Rolling Stone BW Video

[the captain]

Backstage at a recent show. Pretty good in spots, including a little moment of Brian playing "Long Promised Road" backstage. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/12/12/brian-wilson-behind-the-scenes-at-his-new-york-concert/#

[Chris Brown]

Cool video...Brian does seem a tad uncomfortable but that's nothing new.  Very touching moment when he plays "Long Promised Road," then hearing Jeff's comment afterwards about how much he misses his brothers. 

Thanks for passing it along!

[Shane]

Wow, what a great video!!

[Sheriff John Stone]

Thanks for the link, Luther. This video is very educational. Now I know the reason Brian doesn't play his piano in concert is because he plays it for hours each day.

[punkinhead]

what does he play on this? (besides LPR)
I know one's Why Don't they let us Fall in Love?

and He comfirmed the Elvis story!!!

[Shady]

Great video, very interesting.

[the captain]

Great video, very interesting.

Really, not a drag?

[Amy B.]

I loved it. I thought Brian seemed in great spirits throughout. Of course he's never going to do cartwheels, but he didn't seem at all uncomfortable to me.

[Wrightfan]

Is it me or is the Rolling Stone video player barely working?

[MZ6]

Is it me or is the Rolling Stone video player barely working?

Worked better for me when using Internet Explorer instead of Firefox.

[mikeyj]

Why can't Brian perform more rarities like Long Promised Road live? I know he didn't write it, but I liked how he did "Forever" live as a tribute to Denny and I think he maybe even did "Heaven" for Carl

[TdHabib]

Simply put, a very good and fairly revealing video.

[CarCrazyCutie]

Brian, Elvis, and Long Promised Road a great vid, thanks for sharing!!!!

[Aegir]

Is it me or is the Rolling Stone video player barely working?

Yeah, doesn't work for me at all.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Is it me or is the Rolling Stone video player barely working?

Worked better for me when using Internet Explorer instead of Firefox.

Works dandy for me on Firefox. BTW, the live footage is from the Jackson Hole festival back in August. Nice video, although the "GOK" sequence was just a tad disturbing.

[the captain]

Nice video, although the "GOK" sequence was just a tad disturbing.

Oh, you mean: "God Only Knows is my best song ever." "Why is it your best song ever?" "Why is what my best song?" "God Only Knows." "Because Paul McCartney liked it." (Quotes used for effect, not literal quotations. But that's the gist of it, for anyone who hasn't watched.)

[Andrew G. Doe]

More because he forgot what they were discussing in about 20 seconds.

"That's my very best song"

"Why is it your best song ?"

"Why did I write it ?"

"No, why is it your best song ?"

"What song ?"

[phirnis]

Now what if Macca named Chug-A-Lug or Hey Little Tomboy his very favorite song?  

Re Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love: I'd love to hear some Spector tunes popping up in his set from time to time.

[the captain]

More because he forgot what they were discussing in about 20 seconds.

"That's my very best song"

"Why is it your best song ?"

"Why did I write it ?"

"No, why is it your best song ?"

"What song ?"

Oh, I know, that was part of what I was saying. It's a two-part tragedy, that clip. First, he forgets immediately. And second, his answer once he's told what they're discussing is just sad.

[Sheriff John Stone]

When Brian makes comments like that, it really makes me wonder.....It has been written/examined that those early Brian Wilson classics (from 1962-66) came from his heart and soul, from these deep emotions, that Brian was exposing his inner most self. And I guess they were; I guess that's where they DID come from.

But I wonder if Brian was able to write those incredibly emotional songs - detached somewhat from emotions - but coming from his pure musical genius, from his competitive attitude (at that time), to impress his contempories, like Spector, McCartney, et al.

Other than Pet Sounds, which Brian uses the rehearsed line - "it has a lot of love in it" -  and "Til I Die", there aren't a lot of instances where Brian has interesting stories or motivations - emotonally - for writing his songs. Again, I suppose they are there, but sometimes Brian's "answers" are so detached from where one would expect them to come from.

[the captain]

When Brian makes comments like that, it really makes me wonder.....It has been written/examined that those early Brian Wilson classics (from 1962-66) came from his heart and soul, from these deep emotions, that Brian was exposing his inner most self. A

My personal, entirely uninformed guess (which also happens to be a reflection of my views on art) is that Brian was always as much or more master craftsman as he was god-touched soul-stirrer.  Writing a perfect pop song about heartbreak or love doesn't mean you feel heartbreak or love. And I think a lot of the stories about magic or special vibes or feelings were creations to help build the myth of Genius Brian. I think Brian was a pop genius, but I don't think some god or angels spoke through his mouth. Heart, soul, deep emotions, sure ... but also understanding how run through the circle of fifths, modulate regularly (or irregularly), invert chords and incorporate extensions into pop harmonies to make the listener feel heart, soul and deep emotions.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I have to agree with you, Luther.

Just another example or two. Brian hears "Be My Baby" and is blown away. So, did he write "Don't Worry Baby" because of his feelings for Judy, Diane, or Marilyn, or, is it an attempt to impress Phil Spector? Brian again was blown away by Rubber Soul, so, is Pet Sounds a reflection of Brian's - or Tony Asher's feelings of love - or is it an attempt to out do The Beatles? Or both?

What does make it hard to determine is Brian's mental state. It's hard to figure out Brian because 1) He has problems not only answering questions, but "getting" questions, 2) If he "gets" the question, does he have the capacity to actually THINK of an answer, and, 3) If he "gets" the question, and has the ability to think of an answer, does he even give a sh-- to answer the question.

So, Brian, why is "God Only Knows" your favorite song that you've written? I guess it depends on what kind of mental state he's in at the time of the question.

[Chris Brown]

I also agree with you Luther.  Especially back in the early days, I think Brian's first motivation was to write hits and become an accomplished songwriter.  Murray instilled this into him from the very beginning, and it stuck, at least through the collapse of SMiLE.  Even with Pet Sounds, Brian's motivation was to beat Rubber Soul.  Yes he poured his heart into that record, and I don't think the competitive aspect of it makes the album any less real or emotional.  But without the motivation of competition, I don't think Pet Sounds would have existed in its current form.

As for the "God Only Knows" question, I think that is a good example of how Murray still influences Brian's thinking.  He finds validation in the praise that others give him.  I don't think it's an accident that he considers "God Only Knows" his best song because an artist he greatly admires has praised the song repeatedly over the years.  If Spector were to ever come out and say how much he loves "Don't Worry Baby," it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Brian started calling that his best song.

[TdHabib]

Other than Pet Sounds, which Brian uses the rehearsed line - "it has a lot of love in it" -  and "Til I Die", there aren't a lot of instances where Brian has interesting stories or motivations - emotonally - for writing his songs. Again, I suppose they are there, but sometimes Brian's "answers" are so detached from where one would expect them to come from.

I mostly agree with this point, but there's a few more interesting ones. "Cry" he wrote when he told Melinda he wanted a seperation; the story of "Good Vibrations" I get a big kick out of; the story of writing "Heroes and Villains" with Van Dyke.

Luther had a very good post, but I must also add that Brian probably is using the "McCartney" thing as his programmed answer to why we wrote GOK which he must get asked all the time. I'd say that Brian is using programmed answers for all of his set of usual questions (except his favorite album, song type of thing), and I've heard him say that he can't answer certain questions in recent years, probably doesn't want to go back.

[buddhahat]

When Brian makes comments like that, it really makes me wonder.....It has been written/examined that those early Brian Wilson classics (from 1962-66) came from his heart and soul, from these deep emotions, that Brian was exposing his inner most self. A

My personal, entirely uninformed guess (which also happens to be a reflection of my views on art) is that Brian was always as much or more master craftsman as he was god-touched soul-stirrer.  Writing a perfect pop song about heartbreak or love doesn't mean you feel heartbreak or love. And I think a lot of the stories about magic or special vibes or feelings were creations to help build the myth of Genius Brian. I think Brian was a pop genius, but I don't think some god or angels spoke through his mouth. Heart, soul, deep emotions, sure ... but also understanding how run through the circle of fifths, modulate regularly (or irregularly), invert chords and incorporate extensions into pop harmonies to make the listener feel heart, soul and deep emotions.

But what about the whole 'feels' thing where these songs supposedly began as chord sequences where Brian was exploring his feelings? I think your post suggests that the brilliance in BW's songs relies more in his ability to manipulate listeners emotions through compositional techniques, in a slightly contrived manner. I strongly believe that he was a more intuitive composer - expressing his emotions through music so directly as to create incredibly moving chord runs such as Don't Talk. It's this honesty of expression that sets him apart imo.