If going fast and taking chances to be the greatest defines the Spirit of America, then Craig Breedlove couldn't have picked a better name for his rocket car. He'd set two land speed records - the first celebrated by The Beach Boys on their *Little Deuce Coupe* album, and the second ending in the standing record for the world’s longest skid marks, with a final wipeout into a canal ditch. 

The Beach Boys made it to the top three times in their career, beating back the British Invasion in the mid-60’s with “I Get Around” and “Good Vibrations”, but their wipeout in attempting to land the victory with *Smile* was almost enough to wreck the group. Add in Carl's fight to be recognized as a conscientious objector, and it really is remarkable they made it out of that canal alive.

Poor Mike, meanwhile, was learning that going fast and taking chances when it comes to young love could saddle a young man with adult responsibilities. Denied the easy exit of legal abortion, baby Mike found himself a father to be with a cheerleader wife. Unfortunately, that's about as mature as the relationship ever got. It seems that, where Carl stood up for his right to assert his belief that “thou shalt not kill”, Mike had his autonomy undermined by his mother using the same argument. The sister of Murry Wilson, she had some of the same hard-won spirit of domineering control as her brother. Meanwhile, Murry’s wife Audrey lived under his spirit of domination in an alcoholic haze that allowed horrors to happen in a dissociated state of denial. When the entire family business of The Beach Boys kicked Dad out, she finally came to her senses and realized she was ready to do the same.

By the time Carl got his cancer diagnosis in the 90’s, he was feeling like kicking himself entirely out of the band, and kicking ass as he left. The depth of resentment he'd built up as the family’s peacemaker came out as a disdain for everyone and everything about the band, much of it well earned. If you've had a family member deal with cancer, you may have experienced such a Festivus-esque airing of grievances. Uff da. But... Brian could go tit-for-tat when it came to burnt out disgusted rage with the Beach Boys. It's gonna be up to Mike to get us all back to thinking about peace and harmony at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame speech…

All that and more on this sprawling, spleen venting installment of Adult/Child! 

Adult/Child saga: Spirit of America