Radiant Radish
Industry | Grocery store, health food store |
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Founded | 1969 (1969) in West Hollywood, U.S. |
Founders | Brian Wilson, Steve Korthoff, Arny Geller. |
Defunct | July 29, 1970 (1970-07-29) |
Fate | Bankruptcy |
Products | Natural organic vegetarian food, supplements, and herbs |
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 1971.[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.[citation needed]
Background
Beach Boys member Brian Wilson opened the small health food store with his cousin, Steve Korthoff, and friend Arnie Geller in mid-1969.[2] It was financed with $15,000 (equivalent to $120,000 in 2023).[3] Prior to this, Wilson had displayed a fervent interest in physical fitness with his band's 1967 song "Vegetables".[4] When he had planned to issue the song as a single, he held a mock photoshoot at the Los Angeles Farmers Market, where he posed in front of a fruit and vegetable stand. The location was at Fairfax Avenue and 3rd Street.[5]
Operations
The Radiant Radish had irregular hours. Wilson would open the store whenever he felt like it, usually at night, and manage the counter while still dressed in his pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers.[2] He would also occasionally indulge himself to up to $1,000 of his own stock (equivalent to $8,000 in 2023).[3] Journalist Tom Nolan recalled encountering Wilson alone at the store and clad in a bathrobe.[6] Wilson refused to sell him a bottle of Vitamin B-12, explaining that Nolan first needed to provide proof of a doctor's prescription.[3]
Nolan wrote about the experience in his 1971 cover story for Rolling Stone, "The Beach Boys: A California Saga".[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 was closed by 1970 due to unprofitable produce expenditures and Wilson's lack of business acumen.[7] In 2015, Wilson said his favorite part about running the store was the cash register.[8] He also met journalist and radio presenter Jack Rieley at the store, who would manage the Beach Boys and act as Wilson's principal lyricist for a brief period.[9]
In popular culture
- In 1970, the Beach Boys recorded Wilson's song "H.E.L.P. Is On the Way",[10] which mentions the Radiant Radish in its lyrics.[11] The song was unreleased until the 1993 box set Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys.[12]
- In 1990, the shop appeared as an illustration on the cover of the tribute album Smiles, Vibes & Harmony: A Tribute to Brian Wilson.
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c Gaines 1986, p. 234.
- ^ Priore, Domenic (7 March 2005). Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-78323-198-0.
- ^ Badman 2004, p. 178.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Hind, John (August 23, 2008). "This much I know – Brian Wilson, musician, 66, London". The Observer. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- ^ "Brian Answer's Fans' Questions In Live Q&A". January 29, 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^ White, Timothy (2000). Sunflower/Surf's Up (CD Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.
- ^ Badman 2004, p. 368.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Badman 2004, p. 279.
Sources
- Gaines, Steven (1986). Heroes and Villains: The True Story of The Beach Boys (1st ed.). New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306806479.
Further reading
- Nolan, Tom (October 28, 1971). "The Beach Boys: A California Saga". Rolling Stone. No. 94. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012.
- v
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- Brian Wilson
- I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
- Orange Crate Art
- Imagination
- Gettin' In over My Head
- Brian Wilson Presents Smile
- What I Really Want for Christmas
- That Lucky Old Sun
- Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
- In the Key of Disney
- No Pier Pressure
- At My Piano
- I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
- Long Promised Road
- The Beach Boys Classics Selected by Brian Wilson
- Pet Projects: The Brian Wilson Productions
- The Big Beat 1963
- Sessions '64
- Playback: The Brian Wilson Anthology
- "Caroline, No"
- "Gettin' Hungry"
- "Let's Go to Heaven in My Car"
- "Love and Mercy"
- "Melt Away"
- "Do It Again"
- "Your Imagination"
- "Wonderful"
- "Good Vibrations"
- "Our Prayer" (Freeform Reform)
- "Walking Down the Path of Life / Love & Mercy"
- "What I Really Want for Christmas"
- "Midnight's Another Day"
- "What Love Can Do"
- "The Like In I Love You"
- "God Only Knows"
- "The Right Time"
- "Runaway Dancer"
- "On the Island"
Beach Boys
songs
Album tracks |
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Co-written |
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Guest features |
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- Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story
- I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir
- I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
- Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile
- Long Promised Road
- 2001 Radio City Music hall concert
- "Brian Wilson"
- Caroline Now!
- Making God Smile
- Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson
- "Pancreas"
- Smiles, Vibes & Harmony
- Smiling Pets
- "This Could Be the Night"
- Adult/Child
- The Beach Boys Love You
- Catch a Wave
- The Cocaine Sessions
- Cows in the Pasture
- Folkways: A Vision Shared
- Friends
- Inside the Music of Brian Wilson
- Love & Mercy
- Andy Paley sessions
- Pet Sounds
- "Shortenin' Bread"
- Smile
- Spring
- Sweet Insanity
- The Wilson Project
- The Wilsons
- A World of Peace Must Come
- American Spring
- The Beach Boys
- Bellagio home studio
- Bob & Sheri
- "Brian Wilson is a genius"
- California Music
- California sound
- The Honeys
- Eugene Landy
- Melinda Ledbetter
- Mike Love
- Stan Love
- Love v. Wilson
- Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary World Tour
- Radiant Radish
- Wilson–Beck 2013 Tour
- Carl Wilson
- Carnie Wilson
- Dennis Wilson
- Wendy Wilson
- Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford
- Wondermints
34°04′53″N 118°23′00″W / 34.081350°N 118.383248°W / 34.081350; -118.383248