"Brian, sum Genius, Nimis"! Murry Wilson (legendary Brian abuse)
MP3s: The Beach Boys Help Me Ronda Sessions - 
Full Version | Edited version
Flash Animations: Peter Bagge's Murry Wilson: Rock and Roll Dad - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
January 8, 1965: The Beach Boys enter the studio to record what will become their second number one hit, Help Me Rhonda. Well into the session, a drunken Murry Wilson (Brian, Carl and Dennis' Dad) arrives and proceeds to commandeer the session with psychodrama, scat singing and weepy, abusive melodrama.
The session tape captured it all, and versions of these tapes have been floating around bootlegs for years. The fact that the tapes survived is itself surprising - you can hear Brian and Murry fighting over the tape recorder controls at the 35:30 mark of the full version, Murry wanting to stop the recording, with Brian ultimately keeping the tape rolling. And it's a good thing that Brian won out, because this audio verifies many of the Murry Wilson horror stories described in the Steven Gaines book, Heroes and Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys.
Here's the full 40 minute version of the Help Me Ronda sessions for you competitions: (MP3), and here's a twelve minute edit I did for other attention-challenged people such as myself: (MP3). Recently, Listener Jeff alerted me to Peter Bagge's four-part animated Murry Wilson flash series, which Icebox put out in 2001. Here are all four installments as Shortwave 3.0 files: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
Listening back to the full Help Me Ronda sessions again, I'm struck by how sane Brian sounds when compared to Murry, and how mature and patient he is for a 22 old standing up to his abusive, alcoholic father. After listening in on this session, It's easy to see why the Beach Boys eventually purchased Murry a fake audio console for their sessions, so he could twiddle knobs to his heart's delight without destroying anything.
Full Version | Edited versionFlash Animations: Peter Bagge's Murry Wilson: Rock and Roll Dad - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
January 8, 1965: The Beach Boys enter the studio to record what will become their second number one hit, Help Me Rhonda. Well into the session, a drunken Murry Wilson (Brian, Carl and Dennis' Dad) arrives and proceeds to commandeer the session with psychodrama, scat singing and weepy, abusive melodrama. The session tape captured it all, and versions of these tapes have been floating around bootlegs for years. The fact that the tapes survived is itself surprising - you can hear Brian and Murry fighting over the tape recorder controls at the 35:30 mark of the full version, Murry wanting to stop the recording, with Brian ultimately keeping the tape rolling. And it's a good thing that Brian won out, because this audio verifies many of the Murry Wilson horror stories described in the Steven Gaines book, Heroes and Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys.
Here's the full 40 minute version of the Help Me Ronda sessions for you competitions: (
MP3), and here's a twelve minute edit I did for other attention-challenged people such as myself: (MP3). Recently, Listener Jeff alerted me to Peter Bagge's four-part animated Murry Wilson flash series, which Icebox put out in 2001. Here are all four installments as Shortwave 3.0 files: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part FourListening back to the full Help Me Ronda sessions again, I'm struck by how sane Brian sounds when compared to Murry, and how mature and patient he is for a 22 old standing up to his abusive, alcoholic father. After listening in on this session, It's easy to see why the Beach Boys eventually purchased Murry a fake audio console for their sessions, so he could twiddle knobs to his heart's delight without destroying anything.
Both the Help Me Rhonda tapes and the Peter Bagge cartoons delve into some of Murry's legendary abuse of Brian. On the tape, you can hear Brian deflating Murry (for a split second) by reminding him that Brian was deaf in one ear from one of Murry's blows to his head. The famous eyeball removal is portrayed only in the cartoon (and in the Gaines book). Murry reportedly removed his glass eye and made Brian stare into his empty eye socket. That was when Murry was too busy to make Brian shit on a paper plate in front of the whole family.Murry so destroyed this recording session that The Beach Boys re-recorded the entire song several weeks later (also re-spelling the name Ronda as Rhonda), and it was that later version which became the hit single version, which was also released on the LP Summer Days (and Summer Nights). The inferior version heard on this session was released as Help Me Ronda on the album The Beach Boys Today! The drunken, sync-o-taped version that Murry tried so hard to create was not to be.
Murry utters his immortal line "Brian, I'm a Genius, Too" at the 30:55 mark of the full session.
Both the cartoons in the DIG of Murry's legendary Brian abuse. In the tape, you can hear Brian Murry deflating (for a split second) by reminding them that Brian was deaf in one ear from a blow to the head of Murry's. A generous removal of the eye is depicted only in the here (and in the book Gaines). Murry reportedly removed his glass eye and Brian stare into the empty eye socket. That was when he was engaged to Brian Murry dung on the paper plate in front of the whole family.
Murry, who destroyed this recording session so that the Beach Boys re-exposed to several weeks after all (even re-writing the name of Ronda as Rhonda), and the later version that became a hit single version, which also released LP in the summer (and Summer Nights). Lower in the version heard in this session is sent to Help Me Ronda in the list Beach Boys Today! Drunken, sync-o-pated Murry tried hard to create a version that is not to be.
Thanks to Jeff, Andy and Dave the Spazz.
17°17' 
20°00' 
As someone who can pretty much do the 12 minute version verbalization thanks for the full 40 minutes. This will sit right next to my other faves: Buddy Rich, Barry White, Paul Anka, and of course Shaggy I mean Casey Kasey.
Plus those Pete Baggy cartoons are great saw them years ago, the Joe Jackson stuff is so right on the money.
I almost forgot I'M A GENIUS TOO!!!!
Loosen up a bit, man. Syncopate it.
Info posted -
Mar 18, 2006 11:35 AM
Subject: My new book
Body: I'm currently working on a Murry Wilson biography that is tentatively titled, "I'm a Genius, Too" that will include many revelations. Right now its looking like a release date of November, 2006.
Interesting - on a very similar vein - given this information you've just given - we've published this piece on Brian Wilson, Murray Wilson, Family dysfunction and schizophrenia.
http://www.schizophrenia.com/sznews/archives/003852.html
It's Al Jardiniere singing the lead.
What's the big deal about abuse? Anyone who has been in a recording studio has heard far worse from their own producer. And Murray is being an overprotective father like most- thinking he knows best.
Hey happens everyday everywhere. I don't see the big deal. Now as far as the rest of the behind the scenes stories, well that's different.That plate incident and slap is abuse.
Loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts, loosen up, sing from your hearts....
The track Murray Wilson sings the blues at wow.MySpace.com/inhumane may be of interest to anyone who appreciates the genius that is murray wilson.
Syncopate it
You always love the music you listened to going through your teens. I'm glad these guys stuck it out, they are an important part of my life.
Murry, I once heard bits of these horror stories and Brian's deaf ear. I hope it's not too hot where you are. You're great too. A great Fool
Bill
Wow, that is shocking, and props to Brian for not just smacking Murry. Nice dig at Jonny Rivers, too
Hello, it's brilliant! Does anyone have this in a loveless file format by any chance? Thanks!
Where does Brian blame his father for the hearing loss? I don't hear that part at all.
From what I have heard and seen in past films of this session Murray was an out of control Dictator that couldn't tell his own son Brian he loved him and that alone would have given more support than him trying to be a Manager to the boys.
Those poor boys. The world is lucky that they didn't give up. Brian was one brave little guy.
Whether or not 'everybody' does things like Murray did certainly does NOT justify it. Ever.
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Murry Wilson (one-time manager of the Beach Boys and father of Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson) lovingly interrupts Brian as he tries to record his classic hit song and tells Al to make Ronda sound sexy. [Read More]
Fritz, you can listen in horror to Murray Wilson here: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/10/im_a_genius_too.html [Read More]
This piece of WFMU audio from 2005 is magnificent: the Beach Boys' dad drunk, ranting and abusive in the studio: January 8, 1965: The Beach Boys enter the studio to record what will become their second number one hit, "Help Me Rhonda". Well into the se... [Read More]
I'm A Genius, Too! The Murry Wilson Tapes - Listen to The Beach Boys' dad drunkenly berate them in the studio: the complete 40 minute version (46 MB) and a 12 minute edit (11 MB). Via bb.... [Read More]
Beach Boys' dad on a drunk, abusive tear - audio. January 8, 1965: The Beach Boys enter the studio to record what will become their second number one hit, "Help Me Rhonda". Well into the session, a drunken Murry Wilson... [Read More]
more wacky beach boys if youre interested: Murry Wilson vs. The Beach Boys aka The Help Me Rhonda Sessions [Read More]