New tour and album info coming to Brian's website soon

[Andrew G. Doe]

Hi Andrew.

I take it you may be offended by someone calling Brian Wilson "probably able to, but possibly not all that good at playing Rhapsody In Blue on piano". It just sounds unlikely that Brian Wilson, who was constantly with Eugene Landy and being forced to take antipsychotic medication (who also has Tardive dyskinesia as a side effect), was working on the Beach Boys self titled album and gets bored then plays a 15 minute medley of Rhapsody In Blue and Cast Your Fate To The Wind?

Hey, that's pretty cool.

Fine. You think it sounds unlikely. I was there. He played it. One of us is obviously wrong.

But after reading this paragraph: "Gershwin's great-nephew and estate trustee Todd Gershwin claims that Gershwin left behind "several dozen" fragments in various stages of completion. Wilson's not yet sure what he'll do with all these pieces: "I can't decipher the verse from the chorus from the bridge, so I'm going to try to insert some new music into them. I might even write some music for an introduction." I just can not see this album ever being that good. It's just a cover album. On Disney Records. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/08/entertainment/et-brian-wilson8

That was in 2009. I'm guessing Brian worked it all out, as the album is now finished, so what say we wait until we've actually heard it before saying how good it is, or not. Just this crazy idea of mine. Humor me. My guess is that, as we've not heard anything to the contrary, Disney have found what Brian's done acceptable. The Gershwin estate too.

Do people who are looking for the most original, independent, non-corporate music look to Disney Records to provide them with content? In my opinion no self respecting music fan can tolerate this.

Again, let's see what it sounds like.

Sorry  if it bugs you Andrew, but I wish you had recorded that piano session in 1985 instead of writing about it in a magazine (that OF COURSE no one saw or knew you reported about).

I think you'll find that, back then, pretty much the whole BB fan community knew about it... and, yes, I'd love to have recorded it, but although I was allowed to tape Brian giving us a greeting from that year's Stomp convention, the machine (which btw was BBC broadcast standard borrowed from John Tobler) had the batteries removed by Chad, one of Brian's then minders: they were handed back to me as I left. You simply don't walk up to any artist in such a situation and start taping them: as previously stated, I was at that mixing session because I was invited by Bruce, and I wanted to stay there longer than maybe ten minutes. It's very obvious to me that you don't believe me and think I invented the whole episode. Your privilege. Unfortunately, for you, there are three people who can confirm that when we met Brian in his dressing room at the RFH in summer 2004, the first thing he said to me (without prompting) "you're the interview guy, I played 'Rhapsody In Blue' to you back in 1985".

I'm no George Washington, I tell the occasional untruth, but in my BB/BW dealings and writings, I don't do that as in such a closed and increasingly scholarly world, it would soon be found out. So, you carry on believing I'm massaging my ego by inventing the whole thing, and I'll learn to live with the fact that it actually happened.

[mikeyj]

Hey Andrew, I believe you

[The Shift]

Do people who are looking for the most original, independent, non-corporate music look to Disney Records to provide them with content? In my opinion no self respecting music fan can tolerate this.

Hmm... presume, as you've already made your mind up, that you won't be bothering to give this one a spin then? And that so much of VDP's film score work is second rate cos it was Disney?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Brian Wilson knows 2 minutes of the song Rhapsody in Blue on piano and he decided he can do a whole tribute album???

We'll see about this.

Or we could see this and consider the source.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMBVRwhxTPk

Then again, Disney probably wouldn't touch it.

Andrew knows what he's talking about it. Deal with it.

[The Shift]

Brian Wilson knows 2 minutes of the song Rhapsody in Blue on piano and he decided he can do a whole tribute album? We'll see about this.

Or we could see this and consider the source.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMBVRwhxTPk

Is this from an episode of America's Got Talent?

[the captain]

The idea of Brian "going corporate" or doing albums because of contractual obligations shouldn't be too shocking: the Beach Boys have always been a pop band on a major label and from pretty early on, the idea of commerce has played pretty heavily in interviews. Despite the stories of Brian throwing away money on [whatever], he has always very publicly said he wants commercial and financial success. I'm actually almost as excited about the Disney songs album as the Gershwin album: I think the lack of any pressure to be Brian Wilson may well lead to some really fun, inventive arrangements. Virtually all of my current-music collection is indie, but indie's pretentiousness can suck my dick. Great (non-indie) pop is hugely popular in large part because people like listening to it. That alone makes it entirely valid.

[Sam_BFC]

Even Cheryl Cole?

[?]

The idea of Brian "going corporate" or doing albums because of contractual obligations shouldn't be too shocking: the Beach Boys have always been a pop band on a major label and from pretty early on, the idea of commerce has played pretty heavily in interviews. Despite the stories of Brian throwing away money on [whatever], he has always very publicly said he wants commercial and financial success. I'm actually almost as excited about the Disney songs album as the Gershwin album: I think the lack of any pressure to be Brian Wilson may well lead to some really fun, inventive arrangements. Virtually all of my current-music collection is indie, but indie's pretentiousness can suck my dick. Great (non-indie) pop is hugely popular in large part because people like listening to it. That alone makes it entirely valid.

Spot on, Luther.  You've said everything I was thinking.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Brian Wilson knows 2 minutes of the song Rhapsody in Blue on piano and he decided he can do a whole tribute album? We'll see about this.

Or we could see this and consider the source.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMBVRwhxTPk

Is this from an episode of America's Got Talent?

Nah...just an outtake of Internet's Got No Talent, starring everyone's favorite "self-respecting music fan".

[Ron]

Do people who are looking for the most original, independent, non-corporate music look to Disney Records to provide them with content? In my opinion no self respecting music fan can tolerate this.

OHHHH, I see.  You're one of 'those' people.  The ones who think they and only they know what good music is. 

[Ron]

The idea of Brian "going corporate" or doing albums because of contractual obligations shouldn't be too shocking: the Beach Boys have always been a pop band on a major label and from pretty early on, the idea of commerce has played pretty heavily in interviews. Despite the stories of Brian throwing away money on [whatever], he has always very publicly said he wants commercial and financial success. I'm actually almost as excited about the Disney songs album as the Gershwin album: I think the lack of any pressure to be Brian Wilson may well lead to some really fun, inventive arrangements. Virtually all of my current-music collection is indie, but indie's pretentiousness can suck my dick. Great (non-indie) pop is hugely popular in large part because people like listening to it. That alone makes it entirely valid.

I agree with this whole heartedly, it's one of my pet peeves.  Brian's genius isn't just that he made incredibly creative songs, but that in many cases he made those incredibly creative songs incredibly popular.  It's one thing to paint a painting and call it art, it's another to paint a painting and have 10 million people buy a copy of it.

[Wirestone]

Eric's a good guy. I don't happen to agree with him on this point, but I don't think folks should personally attack him.

There has always been a strain of BW/BB fandom that sees his best work as part of an indie/art rock tradition, and has been a little horrified at his pursuit of mainstream accolades (see Sean O'Hagan's accounts of his time in the bubble). Some of these folks are in his current band.

[TdHabib]

there are three people who can confirm that when we met Brian in his dressing room at the RFH in summer 2004, the first thing he said to me (without prompting) "you're the interview guy, I played 'Rhapsody In Blue' to you back in 1985".

I believe you wholeheartedly, but it is remarkable that Brian's memory works like this. It's a trait to his advantage.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Eric's a good guy. I don't happen to agree with him on this point, but I don't think folks should personally attack him.

There has always been a strain of BW/BB fandom that sees his best work as part of an indie/art rock tradition, and has been a little horrified at his pursuit of mainstream accolades (see Sean O'Hagan's accounts of his time in the bubble). Some of these folks are in his current band.

Ja, and maybe I was a bit harsh, but I take issue when people question the integrity of any of my friends, especially when I know they are telling the truth.

That said, ironically enough I am in the same boat as the group you mentioned; hell, my band is about as far from the mainstream as you can get. I do think that  Brian very well could've had a "better" solo career if he had went that route..an opportunity was definitely missed. However, we must all keep in mind that this very project is something near and dear to Brian's heart, and nobody should be so much of an elitist that they overlook that.

[Wrightfan]

Eric's a good guy. I don't happen to agree with him on this point, but I don't think folks should personally attack him.

Agreed.