The Beach Boys and the California Myth

Last updated
The Beach Boys and the California Myth
BeachBoysCaliforniaMyth.jpg
Author David Leaf
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject The Beach Boys
Publisher Grosset & Dunlap
Publication date
1978
Pages192
ISBN 978-0448146256
OCLC 4333916

The Beach Boys and the California Myth is a 1978 biography of the Beach Boys that was written by American author David Leaf, editor and creator of the Pet Sounds fanzine. It was the first full-length book written about the band [1] and an early piece of writing that revealed much of their internal conflicts and family history. [2]

Contents

The book was influential in cementing a popular narrative of the band – one that caricatured Brian Wilson as a tortured genius. [3] [4] Later biographies, including Heroes and Villains (1986) and Catch a Wave (2006), drew heavily from Leaf's book. Revised editions have been published in 1985 as The Beach Boys and in 2022 as God Only Knows: The Story of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys and the California Myth.

Background

While living in New Rochelle, New York, Leaf developed a fascination with the Beach Boys after reading Tom Nolan and David Felton's 1971 Rolling Stone cover story on the band, "The Beach Boys: A California Saga". [5] [6] Following his college graduation in 1975, Leaf moved to Los Angeles with the ambition of authoring a book about Brian Wilson. [5] After forming connections with the group, in 1977 he started a fanzine named after their 1966 album Pet Sounds . [7] The fanzine led to a publishing contract with Grosset & Dunlap to write The Beach Boys and the California Myth. [5] [7]

Content

Original edition

I came to California to test the myth, to meet the Beach Boys, looking for symbols. It wasn't long before my journey went too far. My journalistic investigations and excavations discovered more human suffering than I really wanted to know.

—Excerpt from the book's introduction [5]

The book marked the first "serious study" devoted to Wilson's music, [8] with photos and clippings interspersed throughout. [9] Substantial coverage is devoted to the Wilson brothers' upbringing and Brian's formative musical influences. [10] Leaf characterizes Brian during his adolescence as an affable personality who was popular with his schoolmates, although shy and prone to follow the crowds to avoid social conflicts. [11]

Throughout the book, Leaf advances the argument that Brian had been victimized and artistically stifled by his record company and his bandmates. [12] He writes, "If Brian sought refuge within drugs, in reaction to all the pressure, then everybody must share the blame—the record company, the family, the Beach Boys, and Brian’s entourage." [13] The book contains negative depictions of Mike Love [14] and Wilson's first wife Marilyn, [13] as well as details concerning the odd circumstances surrounding the band's Smile sessions. [5] Leaf draws upon new interviews with former Brother Records president David Anderle and many others who were quoted anonymously. [15]

Later editions

A revised edition, titled The Beach Boys, was published in 1985. In this revision, Leaf penned an essay titled "Shades of Grey" in which he wrote that he "no longer indict[s] the world of 'being bad to Brian,' when it's apparent that Brian has been hardest on himself." [16] In June 2022, a second revised 480-page edition was published by Omnibus Press as God Only Knows: The Story of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys and the California Myth. It contains new forewords by Jimmy Webb, Barry Gibb, and Melinda Wilson. [17]

Influence and reception

First and second editions

Writing in 2006, The Guardian 's Campbell Stevenson referred to California Myth as a "matchless" biography that "overshadows any book that documents the group's most successful years." [18] Similarly in 2012, biographer Mark Dillon wrote that while the book remained "long out-of-print and succeeded by other bios about Brian and the group, its shadow looms over them all." [12] Steven Gaines' 1986 biography Heroes and Villains drew heavily on Leaf's book. [19] In Peter Ames Carlin's 2006 book about Brian Wilson, Catch a Wave, he described California Myth as "near-Shakespearean" in its telling of "innocence, hope, greed, and brutality", [5] and an enlightenment of "the depth and wonder of Brian's work". [20]

Some reviewers found that Brian's bandmates, especially Mike Love, were marginalized in the original edition. [21] Rock critic Richie Unterberger decreed, "If there is a flaw to Leaf's writing, it's that its praise of Brian Wilson is often unabashed, and his dominant creative role in the group arguably overstated." [2] Music historian Luis Sanchez argued that Leaf's book presented a reductive view of the band's music being "meaningful exclusively in terms of Brian Wilson's genius", although he applauded the addition of "Shades of Grey" in the 1985 edition, for it "adds some valuable insight to Leaf's original narrative, allowing it some breathing room where it seemed stifled and strict before." [16]

In its significance to the band's mythology, Sanchez referred to the book as the first work that "put the 'Brian Wilson is a genius' trope into perspective", especially by emphasizing a "dynamic of good guys and bad guys." [4] Sanchez concludes, "What we end up with is an image of young Brian as something of a Norman Rockwell cipher—essentially suburban yet somewhat inscrutable." [11]

Beach Boys' response

Mike Love (pictured 1983) criticized the book's negative depiction of himself and Wilson's family and friends. Mike Love 1983.png
Mike Love (pictured 1983) criticized the book's negative depiction of himself and Wilson's family and friends.

Leaf added in the 1985 appendix that when he later saw Mike Love at a Beach Boys fan convention, Love "tried to burn a hole in my head with an endless, icy stare, and began his speech with acerbic remarks so obviously aimed at me that all heads in the room turned to see my reaction." [2] Love referred to the biography in his 2016 memoir, Good Vibrations , where he criticized it for solidifying a narrative that vilified himself, his bandmates, and other members of Wilson's family. [3] He named Leaf "the first" in a line of Wilson's "awestruck biographers". [22]

2022 edition

Reviewing God Only Knows for The Spill Magazine , Ljubinko Zivkovic wrote that the update is "exactly the place where [newcomers] should start with The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson sagas." [23] John Visconti of Culture Sonar called the book "an immersive, thoughtful, and incisive biography of Brian and the Beach Boys [and] a perceptive and emotionally-centered look at [his] complex genius". [24]

Goldmine contributor Gillian G. Gaar deemed the book "required reading", however, she bemoaned that Leaf "treads more carefully in discussing Beach Boys matters in the updates", surmising that it "may be due in part to Leaf's wariness about provoking more controversy." [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beach Boys</span> American rock band

The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by their vocal harmonies, adolescent-oriented lyrics, and musical ingenuity, they are one of the most influential acts of the rock era. They drew on the music of older pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and black R&B to create their unique sound. Under Brian's direction, they often incorporated classical or jazz elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Wilson</span> American musician (born 1942)

Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and mastery of recording techniques, he is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and significant songwriters of the 20th century. His best-known work is distinguished for its high production values, complex harmonies and orchestrations, layered vocals, and introspective or ingenuous themes. Wilson is also known for his formerly high-ranged singing and for his lifelong struggles with mental illness.

<i>Pet Sounds</i> 1966 studio album by the Beach Boys

Pet Sounds is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966 by Capitol Records. It was initially met with a lukewarm critical and commercial response in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. In the United Kingdom, the album was lauded by critics and reached number 2 on the Record Retailer chart, remaining in the top ten for six months. Promoted there as "the most progressive pop album ever", Pet Sounds was recognized for its ambitious production, sophisticated music, and emotional lyrics. It is now considered to be among the greatest and most influential albums in music history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Johnston</span> American musician

Bruce Arthur Johnston is an American singer, musician and songwriter who is a member of the Beach Boys. He also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher and composed the 1975 Barry Manilow hit, "I Write the Songs".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Girls</span> 1965 song by the Beach Boys

"California Girls" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1965 album Summer Days . Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the lyrics detail an appreciation for women across the world, but how they don't compare to women from California, the band's home state. It was released as a single, backed with "Let Him Run Wild", and reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also a top 10 hit in several other countries, becoming one of the band's most successful songs globally.

<i>15 Big Ones</i> 1976 album by the Beach Boys

15 Big Ones is the 20th studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released July 5, 1976, by Brother/Reprise. It includes a mix of original songs and renditions of rock 'n' roll and R&B standards. The LP was the band's first album with production credited solely to Brian Wilson since Pet Sounds (1966). As such, its release was accompanied by a controversial media campaign that declared his comeback as an active member of the Beach Boys' recording and touring group.

<i>The Beach Boys Love You</i> 1977 studio album by The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys Love You is the 21st studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released April 11, 1977, on Brother/Reprise. Sometimes called the band's "punk" or "synth-pop" album, Love You is characterized for its pioneering use of synthesizers and its juxtaposition of adolescent-oriented lyrics with the adult band members' gravelly vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murry Wilson</span> American songwriter

Murry Gage Wilson was an American songwriter, talent manager, record producer, and music publisher, best known as the father of the Beach Boys' Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. After the band's formation in 1961, Murry became their first manager, and in 1962, he founded their publishing company, Sea of Tunes, with Brian. Later in his life, Wilson was accused of physically and verbally abusing his children, charges which he denied.

<i>All Summer Long</i> (album) 1964 album by the Beach Boys

All Summer Long is the sixth album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released July 13, 1964 on Capitol Records. Regarded as their first artistically unified collection of songs, as well as one of the first true concept albums, it marked the Beach Boys' first LP that was not focused on themes of cars or surfing. Instead, the songs are semi-autobiographical and relate to the experiences of a typical Southern Californian teenager, a theme encapsulated by the title track, "All Summer Long", and the often-imitated front cover, a modernist style photo collage depicting the band members fraternizing with young women on a beach.

<i>Brian Wilson</i> (album) 1988 album by Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson is the first solo album by American musician Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, released July 12, 1988 by Sire and Reprise Records. Promoted as a spiritual successor to his band's 1966 release Pet Sounds, the album is characterized for its rich, synthesizer-heavy orchestrations. It cost over $1 million to record and was the first album produced by Wilson since The Beach Boys Love You (1977). His former psychologist, Eugene Landy, was credited as "executive producer".

"You Still Believe in Me" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Initially conceived as "In My Childhood", it was the first songwriting collaboration between Brian Wilson, the group's de facto leader, and songwriter Tony Asher. Wilson sang the lead vocal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline, No</span> 1966 song by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys

"Caroline, No" is a song by American musician Brian Wilson that was released as his first solo record on March 7, 1966 and, two months later, reissued as the closing track on the Beach Boys' album Pet Sounds. Written with Tony Asher, the lyrics describe a disillusioned man who reflects on his former love interest and the loss of her innocence. Musically, it is distinguished for its jazz chords and unusual combination of instruments, including bass flutes, 12-string electric guitar, and muted harpsichord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford</span> American singer and first wife of Brian Wilson

Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford is an American singer who is best known as the first wife of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Raised in Los Angeles, she started her singing career in the late 1950s, initially as part of a family singing trio, the Rovell Sisters, with her siblings Diane and Barbara. Through a mutual connection with musician Gary Usher, Marilyn met Brian at a Beach Boys concert in August 1962 when she was 14 and Brian was 20. Brian subsequently renamed the Rovell Sisters to "the Honeys" and wrote and produced several of their records in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Worry Baby</span> 1964 single by the Beach Boys

"Don't Worry Baby" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their March 1964 album Shut Down Volume 2. Written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian, Wilson's lead vocal on the track is considered one of his defining performances, and he later referred to "Don't Worry Baby" as perhaps the Beach Boys' finest record. It was issued in May 1964 as the B-side of "I Get Around", and charted separately at number 24.

"Ding Dang" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1977 album The Beach Boys Love You. It was written by Brian Wilson and Roger McGuinn during an impromptu jam session after Wilson had visited McGuinn's home to acquire amphetamines.

<i>Sweet Insanity</i> Unofficial Brian Wilson album

Sweet Insanity is an unofficial album by American musician Brian Wilson that was produced in 1990 as the follow-up to his first solo album, Brian Wilson (1988). It was largely written and produced by Wilson alongside his former psychologist, Eugene Landy.

<i>Smile</i> (The Beach Boys album) Unfinished studio album by the Beach Boys

Smile is an unfinished album by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was intended to follow their 1966 album Pet Sounds. It was to be an LP of twelve tracks assembled from modular fragments, the same editing process used for their "Good Vibrations" single. Instead, after a year of recording, the album was shelved and the group released a downscaled version, Smiley Smile, in September 1967. Over the next four decades, few of the original Smile tracks were officially released, and the project came to be regarded as the most legendary unreleased album in popular music history.

<i>Adult/Child</i> Unreleased Beach Boys album

Adult/Child is an unreleased studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was produced in early 1977. Similar to the release it was meant to follow, The Beach Boys Love You, the album is essentially a semi-autobiographical solo effort by the band's chief songwriter and producer, Brian Wilson. The title refers to a theory that one's personality can be split into "adult" and "child" modes of thinking.

California Music was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1974. It was originally a loose collective of studio musicians, with participation from Bruce Johnston, Terry Melcher, Gary Usher, Curt Boettcher, Dean Torrence, and Brian Wilson. Equinox Records released three singles by the group from 1974 to 1976, after which the band went inactive. In 2021, the group was reformed by members of the Beach Boys and their children. Omnivore Recordings released their first album: California Music Presents Add Some Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Wilson is a genius</span> Promotional campaign for the Beach Boys leader

"Brian Wilson is a genius" is a line that became part of a media campaign spearheaded in 1966 by the Beatles' former press officer Derek Taylor, who was then employed as the Beach Boys' publicist. Although there are earlier documented expressions of the statement, Taylor frequently called Brian Wilson a "genius" as part of an effort to rebrand the Beach Boys and legitimize Wilson as a serious artist on par with the Beatles and Bob Dylan.

References

  1. ↑ Waller, Don (February 5, 1995). "California Boys". The New York Times .
  2. 1 2 3 Unterberger, Richie. "David Leaf". AllMusic .
  3. 1 2 Love 2016, pp. 160–163.
  4. 1 2 Sanchez 2014, pp. 24, 99.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Carlin 2006, p. 275.
  6. ↑ Dillon 2012, p. 196.
  7. 1 2 Dillon 2012, p. 197.
  8. ↑ Granata 2003, p. 224.
  9. ↑ Sanchez 2014, p. 24.
  10. ↑ Sanchez 2014, p. 42.
  11. 1 2 Sanchez 2014, p. 43.
  12. 1 2 Dillon 2012, p. 198.
  13. 1 2 Love 2016, p. 162.
  14. ↑ Carlin 2006, p. 289.
  15. ↑ Love 2016, p. 161.
  16. 1 2 Sanchez 2014, p. 25.
  17. ↑ "God Only Knows: The Story of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys and the California Myth - Published on 23rd June 2022". omnibuspress.com. March 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  18. ↑ Stevenson, Campbell (August 6, 2006). "About a Boy". The Guardian .
  19. ↑ Waller, Don (December 28, 1986). "NONFICTION: HEROES AND VILLAINS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE BEACH BOYS by Steven Gaines (New American Library: $17.95; 374 pp., black-and-white photographs)". Los Angeles Times .
  20. ↑ Carlin 2006, p. iv.
  21. ↑ "A Chat with David Leaf, Author of a Classic Brian Wilson Bio, Now Updated". 21 May 2022.
  22. ↑ Love 2016, p. 164.
  23. ↑ Zivkovic, Ljubinko. "SPILL BOOK REVIEW: DAVID LEAF – GOD ONLY KNOWS: THE STORY OF BRIAN WILSON, THE BEACH BOYS & THE CALIFORNIA MYTH". The Spill Magazine .
  24. ↑ Visconti, John (January 20, 2023). ""God Only Knows: The Story of Brian Wilson"". Culture Sonar.
  25. ↑ Gaar, Gillian G. (February 23, 2023). "Back-in-print Beach Boys book more Wilson-centric, but still required reading". Goldmine.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.