Los Angeles in the 1960s gave the world some of the greatest music in rock 'n' roll history: "California Dreamin'" by the Mamas and the Papas, "Mr. Tambourine Man" by the Byrds, and "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys, a song that magnificently summarized the joy and beauty of the era in three and a half minutes.

But there was a dark flip side to the fun fun fun of the music, a nexus between naïve young musicians and the hangers-on who exploited the decade's peace, love, and flowers ethos, all fueled by sex, drugs, and overnight success. One surf music superstar unwittingly subsidized the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr. The transplanted Texas singer Bobby Fuller might have been murdered by the Mob in what is still an unsolved case. And after hearing Charlie Manson sing, Neil Young recommended him to the president of Warner Bros. Records. Manson's ultimate rejection by the music industry likely led to the infamous murders that shocked a nation.

"Everybody Had an Ocean" chronicles the migration of the rock 'n' roll business to Southern California and how the artists flourished there. The cast of characters is astonishing—Brian and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, eccentric producer Phil Spector, Cass Elliot, Sam Cooke, Ike and Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, and scores of others—and their stories form a modern epic of the battles between innocence and cynicism, joy and terror. You'll never hear that beautiful music in quite the same way.

William McKeen is the author of nine books and the editor of four more. He teaches at Boston University, where he chairs the Department of Journalism and serves as associate dean of the College of Communication. He teaches literary journalism, history of journalism, reporting, feature writing and history of rock’n’roll. He's worked for several newspapers and magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post, The American Spectator, The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, The Palm Beach Post in Florida and The St. Petersburg Times in Florida. His writing has appeared in Holiday, American History, Maxim, The Saturday Evening Post, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and many other newspapers and magazines. He has appeared on “The Today Show,” “The O’Reilly Factor,” “The CBS Evening News” and other news programs.

Purchase a copy of "Everybody Had An Ocean: Music and Mayhem in 1960s Los Angeles" through Chicago Review Press: https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/everybody-had-an-ocean-products-9781641605717.php?page_id=21

Find out more about William McKeen at his official website: https://www.williammckeen.com

Listen to a playlist of the music discussed in this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ZCZOwSP6YrZL00WBlmKkT?si=66936c284ea340ef

Recommended Reading: “Glimpses” by Louis Shiner https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JZ0EUK/ref


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