Wouldn't it Be Nice: My Own Story

Wouldn't it Be Nice: My Own Story

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3.72 of 5 stars 3.72  ·  rating details  ·  393 ratings  ·  49 reviews
This autobiography describes Wilson's 20-year nightmare of drug addiction, alcoholism, obesity and mental illness. He lost his family and he nearly lost his life. It is a frank discussion of what destroyed his life and of the controversial forces which helped to save it. -- studentbookworld.com The founder and creative genius behind the mega-successful Beach Boys tells the...more
Hardcover, 398 pages
Published October 1st 1991 by HarperCollins Publishers
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Paul
Feb 06, 2011 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: worshippers at the church of Brian Wilson
THE LIFE OF BRIAN IN 12 SONGS

1) At first it was all fun, sun and bikinis.

The girls on the beach
Are all within reach
If you know what to do


I suppose he doesn't just mean "grow very long arms"

2) Then it was the troubled pop genius

They say I got brains but they ain't doin me no good..I just wasn't made for these times sigh sigh heavenly harmonies oooh ooh aaaaah

3) Then the drugs kicked in

I know that you'll feel better when you write us in a letter and tell us the name of your favorite vegetable

Er...more
Monica
Oct 05, 2008 Monica rated it 5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Monica by: Paul
Shelves: biography, music
What do you think? Is this really good? If there’s one book about Brian would this be it?
9/19 Nobody answered me so I got my own copy to decide for myself!

Review:
10/15/08 My answer. The vote is in. Finishing this book was like loosing a friend. I wanted to go on reading it forever. Anything I pick up now won't come close to how much I enjoyed this book.

I was a full-fledged music fan when Brian's million dollar hits graced global airwaves. Having seen “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times”, I knew...more
Lily Bart
Beautiful book, but HEROES AND VILLAINS is far more objective!

The thing that made this book sad for me was not so much that phony "Dr. Landy" is called Brian's savior and that Brian supposedly "wrote" this book under his brain-warping influence. The sad thing is that Brian really did write this and feels the need to justify a lot of his own mistakes by running down other people, aside from Dr. Landy.

Marilyn Wilson married Brian at 16 and basically gave up her whole adolescence, and young adultho...more
Michael Rowland
Jun 29, 2012 Michael Rowland rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Gossip-mongerers
Recommended to Michael by: Nobody. I was warned to stay away.
I rate this book two stars not only for the poor writing but also the perverse and sickening feeling that crept upon me as I read it. The first half of the story is pretty standard "autobiographical" schlock. It's full of bizarre anecdotes about Wilson's childhood and then the rise to success and the burden it started to take on him. It's no secret that most autobiographies are written by outside parties and that is forgivable, if annoying. What isn't forgivable is the way this book so clearly i...more
Steve
There's essentially two halves to this book: the first half, with deals mostly with Brian's pre-Landy life, and the second half, which is his Landy and (briefly) post-Landy life. The former is interesting and engaging reading, and hell, maybe some of it is true! Though in Wouldn't It Be Nice, I'd take everything with a sizable lick of salt. But even if it's mostly fabrication, at least it's good reading, and for that, the first half of the book deserves a much higher rating than the 3-stars I ga...more
Garrett VanderLeun
I've read a lot of books on The Beach Boys. I've watched a lot of documentaries, performances and interviews. I love the band, I love their obscure songs, I love Brian Wilson for his genius and his oddness, I love Dennis Wilson for his recklessness, I love the brief membership of Blondie Chaplin, and I love Mike Love for being a total asshole. I'd like to think I have a pretty good handling on their history and their varied personalities, some of which is certifiable fact and some of which is op...more
Bob Breckwoldt
A strange book. The subject of much early 1990s litigation between various members of the band, with Brian Wilson holding up his hands to say he didn't write it, or couldn't remember it, or it was someone else's memories. Still a fascinating glimpse, primarily, into the relationship between Dr Landy and his team and Brian Wilson: patient and psychologist; co-songwriters; co-book writers; manager and client; would be film producers etc. Only in America could such behaviour continue for so long. S...more
Caroline
Fascinating, and often disheartened. The abuse, addictions, and mental illness that Brian Wilson endured become somewhat fathomable, but the insult to injury is being surrounded by family and bandmates that in no way help Brian Wilson, they would rather keep riding the coattails of his genius and success. This book raises some interesting thoughts about intensive (and expensive) radical psychotherapy.

This is the kind of book I feel I could go on an on for hours about. The best epilogue is seeing...more
Nic
I wanted to love this, but the entire book is drowning in misplaced anger against Wilson's family - of course your kids aren't going to support you in this latest venture - writing a confessional - look how much crap you've put them through. People generally seem to find autobiog writing cathartic, but Wilson's inability to recognise just how much he's put his family and the Beach Boys through, annoyed me no end. Even during his most drug-addled days, only he could see that Charles Manson should...more
Lisette Brodey
When I began reading this “autobiography” about Brian Wilson’s life, I was pretty sure that I would probably rate it with three, probably four stars. So why the one star? I’ll tell you:

This book by Brian Wilson, as told to Todd Gold, was at first, to me, quite an interesting read. While I had heard about Wilson’s struggle with mental illness and drugs, I had never known any of the details. So, it was quite eye opening to read Wilson’s account of his father, Murry Wilson’s lifetime of abuse and h...more
Derek
While an entertaining read, the entire latter half of Wouldn't It Be Nice could have been trimmed to half its length, particularly the sections Brian Wilson devotes to exalting his then-psychiatrist, Dr. Eugene Landy. This book was written before a court order prohibited Landy from seeing Wilson, and the second half of the book feels more like a deposition where Wilson is attempting to restore Landy's character than an actual memoir.

I loved the beginning chapters describing the formation of the...more
Kenny
If Brian Wilson actually wrote this biography (and there are plenty of people who dispute that, ascribing it to his psychologist-songwriting partner-best friend-music producer Dr. Eugene Landy), it is, without a doubt, the most honest, sad, and ultimately heartbreaking self-revelation of anyone who has ever scaled the heights of stardom and success.

If it is factually accurate, then it is the most compelling cautionary tale of excess and its costs ever written. If it is not, then why did I finish...more
Eli
Jun 29, 2008 Eli rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who like Brian Wilson or are interested in crazy Hollywood types
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Vicki
Pretty wild.

I know there's a problem when it comes to knowing what to believe in this book. Is it really Brian Wilson writing, or is it the influence of Dr. Landy? Whatever you take away from it all, it's really a sad story. It's interesting to hear how the music came to BW, and how his process goes. (Or went, I guess.) It's cool hearing where songs came from. And given what everybody thinks about Dr. Landy so many years after this book was written, I think the book needs to be enjoyed in that...more
Glen Russell Slater
Poorly-written book in which Brian Wilson expounds his own theories about what made him mentally ill. A little bit over-simplified and silly, since mental illness cannot be easily blamed on any one thing. He seems to put much of the blame on his father. I wasn't there while he was growing up, but this seems to be a little bit over-simplified. On the plus side of the book, it does have some interesting anecdotes about the Beach Boys that I haven't seen elsewhere. But overall, I think that the boo...more
Bill
Feb 17, 2009 Bill added it
The awesome and exploitative book Brian Wilson wrote while under the gun of his insane charlaton psychiatrist Dr. Landy. A weird account of how Wilson wrote the best Beach Boys songs and then went nuts from a combination of mental disorders, manipulation and stress from the the evil, arrogant Phil Spector. Awesome.
Steve
This is an interesting and heart-breaking story. Unfortunately, the book was written largely under the direction of Eugene Landy. It's my understanding that he influenced a lot of the book.

But yeah, Brian Wilson is in the top ten musical geniuses of the 20th Century, and a crushing story.
Nick
Jul 28, 2011 Nick added it
It may not be Brian Wilson's own story as he was heavily under the influence of his psychologist Eugene Landy, who was subsequently barred from practising in the US. So take it with a large packet of salt and salted products. But an interesting piece in the never to be clear Beach Boys picture.
J.B. Siewers
interesting story for a Beach Boys fan, felt a bit redundant after a while about the music situations, and heavy on the addiction/mental problems and relationship issues (band and father) but non the less, when in Malibu ect.......
Sean Mccarrey
If it weren't for the last half where Wilson makes his therapist into some sort of deity, the book would have been five stars. It's really fascinating, especially if you love the Beach Boys music like I do.
Carmen
A book by a living legend and genius of music, Brian Wilson. Chock full of good stories although apparently it was ghost written by Wilson's therapist at the time, Eugene Landy (the book came out in '91). The claim is debatable, I guess. In all, Wilson comes off as a very, very sensitive and gifted man obsessed with perfection and under immense pressure to keep the hits coming until he finally and inevitably lost his marbles. And you kind of can't help not liking Mike Love at conclusion although...more
TrenTren
That he made it through the stuff that you will read about, is really miraculous and makes my life so far seem like a cake walk. Poor sweet little genius Brian Wilson. I just adore him.
James
This memoir, written by the most famous of Beach Boys started well but quickly descended into narcissistic, new age-y psychobabble. The first third, detailing his abusive childhood at the hands of his monster father was harrowing but at least free of self-pity. His rise to fame and eventual breakdown at the hands of drugs and schizophrenia was slightly interesting but pretty standard stuff where rock 'n' roll biographies are concerned. The last third unfortunately is barely readable and mostly c...more
Rod
Crazy story. I'll never listen to the Beach Boys music the same way again.
What abunch of spoiled morons.

Sure wrote some great songs though.
Marco
My goodness, this one really set me off into wanting to learn and listen to all things Brian & the BB's. Craziness all the way.
You never knew.
Lettycia
i ADORE brian wilson! "girl don't tell me you'll wri-i-ite. girl don't tell me you'll write me again this time ..."
Colin
I really enjoyed this. Even with its redundancy, in the end it was necessary to tell a good story. In retrospect, I also enjoyed the kinda sadness it made me feel. I had a hard time putting it down. The Beach Boys were real dicks to Brian.
Alex Cornetto
I loved it so much more before I found out quite how much of it was written by his shrink...
Zardoz
One of the best Bio's ive ever read....even if ya not a Beach Boys fan you will love it
Jason McKinzie
A compelling read for anyone interested in the story of an artist at odds with the world around him. I only give it three stars because the book was heavily influenced (and arguably cowritten) by Wilson's therapist at the time, Eugene Landy, and spends many unnecessary pages defending same. There have also been questions regarding how much of the book is fact-based, and how much is based on the addled recollections of a former drug addict. Regardless, if you like memoirs about overcoming adversi...more
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Wouldn't It Be Nice (Paperback)
Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story
Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story (Mass Market Paperback)
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Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician best known as the lead songwriter, bassist, and singer of the American pop band The Beach Boys. Wilson was also the band's main producer, composer, and arranger. The lead vocal parts for The Beach Boys recordings were primarily sung by either Wilson, his brother Carl, or Mike Love.

Early influences included The Four Freshmen and Chuck Berry, among others...more
More about Brian Wilson...
SMiLE SMiLE: The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece

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