Brian wilson biography book

They say there are no second acts in American lives, and third acts are almost unheard of. That's part of what makes Brian Wilson's story so astonishing. As a cofounding member of the Beach Boys in the s, Wilson created some of the most groundbreaking and timeless popular music ever recorded. With intricate harmonies, symphonic structures, and wide-eyed lyrics that explored life's most transcendent joys and deepest sorrows, songs like "In My Room," "God Only Knows," and "Good Vibrations" forever expanded the possibilities of pop songwriting. Derailed in the s by mental illness, drug use, and the shifting fortunes of the band, Wilson came back again and again over the next few decades, surviving and-finally-thriving. Now, for the first time, he weighs in on the sources of his creative inspiration and on his struggles, the exhilarating highs and the debilitating lows.I Am Brian Wilson reveals as never before the man who fought his way back to stability and creative relevance, who became a mesmerizing live artist, who forced himself to reckon with his own complex legacy, and who finally completed Smile, the legendary unfinished Beach Boys record that had become synonymous with both his genius and its destabilization. Today Brian Wilson is older, calmer, and filled with perspective and forgiveness. Whether he's talking about his childhood, his bandmates, or his own inner demons, Wilson's story, told in his own voice and in his own way, unforgettably illuminates the man behind the music, working through the turbulence and discord to achieve, at last, a new harmony.

book by Brian Wilson

Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story is the first memoir by American musician Brian Wilson, written with celebrity journalist Todd Gold and published by HarperCollins in The book was heavily criticized for the implausibility of Wilson being its actual author, and it inspired multiple defamation lawsuits from his family members and associates.

Wilson later disowned the book. In court proceedings, he testified that he had been interviewed for about "thirty to forty hours" and skimmed through a rough draft before it was published. Wilson's business partner Eugene Landy was also closely involved with the writing. Gold disputed reports of Landy's involvement, although he acknowledged that portions of the book were paraphrased from other literature. He maintained that Wilson granted his approval to the chapters as they were being written and provided his own corrections.

Background and research

Gold told The Washington Post that he used notes prepared by writer Henry Edwards during interviews for a similar, unfinished book project in He provided further details of Wilson's involvement in a interview,

I had to learn not to always rely on him for every anecdote, but if I could do research and then bring a historical fact to him and ask him to embellish it he could do that. When he absolutely didn't remember [a detail] and it was important to have something about it in the book, things were paraphrased from other material. Or from other outside interviews In the end, Brian was given chapters as they were finished – three or four at a time and asked to approve them or correct them And he did. Landy was never ever around when I interviewed Brian and neither of them were ever around when I was at my computer working on the book.

Wilson stated under oath that he was interviewed for about "thirty to forty hours" and that he had skimmed through a draft of the book before it was published. His psychologis

autobiographical memoir

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. It was intended to supplant Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story, Wilson's disowned autobiography from I Am Brian Wilson was published by Da Capo Press on October 11, , one month after the release of Mike Love's autobiography: Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy.

Background

The memoir was announced in April , reported to be written with journalist Jason Fine, published by Coronet Books, and given a release date. While Wilson's website stated that he "will describe for the first time the epic highs and lows of his life", The Guardian noted that Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story had covered many of the same topics mentioned by the site. However, the book is considered "controversial" in Wilson lore, and predates his solo resurgence of the s.

In June , Wilson reported: "One guy crapped out on me, so I’m doing it with somebody else. It has to be done." In February , 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."

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. When asked how he dealt with his inability to recollect some events, Wilson responded: "Well, the book neede

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Am Brian Wilson Gone/Almost Gone Non-Fiction/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Non-Fiction/Categories/Music/Rock & Pop/Non-Fiction/Categories/Music/Music Biographies/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Autobiographies & Memoirs/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Autobiographies & Memoirs/Music Autobiographies & MemoirsOne of three brothers and a cousin who formed The Beach Boys in the early s, Brian Wilson emerged as the leading creative f