In Appreciation of Brian

[mtaber]

This is corny but...

Here we are in 2015, with Brian still making wonderful music, still touring, still giving people a reason to smile every day!  I sit here listening to Pet Sounds,  basking in the immense beauty and perfection that Brian and the group gave us all those years ago.  I sit here wondering if enough of us really grasp the miracle we have in Brian.  I want to take this opportunity to just say thanks to Brian for all he has given us...

[Shane]

YES. 


The truth is, it's a miracle that Brian Wilson survived everything that went on in his life, let alone found the opportunity to have an artistic rebirth and a win over a fanbase that spans multiple generations.   


God Bless Brian Wilson.


 

[Cam Mott]

Hear, hear.

[elnombre]

Couldn't agree more. If the guy was a success in any field - including just getting up out of bed in the morning and functioning - his story of all he's been through would be a tumultuous and inspiring one. That he's perhaps music's greatest living genius too and still so very active is nothing short of mindblowing.

[SMiLE Brian]

Long may Brian create great music!

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

And we will be his fans till our last breath.  

[PS]

At the end of the day, very little else strikes my soul as truly, madly, and deeply. I am 61, and his music has been my lifeline from the start.

It's good to have company.

[Lee Marshall]

The best sounds in my life were created by Brian Wilson.  He didn't do it alone.  But the common denominator just happens to be Brian.  That stopped being a coincidence by...oh...say...about...1964.  So yes mtaber...we've been fortunate to be living during this era of sublime creativity.  A miracle indeed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

If only I could somehow go and see him perform live.

Wait...I can...and I will July 5.

And I get to hear his music again August 8th.

Summers were made for Brian Wilson...and Brian Wilson made summers.  [which magically seem to exist 12 months a year...except Christmas and Christmas eve.  [...but he made albums for those 2 days as well. ]

[Micha]

I can listen to the music he created and recorded with the Beach Boys in the 1960s endlessly. I never grow tired of it.

[Lowbacca]

[Mujan, 8@$+@Rc| of a Blue Wizard]

My all-time favorite musician and one of my personal heroes. The fact that I can still pop in Pet Sounds anytime and feel like it's *my* soul as much as his that's being expressed is amazing. SMiLE blew me away like no other music before or since. I can still spend hours at a time finding new meaning, new motifs/references in it, and of course, mixing it in New ways. It opened my mind, and changed my life. Goes without saying, there's been a lot more great music through the years as well. Anyone who could make music as off the wall, yet self-assured as Love You has got balls of steel.

Thanks, Brian. I know you've been through a lot in life. I hope it's comforting to know it's inspired the rest of us a great deal.

[Emdeeh]

Wild Honey RULES!!!! Some of Brian's finest songwriting, imho.

[Lowbacca]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otna9Pe3jWg

[schiaffino]

Agree with everyone else.

Plus, thank you Brian for Love You.

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

No one else has ever been able to always make me laugh so hard that I cry, and cry so hard that I laugh, like Brian Wilson.  Here's to Brian and the people who love and support him.  Whenever I feel a bit old and tired, I remember that I got to grow up and grow old with his music.  Damn, I've been lucky!  A nice sunset and Brian's music - like any amount of money or ego-titillation could ever come close to that experience.  The best.

[Ed Roach]

Hey, it may be a little fuzzy, (he was dancing too damn fast for me!), but it'll always be one of my favorite shots I ever took of Brian in action!

At the end of the day, very little else strikes my soul as truly, madly, and deeply. I am 61, and his music has been my lifeline from the start.

It's good to have company.

I'm 64, and it's been my lifeline, too, from the first time I heard "409" blast from a transistor radio.  And I'm always fond of telling people how I first laid eyes, and within the hour ears, on Pet Sounds the day I first 'went steady'.  Can you imagine curling up with her in my parents basement in Brooklyn and hearing "Wouldn't it be Nice" for the first time?

[Michael Edward Osbourne]

His music helped me get through the toughest times of my life. Thank you Brian.

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

Hey, it may be a little fuzzy, (he was dancing too damn fast for me!), but it'll always be one of my favorite shots I ever took of Brian in action!

At the end of the day, very little else strikes my soul as truly, madly, and deeply. I am 61, and his music has been my lifeline from the start.

It's good to have company.

I'm 64, and it's been my lifeline, too, from the first time I heard "409" blast from a transistor radio.  And I'm always fond of telling people how I first laid eyes, and within the hour ears, on Pet Sounds the day I first 'went steady'.  Can you imagine curling up with her in my parents basement in Brooklyn and hearing "Wouldn't it be Nice" for the first time?

You captured him, Ed...always faster than shutter-speed when he cared to be - thanks for sharing this.

[Amy B.]

Stories like his don't usually conclude with the hero living into his 70s, let alone still making great music. It's miraculous. Somehow I still feel like not enough people know and appreciate him by name, but maybe that will change with the movie.

Brian, I hope these days, more days are good than bad. Thank you for all the music.

[Ron]

It's really quite amazing the amount of life he's lived, considering that the popular story is that he slept his life away.  I try to live each day to the fullest, this guy has lived 100 times harder than I have and i'm not talking about the drugs.  He's literally done and accomplished everything.

When he was a teenager he did everything a teenager can dream of.  Did good in school, had tons of friends, was an athelete, had a cheerleader girlfriend, started a rock band...

When he was a young adult he did everything a 20 something can dream of, had a successful career, made a ton of money, had tons of friends, had fame, had a band that literally rivaled the Beatles in success, had the accolades of his peers, started a family, had a loving wife

When he matured he did everything a distinguished gentleman of his age can dream of, works on his own terms with the people he wants to doing what he wants to, travels the world, has a loving family, is considered a living legend, has received every award possible to receive, owns 15 dogs.

Everything he does now is like 5th or 6th time (at least) that he's done it.  For all of the negativity he's seen he has completely mastered and dominated life. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

What can I say that hasn't been said already?

Brian is my musical hero, but even more, he's my life hero. This man has been through so much pain, so much turmoil, yet came out of it and still made (and is continuing to make!) great art. Whenever I have my 'days' (which thankfully happens much less than it did several months ago), I remember that if I persevere, I can pull through. Brian's living proof. As much of a fan I am of Brian Wilson the musical genius, I'm an even bigger fan of the man himself.

[Andrew G. Doe]

To "appreciate" Brian is on a par with "liking" oxygen, or water: without any of them, life is unsustainable.

[Micha]

Nah, I don't like oxygen.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Except when it's'to the brain' lol

[Bittersweet-Sanity]

Lucky? We sure are. That he's alive & well...and making consistently awesome music is astounding. Rock on, Brother Bri.