Smile: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Brian Wilson

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, chronicling the 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.

• Publication date: 3 April 2025
• Page count: 320
• Dimensions: Height 169 mm; Width 241 mm; Thickness 36 mm
• Publisher: Omnibus Press
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN-13: 9781915841315