I Am Brian Wilson
ISBN 978-0306823060 | |
I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir is the second autobiographical memoir of American musician Brian Wilson, written by journalist Ben Greenman through several months of interviews with Wilson.[1][2] It was intended to supplant Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story, Wilson's disowned autobiography from 1991.[3] I Am Brian Wilson was published by Da Capo Press on October 11, 2016, one month after the release of Mike Love's autobiography: Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy.[4]
Background
The memoir was announced in April 2013, reported to be written with journalist
In June 2015, Wilson reported: "One guy crapped out on me, so I’m doing it with somebody else. It has to be done."[6] In February 2016, it was reported that the book was "years in the making and [has] already seen at least one co-author hired and fired". Wilson said that the book was about "three-quarters" finished and that it was being written with help from friend Ray Lawlor. He likened the writing process to therapy, saying: "There are a lot of memories that go along with my book. I have to take the good memories with the bad memories."[7]
The book was ultimately completed with New York-based writer Ben Greenman. According to Wilson, the process involved many telephone interviews over the course of eight months, each lasting about 40 minutes. Greenman then put together the book.[1] When asked how he dealt with his inability to recollect some events, Wilson responded: "Well, the book needed to be factual. We did the movie [2015's Love & Mercy] first, which was factual—but it had parts of it that weren't actually as factual—but doing it helped my memory. So that helped with writing the book, which is almost all factual. I hope people can relate to it because none of it's fiction, as wild as some of it seems. It's fact!"[8]
Legitimacy
Journalist David Hepworth also wrote that "one senses" it was "guided by Wilson's wife and manager, Melinda".[9] Earlier in 2014, the project was met with skepticism by former collaborator Van Dyke Parks, who was approached for questioning by Fine's assistant via Twitter, responding, "Doesn't sound 'auto' to me!"[10] When asked about negative comments Wilson made in the book, Love responded: "He's not in charge of his life, like I am mine. His every move is orchestrated and a lot of things he's purported to say, there's not tape of it. But, I don't like to put undue pressure on him, either, because I know he has a lot of issues. Out of compassion, I don't respond to everything that is purportedly said by him."[11] As of November 2016, Love has not read Wilson's book.[11]
Critical response
Comparing it to Love's book,
Hepworth criticized the authors of both books for their lack of self-awareness, and Wilson's book specifically for having a tendency to "perfect[ly] recall ... every compliment he has ever been paid by a well-known musician."[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b Bream, Jon (September 29, 2016). "Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson dishes on memoir, Minneapolis 'Pet Sounds' concert". Star Tribune.
- ^ Bhattacharya, Sanjiv (June 15, 2016). "Brian Wilson: What I've Learned". Esquire.
- Ultimate Classic Rock.
- ^ Wolcott, James (August 5, 2016). "Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and the Psychodrama Behind the Beach Boys' Sun-Streaked Legacy". Vanity Fair.
- ^ Hann, Michael (April 15, 2013). "Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson to write autobiography". The Guardian.
- ^ Amarosi, A.D. (June 2015). "Wouldn't it be nice..." Icon.
- ^ Collins, Simon (February 5, 2016). "Brian Wilson revisits his Pet project". Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ Slate, Jeff (October 11, 2016). "How Brian Wilson Found Inspiration in the Artists Working Beside Him". Esquire.
- ^ a b Hepworth, David (October 16, 2016). "Why I want to tell the Beach Boys to get over themselves". New Statesman.
- ^ @thevandykeparks (May 19, 2014). "@hannahmarge:I'm the researcher for Brian Wilson's autobiography, would love to ask you a few questions VDP:---Doesn't sound "auto" to me!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Fessier, Bruce (November 17, 2016). "Beach Boys seek to overcome discord with new wave of Love". The Desert Sun.
- ^ Auerbach, Brad (October 12, 2016). "Brian Wilson Sets The Record Straight -- Book Review of His New Memoir". Forbes.
- ^ Kirby, David (September 30, 2016). "New Memoirs by The Beach Boys". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Light, Alan (November 30, 2016). "Rock Lives: This Season's Pop Music Biographies and Memoirs". The New York Times.
- ^ Brown, Helen (October 10, 2016). "Bad Vibrations: where did it all go wrong for the Beach Boys?". Telegraph.