Lorren Daro
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Lorren Daro (born Loren Darro Schwartz, 1937–2017) was an American talent agent known for his involvement in the Los Angeles music scene in the 1960s. His contacts included
Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...
member
Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...
, session musician
Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, record producer, singer, and former Warner Bros. Records executive whose work encompasses orchestral pop, elaborate recording experiments, Ame ...
, jingle writer
Tony Asher Anthony D. Asher (born May 2, 1939) is an American songwriter and advertising copywriter who is best known for his collaborations with Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) and Roger Nichols (songwriter), Roger Nichols in the 1960s. Asher co-wrote eig ...
, and
Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the sole consisten ...
members
David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelic music, psych ...
,
Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...
, and
Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (; born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the band. As a so ...
. Daro helped connect Wilson to Asher for the writing of the Beach Boys' album ''
Pet Sounds ''Pet Sounds'' is the eleventh studio album by the American Rock music, rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was produced, arranged, and primarily composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher. R ...
'' (1966). He is also infamous for having introduced Wilson to
marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
and
LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
; the latter drug is sometimes cited as the cause of Wilson's subsequent mental health struggles. Later in his life, Daro was a tour manager, concert promoter, and author of two self-published books.


Background

Loren Darro Schwartz was born in 1937 and grew up in
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...
, California. As a child, he took on professional acting roles. Early in his life, he formed friendships with
David Anderle David Anderle (July 9, 1937 – September 1, 2014) was an American A&R man, record producer, and portrait artist. He is best known for his business associations with the Beach Boys during the production of the band's unfinished album ''Smile'' a ...
, a
grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...
acquaintance, and
Tony Asher Anthony D. Asher (born May 2, 1939) is an American songwriter and advertising copywriter who is best known for his collaborations with Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) and Roger Nichols (songwriter), Roger Nichols in the 1960s. Asher co-wrote eig ...
, described by Schwartz as "my best pal in college". The latter met Schwartz while they were attending
Santa Monica High School Santa Monica High School, officially abbreviated to Samohi or SMHS, is a public high school in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1891, it changed location several times in its early years before settling into its present campus at 601 Pico Bo ...
. Afterward, Schwartz attended
Santa Monica City College Santa Monica College (SMC) is a Public university, public community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a Junior college#United States, junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. The coll ...
and graduated from the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
, where he majored in theatre. During the 1960s, Schwartz was employed with the
William Morris Agency The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best-known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ...
 â€“ who were also representing
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
 â€“ and resided in an apartment on Harper Avenue in
West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...
. There, he regularly hosted listening and smoking parties; frequent attendees included Asher, members of
the Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...
, the Beach Boys'
Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...
, and session musician
Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, record producer, singer, and former Warner Bros. Records executive whose work encompasses orchestral pop, elaborate recording experiments, Ame ...
. Schwartz called his apartment a "
Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 â€“ July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh), and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and ...
-styled salon. I had the best pot and happening musicians." In the 1986 biography ''
Heroes and Villains "Heroes and Villains" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1967 album ''Smiley Smile'' and their unfinished ''Smile (The Beach Boys album), Smile'' project. Written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, Wilson envisioned ...
'', author
Steven Gaines Steven Gaines (born 1946) is an American author, journalist, and radio show host. His books include ''Philistines at the Hedgerow: Passion and Property in the Hamptons'', '' The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of The Beatles'', '' Heroes and Vi ...
quotes anonymous sources who described Schwartz as "something of a social manipulator" and a "new-wave Jewish intellectual". Another described the scene of his apartment as "a little like Paris in the days when the impressionist painters met at coffeehouses." The same comparison was made in a later blog post by Schwartz. Academic Dave Carter writes that the gatherings of artists at Schwartz's apartment were not particularly unique for the time and setting.


Association with Brian Wilson

In the mid-1960s, Schwartz met Brian Wilson at a Hollywood studio and subsequently became one of his closest friends. Schwartz claimed to have been first acquainted with Wilson in 1961. In another account, he stated that he was introduced to Wilson by Asher in January 1963, but Wilson said that he was already acquainted with Schwartz prior to meeting Asher. Asher recalled that he would occasionally "see Brian t Loren's house€”but he never stayed long." He characterized Schwartz and Schwartz's wife, Judy, as having "a great influence on Brian." Through Schwartz, Wilson was exposed to a wealth of literature and mystical topics â€“ largely of philosophy and world religions â€“ that Wilson formed a deep fascination with. Schwartz also introduced Wilson to
marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
and
hashish Hashish (; ), usually abbreviated as hash, is a Compression (physics), compressed form of resin (trichomes) derived from the cannabis flowers. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, As a Psychoactive drug, psychoactive ...
in late 1964. Along with Wilson's habitual use of marijuana, the constant fraternizing between Wilson and Schwartz ignited tensions between Wilson and his first wife Marilyn, especially after Schwartz introduced Wilson to
LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
. Schwartz recalled that Wilson's dosage was 125 micrograms of "pure
Owsley Owsley may refer to: * Owsley (surname), a surname * Owsley Stanley (1935–2011), also known as Owsley or Bear, "underground" LSD chemist and early Grateful Dead soundman, grandson of Augustus Owsley Stanley * Owsley (musician), the stage name ...
" and that his first experience included "the full-on
ego death Ego death is a "complete loss of subjective self-identity". The term is used in various intertwined contexts, with related meanings. The 19th-century philosopher and psychologist William James uses the synonymous term "self-surrender", and Jung ...
". Marilyn later said that, to her knowledge, Wilson only took LSD one more time, which was again under Schwartz's supervision. Conversely, Schwartz said that he never supplied LSD to Wilson a second time, going on to characterize Marilyn as a "moronic, bovine wife". In 1966, Wilson wrote the majority of the Beach Boys' ''
Pet Sounds ''Pet Sounds'' is the eleventh studio album by the American Rock music, rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was produced, arranged, and primarily composed by Brian Wilson with guest lyricist Tony Asher. R ...
'' with Tony Asher. Wilson chose Asher as a collaborator because he had felt that "anybody that hung out with Loren Schwartz was a very brainy guy, a real verbal type person." According to Schwartz, the album track "
I Just Wasn't Made for These Times "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, the lyrics describe the disillusionment of someone who struggles to fit into so ...
" was written about himself, and the band's single "
Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock music, rock band the Beach Boys, produced and composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. Released as a single on October 10, 1966, it achieved immediate critical and commercial success, ...
" was inspired by his wife Lynda. Author David McGowan and journalist
Nick Kent Nick Kent (born 24 December 1951) is a British rock critic and musician, best known for his writing for the ''NME'' in the 1970s, and his books ''The Dark Stuff'' (1994) and ''Apathy for the Devil'' (2010). Early life Kent, the son of a forme ...
suggests that Van Dyke Parks, who collaborated with Wilson on the aborted album ''
Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...
'', was introduced to Wilson by Schwartz. Other accounts credit David Crosby with introducing Wilson to Parks.


Later years

According to Daro, he was, at one point, "the highest paid Tour Manager in show business", offering his services to bands such as the Beach Boys,
the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
,
the Association The Association is an American sunshine pop band from Los Angeles, California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts, ''Billboard'' charts (including "Windy (The Association song), Windy" ...
,
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
,
the Troggs The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes) are an English beat music band formed in Andover, Hampshire, in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper " Wild Thing", " With a Girl Like You" and " Love Is All Around", al ...
, and
Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, founded by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sn ...
. Following the early 1970s, he started "my own agency serving colleges and universities with concert acts." Author
Peter Ames Carlin Peter Ames Carlin (born March 14, 1963) is an American journalist, critic and biographer who has written for publications such as ''People'' magazine, ''The New York Times Magazine'', '' The Los Angeles Times Magazine'', and ''The Oregonian''. Sev ...
wrote that changed his legal name from Loren Schwartz "for complicated reasons involving
Subud Subud (pronounced ) is an international, interfaith spirituality, spiritual movement that began in Indonesia in the 1920s, founded by Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo (1901–1987). The basis of Subud is a spiritual exercise called the Latihan ...
numerology and a desire to assimilate into non-Jewish culture". Asher explained that it was "to spiritually balance the number of cyphers in his name 'laughs''" In 1983, Daro entered a partnership with property developer Charles Del Valle to buy the Walker Scott Building in
downtown San Diego Downtown San Diego is the central business district of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. It houses the major local headquarters of the city, county, state, and federal governments. The area comprises seven d ...
. After several business ventures in the building had failed, Del Valle left the partnership in the mid-1980s, leaving Daro as the sole owner. The property was purchased by the
San Diego City Council The San Diego City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of San Diego. The city council was first established in San Diego in 1850. The council is part of a strong mayor system with a separately elected mayor who acts as th ...
in March 1995 for $800,000 â€“ $250,000 of which went to Daro after outstanding property taxes were paid. In 1997, Daro moved to
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
where he became a literary agent. During this time he experimented with
prasterone Prasterone, also known as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and sold under the brand name Intrarosa among others, is a medication as well as over-the-counter dietary supplement which is used to correct DHEA deficiency due to adrenal insufficie ...
in response to chronic fatigue and minor arthritis. Daro reported a positive effect: "This energy feels natural, not like having a lot of coffee or stimulants. My mind is also sharper and my arthritic stiffness is gone". Since 1999, Daro had resided in
Cobb, California Cobb is a census designated place (CDP) in Lake County, California, United States. Cobb is located northwest of Whispering Pines, at an elevation of . The population was 1,295 at the 2020 census, down from 1,778 at the 2010 census. History ...
. He published ''The Big Dictionary'' in 2001, a reference book which listed roughly 5,000 "commonly used words" â€“ culled from an unabridged dictionary of 350,000 words â€“ leaving out "words most people already know" and omitting punctuation markings and usage examples. In 2004, Daro appeared in
David Leaf David Leaf (born April 20, 1952) is an American writer, director, and producer who is best known for his associations with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys since the late 1970s. Leaf's 1978 biography, '' The Beach Boys and the California Myth'', ...
's documentary '' Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile''. He was interviewed for Carlin's 2006 biography of Wilson, '' Catch a Wave''. In the book, Carlin writes, "Brian's drug use would eventually be blamed for much of his subsequent emotional and psychiatric ills. As a result, some consider Schwartz to be a truly dark figure, but, unsurprisingly, he sees things differently." In 2012, a written account from Daro regarding his association with Wilson was published by
Everett True Everett True (born Jeremy Andrew Thackray on 21 April 1961) is an English music journalist and musician. He became interested in rock music after hearing The Residents, and formed a band with school friends. He has written and recorded as The ...
's website ''Collapse Board''. In 2015, Parks wrote on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, "I confirm Lorren Daro's account of the 60s: an inconvenient truth, in its candor. Never judge a book by its movie!"


See also

* "
California Girls "California Girls" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1965 album '' Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)''. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the lyrics were partly inspired by the band's experiences touring Europe f ...
" * "
I Know There's an Answer "I Know There's an Answer" (alternately known as "Hang On to Your Ego") is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson, Terry Sachen, and Mike Love, the song was inspired by Wilson's e ...
"


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * *


External links


Lorren Daro's post history on Smileysmile.netArchived
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daro, Lorren 1937 births 2017 deaths American child actors American talent agents American people of Jewish descent Brian Wilson Businesspeople from Beverly Hills, California Santa Monica College alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni