Tony Asher
Acting
Biography
Anthony D. Asher (born May 2, 1939) is an American songwriter and advertising copywriter who is notable for his collaborations with Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) and Roger Nichols in the 1960s. Asher co-wrote eight songs on the Beach Boys' 1966 album Pet Sounds, including the singles "God Only Knows", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "Caroline, No". According to Asher, he mainly served as a lyricist for Wilson's songs, but in some cases also contributed musical ideas. Asher also composed jingles, such as Mattel's slogan "You can tell it's Mattel—it's swell!", and contributed songs to The Partridge Family.
Known For
A documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.
Classic Albums
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times is a documentary about the life of Brian Wilson, the musical mastermind and songwriter for the Beach Boys. The film examines the ups and downs of Wilson's life, including the early years of the Beach Boys, his years of substance abuse, and his long road to recovery.
Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
This film tells (using modern day interviews and archival footage and sound tapes) the story of how in 1967, while his band The Beach Boys triumphantly toured abroad, Brian Wilson was trying to push the boundaries of conventional pop music with a new follow-up to the Beach Boys' cutting-edge mega-hit, Pet Sounds. The new album was to be called "SMiLE". SMiLE pushed the envelope both musically and lyrically, and was supposed to out-do the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper record. But Brian wasn't able to sell the project to his band-mates when they returned. The project was shelved and Wilson's well-documented decline into depression, drug abuse, recluseness, and obesity had begun. Thirty-odd years later, Wilson announced that in 2004, SMiLE would be performed live in its entirety in London. This film tells the story of a damaged but healing artist bringing his greatest work to light.
Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile
These archetypal Southern Californians, who transmuted their experiences growing up in suburban Hawthorne into a potent teen iconography orbiting surfing, cars, and girls, tackle the underlying personal and cultural upheavals beneath their discography. Intelligently assembled with over 40 songs dispersed throughout, ENDLESS HARMONY works not just as a rockumentary but as an important historical document of American music.
The Beach Boys: Endless Harmony
The inside story of the Beach Boys from their formation in 1961 to the present day (2005).
The Beach Boys: Wouldn't It Be Nice
Groundbreaking and ahead of its time, Pet Sounds — the 11th album by The Beach Boys — was a pioneering feat in production, sound, and songwriting…a work that continues to inspire musicians and fans to this day. The latest addition to acclaimed & award-winning Classic Albums series. gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at its creation.
Classic Albums: The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
A retrospective look at the making of the 1966 Beach Boys album, "Pet Sounds".