Looking for a BW quote from 1967 ...

[The Song Of The Grange]

Hello good folks of the Smileysmile board. It has been awhile since since I posted because I have been trying to keep my Smile obsession under control. Not much luck with that so far! Anyway, I am still, I am looking for a quote by Brian from (I believe) early 1967 (maybe Jan/Feb/March 1967) which I have always felt was very telling of his state of affairs at the time. I know it exists because I've read it, but I can't find it again for the life of me.

I can't remember BW's comments verbatim but Brian talks about how he is getting diminishing returns on his artistic work. He says something like "I've been working harder and harder and getting less satisfaction." I think he says something about losing his talent. It seems to me that he was giving an interview to a music magazine or teen magazine. I could have sworn I read it in Domenic's yellow phone book, but I haven't been able to relocate it in there. It really feels like something I would have seen in the Priore book.

Does this ring a bell with anyone? Anyone have a guess as to where I might have seen this quote? Or maybe I made the whole thing up? Any help would be much appreciated!

[A Million Units In Jan!]

Page 132 of Look! Listen! Vibrate! SMiLE!

Brian Wilson is worried. He also feels as if he's gone stale. For months he labored over the writing and producing of one single, Heroes and Villains, and more months over the SMiLE album.
'I feel like I've lost my talent', he groaned. 'I'm working harder and getting less satisfaction than ever before'.



Which in my opinion probably sums up a lot of the issues with SMiLE in general.

[buddhahat]

Which in my opinion probably sums up a lot of the issues with SMiLE in general.

Absolutely - and why the stripped down approach of Smiley would've appealed to him. Thanks for the quote.

It has been awhile since since I posted because I have been trying to keep my Smile obsession under control. Not much luck with that so far!

Ha ha - not sure if you're kidding, but I remember a time when I actually began to get quite concerned that I was too obsessed with Smile, to the point that it was all I would listen to for months on end, just again, and again, and again. It used to drive my partner insane, and even now I find myself nervously switching the stereo off if she comes in the room and I'm listening to Smile songs - how sad is that!?

For what it's worth, it did pass, although I still get back into it pretty intensely every now and then!

[LostArt]

Interesting...just the other day I was listening to an interview with Brian that is part of the KHJ History Of Rock n' Roll program, and he was talking about making Good Vibrations.  I can't remember now exactly what he said, but it struck me as a little bit odd.  He was talking about using the different studios, and how much money the record cost to make, and how depressed he was.  He goes on to say that they got a hit record out of it, so it turned out alright.  Obviously the depression got to him a bit harder in '67, but I guess I wasn't aware that he was feeling it in spring/summer of '66.

[Cam Mott]

Which in my opinion probably sums up a lot of the issues with SMiLE in general.

IMO that sums up almost all of the Brian's issues with SMiLE.

[Jon Stebbins]

Interesting...just the other day I was listening to an interview with Brian that is part of the KHJ History Of Rock n' Roll program, and he was talking about making Good Vibrations.  I can't remember now exactly what he said, but it struck me as a little bit odd.  He was talking about using the different studios, and how much money the record cost to make, and how depressed he was.  He goes on to say that they got a hit record out of it, so it turned out alright.  Obviously the depression got to him a bit harder in '67, but I guess I wasn't aware that he was feeling it in spring/summer of '66.

Brian was battling depression since the pre-Beach Boys. Definitely got more serious in '63, and again in '64. By '65 it was entrenched.

[LostArt]

Interesting...just the other day I was listening to an interview with Brian that is part of the KHJ History Of Rock n' Roll program, and he was talking about making Good Vibrations.  I can't remember now exactly what he said, but it struck me as a little bit odd.  He was talking about using the different studios, and how much money the record cost to make, and how depressed he was.  He goes on to say that they got a hit record out of it, so it turned out alright.  Obviously the depression got to him a bit harder in '67, but I guess I wasn't aware that he was feeling it in spring/summer of '66.

Brian was battling depression since the pre-Beach Boys. Definitely got more serious in '63, and again in '64. By '65 it was entrenched.

You're right, of course, so strike that last sentence of mine from above.  I was aware that Brian had been dealing with depression for awhile at that point, I just found it strange that he would mention it in an interview while talking about making what was their biggest selling single to date (and one of their best records, obviously).  And now that I think about it, he did nearly give the song away to someone else.   

[Myk Luhv]

Interesting...just the other day I was listening to an interview with Brian that is part of the KHJ History Of Rock n' Roll program, and he was talking about making Good Vibrations.  I can't remember now exactly what he said, but it struck me as a little bit odd.  He was talking about using the different studios, and how much money the record cost to make, and how depressed he was.  He goes on to say that they got a hit record out of it, so it turned out alright.  Obviously the depression got to him a bit harder in '67, but I guess I wasn't aware that he was feeling it in spring/summer of '66.

Brian was battling depression since the pre-Beach Boys. Definitely got more serious in '63, and again in '64. By '65 it was entrenched.

You're right, of course, so strike that last sentence of mine from above.  I was aware that Brian had been dealing with depression for awhile at that point, I just found it strange that he would mention it in an interview while talking about making what was their biggest selling single to date (and one of their best records, obviously).  And now that I think about it, he did nearly give the song away to someone else.   

He nearly gave "Good Vibrations" away to another group? Who was he thinking of?

[Christian]

from the Byron Preiss book:

"At one stage, Brian removed himself from the production of the record. Disenchanted, he almost sold the song to Warner Brothers as a vehicle for one of their R-&-B groups. When his friend David Anderle got word of the events, he made an effort to get GV for Danny Hutton."

[Bicyclerider]

Which in my opinion probably sums up a lot of the issues with SMiLE in general.

IMO that sums up almost all of the Brian's issues with SMiLE.

It sums up Brian's issues but fails to pinpoint the cause of his dissatisfaction with his work and his loss of confidence in his talent.  Was it dissatisfaction with his musical direction, an increasing perfectionism that could not be satisfied, depression and mental illness, the criticism of his work by others, Van Dyke's abandoning their collaboration, or all of the above?

[Cam Mott]

Which in my opinion probably sums up a lot of the issues with SMiLE in general.

IMO that sums up almost all of the Brian's issues with SMiLE.

It sums up Brian's issues but fails to pinpoint the cause of his dissatisfaction with his work and his loss of confidence in his talent.  Was it dissatisfaction with his musical direction, an increasing perfectionism that could not be satisfied, depression and mental illness, the criticism of his work by others, Van Dyke's abandoning their collaboration, or all of the above?

I suppose we'll never know but to my mind, reconciling the various accounts, I would vote:

dissatisfaction with his musical direction: 70%

To my understanding, this is mostly it. Just like GV, he tried a lot of stuff, if it grabbed him he kept it, if it didn’t, he dumped it or changed it.

increasing perfectionism that could not be satisfied:  20%

At least two guys around him at the time thought so and you can hear a little of it [up to sixty plus takes] on the tapes.

depression and mental illness: 9% to 1%

I’m not really seeing or feeling it at that time and those around him don’t seem to have seen it either but maybe to some extent. I lean more towards thinking Brian’s Muse felt one way under the influence and then felt another way sober, which BDub has said.

criticism of his work by others, Van Dyke's abandoning their collaboration: 1% to none

You hear on the tapes that Brian does what he wants regardless of  the feed back. Even if you are humiliated by what he wants you to do and put your name on, it is tough noogies but done in his irresistible come-on-team Velvet Steamroller style.

Now there is also the story of a guy off the street giving an opinion about something and Brian junking it  as being evidence of how sensitive to other’s opinions he was. I don’t think that’s the way it was, especially in the SMiLE period. Brian was known to listen to suggestion and even try people’s suggestions but the rub is he only took the suggestion if he thought it improved what he wanted to do, if he didn’t see it as better he did not heed the opinion. So if Brian scrapped something because someone didn’t like it, it was because he agreed it should be scrapped. And that’s what happened according to Brian, he wanted to scrap a lot of SMiLE, the Boys disagreed, Brian unilaterally did it anyway.

Not to get too Thready, but that’s my take.  Nobody influenced Brian to do anything in the recording arena that he didn’t want to do, so any influence is almost all Brian.

all of the above : 100% more or less

[Alex]

from the Byron Preiss book:

"At one stage, Brian removed himself from the production of the record. Disenchanted, he almost sold the song to Warner Brothers as a vehicle for one of their R-&-B groups. When his friend David Anderle got word of the events, he made an effort to get GV for Danny Hutton."

Didn't he want to give it to Wilson Pickett at first?

[The Song Of The Grange]

Thanks A Million Units In Jan! for the info. I had looked right at this page and didn't see it. I knew it must be in Look Listen Vibrate Smile. Much appreciated!

It is unclear what publication the quote is from, or the date, though it is after the Capitol lawsuit was filed, so maybe around March 1967(?). Maybe written by Derek Taylor? Here is the quote, in case anyone is curious:

Brian Wilson is worried. He also feels as if he's gone stale. For months he labored over the writing and producing of one single, Heroes and Villains, and more months over the Smile album.

"I feel like I've lost my talent," he groaned. "I'm working harder and getting less satisfaction than ever before."

And never have Beach Boys spend so many weary months in the recording studios trying to finish one album to big brother's satisfaction.

Brian doesn't yet realize that all creative artists have to suffer through those agonizing periods of self-doubt, emotional emptiness and creative sterility.

Also the Beach Boy's bag has been hoo-dooed by the legal complications of breaking their Capitol Records contract to release on their own Brother label. Dino, Desi and Billy were also hung-up by contract hassles when they tried to switch from Reprise to Brother. Billy, as you know, is Carl Wilson's brother-in-law.

[A Million Units In Jan!]

Sounds like Derek Taylor writing to me....