Radiant Radish

The Radiant Radish was a health food store located at the corner of Melrose Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, from 1969 to 1970.[1] It was managed by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, his cousin Steve Korthoff, and friend Arny Geller. Arny's father-in-law, Jack Brooks, owner of Brooks Health Foods was nutritional consultant.

Radiant Radish
IndustryGrocery store, health food store
FateBankruptcy
Founded1969 (1969) in West Hollywood, United States
FoundersBrian Wilson, Steve Korthoff, Arny Geller.
Defunct1971 (1971)
Number of locations
1
ProductsNatural organic vegetarian food, supplements, and herbs

Background

Early in 1969, Beach Boys band leader and lead composer Brian Wilson opened a small health food store named the Radiant Radish.[2] It was co-founded by his cousin, Steve Korthoff, and friend Arnie Geller.[3] The shop was preceded by Wilson's fervent interest in physical fitness once exemplified in the song "Vegetables", written for the Beach Boys' album Smile in 1966[4] (Smile itself had many intentions, one of which was to be a "health food album").[2] While working at the shop, he met journalist and radio presenter Jack Rieley, who would manage the Beach Boys and act as Wilson's principal lyricist for a brief period.[5]

The store was famously profiled in a piece written by Tom Nolan for Rolling Stone, "The Beach Boys: A California Saga". After watching Ingmar Bergman's Skammen at a theater, Nolan encountered Wilson alone at the store as he was clad in a bathrobe.[6] Biographer Peter Ames Carlin later wrote: "Nolan was less surprised by the robe than by the simple fact that the man wearing it was a millionaire rock star whose penchant for seclusion had become nearly as famous as the many hit songs he had written and produced. Just three years after writing and producing 'Good Vibrations', Brian Wilson was selling vitamins out of a health food store in West Hollywood."[6]

Closure

The Radiant Radish closed on July 29, 1970[7] due to unprofitable produce expenditures and Wilson's general lack of business acumen.[8] In 2015, when asked what his favorite part about running the store was, Wilson responded: "The cash register."[9]

Legacy

The Radiant Radish is mentioned in the lyric to "H.E.L.P. Is on the Way", a song Wilson wrote for the Beach Boys;[10] author David Toop remarked that it could have been "the only pop song in history to mention enemas."[11] The shop appears as an illustration on the cover of the tribute album Smiles, Vibes & Harmony: A Tribute to Brian Wilson (1990).

See also

References
  1. Priore, Domenic (2007). Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock'N'Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood. Jawbone Press. p. 274. ISBN 978-1-906002-94-7.
  2. Nolan, Tom (October 28, 1971). "The Beach Boys: A California Saga". Rolling Stone (94).
  3. Badman, Keith (2004). The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio. Backbeat Books. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-87930-818-6.
  4. Priore, Domenic. Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-78323-198-0.
  5. White, Timothy (2000). Sunflower/Surf's Up (CD Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.
  6. Carlin, Peter Ames (2006). Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. Rodale. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-59486-749-1.
  7. Gaines, Steven (1986). Heroes and Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys (1st ed.). New York: Da Capo Press. p. 233. ISBN 0306806479.
  8. Hind, John (August 23, 2008). "This much I know – Brian Wilson, musician, 66, London". The Observer. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  9. "Brian Answer's Fans' Questions In Live Q&A". January 29, 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  10. Richmond, Akasha (2006). Hollywood Dish: More Than 150 Delicious, Healthy Recipes from Hollywood's Chef to the Stars. Penguin. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-4406-2814-6.
  11. Toop, David (1982). "Surfin' Death Valley USA: The Beach Boys and Heavy Friends". In Hoskyns, Barney (ed.). The Sound and the Fury: 40 Years of Classic Rock Journalism: A Rock's Backpages Reader. Bloomsbury USA (published 2003). p. 402. ISBN 978-1-58234-282-5.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.