Brian Wilson, best known for his work with the Beach Boys, is one of popular music's most revered figures. The main creative force behind some of the most cherished recordings in rock history and one of the most influential composers of the last century, Wilson became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2007. A father of seven, he lives with his wife in Beverly Hills, California.
BrianWilson.com
Ben Greenman is a contributing writer to the New Yorker and a New York Times bestselling author. He collaborated with Questlove on his hip-hop memoir Mo' Meta Blues and cowrote George Clinton's memoir. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
The Arts Desk, 10/16/16
"It's intriguing to get a Wilson's-eye view of his own legend--it's
one of the great tales of the music business, after all...All the
key elements of Brian's life are here...Where the book really
lights up is when Wilson talks in detail about music. There are
fascinating descriptions of the recording of "God Only Knows", the
Pet Sounds, Surf's Up and Holland albums and the difficulties he
had with the SMiLE material...When he analyses the influence of the
Beatles, the Stones and Phil Spector, it evokes the extraordinary
intensity of the mid-Sixties musical eruption that the Beach Boys
were caught up in." Toronto Star, 10/15/16
"The book jumps through time, the drugs, the mental illness, the
music, the love and the pain. It has charming asides." Maclean's,
10/16/16
"[The] book pulls no punches: Wilson openly discusses his five
decades of mental issues, his struggles with an abusive father,
drugs, alcohol and weight, his debilitating fears and his failures
(and successes) as a husband, dad and bandmate."
"[An] alternatingly sad and inspiring memoir."
--Downtown Magazine, 11/17/16
"[A] must-read for any Beach Boys fan, packed with
never-before-seen personal photos and incredible anecdotes." --Over
Sixty
"[Wilson] depicts mental illness candidly."--Austin Chronicle
"[Wilson] tells his story with incredible intensity, candidness,
and humor...It is as if we are having an extended and intimate
conversation with Wilson...There has been a veritable avalanche of
autobiographies and memoirs from aging rockers in recent years as
they begin to contemplate their place in rock history. I Am Brian
Wilson takes its hard-earned place in the front of these books. It
is not to be missed." --Washington Independent Review of Books
"[Wilson] tells it his way, and that makes it better than any
history I've read of the Beach Boys to date. His no-holds-barred
admissions of his mistakes and triumphs are revealing and
engaging...The book is also peppered with surprises." --San
Francisco Book Review
"[Wilson] tell[s] his story in his own way...For Wilson admirers
it's a gift from Brian, that, more than anything reveals a sweet,
mentally troubled man for whom making music is like breathing for
the rest of us." --Lincoln Journal Star
"[Wilson] weighs in on his extreme highs and lows." --SouthCoast
Today
"A book almost the opposite of Love's: forgiving, chaotically
associative."--New York Review of Books, 10/26/16
"A candid, heartfelt autobiography about a pop-music icon who
managed to overcome dark influences that might have defeated
someone less resilient."--New York Times Syndicate, 10/11/16
"A fascinating story of one of the greatest music icons. Wilson
tells his story of his life and music in a most gripping way. He
gives background to many of iconic songs and shines light on the
people he worked with. It is veritably the story of his songs.
Music lovers will not be able to put it down once they start
reading it." --Washington Book Review
"A frank and revealing portrait of a troubled and popular music
pioneer...Worth reading if you are a fan of the Beach Boys, or
enjoy reading about how even extreme mental difficulties can be
faced, and if not overcome, at least lived with."
--Portland Book Review, 11/2/16
"A page turner...If you're at all a fan, you need this book."
--Vintage Guitar
"A patchwork of memories covering childhood through stardom with
The Beach Boys, dark years of mental illness and the comeback he
has enjoyed in recent years." --Milwaukee Shepherd Express
"A strange kind of surfing through the Beach Boy's interior
life."--The Guardian
"An unconventional but fascinating read...One gets a terrific feel
for Brian Wilson as a person and how he both thinks about and is
affected by music. This is one true joy of the book...In all, I Am
Brian Wilson is as interesting a book as you'd want it to be. It's
not a linear history. It's not a juicy tell-all. But it is a
beautiful view into the brilliant and sometimes troubled mind of a
true genius of American music."--Under the Radar, 10/25/16
"Astonishingly honest...A fascinating glimpse into the mind of one
of the greatest songwriters who ever lived...This is a terrific
book and will lay to rest all the untruths ever told about Brian
Wilson...This is his story as he lived it. Any fan of Brian Wilson
and the Beach Boys needs to read this."
--Curled Up with a Good Book
"Beach Boys fans finally get the scoop from the man
himself...Provide[s] a crucial blueprint of the rise and fall of
one of America's most interesting pop musicians. Wilson carefully
answers questions that many die-hard fans have been wondering for
years and doesn't shy away from exploring the darker, less
glamorous side of being in one of the most famous American bands of
all time."--Memphis Flyer, 11/17/16
"Candid and tragic, yet in the end exquisitely triumphant and love
affirming, I am Brian Wilson is the last (and only) word on Brian's
all-too-written-about and over-analyzed past."--Elmore,
10/25/16
"Disarming...Co-author Ben Greenman has captured Wilson's voice so
well every paragraph feels leavened by Wilson's sophisticated
naiveté." --TruthDig
"Fascinating and intensely personal...The utter lack of pretense in
the prose captures that familiar slightly flat, slightly sad, often
rhapsodic voice with true authenticity...I Am Brian Wilson would
fail as the Brian Wilson story if it did not deal with the darker
corners of his life, and Wilson wanders through these areas
fearlessly...Love, music, and an immensely sincere man's true voice
are what you should expect and what I Am Brian Wilson
delivers."--Psychobabble, 10/21/16
"Filled with perspective and wisdom."--Music Is My Sanctuary, Top
10 Music Books of 2016
"He has worked with a ghostwriter, but anyone who has seen his
spectacular solo shows or seen him interviewed will recognise the
voice immediately: vulnerable, faltering, pained, unexpectedly
funny...There is a candour and even a childlike openness to how he
describes the battling voices in his head and the self-doubt and
self-imposed pressure...Wilson's memoir has a weepily beautiful
mellowness and a real poignancy that shines through the acrimony
and wasted years."--Sydney Morning Herald, 11/5/16
"If you're interested in pop music and the Beach Boys' place in
music history, or you just love a good story of triumph and tragedy
and surprising rebirth, you'll love this autobiography...It's a
heck of a tale...The musical origins of [Wilson's] pop pocket
symphonies run through these pages, as does his candid, guileless
telling of damaged relationships and artistic failure...Highly
recommended."--Pacific Rim Review of Books
"In this candid testament, Wilson examines sources of his creative
inspiration and reveals his mental and spiritual struggles, his
highs and lows." --RTE
"Join the genius behind The Beach Boys as he takes a stroll down
memory lane, revealing never-before-heard details about his
upbringing with brothers Carl and Dennis, as well as his struggle
with mental illness, drug use and more. In I Am Brian Wilson, the
legendary surf rocker discusses how these hardships shaped the man
he is today, and how he's learnt to forgive those who wronged
him."--Over Sixty, 11/3/16
"Offer[s] some fascinating glimpses under the hood."--New York
Times Book Review
"The book is kind of like his music-gentle, spiritual, lyrical-and
provides the expansive commentary that Brian does not usually
provide in interviews...It's also funny as hell in places...An
altogether lovely read."--The Suburban, 10/29/16
"The enigmatic Wilson documents the poetic lyricism, inspiration
and creativity behind his vast discography while at the same time
showing a man who is over-time coming to terms with his
past...Extremely candid...You aren't going to find any other story
like that of Brian Wilson's. Very rarely if ever will you find a
person with Brian's notoriety be as truthful and forth coming as he
is in this book."--Media Mikes, 11/1/16
"The Beach Boys frontman has a fascinating story...He recounts the
ups and downs of his life with candor." --InStyle.com, 11/1/16
"The Beach Boys legend once thought he just wasn't made for these
times, but in his new memoir, he reflects on his brilliant career
and his successful struggle against his personal demons." --Los
Angeles Times
"The 312-page book...convey[s] Brian Wilson's way of
thinking-mostly gentle, conciliatory, a little disjointed and
tinged with resignation."--Stockton Record, 11/17/16
"Touchingly modest...From the start you know you're in for
something special...Honest and affecting." --The Spectator (UK)
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