A fool's journey : to the Beach Boys and beyond : a memoir

Title:

Author:

Muñoz, Carli, author.

ISBN:

9781623717513

Physical Description:

240 pages, 16 pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Contents:

Part 1. The fool -- The magician -- The high priestess -- Wheel of fortune -- The moon -- The devil. Part. 2 The chariot -- The sun -- The star -- Stregth -- Judgement -- The hanged man -- The tower. Part 3. The hermit -- The emperor -- Temperance -- The lovers -- The hierophant -- Death -- Justice -- The world -- Epilogue: the empress-one last story. Acknowledgments -- Index.

Personal Subject:

Muñoz, Carli.

Subject Term:

Jazz musicians -- Puerto Rico -- Biography.

Pianists -- Puerto Rico -- Biography.

Rock musicians -- Puerto Rico -- Biography.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Summary:

"A tell-all memoir of a rock and jazz sensation and former pianist of the legendary Beach Boys. Cutting his musical teeth in a Puerto Rican jazz club in the 1960s, Carli Muñoz came of age during the countercultural flowering of that era; he lived for music, knowledge, and the mind-expanding magic of LSD. Wanting to expand creative horizons for his successful psychedelic rock band, Muñoz flew to New York on a whim with $11 in his pocket and embarked on a deep dive into the gritty scene of gigs, girls, and trips, struggling to fill his pockets with dollars and his belly with food. Free-falling into the dark underbelly of the city, Muñoz ended up homeless and penniless until an epiphany on the subway brought him back to the surface. On the cusp of a new decade, Muñoz moved to LA to fight for a new life and a second chance. Hanging out in Houdini's old mansion in Laurel Canyon, he watched the free-loving idealism of the '60s melt into the disco- and cocaine-saturated hedonism of the '70s, until one day he found himself on tour with the Beach Boys. He became close friends with Dennis Wilson--a friendship that ranged from pranking each other to working on an album together to watching him spiral irretrievably into self-destruction. He witnessed the feud between Mike Love and the Wilsons firsthand, as well as the unchecked instability of Brian Wilson. Despite the chaos and power struggles within the band, Muñoz was able to create enthralling music with them, as well as with some of the other popular musicians of the '70s, including Wilson Pickett, the Association, George Benson, and Peter Cetera. Populated with an eclectic cast of artists, musicians, clairvoyants, record producers, hippies, hobos, and superstars, A Fool's Journey is a vivid snapshot of an era-defining moment that will never be repeated. Although Muñoz toured with the Beach Boys for ten years and partied with rock stars, he was also just an island kid from Puerto Rico, forever in exile, forever "the other." The story of his journey is as compelling as it is timely."--Amazon.com.

Holds:

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	921 MUNOZ	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	921 MUNOZ	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Cutting his musical teeth in a Puerto Rican jazz club in the 1960s, Carli Munoz came of age during the countercultural flowering of that era; he lived for music, knowledge, and the mind-expanding magic of LSD. Wanting to expand creative horizons for his successful psychedelic rock band, Munoz flew to New York on a whim with 11 dollars in his pocket and embarked on a deep dive into the gritty scene of gigs, girls, and trips, struggling to fill his pockets with dollars and his belly with food. Free-falling into the dark underbelly of the city, Munoz ended up homeless and penniless until an epiphany on the subway brought him back to the surface. On the cusp of a new decade, Munoz moved to LA to fight for a new life and a second chance. Hanging out in Houdini's old mansion in Laurel Canyon, he watched the free-loving idealism of the '60s melt into the disco-and-cocaine-saturated hedonism of the '70s, until one day he found himself on tour with the Beach Boys. He became close friends with

Author Notes

Carli Muñoz is a pianist, composer, writer and visual artist who had the rare distinction of excelling in the mainstream of pop music and jazz. In 1971 he joined the Beach Boys, and left them in 1981 to pursue a career in cinema and jazz performing. Recordings and performances followed with top jazz artists such as George Benson, Les McCann, and others. Muñoz's own works followed, culminating in his 2018 release Follow Me to wide acclaim. Since 1998, Carli has performed live nightly at his venue, Carli's Fine Bistro & Piano, in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Pianist Muñoz's garrulous debut memoir recounts his voyage from music-loving teen to key collaborator of acts including the Beach Boys, Wilson Pickett, and Rickie Lee Jones. As a child in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Muñoz received a piano as a gift from his father, and he went on to play the instrument in the island's jazz clubs throughout the 1960s. From there, Muñoz became a working musician in New York and Los Angeles, and shares his exploits in chapters named after tarot cards ("The Fool," "The Devil," "The Hermit," etc.). He dedicates a solid chunk of the narrative to his experiences touring with the Beach Boys in the 1970s, first on percussion and then on piano. In appealingly conversational style, Muñoz recalls both the "tremendous fun" of observing the group's artistic peak, and the challenges presented by Brian Wilson's declining mental health and Dennis Wilson's worsening addictions. Less endearing are borderline-adolescent passages about the author's sexual conquests (an early girlfriend is described as "a young Italian goddess" with "curly dark hair resting on her perfect teardrop D's") and enthusiastic drug use, though he does admit to being "terribly immature" and displays some gravity when he states his goal to "leave this world better than found it." Though this loose, wide-ranging account doesn't rise to the level of showbiz classic, it's likely to strike a chord with music lovers. Photos. (Sept.)

Booklist Review

Pianist Carli Muñoz is best known for the decade he spent touring and performing with the Beach Boys, which explains why he is frequently asked an "impertinent question" in the restaurant he owns and operates: How did a Puerto Rican get to play with the Beach Boys? He replies that his home country has bonfires, surfers, hot rods, and beaches, "not to mention great musicians." Muñoz proceeds to answer the question more fully in this vibrant, dishy memoir, which is characterized by dramatic fluctuations in fortune. His path takes him from a highly successful career as a Puerto Rican band leader to a down-and-out existence on the streets of New York. Muñoz is reborn in the music scene of 1970s Los Angeles, where he lands the gig that changed his career. It's a pleasure to go behind-the-scenes with the Beach Boys--who were fiercely divided by who practiced transcendental meditation and who didn't--but the greatest pleasure comes from spending time inside this remarkably musical mind.

Prologue	7
The Fool	11
The Magician	29
The High Priestess	41
Wheel of Fortune	55
The Moon	65
The Devil	69
The Chariot	75
The Sun	81
The Star	101
Strength	119
Judgement	133
The Hanged Man	139
The Tower	147
The Hermit	163
The Emperor	169
Temperance	175
The Lovers	185
The Hierophant	193
Death	201
Justice	207
The World	217
Epilogue: The Empress-One Last Story	231
Acknowledgments	233
Index	236

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Summary

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Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

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