SMiLE
The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Brian Wilson
Published on 4. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-917274-10-4 (ISBN)
Description
On February 20, 2004, Brian Wilson walked onstage at London's Royal Festival Hall to unveil his long-delayed masterpiece - the Holy Grail of Rock - Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE. It was a night that that exceeded all expectations.
SMiLE: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Brian Wilson is an oral history of that journey, music's creation, near-death, and rebirth. It looks closely at the events of 1966-1967 and 2003-2004, as well as including an anthology of brand-new essays about SMiLE, combining to provide a 'fly on the wall' account of events leading up to that fateful night. That instantly legendary performance in 2004 in turn led to the recording of Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE, a worldwide tour, and the rebirth of an artistic soul.
Drawing upon the author's in-depth interviews with Brian, his collaborator Van Dyke Parks, Brian's band (especially Darian Sahanaja), close friends, family, and so many others who were part of the trip, David Leaf tells how Brian Wilson rose to greatness, almost fell off the edge of the earth, then unexpectedly came back to reclaim his place as one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century.
There are two Beach Boys narratives. One is about a family band and their greatest hits, an amazing body of work the group primarily recorded between 1962 and 1966. Those records, composed, arranged and produced by Brian Wilson, have brought joy to the world for over six decades.
This book is the other story.
SMiLE is the story of a genius revealed.
SMiLE: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Brian Wilson is an oral history of that journey, music's creation, near-death, and rebirth. It looks closely at the events of 1966-1967 and 2003-2004, as well as including an anthology of brand-new essays about SMiLE, combining to provide a 'fly on the wall' account of events leading up to that fateful night. That instantly legendary performance in 2004 in turn led to the recording of Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE, a worldwide tour, and the rebirth of an artistic soul.
Drawing upon the author's in-depth interviews with Brian, his collaborator Van Dyke Parks, Brian's band (especially Darian Sahanaja), close friends, family, and so many others who were part of the trip, David Leaf tells how Brian Wilson rose to greatness, almost fell off the edge of the earth, then unexpectedly came back to reclaim his place as one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century.
There are two Beach Boys narratives. One is about a family band and their greatest hits, an amazing body of work the group primarily recorded between 1962 and 1966. Those records, composed, arranged and produced by Brian Wilson, have brought joy to the world for over six decades.
This book is the other story.
SMiLE is the story of a genius revealed.
Reviews / Votes
'Never before has the picture around SMiLE been so complete' MOJO'Captures the awe and affection that Wilson inspires' Uncut
'A stunning new history of how Brian Wilson lost, and then finally found SMiLE' Shindig!
'An exhaustive oral history graced by a friend's loving touch' MOJO
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
326 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-917274-10-4 (9781917274104)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
David Leaf is an award-winning writer, director and producer. He published the seminal The Beach Boys and the California Myth in 1978, which was recently published in an updated edition entitled God Only Knows. Whilst writing this classic biography, David Leaf developed a friendship with Brian Wilson which remains strong to this day. His feature credits include the Venice Film festival favorite The U.S. vs. John Lennon, the Grammy-nominated Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of SMiLE, The Night James Brown Saved Boston, and Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is 'Everybody Talkin' About Him?) David also wrote the Bee Gees' authorized autobiography. Leaf is also a professor at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in Los Angeles, where, since 2010, he has been teaching courses in rock documentary, songwriting and the Beatles.