Wouldn't It Be Nice?: My Own Story

Rating:
Summary: A rarity--an interesting book on a rock star
Review: I assumed this book would be as uninteresting as the other rock star biographies and autobiographies that I've read; nothing could be further from the truth. While most musicians are working their careers, falling in and out of love, and meeting famous people, which might be interesting to live but not to read about, Brian Wilson was going mad as a hatter and then coming back--the man has things to write about. The book seems to be written very honestly, and it has the ring of truth throughout. As for the material on Eugene Landy, Brian Wilson still says positive things about him, and apparently still holds the view of Landy presented here. The book provides basically zero insight into Brian Wilson's ways of working--it's a book about his life, not his music. You get a detailed picture of what his decline was all about, very clear characterizations of Murry Wilson and the Beach Boys, and what seems to be an extremely honest self-portrait of Brian Wilson, hardly a weakness left unexposed. I'm not THAT huge a fan, actually, but I've always been curious about Brian Wilson's much-ballyhooed problems--I found the book fascinating, and I'd recommend the book even if just to satisfy your idle curiosity. If you are a fan, I'd suggest that this is a book you really have to read.

Rating:
Summary: Good (and bad) Vibrations
Review: I found this an engrossing read. There was a lot to take in. Brian's father put him through a lot of hell, and when Brian finnally found something that made him happy, Captiol records nearly overworked him to death. I really liked reading about his encounters with other famous rock legends. Brian wasn't just intimidated by the Beatles. He was equally scared of the Rolling Stones. (He attenended some of the "Between the Buttons" sessions.) There's a lot of heart breaking stories. A story that kind of upset me was when he talks about the "Beach Boys Love You" album. Brian never really meant for the material to be heard. It was part of his therapy and he felt embarrased by the songs. After reading this book, I think Dr. Landy was benneficial to Brian in some ways. He made him much more healthy and got him back into making muisc. The only problem was he then went on to exploit his position. Someone should have stepped in in '85 when Landy ceased to be a therapist/ pshyciatrist and became a Sven Gali. With all that's happend to Brian since I hope we one day say a revised update. Other reviewers have talked about how Brian bad mouths his brothers in this book. I recommend people check out an interview/piece Rolling Stone did on Brian in 2000. It serves as a kind of sequel to this book. In the interview, Brian has much kinder words towards his brothers, particuarly Carl.

Rating:
Summary: A re-print would be nice!
Review: I had heard amusing stories about how messed up Brian Wilson was at one point, but until reading this I never realized how NOT funny his condition was! It must have been as painful writing it as it was living it. I dont think I've ever heard such brutally honest confessions and stories from such an important icon as Wilson is. Additionally, this is probably one of the best source for inside info on the Beach Boys, since Brian practically was the Beach Boys. I am aware of some other books being written, but who could tell a better story than the person who lived it? in this case this story cant be effectively told by anyone BUT Brian(...who else would know about what the voices in his head said, etc.) While reading, you get the imoression (actually its quite obvious) that this book was written during a time when relationships with the other bandmates were obviously strained, and it is particularly evident in the latter part of the book. Much of the bitterness is directed at Mike Love, perhaps justifiably so based on other accounts I've read about him. After reading, I'm not sure I agree totally with Dr. Landy's methods, but I do believe Brian wouldnt have been around to write this book were it not for Landy. This book could have ended with Brian's "resurrection" in 1983, all the events descrbed after that are really alot of bitterness and downright nastiness directed at the other Beach Boys. I'm not faulting Brian for this, it seemed to me that most of it was Landy's influence. It seemed like Landy's way of getting back at the other Beach Boys for exposing him as the fraud he really turned out to be at Brian's expense, and Brian ended up being sued over this book from what I understand. Still though, this book offers first hand accounts of some of the events that inspired (or in the case of Smile, destroyed) most of the Beach Boys material. I hope someday that this book can be de-Landyized and re-written by Brian. This is a fascinating and important insight into pop music that should not be out of print. How important? Name at least one other major icon of the sixties that ever published an auto-biography. The Stones? Dylan? The Beatles? None, all 3rd party observation and speculative accounts. And besides, as much as I love these other bands, they cant hold a candle musically to Brian Wilson. Read this book ,but stop after you get to 1983.

Rating:
Summary: The Most Brutally Honest Book I Have Ever Read
Review: I must say that this has to be the most brutally honest book that I have ever read. Starting with his birth and going all the way up until age 49 in 1991, Brian Wilson takes us on the harrowing journey that was his life. No stone is left unturned. Nothing was too abusive to leave out. In recovering from addiction, you have to be raw with your feelings and honest with yourself, and I think Brian Wilson has been both. Before reading this book, I had known about the controversy surrounding Dr. Landy and his treatment of Brian, and at the time I was on the side of Brian's family and the other Beach Boys, feeling that he had been brainwashed and was being controlled by Dr. Landy. However, after reading this book, although I still do not agree with the way some things were handled, I can see that it was necessary for someone to take control of Brian. He certainly could not do it himself. He needed to be literally rebuilt from the ground up and from inside out. I think he needed to be shown that he had the power within himself to recover. Dr. Landy did a fabulous job, and at times I'm sure it was a thankless job. Without him and his therapy, I am quite sure that Brian Wilson would no longer be with us. I don't know how Brian is doing today, but hopefully he is still living a clean and sober life. I'm glad that we still have him around.

Rating:
Summary: A "censored" synopsis of a musical genius
Review: Other biographies of Brian Wilson often documented him as a genius, trailblazer, a drug-addict, a mental cripple, a reclusive exile and a ton of other adjective-laden categorizations. His own auto-biography touches base on all of the above. However, I'm deeply dissapointed with how Wilson blames everyone from the Beach Boys, his parents, and just about everyone who came in contact with him either at his creative peak or his lowest low- i.e. citing being with his children Carnie and Wendy as "bummer time". But I don't blame Wilson for this. I blame the "real" author of this book Dr. Eugene Landy, the shrink who really outlasted his purpose and usefulness. In the book, everyone (besides Landy and his croonies) is either blamed or defamed for one thing or another. (this eventually led to court, where Mike Love and Wilson settled on defammation charges). Landy meanwhile is portrayed as the savior,the one who saved wilson and brought him back to society-which we did initially.

One big reason I read the book was to find out what really went wrong with the Smile album. Wilson touches lightly on the subject, it was clear that he didn't remember quite everything. Most of what was said has been documented before elsewhere (for the die-hards seek Domenic Priore's "Look!,Listen!,Vibrate!, Smile!-the real document which is much more detailed about this era.) Brian Wilson was brilliant, but spoiled. He manipulated people, including his family, to get what he wanted-even to a point to convince everyone he was insane. It worked. Even more disturbing is his abusive childhood, recounted in all its disgusting glory.

It is obvious that Landy was a chief resource and editor for this project. His influence is everywhere. (even almost all the photos in the book were provided by Landy). Wilsons constant family put-downs are long-awashed formulas of dealing with his overbearing paranoia, which nowadays he regrets, especially in light of the recent loss of his mother and younger brother.

Today Wilson enjoys a much happier life, remarried, reaquianting with his older children and an affirmation of being in "control" of his life. Ironically, when I first read this book in 1993, I immediately took side with Wilson-after all he did everything for his family-including the sale of his songs by his father, but the put-downs (though sometimes justified) are too monolithic at best.

At the time of this book, Wilson was going through one court case after another. The conservatorship (by his cousin Stan Love) and a lawsuit against Irving-Almo publishing (for the rights to his sons his father sold in 1969). He lost both, but the real reason the conservatorship was brought up in the first place was to get rid of Eugene landy; if Wilson had won the rights back to his songs, that would have meant millions of dollars of lost capital in the Wilson bank account (and within Eugene Landy's grasp). So I realized that it was critical that Landy was to be ousted from the Wilson stable.

Brian Wilson the artist will undoubtedly become one of the latter 20th century's best composers, his group will be forever immortalized within the Rock N' Roll hall of Fame and the california myth he created will be intact with our mentalities for ages to come..But Brian Wilson the person will be forever remembered as a drug-addicted crazy recluse who stayed in bed for years.

Sadly, this is the cold hard fact that this book produces.