Beach Boys' original guitarist says early road tours were "hellish"

The Beach Boys' original guitarist and co-founder, David Marks, says that life on the road during the early days of the group were far from luxurious. He told us that although the Beach Boys' early '60s tours were exciting, the physical toll it took on the band was severe: "When we first started in the early '60s, it was kind of hellish. You really couldn't keep a pace up like that for very long. I mean, you're crowded in a station wagon and you're towing a U-Haul with the amps and you have another car with a couple of the band members. And that's how you travel. You play four sets at a dance and drive 800 miles."

Marks has just released his new album, titled I Think About You Often, after years of substance abuse and health problems. He has dedicated the project in part to his two late bandmates Dennis and Carl Wilson, who died in 1983 and 1998, respectively.

Marks quit the Beach Boys in 1963 after playing on the group's first five albums and on hits such as "Surfin' U.S.A.," "Little Deuce Coupe, "Be True To Your School," "Surfer Girl," "In My Room," and many more. He rejoined the band for a three year stint starting in 1998.

I Think About You Often can be ordered directly through Marks' davidleemarks.com website.

Beach Boys author Jon Stebbins' long awaited biography on Marks, titled The Lost Beach Boy, is due out later this year.
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