David Leaf: The Beach Boys and the California Myth (Grosset and Dunlap)

I SHOULD FIRST of all put into perspective my particular connection with the Beach Boys, which is not quite as simple as merely being a fan, although a fan I certainly was from the first time I heard 'Fun, Fun, Fun' longer ago than I care to calculate. I remained in that happy state of fandom for maybe twelve years, seeing a couple of breathtaking Beach Boys performances along the way, until I was invited to interview Mike Love, lead singer and Maharishi follower, sometime during 1976. The resulting article was published in Zigzag, and not long afterwards it was suggested to me that I write a quick book on the group, and not being as well off as I considered I should be at the time, I agreed.