New Brian interview

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Brian for Byron
RITCHIE YORKE
25jun06

ON the eve of a holiday on the island of Maui, in Hawaii, Brian Wilson lights up with an electric laugh over the transcontinental phone lines.


The Beach Boys founder is simply thrilled at the prospect of headlining the Splendour in the Grass festival in Byron Bay on July 22-23.

Never mind that – unlike virtually every rootsy muso on the planet – he's never heard of Byron Bay. And barely of Brisbane, where he first surfaced in 1964 to be met by yours truly, an aspiring young rock journo. But that's another story for another place.

After years of stage fright, the 64-year old Brian – as he thoroughly proved in the Smile tour performance at QPAC in 2005 – is relishing the rigours of performance abroad.

And he keeps on turning out staggeringly high-quality efforts with his new 10-piece lineup.

The Splendour show will consist of his "greatest hits" repertoire. Few could boast such a bountiful quiver of hit arrows.

There might even be a surprise or two, hints Brian amid excited endorsement of his next "rock 'n' roll" project. He insists it will be the greatest album of his career, no minor claim from such a prodigious musical giant.

Brian says he's written some of the key tunes and he's excited about their quality.

So should we be, knowing his penchant for pulling out near-perfect audio visions.

You don't have to be a professional pundit to realise that Brian Wilson is capable of just about anything.

These days, it's pretty obvious that he is on an upward spiral.

"My state of being has been elevated," he croons, "because I've been exercising, writing songs.

"I'm in a better frame of mind these days.

"It feels great – it's like I see some light. Things make sense to me again."

One aspect of modern existence that doesn't make any sense to Brian Wilson is rock radio.

He says that he simply cannot listen to the music on today's radio formats, because it has so little to do with the origins of the music that changed his life.

[Ron]

I got one word for ya



YAY!!!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

My only concern is who the producer is. I'd like it to be Darian, but that won't happen now that's he's out.

[Ron]

You're not happy with Brian producing it?  Lemme give you a list of famous songs he's recorded.



*Every Good BB's Song*


That's pretty complete, look it over

[the captain]

And the list of good songs he's produced on his own recently?

...

Waiting...

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Waiting...

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[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

And the list of good songs he's produced on his own recently?

...

Waiting...

...
Waiting...

...

More like...

and the list of songs credited as being produced by him that actually *were* produced by  him in the past, I dunno how many years...how long's he been married again...okay in the past ten years?

[Chris Brown]

I'd like it to be Darian, but that won't happen now that's he's out.

Maybe I missed something but what's going on with Darian?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

He's working for Disney.

[jlaird]

Can someone go further into the Darian thing?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Well basically he's doing the music for some Disney series, along with Probyn,Nelson  and Nick- the Replacements is the name of the show. It's for like a year or so. That's the *official* story.

As for what's going on, it's not my place to say. Let me just say...notice how both the Christmas album and the new "Spirit of Rock & Roll" and "Walking in the Path of Life" feature a (ahem) "stripped down" band?

If anyone else wants to pick this up, be my guest! 

[peerke]

NOW, I'm curious!

[Chris Brown]

That's interesting news, I hadn't heard anything about Disney and the band.  If Darian and those few others you mentioned are busy with that show then I wonder if they have been participating in any of the recording that Brian has been doing of late?  It will be interesting to see how this plays out...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Well basically he's doing the music for some Disney series, along with Probyn,Nelson  and Nick- the Replacements is the name of the show. It's for like a year or so. That's the *official* story.

As for what's going on, it's not my place to say. Let me just say...notice how both the Christmas album and the new "Spirit of Rock & Roll" and "Walking in the Path of Life" feature a (ahem) "stripped down" band?

If anyone else wants to pick this up, be my guest! 

Funny - my version of the Xmas album credits the whole band, and they're sure as hell all there on the EPK clips. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

That's interesting news, I hadn't heard anything about Disney and the band.  If Darian and those few others you mentioned are busy with that show then I wonder if they have been participating in any of the recording that Brian has been doing of late?  It will be interesting to see how this plays out...

My understanding is that only Darian is in the employ of Uncle Walt, but he will ask the rest of The 'Mints to help out on the recordings. He was depped by Gary Griffin in Vegas.

[shelter]

He insists it will be the greatest album of his career

 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Well basically he's doing the music for some Disney series, along with Probyn,Nelson  and Nick- the Replacements is the name of the show. It's for like a year or so. That's the *official* story.

As for what's going on, it's not my place to say. Let me just say...notice how both the Christmas album and the new "Spirit of Rock & Roll" and "Walking in the Path of Life" feature a (ahem) "stripped down" band?

If anyone else wants to pick this up, be my guest! 

Well slap me backwards and call me Melissa! I stand corrected. 

Seriously though, i have no idea why I lumped the Christmas album in there.

Funny - my version of the Xmas album credits the whole band, and they're sure as hell all there on the EPK clips. 

[Ron]

Andrew, you probably lumped the Christmas album in there because when Brian toured the album promotionally Darian and a few others weren't there for those 1 off performances on Leno, etc. 

[Jonas]

I loves me some Disney. I'd love to work for their sound production.

[Glenn Greenberg]

Never mind. Please delete.

[Aegir]

Andrew, you probably lumped the Christmas album in there because when Brian toured the album promotionally Darian and a few others weren't there for those 1 off performances on Leno, etc. 

Andrew didn't actually say that; "Smurf's Up" did but he wrote on the wrong side of the quotes.

[theCOD]

He insists it will be the greatest album of his career

 

Seriously.  Old people can't make good music, and that's a scientific fact.

[Chris Brown]

He insists it will be the greatest album of his career

 

Seriously.  Old people can't make good music, and that's a scientific fact.

That's another debate for another time (although I certainly see your point), but even if its not the greatest album of Brian's career (which I don't think it will be), I'm just happy to see that he has this much confidence in what he's doing.  I think it shows that he's not just phoning this one in, and that he's really trying to make it great.  When Brian gives 100% he's capable of incredible things, so I'm excited to hear what he's so excited and confident about.

[shelter]

Seriously.  Old people can't make good music, and that's a scientific fact.

I thought McCartney's last album was pretty great though.

[Wilsonista]

Well basically he's doing the music for some Disney series, along with Probyn,Nelson  and Nick- the Replacements is the name of the show. It's for like a year or so. That's the *official* story.

As for what's going on, it's not my place to say. Let me just say...notice how both the Christmas album and the new "Spirit of Rock & Roll" and "Walking in the Path of Life" feature a (ahem) "stripped down" band?

If anyone else wants to pick this up, be my guest! 

Putting quotes around "official" implies that there is some secret reason as to why Darian is taking time off from Brian. Everything that has been posted  elsewhere about  this is accurate. And it is only Darian that is taking time away - Nick and Probyn are still very much in the band. I don't forsee that changing anytime soon. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Putting quotes around "official" implies that there is some secret reason as to why Darian is taking time off from Brian. Everything that has been posted  elsewhere about  this is accurate. And it is only Darian that is taking time away - Nick and Probyn are still very much in the band. I don't forsee that changing anytime soon. 

Actually, those weren't quotes, they were asterisks, which is another way of putting emphasis without using the bold tags. That said, you bet there's more to the story.

Oh, and to clarify...yes, it's only Darian who will be on hiatus, although the others mentioned are supposedly helping. Just don't be surprised if Darian's hiatus is permanent.