The Beach Boys' Crazy Summer (Fantastic article)

[Musketeer]

The thing about Brian wanting to change their name to "Beach" is practically straight from the Carlin book.

[Kirk]

The factual errors are minor and generally the result of trying to fit a messy narrative into a single piece.

Agree 100 percent.

One thing that jumped out at me: do we know for certain it was ML who dissed "Til I Die" when Brian first played it for the band? This is the first time I remember seeing him specifically cited for that. I mean, I always assumed it was Mike since reading the Leaf book, where it doesn't name a name---odd to me, given how criticism of Mike is hardly discrete there---but I've often thought ... well, what if it was one of the others? How differently would we imagine the story then? That episode is so essential to the storyline of "Brian withdrew because he couldn't express himself artistically and personally/Mike took over to make a mint..."

[Ron]

This article might have set a new precedent, he skips 45 years in just the first paragraph!  

Mike Love's reaction to Dick Clark dying?  He Strangles Al and says "YOU'RE NEXT!".

Brian's reaction is proof he's still hiding in there.  His reaction sounds like something he would have said when he was 25.

I love the typical trype like "It is one of the most sophisticated first songs that anyone has ever written".... like the act of actually writing Surfer Girl isnt' enough, he has to go and try to make the case that nobody else had ever written anything that good as their first song... because the reporter has obviously heard the first songs written by 'anybody' and has found them all lacking.  This is the kind of sh*t that leads to the Beach Boys not getting their proper credit with your average listener, because the case is overstated.  

Then he misinterprets the lyrics as Brian singing to a girl he can nonentheless never have... says who?  Brian had his surfer girl!  The writer is projecting his own depressing life onto Brian's.  Brian's a Rock Star, that the writer sees him as a depressed loser who lost 45 years of his life to a bed again perepetuates the myth.



I'm being unkind to the writer, but he's falling into the trap that a lot of people do, he's trying to explain why Brian Wilson does what he does and thinks what he thinks.... which is a losing proposition from the beginning.  The guy's an enigma just like the rest of us are.    Still, an interesting read I suppose.  

[Ron]

BTW, the optimist in me is pleased to see some of my assumptions validated.

For instance.

I've always thought this doesn't necessarily have to be the last Beach Boys album, and the writer claims Brian changed the album title so that it didn't necessarily have to be.

The writer keeps suggesting that Brian's a zombie uncapable of doing anything without his musical director showing him what to sing.... but then slips and says that Brian created all the harmonies for "Think About the Days" or whatever it's called and recorded the entire song in less than 2 hours after the DIA sessions.  If Brian's such a fragment of his old self, how the hell did he pull that off?  Even the writer admits it's gorgeous.  

Geekfanboys claimed that Brian was forced by Melinda or someone to join the band, but apparently Brian's been scheming and pulling strings behind the scenes for years to make it go down.  What?  Brian actually WANTED to work with the Beach Boys?  Nooooo, that doesn't fit the narrative! 

Etc. Etc. Etc.  Be positive people! He's not in the ground yet!  

[filledeplage]

BTW, the optimist in me is pleased to see some of my assumptions validated.

For instance.

I've always thought this doesn't necessarily have to be the last Beach Boys album, and the writer claims Brian changed the album title so that it didn't necessarily have to be.

The writer keeps suggesting that Brian's a zombie uncapable of doing anything without his musical director showing him what to sing.... but then slips and says that Brian created all the harmonies for "Think About the Days" or whatever it's called and recorded the entire song in less than 2 hours after the DIA sessions.  If Brian's such a fragment of his old self, how the hell did he pull that off?  Even the writer admits it's gorgeous.  

Geekfanboys claimed that Brian was forced by Melinda or someone to join the band, but apparently Brian's been scheming and pulling strings behind the scenes for years to make it go down.  What?  Brian actually WANTED to work with the Beach Boys?  Nooooo, that doesn't fit the narrative! 

Etc. Etc. Etc.  Be positive people! He's not in the ground yet!  

Agreed! Be positive.

By suggesting Brian's diminished capacity, for writing, is he "practicing medicine" without a license?

Brian is working solo for nearly 15 years. 

Did this author get the memo?

Wonder if he listened to Sirius this weekend for the "banter?" 

People don't expect Brian to be funny. Sometimes, he is!

[urbanite]

I'm one of those people that hope this tour leads to some songwriting between Messrs. Wilson and Love, and others. 

[Doo Dah]

Really really enjoyed the read. Stunned that some here consider the behind the scene rehearsal coverage 'negative'. Think about the days? More like think about the mind-trip that all of these guys were on when they commenced working on the album and the tour. There's water under the bridge, but the Surf's Up! You may call it voyeuristic, but I call it an essential fly on the wall perspective. We just don't get these types of articles on the Beach Boys, beyond the same tired formulaic one pagers.

Regarding the 'mysterious Brian band member' I have two things to say - context and yeah...he's RIGHT! Bravo for tellin' it like it is. Didn't Bruce once refer to Brian's show (admiringly) as similar to art cinema? No controversy here. None at all.

The ebb and flow of the article resulted in the triumph of the Beacon Shows and the triumph of Brian in the studio. Nothing voyeuristic or depressing about this at all - it's real life, with a happy ending.  

[Wirestone]

The Think About the Days anecdote is interesting, especially because it shows how writing with a latter-day Brian Wilson can work. That is, Joe had a chord progression, and Brian devised a melody and vocal arrangement. The thing is, this is not the kind of thing that happens when Brian is sitting alone in his music room in LA. Now, he comes up with cool stuff there on occasion. But clearly the story of Brian's solo career is that this kind of creative pump-priming from collaborators -- be they Andy Paley or Joe Thomas or Bill the Milkman -- can pay off in a big way. And while it's understandable that Melinda looked warily at this kind of collaboration for a lot of the last 10 years -- the politics over writing with BW are maddening -- it can produce interesting results.

[onkster]

While I think the negative may be somewhat overstated in the article, it's good that the oddities and downsides are given coverage...because a lot of that stuff does exist, and it makes people who don't know the full story wonder why these things are. Why does Brian seem out of it from time to time? Is he OK? Is someone else calling the shots? What's going on here?

The inclusion of those things, in my opinion, makes the revelation of the positive things--that Brian is indeed still creative, still sometimes calls the shots, that the BBs seem actually to be getting along well, etc.--feel even more positive. Yes, it's probably a conceit of building the story within the article--you gotta have some drama/controversy to conquer--but for me, it works. At least it certainly works a lot better than stories that buy into just one extreme or another (Brian is a misunderstood God/Brian is a helpless puppet).

I think we all can agree that the Beach Boys story is fraught with harrowing twists and turns, and that the truth about the reunion is that it is genuinely miraculous that it is happening at all, considering that history, and that it is turning out so well--to the point that it indeed may not even be the end of the story.

[ontor pertawst]

If you guys think this is negative, wait till you read the next few years worth of coverage and interviews from the band about this tour! it's the Beach Boys we're talking about. There's gonna be a certain amount of snippy gossip!

[Micha]

I thought the look into the rehearsal was pretty cool, and a nice antidote to some of the sanitized happy talk around the reunion.

The antidote didn't work for me, I'm still happy! Pretty cool read indeed.

[mammy blue]

Too bad Al couldn't convince them to perform "Our Prayer". Mike still seems to have "issues" with that material, other than GV and H&V which they've always played.

[Pretty Funky]

So what if a sideman made an aside. More important should be what Capitol think of Bruce's comment a week out from the bands new album!

...I received an advance copy of the new record, That’s Why God Made the Radio, a few days ago, but I’ve been reluctant, until now, to listen. One reason is that Johnston already told me not to get my hopes up. “We’re not here going, ‘Oh, the album is going to go to No. 1,” he’d said out in Burbank. “You listen to it and think, ‘This is going to be great.’ But it’s not necessarily going to work out that way.”



Hardly encouraging to Joe Public is it?

[Kirk]

Maybe Bruce is trying to keep sales low so Obama can't tax the Beach Boys at a higher rate.

[Jonathan Blum]

The writer keeps suggesting that Brian's a zombie uncapable of doing anything without his musical director showing him what to sing.... but then slips and says that Brian created all the harmonies for "Think About the Days" or whatever it's called and recorded the entire song in less than 2 hours after the DIA sessions.  If Brian's such a fragment of his old self, how the hell did he pull that off?  Even the writer admits it's gorgeous.

"Slipped"?  "Admits"?  The writer's angle is quite clear -- Brian has good days and bad days.

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Runaways]

The writer keeps suggesting that Brian's a zombie uncapable of doing anything without his musical director showing him what to sing....

I didn't get this sense at all and agree with Jon.  I think the writer was showing how Brian can change daily. 

[Wirestone]

So what if a sideman made an aside. More important should be what Capitol think of Bruce's comment a week out from the bands new album!

...I received an advance copy of the new record, That’s Why God Made the Radio, a few days ago, but I’ve been reluctant, until now, to listen. One reason is that Johnston already told me not to get my hopes up. “We’re not here going, ‘Oh, the album is going to go to No. 1,” he’d said out in Burbank. “You listen to it and think, ‘This is going to be great.’ But it’s not necessarily going to work out that way.”

Hardly encouraging to Joe Public is it?

I'm pretty sure Bruce is saying that while album is excellent -- you listen to it and think it will be super successful -- he's not sure it will be the biggest hit the group has ever had. Saying "It's not necessarily going to work out that way" isn't what you would say if you're telling someone an album is bad -- but it is what you'd say if you're trying to tamp down commercial expectations.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Very very interesting, great job! quite moving at some pars.

[MBE]

Some good moments but yet another article to quote from the Gold book!

[SG7]

Disappointing if for sure that is a member of the band.

[AndrewHickey]

The quote from the anonymous band member (and really, it's pretty obvious that it's one of two or three people) seems perfectly reasonable to me. Especially when you consider that the earlier sets on the tour (and especially Jazz Fest) were slightly more obvious than the later ones. It's not like it's an unfair comment -- Mike and Bruce's band often *have* played fairgrounds, and there's not actually anything *wrong* with fairgrounds, but the sort of show they're doing at the moment is clearly not as artistically challenging as the Pet Sounds/Smile/That Lucky Old Sun tours.
In fact, change a couple of words and it could be Mike talking -- "Pet Sounds, Smile, that arty stuff... we've done that, but now it's time for a day out at the fair! We're gonna have fun fun fun!"

[filledeplage]

The quote from the anonymous band member (and really, it's pretty obvious that it's one of two or three people) seems perfectly reasonable to me. Especially when you consider that the earlier sets on the tour (and especially Jazz Fest) were slightly more obvious than the later ones. It's not like it's an unfair comment -- Mike and Bruce's band often *have* played fairgrounds, and there's not actually anything *wrong* with fairgrounds, but the sort of show they're doing at the moment is clearly not as artistically challenging as the Pet Sounds/Smile/That Lucky Old Sun tours.
In fact, change a couple of words and it could be Mike talking -- "Pet Sounds, Smile, that arty stuff... we've done that, but now it's time for a day out at the fair! We're gonna have fun fun fun!"

The whole venue discussion is interesting.   Not ever a gambler, it would not ever be a destination for me.  The music is there, now, so you go where the music is.  All the big talent, from this era, goes to the casinos.  And, fairgrounds attract a crowd as well.  So many awesome theaters wlhich were around when rock emerged, are now gone, and a few neat theatre venues have been saved from the wrecking ball by their communities.  So, we just sort of have to adapt. 

And it is a little different from Brian's solo shows, but these guys are Brian's "roots," not his "branches."   

Something said "off the cuff" should remain there; "Discretion is the better part of valour." or as some guy named Falstaff said, "The better part of valour is discretion."
[Henry the Fourth, Part 1, Act 5, scene 4, 115-121.] 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Is everyone really pretending to not know who is that anonymous band member? obviously it's Jeff ...

[Autotune]

Interesting article, mainly for two reasons:

1- we now know there's a rat in the band. He seems good at faking when onstage, though.
2- the writer seems to support the very debatable opinion that the reunion success depends largely upon Brian pulling of great live performances. Unlikely thesis for someone apparently familiar with the group's history.

[STE]

Is everyone really pretending to not know who is that anonymous band member? obviously it's Jeff ...

I think it's Brian.