Luis Sanchez - The Beach Boys Smile

SMILEPraise for the series: It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom Exile on Main Street or Electric Ladyland are as significant and worthy of study as The Catcher inthe Rye or Middlemarch The series is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration The New York Times Book Review Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just arent enough Rolling Stone One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet Bookslut These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool. Each volume in this series takes a seminal album and breaks it down in startling minutiae. We love these. We are huge nerds Vice A brilliant series each one a work of real love NME (UK) Passionate, obsessive, and smart Nylon Religious tracts for the rock n roll faithful Boldtype [A] consistently excellent series Uncut (UK) We arent naive enough to think that were your only source for reading about music (but if we had our way watch out). For those of you who really like to know everything there is to know about an album, youd do well to check out Continuums 33 1/3 series of books PitchforkFor reviews of individual titles in the series, please visit our blogat 333sound.com and our website at http://www.bloomsbury.com/musicandsoundstudiesFollow us on Twitter: @333booksLike us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/33.3books For a complete list of books in this series, see the back of this book Forthcoming in the series: Biophilia by Nicola Dibben Ode to Billie Joe by Tara Murtha The Grey Album by Charles Fairchild Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables by Mike Foley Freedom of Choice by Evie Nagy Live Through This by Anwyn Crawford My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kirk Walker Graves Dangerous by Susan Fast Definitely Maybe by Alex Niven Exile in Guyville by Gina Arnold Sigur Ros: ( ) by Ethan Hayden and many more Smile Luis Sanchez Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc 1385 Broadway 50 Bedford Square New York London NY 10018 WC1B 3DP USA UK www.bloomsbury.comBloomsbury is a registered trade mark of BloomsburyPublishing Plc First published 2014 Luis Sanchez, 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the author. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sanchez, Luis A. The Beach Boys Smile / Luis A. Sanchez. pages cm. -- (33 1/3) Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-62356-258-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Beach Boys. 2. Smile. 3. 3.

Rock music--United States--1961-1970--History and criticism. I. Title. ML421.B38S26 2014 782.421660922--dc23 2013049575 ISBN: 978-1-62356-956-3 Typeset by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 8NN Track Listing 1. Our Prayer (1:06) 2. Gee (0:51) 3.

Heroes and Villains (4:53) 4. Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock) (3:36) 5. Im in Great Shape (0:29) 6. Barnyard (0:48) 7. My Only Sunshine (The Old Master Painter / You Are My Sunshine) (1:57) 8. Cabin Essence (3:32) 9.

Wonderful (2:04) 10. Look (Song for Children) (2:31) 11. Child Is Father of the Man (2:14) 12. Surfs Up (4:12) 13. I Wanna Be Around / Workshop (1:23) 14. Vega-Tables (3:49) 15.

Holidays (2:33) 16. Wind Chimes (3:06) 17. The Elements: Fire (Mrs. OLearys Cow) (2:35) 18. Love to Say Dada (2:32) 19. Good Vibrations (4:13) Contents Acknowledgments viii Introduction: What This Book is About California Unbound The Pop Miseducation of Brian Wilson To Catch a Wave Smile, Brian Loves You Bibliography 119 Selected Discography 126 vii Acknowledgments Thanks to Simon Frith, first of all, for encouraging the idea that a cultural historical study of The Beach Boys was something worth pursuing, and for supporting the work along the way.

Thanks to Van Dyke Parks for inviting me to his home, generously sharing his time and perspective, and for giving me a much-needed shot in the arm at a moment when it felt like the research hit a dead end. Thanks, also, to David Barker and Ally Jane Grossan at Bloomsbury for giving me the chance to turn my ideas into something worth reading. Big shout outs to Kyle Devine and Kieran Curran for reading early drafts and helping me hone ideas. Special thanks to my mother for supporting my endeavors always. Lastly, for her capacity to endure me at my most insufferable and still laugh at my jokes, much love to Theresa. viii Introduction: What This Book is About It was meant to be funny.

Two men dressed as police officers, with dark aviator sunglasses and mustaches, enter through the front door. We follow them as they march through a circuit of rooms in a rather large suburban mansion. They arrive at a large bedroom where a dazed, haggard bear of a man, draped in a teal bathrobe, sits at the edge of a king-sized bed in the center of the room, talking on the phone. He glares at the two men, one short, one tall, and hangs up the phone. Were from the highway patrol surf squad, Short Officer announces. We have a citation for you here, sir, under section 936-A of the California Catch a Wave statute, says Tall Officer.

Youre in violation of paragraph 12: neglecting to surf, neglecting to use a state beach for surfing purposes, and otherwise avoiding surfboards, surfing, and surf. Big guy in the bathrobe does not look well. Swollen, unshaven, greasy, he could use a shower. Surfing?! I dont want to go surfing! he protests. Now look, you S M I L E guys, Im not going! Youll get your hair wet, you get sand in your shoes, okay. Im not going.

The surf squad isnt fazed. They have a job to do. In rehearsed cadence, they press on, demanding more than requesting. Come on, Brian. Lets go surfin now, says Short Officer. Everybodys learnin how, says Tall Officer.

Come on a safari with us, they say in unison. Suddenly without protest, bathrobe guy rises from his bedside. Towering above of the officers, swollen paunch protruding in front of him, he is escorted out of the room. Alright, okay, lets go. Lets go surfin, he mutters. The police officers are played by comedic actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.

The sorry man in the bathrobe is Brian Wilson. On cue, The Beach Boys unmistakable Surfin Safari punches in. Mike Love sings through his nose. Carl Wilson does his best Chuck Berry. The rest of the guys ooh and ahh in signature harmony. This is the soundtrack for the rest of the sequence.

We watch the surf squad officers transport the perp in a patrol car, bright yellow surfboard fastened to the roof, from his Bel Air home to an open Southern California beach spot. When they get to edge of the water, Brian pauses for a moment, surfboard gripped under his arm, bathrobe flapping in the breeze. He gazes blankly at the waves. Anticipating whats next, its difficult to know whether the stance he takes is one of muted panic, or just super Zen. The surf squad escorts him into the water, and the next part is hard to watch. Brian belly-slides his way on to the board but cant seem to find his vertical bearings.