THE WILSON PROJECT By Stephen J. McParland RARE BOOK BEACH BOYS BRIAN GARY USHER
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:20412182 | Topic: Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys |
| Subject: Music | Binding: Softcover/Wraps |
| ISBN: does not apply |
TITLE: The Wilson Project
FORMAT: Book
CONDITION: EX, UNDREAD AND IN GREAT CONDITION BUT HAS DISCOLORATION ALONG SPINE AND PAPER EDGES (PRICE ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY)
NOTES: The Wilson Project specifically covers the period in 1967 when the later-discredited Dr. Landy placed Brian Wilson with Usher for a comeback album. The book details the events from Usher's daily journals, and the subsequent text is one of the most amazing rock stories of recent... times, with harrowing accounts of Wilson's difficulties.
"[In my dream] I was with my wife and a friend. We were with Brian. ...I saw Brian on ... inner levels and I saw the damage that had been done and I saw the sadness. I saw the pain, but most of all I saw the damage ... I saw irreparable damage that had been done ... Brian is a captive in his body. Part of Brian is literally departed; probably through drugs; probably through psychosomatic withdrawal. He is trapped and has no choice but to live it out in his body... It was all so sad ... that I went over in the corner, leaned up against the wall and started crying. ... I cried so hard that my knees buckled and I fell down on my knees with my head in my hands, crying and sobbing. .... Having to live with that pain (that no one in this world will ever understand ... even himself) must provide Brian with a viewpoint on reality that is truly unique. .... There are truly sparks of genius left in Brian and that is what I wanted to pull out." - [pg. 11]
This 'limited-focus' biography of an abortive collaboration between Brian Wilson and old friend Gary Usher that occurred between May, 1986 to August of 1987 while Brian was still deeply entrenched in the 'care' of Dr. Eugene Landy, is unmatched in it's horrific detail and narrative sweep. Taken directly from careful audio journals that Gary Usher kept during the period of these meetings, Gary Usher passionately and convincingly relates the vise-like grip that Landy held over all aspects of Brian's creative, social, and business life, painting a portrait of over-arching greed and domination that no one at the time seemed willing or able to break. Gary also relates in vivid detail Brian's own mental and emotional state with surprising insight, sometimes interpolating his own metaphysically-interpreted dreams which he experienced regarding Brian. On another level, Mr. Usher also unveils the machinations of the recording industry and its corporate workings that is interesting reading in their own right. The annotated journal entries are expertly woven together by Mr. McParland, and reproductions of private letters are also included. An essential, if disheartening companion to Brian's own twisted biography
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