Book summary

Steven Gaines' biography of the American institution known as the Beach Boys is packed with fascinating background detail, whether about the Wilson brothers' combative relationship with their martinet father, Murry; Dennis Wilson's image as the embodiment of the Californian surfer stud and his later descent into drug and alcohol abuse; or the band's creative genius Brian Wilson's increasingly eccentric behavior as his life was overtaken by psychological problems. But, while portraying the more soap-opera-like aspects of the band's existence, Gaines doesn't stint on the musical details, either, documenting such milestones as the birth of the Beach Boys' surfing sound, the tortured genesis of Brian Wilson's groundbreaking "Heroes and Villains," and the recording and ultimate abandonment of the ill-starred album SMILE. A penetrating analysis of the dark side of Californian hedonism, HEROES AND VILLAINS is ultimately a tale of art prevailing in the face of almost overwhelming business and personal trauma.