The Beach Boys and the California Myth

by David Leaf

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0448146266
• ISBN13: 9780448146263
• Release Date: January 1978
• Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Your most reliable source...

...for the real facts. This book was one of the first Beach Boys bios to be published. Leaf is a fanatical Beach Boys expert, friend of the band to this day, and a frequent consultant on BB-related projects. His writing is not critical, but it is factual, and he tells the story well, illustrated with hundreds of vintage photos (reproduced from magazines, for the most part, so the quality is as dubious as the obscurity of the material is welcome). It is almost exclusively devoted to Brian. This is out of print, but due to be reprinted (hopefully in a radical update) soon.

Essential 4 fans!

Absolutely essential 4 Beach Boys & Brian Wilson fans, this is the 1st & best BB biography, full of great photos, terrific PET SOUNDS- & SMILE-era stories & background info, & Leaf doesn't short-change hard-core fans on the post-"Good Vibrations" era. Includes interviews with Brian's PET SOUNDS collaborator Tony Asher, Dennis Wilson on Charles Manson, Van Dyke Parks on his involvement with the band & Brian, & much more U can't find elsewhere. Full of great details, this was the 1st place where we got an up-close look at Brian & the Boys, & it remains the best look at this enduring American institution -- hey, they INVENTED California!

The Ultimate Book on the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson

I was one of those fortunate people that purchased this book when it was in print. There are two editions, the original and an updated one. Get the updated one if you can find it. (there is not that much of a time frame between the two, but it is an important time in the history of America's Band). And no sorry I am NOT willing to part with my copy. David Leaf is today still close to Brian Wilson, I have seen him at many of Brians recent concerts I can only hope that a revised edition or a new book is on the offering. David also wrote most of the liners notes for recent Beach Boys re-issues from Capitol records with one huge exception, the Pet Sounds Box set. He did the original booklet notes but if you know the Beach Boys then you know who blocked it and demanded a re-write by someone else. Dont "screw" with the formula indeed.

Worth it.

I'm in the midst of a year of Beach Boys studies, and reading this alongside the three other bios (Wouldn't It Be Nice, Heroes and Villains, The Nearest Faraway Place). Again and again, this is the one that has me shaking my head in amazement. The young David Leaf truly loved the band and interviewed them (and surrounding people) extensively to build this book. (His relationship with the band was such that he inspired Dennis Wilson to breach of his own accord the otherwise taboo subject of Charles Manson.) But his affection for the group does not dim the intensity of his scrutiny, for many painful facts and opinions are offered here, too. Even after 24 years, this is still the book that is at once most accurate and most fresh. Insanely, it's been out of print since its 1985 reissue, and not even Leaf himself can get reasonably-priced copies. He is said to be preparing an updated edition, but no other word is available on this.If you see it priced for $[money] or less, and you can afford it, do yourself a favor - its worth is equal to all other Beach Boys books combined. Alternately, you may find as I did that your local (or non-local) public library has a copy you can peruse, and perhaps photocopy a page or two (or 208) for reference.

The Definitive Look at Brian Wilson

This is essentially a biography of Brian Wilson. How the band, the california myth, etc. relates to Brian. Although it was published before Dennis' death, it still has many enlightening things to say.The book is neither too wordy (read Timothy White) nor strange and haphazard (read "Look, Listen, Vibrate, Smile"). Wilson friend David Leaf treats Brian with the utmost respect. And although it was written at a time where Brian was largely unavailable, Leaf does a comendable job collecting facts through friends and family.