It was film siren, Marilyn Monroe who just before her death told her friend, Susan Strasburg , “When you make it in Hollywood people will offer you 50 Grand for a kiss, but wouldn’t give you 50 cents for your soul! She also said that her life was much happier when she had worked at a factory and had one pair of nylons because that’s all she could afford. Now I got lots of money for nylons but happiness is something I can’t seem to buy.” They say success and riches bring happiness……..but a skeptic might turn that around and ask a pertinent question: What does one give up to attain these elusive gifts? And at what price? Reaching for the stars: The Beach Boys and the lost California Dream. The Beach Boys were 3 Wilson Brothers, Brian, Dennis, and Carl; their cousin, Mike Love; and a casual friend of Brian’s, Al Jardine. Like many other young novice musicians across America in the early 60’s the teens got together to form a garage band to play some of the tunes they loved from the radio. What would make this story different from hundreds of other like- scenarios were two people, eldest Wilson brother, Brian, and the Wilson brother’s father, Murry. The Beach Boys’ saga began innocently enough in 1961, when middle brother, Dennis suggested Brian and Mike Love write a song about surfing. Surfing was a popular sport on the beaches of Southern California. The two came up with a very basic 3 chord song titled, “Surfin’” that was released on the local Candix label in Los Angeles. The song turned out to be a minor local success and this is where the Wilson’s father, Murry entered the picture. Murry, a frustrated musician and songwriter, thought he might have a chance to get a foot in the music business even if was through his son Brian’s talent. He bullied Brian into writing some songs so he could beat a path to the big LA record companies. He was successful when he got Capitol Records to agree to a contract on the strength of two songs Brian and Mike had written, “Surfin’ Safari” and “409”. Capitol liked the songs but they also recognized the depth of Brian Wilson’s talent as a songwriter and producer. The Beach Boys massive career was about to take off, and the world as they knew it would never be the same. The Beach Boys rise to fame was really quite fast and painless; it wasn’t the endless string of empty halls, State Fairs, and shopping center openings. They hit at the right time, and the hits were solid with each song roaring up the charts. The Wilsons went from middle class suburbia to the opulence of Beverly Hills, from second hand cars to high priced sports cars, and money, more money than even people out of control could ever spend. But in the process the family dynamic was turned upside down; the father who a short time ago looked after the kid’s needs was now depending on the kids to look after his needs. But there were deeper issues in the Wilson family. Murry was envious of Brian’s talent and the attention he was getting from the record company and the rock media. The elder Wilson felt that he was the real talent of the family and he made sure he let everyone know……even Brian. It finally came to a head during the recording session for “Help Me Rhonda”. Brian could take no more and fired Murry from managing the band. The California Dream had become the California Myth…the happy songs belied what lay under those pristine vocal harmonies. The late 60’s saw a natural decline in the group’s popularity; the group itself was adrift with factions abounding. There was a sense that it all had to be propped up because like mother, Audree said many times, “What else can they do? All they ever did was play in the Beach Boys.” So as the future seemed bleak, Brian, who by this time had severe mental problems brought on by drug use decided he would contact the exiled Murry and write a song together. Murry found the request strange but he sat down at Brian’s home piano and co wrote the Beach Boys final single for Capitol Records, “Breakaway”. “Breakaway” was an unbelievable song. The chord changes were typical Brian Wilson and when he arranged and produced the record, the record company was flabbergasted. It was so complex vocally yet totally assessable that they thought it would be a hit. It wasn’t and the splintered Wilson family went on their way to struggle for another 4 years before things started to turn around. The Wilsons didn’t start off as a solid family unit and their ride to the top and subsequent fall from grace was the typical rags to riches to rags story one sees in the movies. But for the Wilsons….this was real life. They had their success, but look at what cost. PS: The only surviving member of the Wilson family is the man who wrote all the songs that brought them the fame that destroyed them: Brian Wilson.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 04:47:07 +0000
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