The Unending Question: Does He Mean To Be Funny?

[groganb]

Here's a recent interview snippet from Brian:
Interviewer: What's going through your head when you're singing "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times"?
Brian: Er, nothing. It comes out of my throat. [band cracks up] It comes up through my throat and outta my mouth, into the audience...
Al: Very touching, Brian.

I mean Al and the guys have known him forever. They wouldn't really openly mock a friend's mental illness, would they? Could Brian just be being ultra-dry?

[Justin]

I think that little bit of goof-off Brian is still in there burried very, very deep.  When he answers this way, he's slightly playful, a lilttle bored but completely aware of what he's doing and to top it all off: he just doesn't care.  Which is the secret ingredient in the way Brian does things sometimes:  he doesn't care how it's percieved and taken by anyone...if it answers someone's question and gets them off his back--mission accomplished.  I'm sure a little part of him wishes that these weird "out there" responses causes the interviewer or anyone talking to him to be so weirded out that they just stop asking him any more questions just so they could avoid getting any more weird answers.  So there is some strategy in what Brian does.  It's indifference, strategy, vulnerability, boredom and anxiousness rolled into one.

[bcdam]

Here's a recent interview snippet from Brian:
Interviewer: What's going through your head when you're singing "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times"?
Brian: Er, nothing. It comes out of my throat. [band cracks up] It comes up through my throat and outta my mouth, into the audience...
Al: Very touching, Brian.

I mean Al and the guys have known him forever. They wouldn't really openly mock a friend's mental illness, would they? Could Brian just be being ultra-dry?

Possibly, but one moment in the same interview stuck out at me. When Brian is talking about "I Get Around" in terms of commerciality (the question was more about how much does Brian think of commercial appeal vs artistry, but Brian misunderstood) Al looks at the interviewer and says "commercial appeal. Brian was thinking more about dollars and cents. You know". Then points to his head. It's around 19:30.

So, given something like that, maybe it's that they're laughing because it's Brian being Brian more so than they're laughing at his mental illness.

[southbay]

You must remember that those guys know Brian better than anyone. We speculate at things that they know. Al knows Brian and has for, what, 60 years now? He gets him.

[ivy]

For the IJWMFTT remark, I absolutely believe he was intending to be a wiseass and kind of taking a crack at the cliched question posed.

For the commercial question, he definitely did not give the kind of answer that the interviewer was looking for but his answer made perfect sense in that he offered an example of a song created to have commercial appeal.  I don't think he was intending to be funny or off-beat.

There are so many different social norms that we all adhere to that Brian probably never had to learn. He doesn't have to know how to make people feel comfortable talking to you because people are going to talk to him no matter what. And he doesn't have to care if they understand what he's saying or not. Brian answered that commercial question the way he thought it should be answered and didn't give a hoot who it satisfied. How awesome is that?

The responsibility falls to his bandmates and Fosketts of the world to soften the tension and provide pleasant follow-up comments to jarring answers.

It's quite touching to see it done so masterfully by these guys, really.

[Jason]

Gasp...a bunch of fans think they know the man better than his own band does.

[bcdam]

The responsibility falls to his bandmates and Fosketts of the world to soften the tension and provide pleasant follow-up comments to jarring answers.

It's quite touching to see it done so masterfully by these guys, really.

To that end, it might be fun to see a Foskett/Brian Wilson one-on-one interview (probably not going to happen, but you'd certainly see Brian at his most relaxed)

[Runaways]

I'll go off the band, genuine laughs.  Seemed like a good trolling

[keysarsoze001]

I think it's probably 50/50. It seems like there are certainly times he was half trying to be funny and half just putting it the way he feels it at that precise moment. Sometimes I think he's just speaking and people find it funny because it's unexpected. For instance, any time he just arbitrarily throws an F-bomb into the middle of casual conversation with his bandmates or the audience.

[startBBtoday]

I think he certainly knows what he's doing, whether it's trying to be funny, or actually being rude at times.

[rab2591]

The thing I most noticed during this exchange was that right after Al said "Very touching, Brian" Brian darted his gaze right at Al. I think Brian's answer was a joke, but he looked pissed off at Al for that comment.

But who knows? Who cares? After a point all of these interviews become so pointless...no wonder Brian gives bullshit answers.

[Jason]

I think it's probably 50/50. It seems like there are certainly times he was half trying to be funny and half just putting it the way he feels it at that precise moment. Sometimes I think he's just speaking and people find it funny because it's unexpected. For instance, any time he just arbitrarily throws an F-bomb into the middle of casual conversation with his bandmates or the audience.

Brian the potty mouth is not welcome on the blueboard.

[JohnMill]

Remember we are talking about the guy who walked into a Capitol Records executives meetings and proceeded to play them "sound bites" in response to their questions about "Pet Sounds".  So the guy certainly does have a "wise ass" element of his personality.  That being said put me down for a "check" in the self defense mechanism category.  Bri doesn't like interviews, this is another one of his ways of shutting down questions he doesn't feel comfortable asking same as his famous "Yes/No" retorts and his quote at the Grammys of "I enjoy Paul McCartney's music" when asked if he keeps up with any new bands.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Sometimes Brian is either having a bad day or genuinely misunderstands/mishears the question. Other times, his very deadpan SOH is well to the fore. Word of advice should the opportunity arise: never play cards with Brian Wilson. He has the best poker face I've ever encountered.

[Quzi]

Word of advice should the opportunity arise: never play cards with Brian Wilson. He has the best poker face I've ever encountered.

I've got to say, if the opportunity arose, I don't think many here would decline playing cards with Brian just because he's an ace bluff  . I'd wager many would take out second mortgages just to keep the game going!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I like food.

[Pretty Funky]

I this instance take a look at the question and relate it to your own job. What do you think about while you are at work. If you are like me the answer is the same as Brian.....Nothing, I just do it!

Of course it mean't something to him when he wrote it. But now it is just another of his great songs they do.