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Dennis Wilson: The Real Beach Boy

Profile of Dennis Wilson, the drummer in the Beach Boys and the only one who surfed, the one who drove hot rod cars in competition and the one who got all the girls.

Dennis Wilson was the drummer in the Beach Boys. And he was the real Beach Boy. In a band of geeks who sang about surfing, cars and girls, Dennis was the only one who surfed, the one who drove hot rod cars in competition and the one who got all the girls.

He was married five times, shared a house with Charles Manson (with whom he wrote songs, including one recorded by the Beach Boys) but died, ironically by drowning, at the age of 39. He was also the first Beach Boy to release a solo album, the stunning Pacific Ocean Blue, which after years of being out of print and fetching hundreds on Ebay, was re-released in 2008 to widespread acclaim, being voted No 1 Reissue of the Year by Mojo and Uncut magazines.

This documentary tells the story of Dennis's life and music, with unseen archive footage and original interviews with Beach Boys Al Jardine and David Marks, his sons Michael and Carl and many friends and fellow musicians. These include Taylor Hawkins, drummer with the Foo Fighters who provided a vocal for the lost track on Pacific Ocean Blue, Holy Man, for which Dennis never laid down a vocal when he recorded the song in 1977.

1 hour

Music Played

  • The Beach Boys

    Surfin' USA

  • The Beach Boys

    Be With Me

  • Link Wray

    Rumble

  • Link Wray

    Ace of Spades

  • The Beach Boys

    Surfin'

  • The Beach Boys

    I Get Around

  • The Beach Boys

    Do You Wanna Dance?

  • The Beach Boys

    Little Honda

  • The Beach Boys

    Don't Worry Baby

  • The Beach Boys

    Good Vibrations

  • The Beach Boys

    Pet Sounds

  • Charles Manson

    Cease to Exist

  • The Beach Boys

    I Can Hear Music

  • Dennis Wilson

    Forever

  • Dennis Wilson

    You Are So Beautiful

  • Dennis Wilson

    Piano Variations on Thoughts of You

  • Dennis Wilson

    Dreamer

  • Dennis Wilson

    Pacific Ocean Blues

  • Dennis Wilson

    River Song

  • Dennis Wilson

    Thoughts of You

  • Dennis Wilson

    It's Not Too Late

  • Fleetwood Mac

    The Chain

  • Dennis Wilson

    Cocktails

  • Dennis Wilson

    Friday Night

  • Dennis Wilson

    Mexico

  • Taylor Hawkins

    Holy Man

  • The Beach Boys

    Surfin' Safari

  • The Beach Boys

    Can't Wait Too Long

  • Dennis Wilson

    Album Tag Song

  • The Beach Boys

    I Just Wasn't Made For These Times

  • The Beach Boys

    Never Learn Not To Love

Credits

Role Contributor
Director Matt O'Casey
Producer Matt O'Casey

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