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5a. What lawsuits has Mike set up against Brian?
5b. How is Charlie Manson affiliated with the Beach Boys?
5c. What Beach Boys fan clubs and fan 'zines exist?
5d. What books are available on the Beach Boys?
5e. What is that song John Stamos does in Full House?
5f. What do the Barenaked Ladies mean by "lying in bed like Brian Wilson"?
5g. Which acts have been influenced by Brian Wilson/Beach Boys?
5h. Have the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson ever won a Grammy award?
5i. Who was Dr. Landy and where is he now?
5j. Are there going to be movies about Brian and Dennis Wilson soon?
5a. What lawsuits has Mike set up against Brian?
In 1994, Mike won the lawsuit over the issue whether Mike deserved songwriting credits and royalties on several songs from which his name had been omitted. The jury awarded Mike six million dollars and songwriting credits on the following songs:
All Summer Long; Amusement Park USA; Be True To Your School; California Girls; Catch A Wave; Chug-A-Lug; Custom Machine; Dance, Dance, Dance; Do You Remember; Don't Back Down; Don't Hurt My Little Sister; Drive In; Farmer's Daughter; Finder's Keepers; 409; Good To My Baby; Hawaii; Help Me Rhonda; I Get Around; I Know There's An Answer; In The Back Of My Mind; Kiss Me Baby; Let Him Run Wild; Little Saint Nick; Merry Christmas Baby; Salt Lake City; Santa's Beard; She Knows Me Too Well; The Girl From New York City; The Man With All The Toys; The Noble Surfer; Wendy; When I Grow Up; Wouldn't It Be Nice; You're So Good To Me.
In 2005, Mike sued Brian for "shamelessly misappropriating Mike Love's songs, likeness and the Beach Boys trademark" during the promotion of Brian's "SMiLE" album. He claimed that the album undercut sales of Beach Boys albums, and the particular issue was a free album of Brian Wilson material given out with a UK Sunday paper. This lawsuit was dismissed.
5b. How is Charlie Manson affiliated with the Beach Boys?
Manson lived with Dennis before the murders for about six months. He saw himself as a would-be singer-songwriter. He recorded several songs in Brian's home studio and met several times with Terry Melcher (Doris Day's son) but was unable to secure a contract.
5c. What Beach Boys fan clubs and fan 'zines exist?
Fan Clubs:
Break Away With Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson Fan Club
15030 Ventura Blvd.
1 - 710
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
e-mail:
For information about the Beach Boys Fan Club, write to club president Alice Lillie at: Aliceprez@aol.com or go to the club website at http://www.beachboysfanclub.com
Beach Boys Britain
3 Mill Grove
Lutterworth
Leicestershire
LE17 4BS
Website - http://www.angelfire.com/la/Beachboysbritain
e-mail bbbritv@dialstart.net fax (+44) 01455 559433
Beach Boys Stomp
c/o Michael Grant
22 Avondale Road
Wealdstone
Middlesex HA3 7RE England
Beach Boys Australia
P.O. Box 106
North Stratfield 2137, AUSTRALIA
There are also currently individual clubs for Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, and Bruce Johnston.
Fan 'Zines:
Break Away with Brian Wilson: See above
Open Sky Magazine
To Order:
$6.00 includes s&h in U.S.
$8.50 outside U.S.
Send U.S. funds to Open Sky, 28 Wilson Road, Lambertville, NJ 08530
Email address: mosky@aosi.com
Endless Summer Quarterly
Please write to:
Casilla Postal 19996
Montevideo, Uruguay
40 Uruguayan pesos or $10 (U.S. funds)/year.
(A Spanish-language BB/BW club and fanzine.)
Beach Boys Italian Fan Club
Fan, Fan, Fan Magazine (in Italian for now)
Sent by e-mail to the subscribers of the fan club.
Subscribing is FREE, just to fill a form.
The URL of this Italian Fan Club is :
5d. What books are available on the Beach Boys?
The most commonly discussed books are:
Other books dealing with the Beach Boys are:
The Beach Boys- Dean Anthony
The Beach Boys: A Bio in Words & Pictures- Ken Barnes
The Beach Boys - The Early Years- Alan Clark
The Beach Boys: A California Pastoral- Bruce Golden
The Beach Boys Silver Anniversary- John Milward, 1985
The Dumb Angel Gazette- Domenic Priore, 1990
The Beach Boys- John Tobler
The Dark Stuff - Nick Kent 1996
Denny Remembered: DW in Words and Pictures- Ed Wincentsen, 1991
BOOKS (with chapters about the BB/BW)
Rock Wives- Victoria Balfour
Hal Blaine & the Wrecking Crew- Hal Blaine
Outlaw Blues- Paul Williams
Glimpses- Lewis Shiner
5e. What is that song John Stamos does in Full House?
It's called "Forever" and that version appears on the Beach Boys album "Summer in Paradise." The song was written by Dennis Wilson with Greg Jacobson, and many fans will tell you that the far superior version is the original one sung by Dennis on the "Sunflower" album (and also available on the "Good Vibrations:30 Years of the Beach Boys" box set).
5f. What do the Barenaked Ladies mean by "lying in bed like Brian Wilson"?
Brian Wilson was very reclusive for parts of life, due to the effects drug use and mental problems. In particular, he spent a lot of the 1973-1975 period in his room. The Barenaked Ladies song is a tribute, though, they acknowledge Brian as a modern-day genius. Brian actually performed an excerpt of the song at his April 2000 concerts at the Roxy Theatre.
5g. Which acts have been influenced by Brian Wilson/Beach Boys?
Many acts have acknowledged a musical debt to Brian Wilson/Beach Boys or have been clearly influenced by them. In no particular order, these acts include: Beatles (through Paul), Sean Lennon, Fleetwood Mac (mainly Lindsey Buckingham), ABBA, Jesus And Mary Chain, Moody Blues, ELO, Hollies, Stevie Wonder, Bee Gees, Barenaked Ladies, Garbage, Everclear, High Llamas, Velvet Crush, Mercury Rev, Elvis Costello, Thurston Moore, REM, XTC, Sonic Youth, Sugar Ray, Tom Petty, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Elton John, Saint Etienne, Stereolab, Smashing Pumpkins, Daft Punk, Avalanches, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Explorers Club, Foster The People.
5h. Have the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson ever won a Grammy award?
Brian Wilson received his first Grammy in a nominated category at the 2005 awards for "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" from SMiLE. It could be seen as slightly ironic that the master of vocal harmony received his first award in an instrumental category but many were relieved that he finally received this honor. The Beach Boys had never won in a nominated category until 2013, but did receive a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2001. Finally, in 2013, the group won a Grammy for the "SMiLE session" as best archival release.
There have been a number of unsuccesful nominations for Brian and the Beach Boys, including Good Vibrations in 1967, the Pet Sounds box set in 1999 and SMiLE in 2005 and 2006. In addition, Brian was nominated as MusiCares person of the year in 2005, and a special tribute was done for him before the Grammy in that year. Finally, Bruce Johnston has received a Grammy for "I Write The Songs."
5i. Who was Dr. Landy and where is he now?
Dr. Eugene Landy was a psychologist who is credited with helping Brian Wilson in the 70s and 80s through some of his most difficult periods of drug addiction and mental turmoil. However it is generally felt that he became too controlling of Brian, and used unethical practises to achieve this control. In 1991, Dr. Landy was prevented from further association with Brian. Landy passed away in 2006.
5j. Are there going to be movies about Brian and Dennis Wilson soon?
The proposed Dennis Wilson movie, with a working title of "The Drummer" seems to be cancelled, but filming has started on a Brian Wilson biopic called "Love And Mercy." The movie will be directed by Bill Pohlad, and will star Elizabeth Banks, John Cusack and Paul Dano.