So the reunion might be announced today? *fingers crossed*

[Aegir]

I'd like to see a joint reunion of the Beach Boys and Van Halen at the Grammys.  Doing the tribute to Amy Winehouse.  Then everyone can be happy.  

I can't decide if that would be the best or the worst thing ever.

BOTH!

[Wirestone]

I don't get the rush to blame Brian's management. How about Brian himself?

From a great Boston Globe piece that ran a month ago:

Jardine, at one point, told Rolling Stone that the group might do 100 dates around the world. Wilson, in an interview, was noncommittal, saying “nothing’s confirmed.’’

“The only reason for him to do it would be if he decides he deserves to be able to celebrate 50 years of his music with the people he actually started with,’’ says Melinda Wilson.

Does she think Wilson will perform again with Love? She sighs.

“You know Brian,’’ she says. “From day to day it changes. From hour to hour it changes. What do I think he really wants to do? I don’t know. I haven’t asked him today.’’

http://articles.boston.com/2011-10-30/ae/30339311_1_smile-sessions-beach-boys-carl-and-dennis-wilson/4

Frankly, it sounds like Brian still hasn't made up his mind. And like his management would really like him to.

[Shady]

I don't get the rush to blame Brian's management. How about Brian himself?

From a great Boston Globe piece that ran a month ago:

Jardine, at one point, told Rolling Stone that the group might do 100 dates around the world. Wilson, in an interview, was noncommittal, saying “nothing’s confirmed.’’

“The only reason for him to do it would be if he decides he deserves to be able to celebrate 50 years of his music with the people he actually started with,’’ says Melinda Wilson.

Does she think Wilson will perform again with Love? She sighs.

“You know Brian,’’ she says. “From day to day it changes. From hour to hour it changes. What do I think he really wants to do? I don’t know. I haven’t asked him today.’’

http://articles.boston.com/2011-10-30/ae/30339311_1_smile-sessions-beach-boys-carl-and-dennis-wilson/4

Frankly, it sounds like Brian still hasn't made up his mind. And like his management would really like him to.

But the thing is Brian does what he's told..

If they said, "Hey Brian, get ready were going to the grammys", he would get ready and go

[Wirestone]

But the thing is Brian does what he's told. If they said, "Hey Brian, get ready were going to the grammys", he would get ready and go

Do you really think that's true?

Come to think of it, wasn't everyone just saying that Brian should be allowed to do what he wants? So isn't Melinda doing what everyone was just saying should be done -- letting Brian make up his own mind?

Or is the problem that he seems to be deciding differently than we would like?

[seltaeb1012002]

But the thing is Brian does what he's told. If they said, "Hey Brian, get ready were going to the grammys", he would get ready and go

Do you really think that's true?

Come to think of it, wasn't everyone just saying that Brian should be allowed to do what he wants? So isn't Melinda doing what everyone was just saying should be done -- letting Brian make up his own mind?

Or is the problem that he seems to be deciding differently than we would like?

Could be.

Food for thought.. what would Brian actually do at a reunion show?

It's one thing to sit in front of a muted keyboard and only have to sing the leads in his range. At a BB show, his leads would be extremely minimal. At this point, his falsetto is pretty much shot in the studio. No way it's happening live. The chances of him learning a lower harmony part for an entire set are slim at best. And... it seems that his live instrument chops aren't really there anymore.

Maybe he just doesn't see where he'd fit in.

Or.. maybe he's been working hard at getting his sh*t together, and needs a little more time. One can only hope.

[Shady]

But the thing is Brian does what he's told. If they said, "Hey Brian, get ready were going to the grammys", he would get ready and go

Do you really think that's true?

Come to think of it, wasn't everyone just saying that Brian should be allowed to do what he wants? So isn't Melinda doing what everyone was just saying should be done -- letting Brian make up his own mind?

Or is the problem that he seems to be deciding differently than we would like?

Well, do you think Brian really wanted to release SMiLE in 2004, or tour last year, or do a Gershwin album or a Disney album

Honestly, I do think Brian does what he's told because if he didn't, his output in the last 10 years would be pretty different

[Wirestone]

Well, do you think Brian really wanted to release SMiLE in 2004, or tour last year, or do a Gershwin album or a Disney album

Sure. Why not?

The alternative is to assume that a grown man in his 60s can be pressured into recording three full studio albums, recording some the best vocals of his solo career on two of them, and finding the inner wherewithal to perform multi-hour shows.

I don't think anyone does that amount -- or quality -- of work "because he's told to."

EDIT:

And for that matter, if getting Brian to finish and release Smile was as easy as just telling him to do it, why was it abandoned for 36 years? The man does what he wants, when he wants to do it. Sometimes he doesn't care enough to say no, but those cases are pretty easy to spot (Speed Turtle, anyone?).

[Shady]

Well, do you think Brian really wanted to release SMiLE in 2004, or tour last year, or do a Gershwin album or a Disney album

Sure. Why not?

The alternative is to assume that a grown man in his 60s can be pressured into recording three full studio albums, recording some the best vocals of his solo career on two of them, and finding the inner wherewithal to perform multi-hour shows.

I don't think anyone does that amount -- or quality -- of work "because he's told to."

Sad to say I think that's how it works..

When Brian said he want's to quite touring last year I really feel he meant it but you can bet that won't happen..

It's weird, I just feel he's not getting to do what he really wants to do..

[endofposts]

I have always read mixed message from Melinda.  She's always said she thinks Brian gets in a bad place when he's around the Beach Boys, then in other places, she's said she's never seen Brian as happy as when he is hanging out with Mike.  So, she might get her cues on what she says from Brian, who knows.  Also, Melinda is not the only part of his management, there are his actual managers, his lawyers, etc.  Those guys may be the sticking point, if it is Brian's team.  Then, you have Brian himself, who just may not want to play 100 dates around the world.  I've never even heard Mike or Bruce mention anything like that.  Since Al said it, no one listens to Al, he's lucky to still be in there after the lawsuits, so it can't be taken seriously.  But I do think their appearance on the Grammys depends on reaching agreement on other issues and other appearances and recordings.  Those issues could take time and could be more difficult to resolve.

[Wirestone]

It's weird, I just feel he's not getting to do what he really wants to do..

I just think that lets him off the hook too easily. He's his own man. If he doesn't want to deal with Melinda, he can divorce her. She hasn't been his conservator for years. If he wants to release some crazy album, he has any number of guys in his band who would jump at the chance to make it with him, and any number of indie labels who would kill to release it. But guess what -- he hasn't done any of those things because he likes being comfortable.

What you're seeing is a skilled manipulator who allows others to either make decisions for him or look like they're making decisions. It allows him to act blameless and deflect attention from people who want him to do things. He's aggressively passive aggressive (look at the laundry list of former best friends) and expert at always seeming innocent and put-upon. So you'll always have concerned commenters who say they can see his soul in those troubled eyes -- while he's managed to end up fabulously wealthy with a devoted backing band and a legendary status in the industry.

The poor soul.

[positivemusic]

I'm really glad Kanye got a bunch of nominations. Not that I care about the grammy's, but that album is amazing and it would be nice to see people give it another chance.

And that crybaby thing gets over played. He just says what's on his mind. He's actually one of the most honest artists out there. I'd think that for Brian Wilson fans who have an open mind to rap, he would be an easy favorite.

Kanye's" 808s and heartbreaks" album was influenced in part by Pet Sounds.

Is this at all true? I'd never heard that.

[Shady]

It's weird, I just feel he's not getting to do what he really wants to do..

I just think that lets him off the hook too easily. He's his own man. If he doesn't want to deal with Melinda, he can divorce her. She hasn't been his conservator for years. If he wants to release some crazy album, he has any number of guys in his band who would jump at the chance to make it with him, and any number of indie labels who would kill to release it. But guess what -- he hasn't done any of those things because he likes being comfortable.

What you're seeing is a master manipulator who allows others to either make decisions for him or look like they're making decisions. It allows him to act blameless and deflect attention from people who want him to do things. He's passive aggressive to the hilt (look at the laundry list of former best friends) and expert at always seeming as innocent and put-upon. So you'll always have concerned commenters who say they can see his soul in those troubled eyes -- while he's managed to end up fabulously wealthy with a devoted backing band and a legendary status in the industry.

The poor soul.

That's very possible, it's a hard one to understand..

Much like a lot of other things with Brian  

I still think Melinda follows the dollar, hate to say it

I'm really glad Kanye got a bunch of nominations. Not that I care about the grammy's, but that album is amazing and it would be nice to see people give it another chance.

And that crybaby thing gets over played. He just says what's on his mind. He's actually one of the most honest artists out there. I'd think that for Brian Wilson fans who have an open mind to rap, he would be an easy favorite.

Kanye's" 808s and heartbreaks" album was influenced in part by Pet Sounds.

Is this at all true? I'd never heard that.

[18thofMay]

But the thing is Brian does what he's told. If they said, "Hey Brian, get ready were going to the grammys", he would get ready and go

Do you really think that's true?

Come to think of it, wasn't everyone just saying that Brian should be allowed to do what he wants? So isn't Melinda doing what everyone was just saying should be done -- letting Brian make up his own mind?

Or is the problem that he seems to be deciding differently than we would like?

Could be.

Food for thought.. what would Brian actually do at a reunion show?

It's one thing to sit in front of a muted keyboard and only have to sing the leads in his range. At a BB show, his leads would be extremely minimal. At this point, his falsetto is pretty much shot in the studio. No way it's happening live. The chances of him learning a lower harmony part for an entire set are slim at best. And... it seems that his live instrument chops aren't really there anymore.

Maybe he just doesn't see where he'd fit in.

Or.. maybe he's been working hard at getting his sh*t together, and needs a little more time. One can only hope.

Are your ears working??

[positivemusic]

I'm really glad Kanye got a bunch of nominations. Not that I care about the grammy's, but that album is amazing and it would be nice to see people give it another chance.

And that crybaby thing gets over played. He just says what's on his mind. He's actually one of the most honest artists out there. I'd think that for Brian Wilson fans who have an open mind to rap, he would be an easy favorite.

I have to second this opinion. I'm not big on hip hop, myself, but I can easily say I appreciate and, in fact like, a big chunk of Kanye West's output.

Sometimes personal opinions can cloud tastes in someone's art. I don't think Kanye West is a cry baby. But, even if he was, I don't think that would be a valid reason to not like his music. It would be akin to those who think Mike Love is nothing, but a jerk not liking "Let The Wind Blow" or "All This Is That" simply based on him personally.

However, having gone through both junior high and high school in the late 90's-early 2000's with The Beach Boys as my favorite band I am a very firm believer in "too each his own."

Though, besides the no-show of The Beach Boys last night, a let down for me was the absence of the Foo Fighters from all, but 1 top category.

[Wirestone]

Funny thing about that We Are the World II shoot -- Brian refused to stand up for the video filming (even though every other artist, including the older Tony Bennett, did), so they had to digitally add footage of him standing in the final video.

This is the man who always does what he's told, remember.

[positivemusic]

It's weird, I just feel he's not getting to do what he really wants to do..

I just think that lets him off the hook too easily. He's his own man. If he doesn't want to deal with Melinda, he can divorce her. She hasn't been his conservator for years. If he wants to release some crazy album, he has any number of guys in his band who would jump at the chance to make it with him, and any number of indie labels who would kill to release it. But guess what -- he hasn't done any of those things because he likes being comfortable.

What you're seeing is a master manipulator who allows others to either make decisions for him or look like they're making decisions. It allows him to act blameless and deflect attention from people who want him to do things. He's passive aggressive to the hilt (look at the laundry list of former best friends) and expert at always seeming as innocent and put-upon. So you'll always have concerned commenters who say they can see his soul in those troubled eyes -- while he's managed to end up fabulously wealthy with a devoted backing band and a legendary status in the industry.

The poor soul.

That's very possible, it's a hard one to understand..

Much like a lot of other things with Brian  

I still think Melinda follows the dollar, hate to say it

I'm really glad Kanye got a bunch of nominations. Not that I care about the grammy's, but that album is amazing and it would be nice to see people give it another chance.

And that crybaby thing gets over played. He just says what's on his mind. He's actually one of the most honest artists out there. I'd think that for Brian Wilson fans who have an open mind to rap, he would be an easy favorite.

Kanye's" 808s and heartbreaks" album was influenced in part by Pet Sounds.

Is this at all true? I'd never heard that.

I have this photo on my Ipod. I love showing it to my friends who aren't so keen on The Beach Boys!!   Oddly enough, though, many of them not so endeared to The Beach Boys, aren't really all that fond of Kanye West, either... go figure. Haha.

[Shady]

Funny thing about that We Are the World II shoot -- Brian refused to stand up for the video filming (even though every other artist, including the older Tony Bennett, did), so they had to digitally add footage of him standing in the final video.

This is the man who always does what he's told, remember.

Maybe he just couldn't stand up, difference between that and making Brian hit the road for two months

[endofposts]

I have to agree it's possible he couldn't stand up.  He doesn't stand up in his stage show.  It's either fatigue, age, or anxiety.  That was a big crowd of people to sing with, just like when he sings in front of a crowd now, he has to sit down.  It might have been easier to stand for an insert shot because there were less people in the room and it was quicker to do than standing around as long as the initial shoot was.

[guitarfool2002]

It's weird, I just feel he's not getting to do what he really wants to do..

I just think that lets him off the hook too easily. He's his own man. If he doesn't want to deal with Melinda, he can divorce her. She hasn't been his conservator for years. If he wants to release some crazy album, he has any number of guys in his band who would jump at the chance to make it with him, and any number of indie labels who would kill to release it. But guess what -- he hasn't done any of those things because he likes being comfortable.

What you're seeing is a master manipulator who allows others to either make decisions for him or look like they're making decisions. It allows him to act blameless and deflect attention from people who want him to do things. He's passive aggressive to the hilt (look at the laundry list of former best friends) and expert at always seeming as innocent and put-upon. So you'll always have concerned commenters who say they can see his soul in those troubled eyes -- while he's managed to end up fabulously wealthy with a devoted backing band and a legendary status in the industry.

The poor soul.

That's very possible, it's a hard one to understand..

Much like a lot of other things with Brian  

I still think Melinda follows the dollar, hate to say it

I'm really glad Kanye got a bunch of nominations. Not that I care about the grammy's, but that album is amazing and it would be nice to see people give it another chance.

And that crybaby thing gets over played. He just says what's on his mind. He's actually one of the most honest artists out there. I'd think that for Brian Wilson fans who have an open mind to rap, he would be an easy favorite.

Kanye's" 808s and heartbreaks" album was influenced in part by Pet Sounds.

Is this at all true? I'd never heard that.

I have this photo on my Ipod. I love showing it to my friends who aren't so keen on The Beach Boys!!   Oddly enough, though, many of them not so endeared to The Beach Boys, aren't really all that fond of Kanye West, either... go figure. Haha.

What is the relevance of that photo with Kanye, Al, and Brian? It just means they were in the same room together!

[runnersdialzero]

Kanye is producing the new Beach Boys album. Didn't you know?

[Shady]

It's weird, I just feel he's not getting to do what he really wants to do..

I just think that lets him off the hook too easily. He's his own man. If he doesn't want to deal with Melinda, he can divorce her. She hasn't been his conservator for years. If he wants to release some crazy album, he has any number of guys in his band who would jump at the chance to make it with him, and any number of indie labels who would kill to release it. But guess what -- he hasn't done any of those things because he likes being comfortable.

What you're seeing is a master manipulator who allows others to either make decisions for him or look like they're making decisions. It allows him to act blameless and deflect attention from people who want him to do things. He's passive aggressive to the hilt (look at the laundry list of former best friends) and expert at always seeming as innocent and put-upon. So you'll always have concerned commenters who say they can see his soul in those troubled eyes -- while he's managed to end up fabulously wealthy with a devoted backing band and a legendary status in the industry.

The poor soul.

That's very possible, it's a hard one to understand..

Much like a lot of other things with Brian  

I still think Melinda follows the dollar, hate to say it

I'm really glad Kanye got a bunch of nominations. Not that I care about the grammy's, but that album is amazing and it would be nice to see people give it another chance.

And that crybaby thing gets over played. He just says what's on his mind. He's actually one of the most honest artists out there. I'd think that for Brian Wilson fans who have an open mind to rap, he would be an easy favorite.

Kanye's" 808s and heartbreaks" album was influenced in part by Pet Sounds.

Is this at all true? I'd never heard that.

I have this photo on my Ipod. I love showing it to my friends who aren't so keen on The Beach Boys!!   Oddly enough, though, many of them not so endeared to The Beach Boys, aren't really all that fond of Kanye West, either... go figure. Haha.

What is the relevance of that photo with Kanye, Al, and Brian? It just means they were in the same room together!

Damn, was meant to put a quote under it..

Kanye said in a interview that a big influence on his Twisted Fantasy album was meeting Brian at that recording session

[guitarfool2002]

Damn, was meant to put a quote under it..

Kanye said in a interview that a big influence on his Twisted Fantasy album was meeting Brian at that recording session

What about Al?

[seltaeb1012002]

But the thing is Brian does what he's told. If they said, "Hey Brian, get ready were going to the grammys", he would get ready and go

Do you really think that's true?

Come to think of it, wasn't everyone just saying that Brian should be allowed to do what he wants? So isn't Melinda doing what everyone was just saying should be done -- letting Brian make up his own mind?

Or is the problem that he seems to be deciding differently than we would like?

Could be.

Food for thought.. what would Brian actually do at a reunion show?

It's one thing to sit in front of a muted keyboard and only have to sing the leads in his range. At a BB show, his leads would be extremely minimal. At this point, his falsetto is pretty much shot in the studio. No way it's happening live. The chances of him learning a lower harmony part for an entire set are slim at best. And... it seems that his live instrument chops aren't really there anymore.

Maybe he just doesn't see where he'd fit in.

Or.. maybe he's been working hard at getting his sh*t together, and needs a little more time. One can only hope.

Are your ears working??

Haha, Thank God they are, as I make a living with my ears.

Basically I'm just speculating on why whatever was gonna happen last night didn't happen. Forget Melinda. Think about it from BW's perspective. He gets down on himself about his voice, etc. He even said during Beautiful Dreamer that he felt he was too old to do it (and that was in '03) and wound up going to the hospital over it. There's a possibility that he could be going through a very similar inner turmoil with a potential reunion coming up, hence there being no official announcement as late as December 2011, and the cancellation last night. Imagine being Brian Wilson, at a Beach Boys reunion, and not being able to sing the high parts like he used to? He's a competitive guy, you can see how pissed he gets when he screws up at his own shows. It would be depressing for him.

I could be completely off base, btw.

[Shady]

Damn, was meant to put a quote under it..

Kanye said in a interview that a big influence on his Twisted Fantasy album was meeting Brian at that recording session

What about Al?

Just like the writers of SNL, He had no idea who he was  

Look at how Kanye and Enrique are looking at Brian. That's respect

[guitarfool2002]

Damn, was meant to put a quote under it..

Kanye said in a interview that a big influence on his Twisted Fantasy album was meeting Brian at that recording session

What about Al?

Just like the writers of SNL, He had no idea who he was  

Look at how Kanye and Enrique are looking at Brian. That's respect

I remember that SNL bit - and I'm wondering too why Brian and Al are the only ones shown holding sheet music.