Max Bell

Los Angeles

Journalist at Freelance

Columnist at SPIN

words many places ~ Nonfiction: Spin, LA Times, The Ringer, etc. ~ Fiction: New Ohio Review

Articles

How doomed Beach Boy Dennis Wilson made his solo masterpiece Pacific Ocean Blue

3 weeks ago | loudersound.com | Max Bell

Dennis Wilson made his name as a member of the Beach Boys. But in 1977, he broke away to record a lone solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue. In 2008, Classic Rock looked back on the making of a cult classic – and Wilson’s tragic death six years later. Dennis Wilson, second born of the famous Wilson brotherhood, was the soul of the Beach Boys. Sure, Brian Wilson was the genius, the mastermind without whom they’d never have got out of their Hawthorne garage. Pudgy Carl was the organiser.
"There were a helluva lot of drug issues and bad feeling in the air": How doomed Beach Boy Dennis Wilson made his solo masterpiece Pacific Ocean Blue

3 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Max Bell

1 day ago Sail On pays tribute to The Beach Boys The Golden Belt Community Concert Association will present Sail On: The Beach Boys Tribute at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 27, at the Great Bend Municipal … 1 day ago Deer Valley Summer Concert Series lineup features Common, The Beach Boys PARK CITY, Utah — Music under the mountains returns this summer as Deer Valley Resort unveils the 2025 Summer Concert Series lineup, featuring a … 1 day ago Waite Park City Council To Vote On Repair For The Ledge...
The wild story of Canned Heat, the badass blues band death couldn’t kill

1 month ago | loudersound.com | Max Bell

Midnight is approaching in LA, and outside the Palomino Club in North Hollywood, the members of Canned Heat and their entourage are kicking back in the yard. It’s April 4, 1981. The band have just finished their first set of the night, and are passing joints around before they return to the stage for round two. The Heat’s glory days are long behind them.
The wild story of Canned Heat, the badass blues band that death couldn’t kill

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Max Bell

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Canned Heat in 1969: Harvey Mandel, Alan Wilson, Bob Hite, Larry Taylor and Fito De La Parra. | Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesMidnight is approaching in LA, and outside the Palomino Club in North Hollywood, the members of Canned Heat and their entourage are kicking back in the yard. It’s April 4, 1981.
How doomed Beach Boy Dennis Wilson made his solo masterpiece Pacific Ocean Blue

1 month ago | loudersound.com | Max Bell

Dennis Wilson made his name as a member of the Beach Boys. But in 1977, he broke away to record a lone solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue. In 2008, Classic Rock looked back on the making of a cult classic – and Wilson’s tragic death six years later. Dennis Wilson, second born of the famous Wilson brotherhood, was the soul of the Beach Boys. Sure, Brian was the genius, the mastermind without whom they’d never have got out of their Hawthorne garage. Pudgy Carl was the organiser.
How doomed Beach Boy Dennis Wilson made his solo masterpiece Pacific Ocean Blue

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Max Bell

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Michael Putland/Getty ImagesDennis Wilson made his name as a member of the Beach Boys. But in 1977, he broke away to record a lone solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue. In 2008, Classic Rock looked back on the making of a cult classic – and Wilson’s tragic death six years later. Dennis Wilson, second born of the famous Wilson brotherhood, was the soul of the Beach Boys.
An audience with Ginger Baker, rock’s most cantankerous drummer

1 month ago | loudersound.com | Max Bell

Surly, cantankerous and occasionally violent, the late Ginger Baker was nonetheless one of rock’s greatest drummers. In 2011, as the former Cream man prepared to release his autobiography, Classic Rock stepped into the lion’s den for an audience with a genuine one-off. The World’s Greatest Drummer is lying flat out on a bed in a West London hotel room when the man from Classic Rock is ushered into his presence.
An audience with Ginger Baker, rock’s most cantankerous drummer

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Max Bell

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock PhotoSurly, cantankerous and occasionally violent, the late Ginger Baker was nonetheless one of rock’s greatest drummers. In 2011, as the former Cream man prepared to release his autobiography, Classic Rock stepped into the lion’s den for an audience with a genuine one-off.
“We were just boozers and mounds of cocaine. Cocaine eventually is bad, but we were young kids. It didn’t hamper us”: The epic life and crazy times of Mick Fleetwood, the heartbeat of Fleetwood Mac

2 months ago | loudersound.com | Max Bell

Mick Fleetwood is the only member of Fleetwood Mac who was there from the very beginning (not even bassist John McVie can claim that honour) and the drummer experienced all the highs and lows that journey had to offer. In 2013, Fleetwood looked back over his band’s incredible journey and all the highs and lows – commercial, chemical and romantic – that came with it.
The epic life and crazy times of Mick Fleetwood, the heartbeat of Fleetwood Mac

2 months ago | yahoo.com | Max Bell

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Aaron Rapoport/Corbis via Getty ImagesMick Fleetwood is the only member of Fleetwood Mac who was there from the very beginning (not even bassist John McVie can claim that honour) and the drummer experienced all the highs and lows that journey had to offer.