Ivor Davis: Up Close and Personal with David Leaf

David Leaf is the pre-eminent expert on Brian Wilson, the genius behind the Beach Boys. His instant classic book on Wilson now comes massively updated and re-titled God Only Knows: The Story of Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys & the California Myth. The book gives the reader an inside look into Wilson’s life and the groundbreaking sound he engineered with the Beach Boys. In this talk with journalist Ivor Davis, Leaf will share stories of his friendship with this the oft-misunderstood musical artist, as well as his band’s rivalry with the Beatles and his friendship with Paul McCartney.

David Leaf is a Peabody and WGAW award-winning writer, director, and producer. He is the creative visionary behind such critically acclaimed films and festival favorites as The Night James Brown Saved Boston, the Grammy-nominated Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson & The Story of SMiLE, The U.S. vs. John Lennon (winner of the Exhibitors’ Award at The Venice Film Festival,) and The Bee Gees: This Is Where I Came In. Most recently, he directed the feature documentary Dion: Born To Cry, on the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer (currently in post-production), and he wrote and directed To Tell The Truth, the story of a young Japanese American boy who was interned during WWII. Leaf, was a consultant for the HBO feature documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart? Leaf’s television credits include being one of the writers on the Emmy-winning America: A Tribute To Heroes broadcast after 9/11. That same year, Leaf wrote and produced TNT’s acclaimed An-All Star Tribute To Brian Wilson and was a producer of the Emmy-nominated Billy Joel: In His Own Words.

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