Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4


last updated 03.09.2003


If you are searching for something specific, press "Strg" + "F", and type a keyword.


Wilson/Paley tracks
In the words of an immortal engineer, " there is no way that Andy Paley has the talent to write the chord progressions in most of the tunes from
the material involved."
We know that Andy wrote most of Soul Searchin, and at least most of Slightly American Music.
Brian and Andy called Eva Leaf to ask when Abe Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Marketplace and Saturday Morning In the City predate Brian's work with Paley. In other words pre '88.


the '93 box set liner notes book said that theH.E.L.P at 3rd & Fairfax of "HELP is on the Way" was an LA natural food restaurant, not owned by Brian Wilson. I went and listened to the track all the way through for the first time, and on the fade-out, Brian says, "Don't forget about the Radiant Radish, San Vicente and Melrose," then the number "10452" (although that number doesn't correspond to the numbering of either street at that intersection, according to my AAA LA map). Then Mike Love says, "Don't forget to drop by and ask Brian for a free snack," or something like that. So, that must be where the Radiant Radish was located.10452 Bellagio Road, Los Angeles, CA would be that certain Mecca known as Brian Wilson's house in Bel Air......(the one with the stained glass window featured on the cover of the "Wild Honey" LP)


Gary Winfrey pin down the date of Alan's return to California more accurately. In his own words:
"I was living at my parent's house in Hawthorne, CA and the date was Monday Aug 16 1962 at about 12:00 pm and we was awakened
(Don and I shared a bedroom) by a rapping on our bedroom window. It was Al Jardine and Dennis Wilson. Al wanted to borrow some
money (I think he wanted to buy a car, but I am not positive on this point). He said he would pay me back on Friday when he received his paycheck. I was willing to slide the money out the window and go back to sleep. However during all the commotion we woke my parents and my Dad came in to see what was happening. My Dad said not to give him the money without a promissory note. He suggested that they come back tomorrow and we would make it legal. The next morning Al and Dennis came back and I typed a promissory note, Al signed and Dennis witnessed it. Al got the money and paid it back on Friday as promised.
My brother Don has saved this note for forty years and I'm glad he did. Andrew, the attached note is proof positive that Al was back in California in August of 1962. He definitely was back earlier than the dated document as he already got a job."

So... anyone have any idea what Alan was doing from summer 1962 to summer 1963, when he rejoined the band ?


Gary Winfrey's brother, Don, recalls events at a 1964 Beach Boys show.

"The Beach Boys had an evening concert in Bakersfield, California at the Bakersfield Civic Auditorium, which is about 2 hours driving time north of Hawthorne. Al asked my brother Gary (home from the Air Force on leave) and I to go along. We went in Al's white four-door "T" bird. I did the driving, Gary was the co-pilot and Al sat in back seat with his Martin guitar. We always took a guitar on road trips and sang to past the time.

Al played Beatles songs that he and Carl Wilson had figured out. The songs were new.... like weeks old, I was amazed, for at this stage in my musical life I would buy the music (or someone would give me a hand written or typed sheet with chords to play the songs) and Beatles song books were not available yet.

We sang the same 7 or so Beatles songs over and over...no Beach Boy stuff, for I'm sure to Al that meant work and we were doing this for fun.

It was always hard to figure out songs, for record players did not play back accurately and so most every song was slightly out of tune. We did not have guitar tuners as are now commonly available. We did however have a pitch pipe that was probably close...so if you were lucky you had a slight chance of being in key with the song. This made playing a problem with records, because variable speed record players were not available. Cheap electronic tuners and Pitch accurate CD's now make figuring out songs much easier. Also guitar strings were used until they broke, and then only the broken one was replaced.

We arrived in Bakersfield about an hour before the concert. Al was mad that he had to pay for parking, and we could not find the artist's entrance. So we waited in the line with the fans to gain entry. No one in line noticed Al. We got to the ticket taker expecting to walk right in. Al said he was a Beach Boy and the guy said, "Sure buddy". Al spotted his picture on the program being sold nearby and showed it to the guy. The fellow had to call over the manager to verify his identity. I can't remember if he showed his driver's license or not. The manager gave his OK and escorted us backstage. About 10 minute later the manager showed up with a big box of treats for us- popcorn, cokes, peanuts, candy, etc. and again apologized.

Gary remembers that during the concert we wanted to go out front (we were backstage) and listen to the concert and some fans confronted us for autographs. We said, "we are not Beach Boys" that didn't seem to matter to them as they wanted them anyway.

The concert was great and when it ended, we were now confronted with another problem created by the Beatles.... that is being mobbed by fans. We had to stay for a few hours inside the auditorium for the crowd to subside, and then we found a back door and ran for it.

We went to a hotel room that the Wilsons had rented and visited for an hour or so before the drive home. They may have stayed the night. This was prior to buses or limos for the stars."


if the Beach Boys hadn't sued Capitol (again) in 69, and if the band had then given Capitol the final contracted album (Reverberation) and considering that (at least in Europe) the band had a few top 10 singles in this period (Breakaway, I Can hear Music, Cottonfields), is there any evidence that Capitol would have kept the Beach Boys as an act? **

Yes. In fact, there's evidence that Capitol was considering keeping The Beach Boys even after the group sued the label in 1969.

The text of an April 16, 1969 letter from Capitol's Karl Engemann to Nick Grillo at Brother Records:

--------------------

Dear Nick:

It wass good speaking with you today and I am most happy to hear that in spite of the recent Bilboard article [about the lawsuit - BE], you and the group still have a desire to remain with Capitol if something satisfactory can be worked out. I, too, hope we have enough hits out of the product you plan to deliver to us between now and the end of the contract to give us cause to re-evaluate our most recent offer.

Confirming our discussion, and as a reminder, you are going to talk with the boys about delivering the next single record by next Monday, April 21, and the album ['Reverberation' - BE] by May 1.

Again I want to tell you how enthused I am about the single, 'Loop De Loop Flip Flop,' and I'm most anxious to hear some of the thingss the boys have been working on for the next album.

Sincerely,
Karl Engemann

--------------------

Based on that letter, there apparently was interest on both sides in renewing the contract. Unfortunately, The BBs failed to deliver either the single or the album before the Capitol contract expired on June 16, 1969, and that apparently was the proverbial "last nail in the coffin."

(FYI, after the expiration of the contract, that last album was still owed to Capitol. In early 1970, a deal was worked out for The BBs to finally deliver that album, but the group defaulted on that agreement, too, instead "looting" it for several tracks to beef up their first WB album.)

Brad


From: BobHanes@webtv.net (Bob Hanes)
T.A.M.I.

The deal was approximately this. Brian was concerned about being associated with a teen exploitation movie, years after the Beach Boys had grown up. He insisted that a clause in the BBs deal for appearance, allow for the rights to their appearance to revert to the Beach Boys. In that way, Brian felt he could be a living, growing, maturing group that would not be forever stigmatized by their youth. The movie was filmed and ran in theaters with the BBs in it. The movie became passe, and the BBs appearance was removed, legally. The cultural mood did a 360, and T.A.M.I. was back in fashion. As Dean Torrance said in the '70s, 'now Brian is looking to be put back in the movie, but no one will talk to him'.


Brian lives off Mulholland drive in a newer gated community that's technically Beverly Hills post office but not Beverly Hills.


Bi-polar syndrome is what Brian has been officially diagnosed with as far as I know. It's the more correct medical term for what is normally called 'manic depression'. People with the condition have periods that can last from hours to months where they're either *extremely* depressed (often suicidal) or *very* happy, enthusiastic etc.
The severity of the condition (which is, IIRC, linked to fluctuating levels of serotonin in the brain, but since serotonin levels seem to be linked to almost every brain condition that doesn't help much) varies enormously from person to person. Many people with the illness can live normal lives
without medication (even in some cases without diagnosis) while some have such a severe version of the condition that they require hospitalisation - in some cases both the manic and depressed states can cause hallucinations, paranoid fantasies etc. It's actually a very common condition, and many people have it, but BW seems to have it far more severely than most...most people who have it live relatively normal lives, although they're usually considered a little odd, especially by those who are close to them and notice behavioural quirks.


From: Bob Hanes <BobHanes@webtv.net>
Leaf, manager

Brian is comfortable with people believing that David is his manager, since David is always around and Brian is more prone to take David's advise, than Ronnie Lippen, who is his manager. For one thing, David isn't representing Pat Benatar and whoever else as well, so Brian knows that David is most interested in his (Brian's) interests, both personal and professional! If anyone is "worried" about Brian, I wouldn't. It appeared to me that Brian had a "field day" with this poor sap. The "Brian Wilson, moments", really confused the writer. David Lee, huh? The Roxy, is new to Europe, and I hope the idea of promoting it works, but this guys research was terrible! Did anyone else get the feeling that he had very little idea who Brian Wilson is?
It started well, and I thought the idea that men love Brian's music more than most women (I said most, not all!) was a good observation! When Brian and co. recorded at the Roxy a few years ago. As we, finally left the theater. We were all noticing how many men were in attendance, as compared to women. A former business associate of the BBs, and a long time fan of Brian's turned to me and said, "Brian Wilson is like the Judy Garland of white, hetro-sexual men!" Somebody had to say it and Gian DeCaro, said it!


The Dennis tracks that were written and recorded for SURF'S UP were "Fourth Of July" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again." According to Rieley a couple of years ago, the inclusion of Dennis' songs would have weighted the album too heavily in the direction of the Wilson side of the group (as opposed to the Love/Jardine/Johnston faction), and that was a political no-no. Jack said Dennis voluntarily took his songs out of the running, realizing the potential damage that could be done if he pushed for their inclusion. Of course, his fallback plan was to include them on the solo album he was working on at the time, but the album never happened and the world was deprived of hearing them (still is, in the case of "Live Again").

Surf's up!
Brad


Would anyone know where Carl lived in Colorado?

I'm pretty sure it was outside of Nederland, next to Boulder. Jim Guercio's Caribou Ranch was there as well.

At one point he lived on the Caribou Ranch property, but then moved to his own place nearby (with a spectacular view of Rocky Mountain National Park, for those of you who have the *American Band* video). Closest well-known town is Boulder, but Carl lived further up in the mountains, well behind the Front Range.


Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 20:54:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: BobHanes@webtv.net (Bob Hanes)
Subject: [PSML] Geronimo, leaps and bounds

Brian had nothing to do with Geronimo, except, the inspiration. When ABC was filming the second half of the movie, Van Dyke Parks, refused to
allow his words to be used in the film. So the "over and over the crow cries" incident with Mike, was out. Alan Boyd made up the lyrics used
on the spot, and Gary Griffen, did the music. Alan later went home and wrote nearly a whole song, from that snippet he created for the movie.
I'll let him tell you more if he choses. Take it away Alan!


Al & Usher Loan

> "At that point I said, "Eugene Landy tells me that you're upset at me forsomething that happened twenty-five years ago" and he said "well it's more than upset. I just think you're a crook... you took my entire life savings one summer and we put it into a record and you never paid me back" <snip> I said "Well... if you're talking about the project... Brian & I did under the name of Rachel & The Revolvers - and he said, "that's right"." The sum involved, according to Usher, was $800.<

I've often wondered if this loan may have been the real reason Al left the group in the early years. The loan allegedly was to finance the Rachel & the Revolvers single "The Revo-lution/Number One" which was released September 1962 (so it was probably recorded sometime in the Summer of '62). According to an interview with Al's Mother in ESQ, Al's parents left the Spring of '62 for Michigan and left Al behind to attend school (Al had a football scholarship at Pepperdine University). She also claimed that he didn't leave the group as the story goes to attend dental school. She claimed Al never went to dental school. She didn't actually reveal why Al left the Beach Boys (it seemed like she was tap dancing at this point of the interview- quite a few errs and ums and ...s). Then she goes on to say that Al turned down his scholarship and hitchhiked all the way from LA to Big Rapids, Michigan.

It seems to me that it's possible that this loan wiped Al out. $800. was a good deal of money back in '62. Al was only 19 at that time, and attending college. It probably was his life savings. He may have been forced to turn down his scholarship, quit the Beach Boys, and hitchhike a
couple thousand miles to his parents home in Michigan because he was broke.


Since you asked, I called a friend of mine in LA, that grew up and went to school with the Wilson boys. I asked him if he remembered Dennis
having a stutter
. His immediate response, was that he was sure Dennis did have a problem with stuttering, but that he overcame it. He was quite sure that he remembered Dennis stuttering, in his early to mddle school years. This is no one with an axe to grind, just an old friend of Brian's. Bob Hanes


A lttle more web searching turned up:

"Mike Love has been a longtime supporter of environmental causes and was among speakers at the Earth Summit in Rio DeJaniero in 1992 and Earth Day 2000 on the Mall in Washington, D.C. He created the Love Foundation, which supports national environmental and educational initiatives. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Incline Academy in Incline Village, Nevada, and has been responsible for raising over $1 million to benefit the school."

Incline Academy: http://www.inclineacademy.com/

"The Beach Boys still tour and give generously to charities such as Project Teach, The Love Foundation and the New England Home for Little Wanderers, she [Patricia Ferrelli, President of the Mike Love Fan Club] added."


The Wild Honey Pocket Symphony Orchestra on Sept. 13, 1996

The WH Pocket Symphony Orchestra:
Willie Aron - Keyboards - (Spanish Kitchen)
D.J. Bonebrake - vibes/glockenspiel (X)
Kristian Hoffman - keys - (The Mumps)
David Jenkins - Bass - (Andrew)
Jim Laspessa - drums (Muff/Dave Davies/Green Jello)
Jonathon Lea - guitars (Jigsaw Seen)
David Nolte - bass (Lucky)
Perry Ostrin - percussion (Spanish Kitchen)
Andrew Sandoval - guitars (Andrew)
Stuart Waxman - tympani (orchestra performer)
Tommy Morgan - bass Harmonica - Session musician including Pet Sounds and GV
and Friends

Vocal Group -
Darryl Jensen - Bell Starlings/Rails
Alan Boyd - he's done some stuff recently :)
Wendie Colter - Box the Walls
Hazel Dawn Dumpert -
Gary Eaton - Kingsize Maybe/Ringling Sisters/Continental Drifters
Adam Marsland - Cockeyed Ghost
Robbie Rist - Anderson's/Bell Starlings
Steve Stanley - Single Bullet Theory

Video clips of BW/BB's including petsounds promo video
Friends
Meant for you - Morley Bartnoff
Friends - vocal group fet. Gary eaton
Wake the world - Kristian Hoffman
Be her ein the Morning - Nan vernon
When a man needs a woman - Mike randle (Baby Lemonade)
Passing by - Vocal Group
Anna Lee the healer - Joey Sehee (The wonderful world of joey)
Little bird - Dennis Davison (The Jigsaw seen)
Be Still - Steven J. Kalinich
Busy Doin Nothin' - Cindy Lee Berryhill
Diamond Head - pocket orchestra
TM - Vocal Group

Tony Asher introduces Pet sounds

Pet Sounds
Wouldn't it be nice - Gary Eaton & Robbie Rist
You Still Believe In Me - matthew Sweet
That's Not Me - Andrew Sandoval
Don't Talk - Kristi Callan (Lucky)
I'm Waiting for the day - Michael Quercio - (Permanent Green Light)
Let's go Away for a while - Orchestra
Sloop John B - PF Sloan
God Only Knows - Matt Devine
I know there's an answer - Buddy Judge
Here today - Parthenon Huxley (P. Hux)
I just wasn't made for these times - Matthew Sweet
Pet sounds - orchestra
Caroline No - Darryl Jensen & Wendie Colter


Al has the ability to sound so much like Brian when he sings, that figuring out who was singing what, drove Alan Boyd and Mark Linnett
absolutely crazy, these last couple of years. Alan said they, in many cases, had to ask both of them (Al & Brian) before they would really
believe just one of them. It was so hard to tell the difference!


** Doesn't Brian tell Tracey Thomas that he is going to mixdown the final version "tonight" in an interview and that he didn't know what the B-side was going be? That's the only one that I can find in Dom's book, unless you have something else. **

That's the one, and "tonight" obviously is Feb. 10, when he mixed down the "cantina" version. (The article appeared about a week later, which is just about right for Tracy to have sent a report back to England and then have it published in a weekly paper.)

Are we at least agreed that at the time he mixed down the "cantina" version, Brian didn't intend for the B-side to be a "Part 2" of "H&V"? That seems like an inescapable fact to me.

** Look, even if the single was pressed an to be released between "Penny Lane" and whatever Cam said was after it, even if that is the case, it didn't happen and Brian went on to cut more and more H&V. **

Agreed, but the fact remains that the original single release number HAD to be assigned at about the time he mixed down the "cantina" version in preparation for a possible release in late February or early March. Furthermore, record labels can't get a 45 picture sleeve ready overnight; there's a lead time of at least several weeks so that the sleeve can be designed and printed. So, in preparation for the planned release of "H&V" as Capitol 5826 in late February or early March, Capitol HAD to go on and start preparing the sleeve as soon as they knew Brian had a "finished" version of "H&V" ready. Since he didn't know yet what the B-side was going to be, Capitol simply prepared (and then printed) a sleeve that said only "HEROES and VILLAINS." That way, when Brian decided on the B-side and delivered it, they could press the single and not have to worry about whether the picture sleeve matched. The same thing had been done with "Good Vibrations" just four months earlier; it wasn't a new or unusual practice.

For what it's worth, in regard to the "Part 2" debate, my current working theory is that the "cantina" version was intended to stand on its own as "H&V" at the time Brian mixed it down. However, within a few days, Brian experienced a situation (the theft of his car or something like that, wasn't it?) that brought him into contact with the LAPD, and he saw heroes and villains for real. That prompted a re-think on his part. There's evidence to indicate that everything he did on "H&V" after Feb. 10 (starting with the new tracking on Feb. 15) was designated for "Part 2" in some way, so my guess is that his "re-think" resulted in the decision to ADD to what he'd already done, by creating a "Part 2" as a B-side to the "cantina" version. He worked on it through March 2nd, at which time he (grew frustrated? and) abandoned it. Maybe there was a mixdown of it at some point (Britz's recollections would seem to support that), but if there was, Brian obviously wasn't pleased with it, because he didn't turn it over to Capitol for release. In fact, as I've stated before, there are NO indications in Capitol's files that they ever knew anything about a two-part "H&V" single. Thus, there's no way that was the reason for doing picture sleeves that just said "HEROES and VILLAINS."

Brad


For about two years following Smile (in fact albums Wild Honey, Friends and 20/20) waltzes (3/4 time) predominated Brian's offerings to BB albums: Let The Wind Blow, Friends, Be Here In The Morning, I Went To Sleep and Time To Get Alone. As far as I can remember neither he nor the rest of the band wrote in 3/4 time before or after this period. The only other waltz recordings seem to be We Three Kings and You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (sound advice?). (There's No Other Like My Baby is probably 3/4 or v.slow 12/8?) I always thought it was another example of a Bacharach influence. Waltz time was a favorite of Burt's ("What's New, Pussycat," "Wives and Lovers," among others). Also note the BB cover version of "Walk on By" during this period, and the overall "pop"-ness of the songs you mentioned.


From: aaboyd@brandx.net (Alan Boyd)
'Hawthorne' preview

We didn't have a chance with "Endless Harmony" - Capitol delayed authorizing that project and then gave us only a few weeks to put the whole album together. It was one hell of a scramble, made even worse by the fact that I was locked in an editing room the whole time frantically cutting the documentary. Everyone got a bit frazzled, especially since the tracklist kept changing as the songs in the film were shuffled around owing to publishing negotiations, rights to video clips, etc.

As for "Hawthorne, CA" - as someone correctly posted on another board a couple of months ago, this compilation derived from an earlier attempt to fashion a "bonus" disc to accompany a Greatest Hits box that was to be marketed in conjunction with that Sony/ABC TV movie. For THAT project we were initially asked to come up with an interview CD (Capitol was thinking a project with no publishing royalties), but Mark and I instead came up with something that was much more music and the interview segments got whittled down to little introductory bytes (most of them are QUITE short). In the end, that probably doomed "Hawthorne" Vol 1, as the tie-in with Sony fell through, and "Plan B," which would have had the bonus disc included with the first shipment of "Greatest Hits Vol 3," was rejected because Capitol didn't want to pay the publishing costs. At that time, part of the mandate for the disc was to include all of the songs that were in the film but NOT included in Greatest Hits 1, 2, and 3 (Hence "Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring," "Lord's Prayer, " "Forever," "Let The Wind Blow," the live "Shut Down" - the first two of which were out of print at the time) and alternate versions of other songs that were in the Greatest Hits packages. We were rather bummed when it was relegated to the shelf... and even more bummed when a bunch of the tracks ended up on a bootleg!

Several months later Paul Atkinson asked us to take the project and essentially "double" it, take it from 54 minutes to roughly 100 as a companion piece to the reissue of the Capitol-era two-fers. In the end it was decided to leave what we'd already done (everyone quite liked the original CD) and flesh it out with whatever goodies we could (quickly) find. Leaving the three Brother-era tracks required special permission as this new version of the project wasn't supposed to dwell on that era at all, and the negotiations on those three tracks caused a slight delay, but in the end they stayed. For the rest, Mark and I went back to the tapes and spent a few feverish days auditioning multi-tracks, had a few disappointments (some of the "Wild Honey" and "Friends" outtakes like "Honey Get Home" and "Our Happy Home" turned out to be merely incomplete backing tracks), a few very pleasant surprises (the Dennis song, the previously unreleased "Old Man River"), and lots of things we hoped to find (lyrics for "Passing By" among others) just weren't there. Or we didn't have time to find them.

When you get the album, try to set aside some time to listen to it all the way through. Turn off the phone, turn out the lights, put on the headphones or park yourself between the speakers - or, if you've got a good sound system in the car, take a nice long drive on a lonely highway... It's supposed to be another look at the Capitol Years, and it really does have a nice flow to it. The little dialogue bytes give a glimpse into the guys' personalities (especially Dennis!) and after that TV movie (which I'm STILL embarrassed about being involved in) I thought it'd be nice for people to hear a little bit of what the guys were really like. By the way, Capitol will be posting an expanded version of the liner notes on their website a week or two before the official release date.

Alan


A documentary was shot at their 1968 european tour by Vic Kettle.


Dennis And Charles Manson:

In 1968, Dennis had separated from his first wife, Carole, and rented a large house at the west end of Sunset Boulevard near Will Rogers State Park. One day, while driving his Ferrari along the Pacific Coast Highway, he picked up two young fernale hitchhikers. He took these hippie waifs back to his house to have sex with thern. When Dennis invited Patricia Krenwinkle and her friend Ella Jo Bailey into his home that afternoon, the Devil followed them through the door.

That night, returning honie late frorn a recording session at Brian's, Dennis found his house filled with naked hippie girls. They were dancing and partying. Out of the shadows appeared Charles Manson.

Manson easily commanded the attention of the thrill-seeking Dennis, and for a year he would tirelessly exploit his famous new friend. And Dennis, of course, would take advantage of Manson in his own way. He spent much of 1968 enjoying the pleasures of the flesh that Manson's young female devotees provided, and for months his house was the site of an ongoing psychedelic orgy.

Dennis eventually brought Charlie over to Brian's studio to Cut some demos. The unlucky engineer of those sessions was Steven Desper.

They´ve got several tapes of Charlie and the girls that Dennis cut.... Just chanting, fucking, sucking, barfing. Call lt "Death Row".

Rolling Stone did an extensive two-issue feature on the Beach Boys in 197 1, reporter Tom Nolan attempted to get Dennis to open up about his Manson days. But his life and the fortunes of the band were on the upswing, and Dennis felt no compulsion to tell all, to open fresh wounds. He did, however, admit that Manson had written the original version of the song "Never Learn Not to Love," which the Beach Boys had released as the flip side of their single "Bluebirds over the Mountain" in 1968. When Nolan tried to push a little further by asking, 1,Vhy didn't you glve [Manson] the label credit?" Dennis gave this terse reply: "He didn't want that. He wanted money instead. 1 gave him about a hundred thousand dollars worth of stufU' Suddenly, Dennis realized he was letting slip far more than he wanted to, and interjected, "1 don't think you should put that in your story. 1 see no reason the story should mention him


Johnston had rejoined the band, and the decision was made to pursue a new direction, one that would break the creative deadlock that had brought the band so close to being served with a lawsuit. That new direction would be disco: the Beach Boys would attempt to update their image by recording a disco single.


The Beach Boys decided to make improving the health of Brian Wilson a major priority in late 1982. After holding many strategy meetings and collecting advice from a team of experts, they decided that Brian must be forced to submit once again to the extreme control of Dr. Eugene Landy. Saturated with drugs, weighing in at 320 pounds, Brian had hit rock bottom. Carl had made peace with the other Beach Boys and was back with the group. lf they could clean Brian up and get him writing again maybe they would be able to regain a little of their lost luster.


Of all things, a public-relations gaffe on the part of the Reagan adininistration propelled the Beach Boys back into the national consciousness in the spring of 1983. Interior Secretary James Watt bad-mouthed the band and its fans to the press. Clalining that the Beach Boys' audience would abuse drugs and alcohol on the site, he announced that the band would be excluded from the administration's Fourth of July concert. Within days, the public outcry had beconie so veheinent that President Reagan himself atteinpted to defuse the situation by presenting his friend Watt with a inodel of a foot sporting a bullet hole. Without a doubt, Watt had shot himself in the foot. G overninent spin doctors prescribed humor - and assurances that all Reagan people were big Beach Boys fans. But behind the scenes heads were rolling. The Beach Boys had campaigned for Vice President George Bush in 1980 during his bid for the presidential nomination; the band had played several benefit concerts for Bush, contributing significantly to his cause. The Bush family remained loyal to the group, and Reagan wasn't about to tear down an American icon that his fellow Republican had so energetieally endorsed. The Beach Boys were invited to the Reagan White House for a special concert, and before long James Watt was packing his bags. The Beach Boys relented and allowed Dennis to )oln them for part of the 1983 spring and summer tour. He badly needed the money. That summer, touring-band members were shaken to discover that Dennis had begun to experience severe alcoholic seizures. Drummer Mike Kowalski was brought in as a second drummer to help cover for Dennis when he was too sick or too drunk to play well. When Dennis was trotted out for his "You Are So BeautifuP encores, the spectacle of a physically wrecked Denny Wilson shocked the band's audiences - he brought to mind Elvis on his last round.


On the Fourth of July, the Beach Boys played a hugely successful engagement in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The james Watt incident was fresh in everyone's mind, and America's revitalized heroes again found themselves looking down from the top of the mountain. No one could have predicted it. The Beach Boys were suddenly being celebrated throughout the nation by virtually everyone - from pollticians to journalists to radio Dis to the average citizen. That year, 1983, would see the start of a new phase of the Beach Boys legacy. Brian was beginning to show signs of recovery, Carl was guiding the live band to new levels of professionalism, and the energy was surging.


On July 17, the Beach Boys were received at the White House as guests of President Reagan, who was anxious to repair the damage caused by James Watt's mouth. The occasion was a birthday celebration for Vice President Bush, and the band had been asked to perform a short set.


Actually Dec. 31 was the Beach Boys second gig. The first gig was December 23, 1961- Balboa, CA, Beach Boys perform intermission at the Rendezvous Ballroom (per Barb Lang's [California Saga] 40 Years of the Beach Boys timeline). it's also mentioned in at least one BB book.


Back
Home