Reader Guide
Thank you for taking the time to peruse A Book of Brian Wilson, a place for detailed study of the life and career of musician Brian Wilson.
The materials in A Book of Brian Wilson are classified among six separate categories of posts, as described below. All categories deal with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, but differ in character and focus. Each of the following categories should always be accessible from the navigation bar, located at the top of the homepage.
Introduction
It is suggested that readers first orient themselves by reading the first entry of the Introduction. It is written in Q & A format. The Q & A is intended to provide the reader with a grounding with which to review the rest of the material distributed across this publication.
Series: A History of Brian Wilson (1942-1967)
A History of Brian Wilson is a series of postings that will comprise a narrative summary of Brian Wilson’s life, starting basically from birth, and proceeding through the era of the Pet Sounds album (1966) and the legendary “Smile-era” of 1966 and 1967. In this series, Brian’s life and career with the Beach Boys will be recounted in direct, linear fashion. As mentioned in the Q & A, the inevitable emphasis of the narrative is not the Beach Boys group, but Brian Wilson as the central figure.
A History of Brian Wilson offers a subjective and opinionated view of the Beach Boys’ “California saga.” As readers will discover, there are certain matters about which I feel no obligation to remain “neutral.” I have interpreted (or reinterpreted) certain events and framed them so as to direct the reader’s attention toward matters that, in my opinion, other commentators have ignored, misread, glossed over, or approached (perhaps wisely) only with trepidation.
Further:
(1) While a D.I.Y. social media platform has certain unavoidable drawbacks—including lack of editorial input—it allows me to spend as much time as needed on various topics. Please be warned that the historical narrative is at times very granular, venturing far into the Beach Boy weeds. I hope and trust that a small, dedicated, and open-minded readership will appreciate this, which in any case is done not for the sake of gratuitous geekery, but because the little details, cumulatively, are the foundation upon which the big picture (at least as I see it) rests.
(2) As noted in the introductory Q & A, there is a vast store of information—raw Beach Boys “data”—that remains inaccessible to a member of the general public like myself. So A History of Brian Wilson will be influenced not only by my personal orientation, but by the fact that I am writing without the benefit of certain unattainable information.
(3) As with the main title of this publication, this is A history of Brian Wilson, not The history of Brian Wilson.
(4) Although A History of Brian Wilson extends only through 1967—the year the Beach Boys’ storied Smile album collapsed—it is lengthy, and is expected to span many posts. Although it is too early to say, I anticipate that after concluding the History with the collapse of the Smile project in 1967, the historical narrative will cease. If there is any subsequent material to follow, its focus will shift to the Smile music itself and the Smile-era of Brian Wilson’s career.
(5) It is strongly recommended that all posts within A History of Brian Wilson be read in chronological order. The proper sequence can be ascertained not from the main title of a given post, but from its subtitle. For example, the post with the main title of “Meet the Wilson Brothers” bears the subtitle below it: “Part 3 of A History of Brian Wilson.” Clicking here (for example) will give you an idea of how main titles and subtitles are organized for postings.
Series: Brian Wilson in Perspective
This series of posts are non-chronological in nature. Unlike entries in the History of Brian Wilson category, the subject matter of a given post will not be fixed to a specific moment in the (distant) past. While A History of Brian Wilson has a storytelling flavor as each post moves forward sequentially in time, the Perspective posts will be more straightforward as criticism or “analysis.” The overall subject of each post is Brian Wilson as he exists today, and how we, the members of the public, view his music, career, and life-story. (It is now the year 2024, after all, not 1965.) The series begins with commentary on some of the challenges or obstacles that come up when trying to deal with Brian’s story and that of the Beach Boys.
As the series proceeds, it may be rambling and discursive. Nevertheless, as with the essays in the History category, I recommend that posts within this series be read in the intended sequence, which can always be determined by checking the subtitle of the post. For example, the post with the main title of “Controllers” bears a subtitle indicating that it is Part 2 of the Brian Wilson in Perspective series.
UPDATE: As of late 2023, I have temporarily suspended postings for Brian Wilson in Perspective. Currently, only the first four installments have been posted. Postings for this category should resume at some point—hopefully by the end of 2025...
Series: Miscellany
This category of posts will be a home for any random commentary pertaining to the Brian Wilson/Beach Boys story. Subject matter and format of the posts may vary. Regardless of its specific focus, each of these posts will be self-contained—it will not be part of a longer sequence of posts.
Series: Appendix
On occasion, the overall subject matter of a post, or maybe a specific point of interest within the post may call for additional commentary. Basically a footnote or endnote. Although some posts will have endnotes, there will be times at which a note isn’t suitable, due to its length or complexity. There may be cases where the anticipated endnote would overwhelm the post to which it would be attached. Rather than weigh down a post with endnotes of excessive length (or otherwise detract from the main focus of the post), such additional commentary will be placed in this section as part of an appendix.
Series: Reference Material
As indicated in the Q & A, it wouldn’t have been possible to prepare A Book of Brian Wilson without the preexisting work of a number of journalists, writers, critics, fans, and filmmakers.
Most, if not all of the posts falling under the category of “Reference Material” will be lists of relevant sources. Currently, there is only one post in this category, which is limited to Beach Boys-focused material (books, articles, podcasts, websites, etc.). Other lists may be provided in the future. If there is ever cause for an extended discussion or explanatory note regarding source materials, that post will be included within this category, or series.
I hope this Guide will prove useful. Of course, readers are free to jump around and read posts on any subject, and in whatever order he or she chooses. This is the reader’s prerogative, with the caveat that doing this is likely to detract from the text as it is meant to be read.
As stated in the Q & A, the opinions expressed in A Book of Brian Wilson remain my own; they should not be attributed to or blamed on anybody else. Thank you.
—JH
