian lay in his bed for days at a time, listening to the music being recorded beneath his feet and pondering the distance between who he’d been in the mid-1960s and who he had come to be in the early 1970s, there could be no more accurate portrait than the lyrics of “A Day in the Life of a Tree.” One day I was full of life, my sap was rich and I was strong. . . But now my branches suffer, and my leaves don’t offer poetry to men of song.
In retrospect, it’s easy to see the family’s flaws in their almost willful ignorance of his incipient psychiatric ills. But that ignores their own cultural and psychological foundations. Coming from a blue-collar culture that defined itself in terms of willpower and resilience (Don’t back down from that wave!), the eccentricities and emotional disconnection of one underperforming young man felt less like a reason for sympathy than for a good, therapeutic ass-kicking.
Stanley Shapiro says. “And we went places. Brian and I used to get into his Mercedes and drive over to the Radiant Radish, or we’d go to Redondo Beach and hang out with his high school pals, or go look for Carol Mountain. Brian was as normal to me as anyone else.”
What Iggy didn’t know was that once a coked-up Brian got started with “Shortenin’ Bread,” he could go on for literally hours on end. And he still showed no sign of quitting when Iggy—who wore glitter makeup and slashed his own flesh with broken glass in the midst of his performances—backed out of the room and turned to Hutton, proclaiming: “I gotta get out of here, man. This guy is nuts!”
When Brian didn’t want to get out of bed, Landy would drench him with water. When he claimed to be too nauseous to stay at a dinner party, Landy would command him to vomit on[to] the table. “I had to be crazier than Brian,” Landy liked to say.
Walking offstage, Elton John switched into diva mode, demanding in a mock-petulant voice: “Why didn’t he fucking mention me?” Dazed and horrified, Al walked up to where George Harrison and Ringo Starr were sitting. “I said, ‘Geez, guys, I really want to apologize for that speech. My partner’s not feeling well.’ Then Ringo put his head on my shoulder and said, ‘It’s okay, we love you guys.’ George’s classic remark was, ‘I guess Mike didn’t listen to the Maharishi, did he?’
Brian turned to Paley and noted, “The only way this whole record is gonna work out is with medication and meditation.”
The ruling came down on February 3, 1992. The next morning the phone rang at Andy Paley’s house. When he picked it up, he heard the familiar sound of Brian’s voice. “I can do anything I want to now,” he said cheerfully. “Let’s make some music.”
How much of that frantic myth-making would have happened if Smile had actually come out? Nearly four decades since it failed to materialize, you could almost argue that the album’s absence had made a larger impact on the world than the presence of any music album could ever make.
I've been wanting to unpack Brian's story for decades, this book did not disappoint. The author is a complete fanboy so you'll see biases and read long passages about B-side after B-side. You'll also see the genius, the dysfunctions, the triumphs. I came in knowing nothing more than a handful of radio tunes and what Barenaked Ladies taught me. I am now intrigued by Pet Sounds and so much more.
So much for Transcendental Meditation. Who's up for some Shortenin' Bread in the round? Here's to highly-sensitive royalty. Select quotes below.
-------SPOILERS-------
The Four Freshmen and the Five Trombones—and listened to the whole thing. The record mesmerized Brian, and talking about it later, he speaks in near-religious terms, describing his soul opening up, the music entering him and carrying him to another sphere of consciousness. “It brings a feeling of love inside of me,” he says. “It does. It really does. That feeling of harmony.”
“Brian was way advanced of what anybody was doing at that point, and I think the Beatles recognized that,” Graham Nash recalled
As in our fantasies of America, what matters about a person in a Beach Boys song has nothing to do with who he or she is and everything to do with the strength of his or her ambition and the things he or she chooses to do with it.
Two months earlier, the pressure had finally overwhelmed Brian, as the increasingly chunky musician suffered a vicious anxiety attack during a flight to a show in Houston. “I can’t take it anymore,” he had wailed, his shrieks muffled only by the pillow he’d pressed to his face.
Now that they had to compete with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan, recording new music was terribly important to all of them. “I foresee a beautiful future for us as a group,” Brian told the others, and they all believed it.
“Because of the situation between father and son, you go nowhere,” Brian explained to a magazine writer at the time. “It was done more or less maturely. Finally, we decided he is better as a father than a manager.”
Danny Hutton, then an aspiring musician producing tunes for the sound tracks of The Flintstones and other Hanna-Barbera cartoons. “Compare it to the hottest acts now, only times ten. The Beatles had that dominance, and so did Dylan. But none of those guys could do everything—write, arrange, sing, and produce—on the level Brian could. Brian had it all, and he knew he was good. When Brian was around, he was the authority. He was in control.”
Music is genuine and healthy, and the stimulation I get from molding it and from adding dynamics is like nothing on earth.”
Once music had been the only thing that made sense to him. No matter how bad things got around him, no matter how frantic he got in his own skin, Brian could wander off into his music and create a reality that didn’t just make sense, but actually rang with beauty. Only now the music couldn’t keep Brian’s demons away anymore, because now they had gotten inside the music.
When Brian lay in his bed for days at a time, listening to the music being recorded beneath his feet and pondering the distance between who he’d been in the mid-1960s and who he had come to be in the early 1970s, there could be no more accurate portrait than the lyrics of “A Day in the Life of a Tree.” One day I was full of life, my sap was rich and I was strong. . . But now my branches suffer, and my leaves don’t offer poetry to men of song.
In retrospect, it’s easy to see the family’s flaws in their almost willful ignorance of his incipient psychiatric ills. But that ignores their own cultural and psychological foundations. Coming from a blue-collar culture that defined itself in terms of willpower and resilience (Don’t back down from that wave!), the eccentricities and emotional disconnection of one underperforming young man felt less like a reason for sympathy than for a good, therapeutic ass-kicking.
Stanley Shapiro says. “And we went places. Brian and I used to get into his Mercedes and drive over to the Radiant Radish, or we’d go to Redondo Beach and hang out with his high school pals, or go look for Carol Mountain. Brian was as normal to me as anyone else.”
What Iggy didn’t know was that once a coked-up Brian got started with “Shortenin’ Bread,” he could go on for literally hours on end. And he still showed no sign of quitting when Iggy—who wore glitter makeup and slashed his own flesh with broken glass in the midst of his performances—backed out of the room and turned to Hutton, proclaiming: “I gotta get out of here, man. This guy is nuts!”
When Brian didn’t want to get out of bed, Landy would drench him with water. When he claimed to be too nauseous to stay at a dinner party, Landy would command him to vomit on[to] the table. “I had to be crazier than Brian,” Landy liked to say.
Walking offstage, Elton John switched into diva mode, demanding in a mock-petulant voice: “Why didn’t he fucking mention me?” Dazed and horrified, Al walked up to where George Harrison and Ringo Starr were sitting. “I said, ‘Geez, guys, I really want to apologize for that speech. My partner’s not feeling well.’ Then Ringo put his head on my shoulder and said, ‘It’s okay, we love you guys.’ George’s classic remark was, ‘I guess Mike didn’t listen to the Maharishi, did he?’
Brian turned to Paley and noted, “The only way this whole record is gonna work out is with medication and meditation.”
The ruling came down on February 3, 1992. The next morning the phone rang at Andy Paley’s house. When he picked it up, he heard the familiar sound of Brian’s voice. “I can do anything I want to now,” he said cheerfully. “Let’s make some music.”
How much of that frantic myth-making would have happened if Smile had actually come out? Nearly four decades since it failed to materialize, you could almost argue that the album’s absence had made a larger impact on the world than the presence of any music album could ever make.
July 2, 2012
I saw the Beach Boys with Brian Wilson perform in Chicago on May 22nd during their 50th Anniversary tour. That performance rekindled my interest in reading about the Beach Boys. I have previously read Timothy White's The Nearest Faraway Place and am currently reading David Leaf's book on the Beach Boys. Overall, I thought Carlin's book was well-written and pretty exhaustive, covering all of the periods and touching on all of the major events. I sometimes wished he'd quoted from other music critics more often than he did. He preferred to supply his own opinions on the music, rather than quoting from the contemporary music press. He also seemed to have a real soft-spot for Dennis (and even recounts meeting the drummer when he was in his early teens), and I think he tended to over-praise Dennis's song-writing abilities. If you are looking for a book that tells the story from the band's beginnings up through Brian's triumphant Smile album in 2004, then this is the one to read.
May 13, 2014
I've read Peter Ames Carlin's books about Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney. It felt appropriate to work backwards and read his book on Brian Wilson, too.
The book was good and was very informative. Though a quote on the back cover claims it is the most balanced biography of the Beach Boys that exists, I found that it is heavily biased against Mike Love. Perhaps everything that Carlin says about him is accurate, I don't know. Still, the book doesn't seem as even-handed as advertised.
Carlin is most infatuated with Brian Wilson's prolific years spent creating Pet Sounds and Smile. That's fine, most critics agree that that's his best work, as do I. But there seemed to be something missing throughout the rest of the book that I can't put my finger on. Maybe I wanted it to be more about Brian, perhaps more primary sources would have helped with that respect.
Overall, the book got me listening to the Beach Boys and appreciating their music. So it succeeded there.
The book was good and was very informative. Though a quote on the back cover claims it is the most balanced biography of the Beach Boys that exists, I found that it is heavily biased against Mike Love. Perhaps everything that Carlin says about him is accurate, I don't know. Still, the book doesn't seem as even-handed as advertised.
Carlin is most infatuated with Brian Wilson's prolific years spent creating Pet Sounds and Smile. That's fine, most critics agree that that's his best work, as do I. But there seemed to be something missing throughout the rest of the book that I can't put my finger on. Maybe I wanted it to be more about Brian, perhaps more primary sources would have helped with that respect.
Overall, the book got me listening to the Beach Boys and appreciating their music. So it succeeded there.
August 20, 2015
This book is written awesomely--the chapters on Pet Sounds and the early Smile sessions felt magical and they made me so happy and excited about the music. The book also tells all the stories of weirdness in the Beach Boys' history without demonizing Mike too much, which is cool. It also did a really good job handling the Murry stuff and Brian's strained relationships. I loved the author's personal story about running into Dennis on the street one time; that was so cute and nice.
July 29, 2024
So much has been written or filmed on this subject. It almost seems that this book is worthless and redundant. And yet, it is quite well-written and is a good summing up of all available sources.
March 30, 2018
Catch a Wave employs the metaphor of the Smile album to portray Brian Wilson’s life, hence the rise, fall, and redemption part of the title. Originally written in 1966, Brian abandoned Smile due to lack of support from Capitol Records and other Beach Boys, who thought it wasn’t commercially viable. The previous album Pet Sounds hadn’t been a hit, and Smile had an even more pronounced allegorical and poetic nature. The popular music scene wasn’t ready for it—yet. Brian revived Smile in 2004, completing it for a tour and producing an album, Brian Wilson Presents Smile. An interesting note that the book does not offer is that Brian said he completed the work differently than he would have in 1966. In fact a later album, The Smile Sessions, put together the original tracks more or less as they were envisioned in 1966.
It is well-known that the Wilson brothers literally suffered at the hand of their father Murry while growing up, and that Murry strove to mold the boys into disciplined musicians by controlling their lives. It is also well-known that Brian struggled with mental health problems that affected his ability to express the musical talents that he possessed. Carlin does a good job of telling the story of the Wilson boys’ early life, as well as Murry’s family background. However, the story of Brian’s later life is a bit lacking, riding largely on the Smile metaphor. I did not feel uplifted by the book’s ending, as I expected to be. Overall, though (selectively) factual, the book is a bit of downer.
The author tells much about Brian’s trials and tribulations with others, especially his fellow Beach Boy members. He downplays Brian’s mental illness, barely mentioning his auditory hallucinations and the voices that threatened to kill him, a prominent part of Brian’s own memoir, I Am Brian Wilson. Carlin seems eager to blame the other Beach Boys for Brian’s problems, and on the other hand is silent on any support that they likely offered throughout the years. He also casts Brian’s second wife Melinda as a “handler” rather than a helper, downplaying her respect for Brian and his work. And while I’m not a fan of Mike Love, even I thought his portrayal was extremely one-sided. The book is written more like an exposé than a compassionate look at a talented and troubled musician.
Fans of Smile and its history might enjoy Catch a Wave. Brian’s story has changed significantly since 2006, when the book was written. Beach Boys fans who want to learn more about Brian Wilson’s life through the recent Pet Sounds tours will enjoy his own memoir, I Am Brian Wilson.
It is well-known that the Wilson brothers literally suffered at the hand of their father Murry while growing up, and that Murry strove to mold the boys into disciplined musicians by controlling their lives. It is also well-known that Brian struggled with mental health problems that affected his ability to express the musical talents that he possessed. Carlin does a good job of telling the story of the Wilson boys’ early life, as well as Murry’s family background. However, the story of Brian’s later life is a bit lacking, riding largely on the Smile metaphor. I did not feel uplifted by the book’s ending, as I expected to be. Overall, though (selectively) factual, the book is a bit of downer.
The author tells much about Brian’s trials and tribulations with others, especially his fellow Beach Boy members. He downplays Brian’s mental illness, barely mentioning his auditory hallucinations and the voices that threatened to kill him, a prominent part of Brian’s own memoir, I Am Brian Wilson. Carlin seems eager to blame the other Beach Boys for Brian’s problems, and on the other hand is silent on any support that they likely offered throughout the years. He also casts Brian’s second wife Melinda as a “handler” rather than a helper, downplaying her respect for Brian and his work. And while I’m not a fan of Mike Love, even I thought his portrayal was extremely one-sided. The book is written more like an exposé than a compassionate look at a talented and troubled musician.
Fans of Smile and its history might enjoy Catch a Wave. Brian’s story has changed significantly since 2006, when the book was written. Beach Boys fans who want to learn more about Brian Wilson’s life through the recent Pet Sounds tours will enjoy his own memoir, I Am Brian Wilson.
October 1, 2020
This is a two star read, but because of the subject, I've given it an extra star.
For the most part, this is a heart-breaking story. Some parts are so sad, particularly after the breakdown of SMiLE, where Brian himself is defeated and wants to give everything away and give up. (How the BB's couldn't release SMiLE, but were happy to release Smiley Smile is beyond me. Also the fact that SMiLE (was too out-there?) but they didn't mind taking the songs and releasing them across the next 4 or so albums. Crazy!). There's no denying that Brian was treated terribly throughout most of his life. The author glosses over the negative parts of Brian so the story is a bit one sided. Then again, it could be argued that any dark parts of Brian could be blamed on the drugs and his breakdown etc, rather than Brian himself. Who knows.
The first half of this book was quite good. At around midway through, though, it turns into more of a fan piece rather than a serious piece, particularly when the author starts to include himself in the story, which was off-putting. And although I've highlighted some of the descriptions written about the songs so that I can listen to them again with these new insights, there were far too many of these which took up space that would have been better served telling us more about Brian.
Considering this was based on hundreds of interviews and never-before-heard studio recordings, it doesn't feel that deep. In particular, I read this to hear more about the breakdown of SMiLE, but I didn't really learn anything hear that I couldn't have found from the Wiki article.
An OK read for fans of Brian who don't know much about his life.
For the most part, this is a heart-breaking story. Some parts are so sad, particularly after the breakdown of SMiLE, where Brian himself is defeated and wants to give everything away and give up. (How the BB's couldn't release SMiLE, but were happy to release Smiley Smile is beyond me. Also the fact that SMiLE (was too out-there?) but they didn't mind taking the songs and releasing them across the next 4 or so albums. Crazy!). There's no denying that Brian was treated terribly throughout most of his life. The author glosses over the negative parts of Brian so the story is a bit one sided. Then again, it could be argued that any dark parts of Brian could be blamed on the drugs and his breakdown etc, rather than Brian himself. Who knows.
The first half of this book was quite good. At around midway through, though, it turns into more of a fan piece rather than a serious piece, particularly when the author starts to include himself in the story, which was off-putting. And although I've highlighted some of the descriptions written about the songs so that I can listen to them again with these new insights, there were far too many of these which took up space that would have been better served telling us more about Brian.
Considering this was based on hundreds of interviews and never-before-heard studio recordings, it doesn't feel that deep. In particular, I read this to hear more about the breakdown of SMiLE, but I didn't really learn anything hear that I couldn't have found from the Wiki article.
An OK read for fans of Brian who don't know much about his life.
February 24, 2017
When I was a kid, one of my favourite LPs to pull out of mum's collection, put on the stereo and dance around to forget my woes was a best of the Beach Boys. Those harmonies and sweet melodies marked much of my childhood - growing up by the beach it was easy to focus on the early era BB songs about the surf. But as I got older I started to appreciate the more complex of Brian Wilson's work and the genius of Pet Sounds.
So I was a bit upset to discover in this bio that most of the Beach Boys didn't actually surf. But I was glad to get a chance to understand what was going on in Brian Wilson's head as he wrote these songs.
Main takeaway points from reading this book:
1. Murry Wilson was a horrible man, born to another horrible man. The intergenerational dysfunction of the Wilson/Love clan can be traced back to this grandfather who parented with his fists.
2. Brian Wilson is a genius, and I think his brothers got that, but his cousin didn't.
3. Mike Love is a colossal cunt who was so focused on making money over making art even in 1966 that he nearly kiboshed Pet Sounds. His ongoing litigious relationship with his former band mates and cousin is pretty revolting, as is the way he insists on framing the Beach Boys only legacy as being their early vapid surf sound.
4. Brian Wilson today appears to blame all his mental issues on his drug use. While his drug intake certainly wouldn't have helped, I'm sorry but Murry Wilson and genetics have far more to do with Brian's schizoaffective disorder than LSD.
So I was a bit upset to discover in this bio that most of the Beach Boys didn't actually surf. But I was glad to get a chance to understand what was going on in Brian Wilson's head as he wrote these songs.
Main takeaway points from reading this book:
1. Murry Wilson was a horrible man, born to another horrible man. The intergenerational dysfunction of the Wilson/Love clan can be traced back to this grandfather who parented with his fists.
2. Brian Wilson is a genius, and I think his brothers got that, but his cousin didn't.
3. Mike Love is a colossal cunt who was so focused on making money over making art even in 1966 that he nearly kiboshed Pet Sounds. His ongoing litigious relationship with his former band mates and cousin is pretty revolting, as is the way he insists on framing the Beach Boys only legacy as being their early vapid surf sound.
4. Brian Wilson today appears to blame all his mental issues on his drug use. While his drug intake certainly wouldn't have helped, I'm sorry but Murry Wilson and genetics have far more to do with Brian's schizoaffective disorder than LSD.
April 18, 2018
This book combines an up-to-date biography with detailed musical assessments of the Beach Boys’ output, both collectively and individually. I thought it was good, readable, thorough and (as far as I could judge) accurate, except for one thing.
Some of the musical assessments are complete gibberish.
For instance, on p.24 we’re told about voices “sliding from one augmented minor chord to the next”. This sounds very impressive, but there’s no such thing as an augmented minor chord (an augmented chord has a sharpened 5th: e.g. an E major comprises the notes EG#B, and an E augmented chord is thus [enharmonically] EG#C. But since E minor consists of EGB, E minor augmented — if it existed — would consist of EGC, which is merely an inversion of C major).
Likewise, on p. 30 we hear about a “major seventh triad chant”. Unfortunately, a chord may be either a major seventh or a triad, but not both.
On p.79 we learn that God Only Knows has harmonic counterpoint and inverted bass patterns. Sloop John B is described as a sea shanty. In short, I was unable to distinguish the author from a total musical illiterate trying to pretend otherwise.
To be sure, these blemishes only form a tiny part of the whole, but they did make me wonder about the accuracy of the rest of it.
Some of the musical assessments are complete gibberish.
For instance, on p.24 we’re told about voices “sliding from one augmented minor chord to the next”. This sounds very impressive, but there’s no such thing as an augmented minor chord (an augmented chord has a sharpened 5th: e.g. an E major comprises the notes EG#B, and an E augmented chord is thus [enharmonically] EG#C. But since E minor consists of EGB, E minor augmented — if it existed — would consist of EGC, which is merely an inversion of C major).
Likewise, on p. 30 we hear about a “major seventh triad chant”. Unfortunately, a chord may be either a major seventh or a triad, but not both.
On p.79 we learn that God Only Knows has harmonic counterpoint and inverted bass patterns. Sloop John B is described as a sea shanty. In short, I was unable to distinguish the author from a total musical illiterate trying to pretend otherwise.
To be sure, these blemishes only form a tiny part of the whole, but they did make me wonder about the accuracy of the rest of it.
December 2, 2023
In the fall of 1964, when the Rolling Stones were just starting out and Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix were unknowns. At the time the Beatles biggest competition came from the Dave Clark Five and the Beach Boys. The Beach Boys were big: their songs were about life in California where young people surfed and soaked up sun, of riding around in cool cars with good looking young girs.
Most of the world was an illusion created by singer-songwriter Brian Wilson.
There are several books out there about the Beach Boys, the Wilson family and the conflicts between the father Murray, his three talented sons, Brian, Carl, Dennis as well as their cousin Mike Love. Brian, the main song writer and brains behind the band suffered a nervous breakdown, and suffered through depression while under the control of a doctor who controlled him and his money. Catch A Wave, the title of one of their surfing songs, is probably the most complete and best documented book concerning the music, the Beach Boys before and after Brian's breakdown, and Brian's comeback, including the completion of his two greatest albums, Pet Sounds and Smile.
Most of the world was an illusion created by singer-songwriter Brian Wilson.
There are several books out there about the Beach Boys, the Wilson family and the conflicts between the father Murray, his three talented sons, Brian, Carl, Dennis as well as their cousin Mike Love. Brian, the main song writer and brains behind the band suffered a nervous breakdown, and suffered through depression while under the control of a doctor who controlled him and his money. Catch A Wave, the title of one of their surfing songs, is probably the most complete and best documented book concerning the music, the Beach Boys before and after Brian's breakdown, and Brian's comeback, including the completion of his two greatest albums, Pet Sounds and Smile.
May 16, 2024
Don't be misled by the rave reviews
What distinguishes a good biography from a bad one is if the author brings the subject to life and gives the reader a fresh insight. This wax a struggle to finish. It's less a biography of Brian Wilson and a biography of the Beach Boys, with Wilson almost a secondary character. Several years ago I read his own autobiography and found it interesting but not revelatory, although in comparison to Catch A Wave it's the one I would recommend....or watch the film Love and Mercy which does a better job exploring the highs and lows of Brian Wilson. His relationship with Melinda gets very little attention or how she helped get him from "Dr." Landy. I found the writing to be very lifeless and felt like someone being rushed through a museum and only catching fleeting glimpses at the works on display before being hustled forward. At 500 pages it was a slog.
What distinguishes a good biography from a bad one is if the author brings the subject to life and gives the reader a fresh insight. This wax a struggle to finish. It's less a biography of Brian Wilson and a biography of the Beach Boys, with Wilson almost a secondary character. Several years ago I read his own autobiography and found it interesting but not revelatory, although in comparison to Catch A Wave it's the one I would recommend....or watch the film Love and Mercy which does a better job exploring the highs and lows of Brian Wilson. His relationship with Melinda gets very little attention or how she helped get him from "Dr." Landy. I found the writing to be very lifeless and felt like someone being rushed through a museum and only catching fleeting glimpses at the works on display before being hustled forward. At 500 pages it was a slog.
July 16, 2025
Biography written between times of two autobiographical memoirs by Brian Wilson, having emerged from his mental illness and depression; this author, Peter Ames Carlin, tries to place into context the major Conflict that necessitated the "Fall" and "Redemption" of Wilson, a great American songwriter and music producer. It is perhaps false and misleading to call the late Brian Wilson -- the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson -- since Mike Love split the group asunder and subsequent revival or "cover band" / sound-alikes are not so much illustrating the "WILSON FAMILY" properly. For more insight than this book makes to the place of Mr. Wilson in Rock History and American Songwriting (20th Century) -- see the docu-fictional piece called "LOVE & MERCY" (director Bill Pohlad) released 2014. May Brian Wilson rest in peace and find Rock 'n Roll Heaven among his peer group now that his earthly journey has ended. He will also reunite with the 2nd wife who redeemed and saved him.
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