Catch A Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson by Peter Ames Carlin
Catch A Wave
tells the story of Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson. The book begins during Wilson’s teenage years in suburban Los Angeles, and covers the musician’s life up to (almost) present day. Many books have been written about the Beach Boys, and having read Timothy White’s obsessively researched The Nearest Faraway Place, I wasn’t sure that another book about this subject could provide anything new. But this isn’t the case. Catch A Wave takes a fresh look at the history of the Beach Boys by filtering it through the life and times of Brian Wilson. The stories are fascinating, the writing is well paced and Peter Ames Carlin’s telling of the stories has a healthy balance of fan infatuation and objective narration. Even if you’re not a fan of Wilson’s music, there is likely to be something in this book for you. Everything is covered from Wilson’s tumultuous relationship with his father/manager Murray Wilson, to his brotherly connection to the Manson Family, to the personal, spiritual and pychological hurdles he seemed to face at every turn. What’s probably most important about Catch A Wave is how up-to-date it is. The book documents the completion of Brian Wilson’s legendary, unfinished 60’s album Smile, and goes on to show how the often-troubled man is coming to find peace in his life. Catch A Wave is highly recommended to fans of music biographies, and should prove to be an enjoyable read to anyone interested in real-life stories.
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