The Dark Side of the Beach Boys

WatchMojo

More like BAD vibrations, are we right? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be discussing The Dark Side of The Beach Boys.

Transcript

00:00 Here are the Beach Boys!

00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be discussing the dark side of the Beach Boys.

00:11 They exist as one of the oldest touring groups in rock and roll, alongside the Zombies and the

00:20 Rolling Stones, and are clearly one of America's most iconic bands. But there's a dark side to

00:27 everything in life if you look hard enough, even the otherwise bright and cheery sounding music

00:34 of the Beach Boys. How much joy was actually behind the scenes of the venerable group's origins,

00:39 commercial success, and personal struggles?

00:42 Family Issues

00:44 The Beach Boys formed in 1961 and found success only a couple of years after getting together in

00:51 the Garage. Actually, make that the Family Garage, since the Beach Boys' complicated legacy heavily

01:05 involves the Wilson Family. Murray Wilson was the family patriarch, an aspiring songwriter who

01:12 managed the Beach Boys during the early part of their career. Brian Wilson was the group's leader

01:24 and primary songwriter, aided by brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson, cousin Mike Love, and family

01:30 friend Al Jardim. Another young friend, David Marks, performed on the Beach Boys' early hit

01:36 albums including Surfin' USA and Little Deuce Coupe. The group's classic lineup, however,

01:42 primarily focuses upon these aforementioned five members. The elder Wilson was, by most accounts,

01:55 a cruel man who seemed to take perverse delight in abusing his sons both mentally and physically.

02:03 Stories also circulated that Murray Wilson would occasionally remove his glass eye in order to

02:08 torment his boys. Some claim Brian's partial deafness resulted from a childhood beating by

02:14 his father, although recollections differ as to the exact cause of his hearing loss. However,

02:25 many think Brian Wilson preferred mixing his albums in mono rather than stereo due to this

02:31 handicap. Father and sons would clash over publishing rights, especially after Murray,

02:36 who had been ousted as manager, sold them off in the late 1960s. Genius has a cost.

02:52 There's simply no way to tell the Beach Boys' story without discussing the musical genius of

02:57 Brian Wilson. The band's surf rock sound was popular, sure, but the artistic standing of

03:08 pop music enjoyed a significant jump once Brian discovered the production technique and style

03:14 of Phil Spector. Specifically, it was Spector's work on the landmark "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes

03:20 that served as a lightbulb moment for Brian's own studio experimentation. Brian had already hired

03:33 Outside Musical Health for some of the Beach Boys' latter-day surf records, but it was now

03:38 time to fully utilize members of the famous wrecking crew for what would become his magnum opus.

03:49 It isn't hyperbole to describe Pet Sounds as one of the most influential rock records

03:54 ever produced, because honestly, it is. There was already a creative arms race of sorts,

04:08 with groups like the Beach Boys attempting to catch up and outdo British invasion acts like

04:13 the Beatles. That said, the undeniable greatness that is Pet Sounds didn't come without a cost.

04:24 The stresses of writing, recording, and touring took its toll on Brian,

04:28 and the songwriter suffered a nervous breakdown in 1967, only a year after the release of Pet

04:33 Sounds. Wilson would eventually turn towards substances in the aftermath of this breakdown,

04:39 in an effort to combat the severe depression and agoraphobia that tortured this now reclusive genius.

04:45 Dennis' Downward Spiral

04:55 Brian Wilson wasn't the only Beach Boy to go to war with substance use disorder.

05:04 Drummer Dennis Wilson was another talent within the Beach Boys' creative nucleus,

05:09 releasing an excellent solo record in 1977 titled Pacific Ocean Blue.

05:14 Dennis was also the only member of the Beach Boys who actively enjoyed surfing,

05:26 but the musician would also be continually tempted by alcohol,

05:29 heroin, and sex throughout his life, and often overindulged in all three.

05:35 While Brian Wilson's deep dive into his own mind resulted in poor hygiene, paranoia,

05:40 and weight gain, Dennis' path to excess caused him to cross paths with one of history's most

05:46 infamous figures, Charles Manson. The Beach Boys drummer had picked up a couple of hitchhiking

05:57 female associates of Manson, and eventually brought them both to his home on Sunset Boulevard.

06:02 Soon, a sort of living arrangement was ushered in, with some members of Manson's family

06:13 cohabitating the premises, and with the cult leader collaborating with Wilson on songwriting.

06:18 This partnership resulted in a song actually being recorded by the Beach Boys, albeit with

06:24 a retitling and a complete omission of Manson as co-songwriter. The tune, originally titled

06:34 Cease to Exist and now known as Never Learn Not to Love, wound up as a B-side, but serves as

06:41 physical proof of the chaotic scene that was the Manson family's brief crossover with Beach Boys

06:47 culture. Dennis' Later Days Things would only get worse for both Dennis and Brian Wilson as the

06:58 70s dragged on into the 80s. The lasting effects of Dennis Wilson's drug use debilitated both his

07:10 singing and drumming abilities, and he was let go from the group. This unpredictable behaviour had

07:16 escalated into reported bouts of violence while the Beach Boy was in romantic relationships with

07:21 both actress Karen Lamb and Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie. Dennis' final partner before

07:32 his 1983 death was a woman named Sean Marie Harris, the latter of whom claimed to be the

07:37 daughter of Dennis' cousin, Mike Love. Love denies this claim, but it was Harris who successfully

07:43 intervened on Dennis' behalf to have his body buried at sea without cremation after the drummer

07:49 drowned on December 28th, 1983. Mike Love is a controversial figure. Speaking of Mike Love,

08:10 his role in the Beach Boys story is largely relegated to villain, although the reality is

08:15 much more complicated. What is true is the current Beach Boys singer's history of litigiousness

08:28 concerning royalties to which Love feels he's entitled. The lawsuits basically outline how

08:33 many of the songs in question, despite relying heavily on Brian Wilson's creative leadership,

08:38 were bolstered by contributions from Mike Love. Mike Love was also vilified for a now infamous

08:53 speech when the Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. It was a

08:59 combative, combustible and frankly embarrassing scene where Love seemed to point fingers and issue

09:05 challenges to all of classic rock's all-time greats, from the Stones to the Beatles. Love

09:19 has also been criticised for the continued monetisation and commercialisation of the

09:23 Beach Boys as a brand, lending their name to everything from a failed animated cartoon

09:28 to a cringeworthy rap experiment during an episode of Baywatch. Brian's controversial

09:41 therapist One massive hit from the Mike Love era was Kokomo, a soundtrack cut from the 1988 film

09:47 Cocktail. The music video for this song notably featured John Stamos on conga drums, but no Brian

09:57 Wilson. Wilson, at the time, seemed to be controlled by a psychologist named Eugene Landy.

10:02 It was Landy's controversial approach to rehab and therapy that assisted Brian in emerging from

10:10 his self-imposed cocoon of exile. However, it did so at the expense of Landy indoctrinating himself

10:17 into every aspect of his patient's life. This included garnering compositional credits on

10:23 Beach Boys songs, as well as performing managerial responsibilities and charging

10:28 a substantial financial fee. Interview footage from this time showcases exactly how much control

10:42 Landy possessed over much of Brian Wilson's personal and professional life. It sadly also

10:53 echoes the Beach Boys' current status under a conservatorship. Landy was eventually excised

10:58 from Wilson's life by the latter's family, who filed a restraining order against the psychologist.

11:03 Landy would eventually lose his license to practice in California,

11:15 although Wilson remained steadfast in his appreciation for the doctor's assistance

11:19 during his darkest years. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the

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11:40 on notifications. Brian continues to face struggles. Yet, the hallucinations and voices

11:48 that have continually haunted Brian Wilson as a result of neurocognitive disorder issues remain

11:53 a problem. He's been widowed by his second wife, Melinda, herself a controversial figure due to

12:03 the alleged creative control she exerted over the 2014 film Love and Mercy, and is due, as of May

12:09 2024, to be placed under a legal conservatorship. "An LA judge found that Wilson is unable to care

12:15 for himself because of a major neurocognitive disorder." This occurred just as the group he

12:21 co-founded, The Beach Boys, announced yet another summer tour with Mike Love at the helm. This

12:26 duality of darkness and light doesn't go unnoticed by the group's fans. Those who have followed The

12:31 Beach Boys since the era of Fun Fun Fun, their music has brought joy and light to the lives of

12:37 countless followers. Yet, it's the inherent darkness within their story that perhaps

12:42 makes The Beach Boys' tumultuous history such a fascinating subject.

12:46 What facts surprised you the most about The Beach Boys' history? Let us know in the comments!

12:58 *Happy Rondo*

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