I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir

It is so rare to hear an honest, forthcoming, self-aware voice in this age of spin and image. Wilson speaks frankly on his struggles (weight, mental health, substance abuse, etc.) and his joys of music with unadorned assessments of albums, tours, and songs.

Well-narrated by: Fred Berman

Brian Wilson has not written your garden variety celebrity memoir. He is quite honest, courageously so, about describing his long struggle with mental illness; he also asserts that his musical accomplishments are due at least in art to his mental illness. This is a painful book to read, not because Wilson is settling scores or asking readers to feel his pain, but because he lays out his struggles and his triumphs so matter of factly. I hope many people read this book and I hope that doing so inspires them to act more compassionately toward those who are mentally ill.

"Genius" is thrown around a bit too loosely sometimes, but not here. Brian Wilson has a genius musical ear (only one, as it turns out). Yet his life has been hampered by mental illness, and exacerbated by poor choices not least of those selected to treat him. The remarkable thing about this book is the authenticity with which Ben Greenman, his ghost-writer, has captured his voice. The book is a beautiful exploration of this ego-less giant of the music world, how he reshaped music, and how it shaped his life.

Imagine, if you will, that Beach Boys' legendary songwriter and producer Brian Wilson came over to your house, sat on your couch, and proceeded to tell you about his remarkable life and music in a rambling, stream-of-consciousness style. That's the overall effect of this discursive memoir.

The memoir is most affecting when Wilson talks about his conflicted relationship with his domineering father and and his battle with mental illness. Long stretches describing Wilson's hobnobbing and recording with rock's big names are less effective. Unburdened by false modesty, Wilson does not hesitate to tell readers which of his songs he thinks are really great. Still, to be fair, Wilson shares some interesting ideas about how some of his show more well-documented issues (chronic anxiety, partial deafness and persistent auditory hallucinations) actually helped him create the timeless music that is his legacy.

This book will be of interest primarily to Beach Boys fans. show less

For those of us following Brian Wilson for 20 years or more, there's not much new to see here. But reading it is like hearing stories from your favorite uncle--it may be the same stories, but it's such a comfortable place. And it's written exactly like Brian sounds when he's being interviewed. Of course, a lot has happened since the Landy book, which, while telling some true stories (which Brian probably told him on the couch), obviously had tons of issues. Like, Brian never actually reading it, for one. But if you're a fan, you already know the Pet Sounds and Smile stories by heart. It doesn't matter. It's all in the telling. It's non-chronological and filled with wacky Wilson non sequiturs. For example, out of nowhere, he decides to show more let us know that he knows almost nothing about Frank Black. Then later, he does the same for Miles Davis. show less

Good, not great. Interesting to read about his life. He concentrates on the music, and his mental health issues. The story moves around in jumbled fashion, but I think that's perhaps the way his mind works, and the way he remembers his life.

For those of us following Brian Wilson for 20 years or more, there's not much new to see here. But reading it is like hearing stories from your favorite uncle--it may be the same stories, but it's such a comfortable place. And it's written exactly like Brian sounds when he's being interviewed. Of course, a lot has happened since the Landy book, which, while telling some true stories (which Brian probably told him on the couch), obviously had tons of issues. Like, Brian never actually reading it, for one. But if you're a fan, you already know the Pet Sounds and Smile stories by heart. It doesn't matter. It's all in the telling. It's non-chronological and filled with wacky Wilson non sequiturs. For example, out of nowhere, he decides to show more let us know that he knows almost nothing about Frank Black. Then later, he does the same for Miles Davis. show less