Tonight Show Tonight

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Important distinction to be made here.

Brian's live performances -- in the context of a full show with his band -- are often outstanding. Sometimes they're only okay (and on some tours he's clearly content to go by the numbers), but they're seldom atrocious all the way through. That's why people go. That's why I go. I've never been disappointed by a BW live gig.

Brian's live performances on TV, though, where he plays only one song or one and a half -- are virtually always poor. I'm almost never impressed. This time on Leno is not actually on the lower tier of his TV appearances -- which says something about how bad most of them are.

Best BW TV appearance of recent vintage - doing bvs for Neil Diamond. He was clearly having a complete blast.

Yes he was...he was even standing, and looked comfortable.

This one? Just going through the motions. I think once he realized he couldn't really hear, he just said "**** it".

[Rocker]

I haven't watched the performance yet, so I can't say anything about it, but I wonder why people are saying that TCTAFM was the wrong song. You can't do promotion on a late night show with a slow song like e.g. "Sumertime". People need to have something that sticks to their ears, a hook. TCTTAFM fulfills this absolutely. Great choice for turning people on to that album.

[The Shift]

I haven't watched the performance yet, so I can't say anything about it, but I wonder why people are saying that TCTAFM was the wrong song. You can't do promotion on a late night show with a slow song like e.g. "Sumertime". People need to have something that sticks to their ears, a hook. TCTTAFM fulfills this absolutely. Great choice for turning people on to that album.

Spot on. Best song on the album and the liveliest - the choice was a no-brainer.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I haven't watched the performance yet, so I can't say anything about it, but I wonder why people are saying that TCTAFM was the wrong song. You can't do promotion on a late night show with a slow song like e.g. "Sumertime". People need to have something that sticks to their ears, a hook. TCTTAFM fulfills this absolutely. Great choice for turning people on to that album.

Spot on. Best song on the album and the liveliest - the choice was a no-brainer.

They ran a poll on the Bloo as to what to play - "TCTAFM" won by a country mile.

[Runaways]

i just can't get into that version.  everyone knows that song, but it just doesn't work, or at least it's a step down in that sort of arrangement.  And Brian just doesn't sing those fast songs well at all anymore.  "someone to watch over me" would be have been great.  or i've got a crush on you. 

i understand why they played that one but bleugh. 

[Mikie]

The band was really superb here. I wish I could say the same for Brian's vocal.

Where's Taylor Mills? They really need her!! Maybe they should have had the little blonde girl fill in for her her. She's a cutie - look at Foskett wave at her at the end.

[Autotune]

c'mon!! it's easy to rant once the cards have been played. But 9 out 10 posters demanded active promotion for the album. This was supposed to be it.

TCTTAFM was by a mile the best possible choice... the performance was bad, period. A slow song would have been murdered by a bad vocal. By now, I think fans should know that BW is a weak and unprofessional LIVE singer. Be okay with it. Non-fans, and casual fans, as somenone posted, seem to be okay with it.

Oh, and please mention three or four TV live performances by Brian with top professional-quality leads 

[Runaways]

probably none cause none of them lean to his strength, which is slow and soft vocals.  pretty sure i said TCTTAFM would be a bad song choice, so i'm not surprised. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

Where's Taylor Mills?

Statement from Taylor, as posted on the Bloo/Facebook, 9/23:

"I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be taking a little time off for personal reasons.  Unfortunately, this means I won't be going on tour to Australia in a few weeks with Brian and the band.  Don't worry, I will be back with the band very soon!   So, I will be rooting for them when they perform on The Tonight Show on September 23rd and wishing I could be there supporting Brian and the guys.  Thanks for your support and understanding.

Love to you all,

Taylor"

[Mikie]

Good to know she'll be back.  Thanks, AGD.

[bgas]

Why? 
I don't see what she adds, other than being mildly good looking.

[oldsurferdude]

i just can't get into that version.  everyone knows that song, but it just doesn't work, or at least it's a step down in that sort of arrangement.  And Brian just doesn't sing those fast songs well at all anymore.  "someone to watch over me" would be have been great.  or i've got a crush on you. 

i understand why they played that one but bleugh. 

The Jay Leno show has a very uptempo vibe-they most likely requested that or another like it from the album-I would have preferred to hear Brian croon a little with STWOM along with IGACOY-he can handle that type of song  as opposed to what he did. His version of TCTTAFM is weak at best. What's the deal with always being the last act on the show-I think its the same deal on Letterman.

[Don_Zabu]

To those who say TCTTAFM was the ideal choice - what about I Got Rhythm?

[Mike's Beard]

Why? 
I don't see what she adds, other than being mildly good looking.

Seriously, mildly good looking is a bit of an understatement. Anyway I'd rather look at her throughout a concert than Jeff Foskett, wouldn't you?

[bgas]

Anyway I'd rather look at her throughout a concert than Jeff Foskett, wouldn't you?

Definitely that.

[Mikie]

From "Theotheranonymous" on the Good Timin'/Dennis thread:

Are you a chick bgas?

[guitarfool2002]

What's the deal with always being the last act on the show-I think its the same deal on Letterman.

It's the same boring formula being applied by those in charge of network television, going on what works, what is cheap to produce, and what a focus group thinks is OK...I don't like it, and it ruins a lot of the shows to know exactly what the schedule is going to be as the show plays out, meaning the monologue first, followed by a skit or audience bit, followed by the main star, followed by a lesser star or "commoner", then followed by the musical guest. It's stale, and hasn't been innovative since Carson nailed it down about 40 years ago.

Letterman, when he first went on the air at 12:30 after Carson in 1982, was an innovator, and was willing to have a musical guest like a Carole King or a James Brown perform 3 songs, and do in-depth interviews in between songs...or have a then-new band like REM play two songs from their debut album. Not that every show was great or worth watching, but it felt new and it was different, especially on a network. Now both he and Leno are so formula, it's hardly interesting to watch them beyond a guest you want to see.

I do, however, credit Letterman and Leno with being good friends of Brian Wilson for the past decade or more, and willing to give him a spot on their shows as Brian was promoting something or going on tour. They are clearly fans, and that's pretty cool.

[bgas]

From "Theotheranonymous" on the Good Timin'/Dennis thread:

Are you a chick bgas?

No, but what's your point? 
That because I think Taylor adds NOTHING, other than mildly looking good, to the mix, that somehow reflects on me? 
Ahh too bad for you, MIKIE.
She sings nice, she looks OK. SO what. She's replaceable by, probably, hundreds or thousands of women that can do the same.

[Mikie]

True, Taylor can be replaced, but she has great stage presence, a very nice personality, and I heard she gets along very well with her fellow bandmates. She's not only good looking, but she has a great voice and adds good high parts in the vocal mix. Ever heard her solo albums, bgas? I think she sings great on 'em. Do you like the new duet she sings with Brian?

You know, I've brought along my girlfriend to see Brian & the band since around 2002. You know who she watches and comments on the most, even more than Brian? Taylor Mills. She says Taylor has a lot of class, dresses well, and is a good singer. That's from another woman's perspective. So...........like I say, I think she's great too, and I hope there's no serious issues with her right now and she's back in the band soon.

[summerinparadise.flac]

Taylor is replacable but she's a part of the band. She may not be an integral part like Jeff or Darian or Scott but she's been with Brian for what, 10 years? I'm not crying that she wasn't there for the performance but will happy to see her come back and I hope all is well in her life.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Taylor is replacable but she's a part of the band. She may not be an integral part like Jeff or Darian or Scott but she's been with Brian for what, 10 years? I'm not crying that she wasn't there for the performance but will happy to see her come back and I hope all is well in her life.

Taylor's been there since day one, 3/9/99 in Ann Arbor.

[Autotune]

since when Brian can'ts sing the fast songs anymore? It used to be just the opposite until, well, two days ago.

[Wirestone]

FWIW, when Brian was talking to Peter Buck in Mojo in 98 about touring, he said he'd like to go out with a "two guys, two girls" backing group. Besides being lovably bizarre, I always think of that comment when people knock Taylor. Having a woman in the band was clearly on Brian's mind -- it was probably just serendipity that it ended up the way it did, though.

[punkinhead]

Taylor's 'hoola' dancing on Roll Plymouth Rock at the Smile concerts are enough for me. I do enjoy hearing a female voice in Brian's songs.

[Amy B.]

I thought his Leno performance was so bad that I turned off the TV. No joke. And I think he has given decent TV performances before-- Kimmel with the Christmas song, and Leno with H&V (where Bill Cosby made a point of going over and shaking Brian's hand after). I think they picked TCTTAFM because it's relatively easy to sing compared to a song like Summertime, which requires nuance. But I agree that Brian probably couldn't hear himself.

As for Taylor, she's one of those singers who can belt out a song but also knows how to hold back and blend in with her head voice. And that counts for a lot. And she was good enough to be on pitch with those difficult Smile songs time after time. In other words, technically, she's as good with her voice as the guys are with theirs. She's not just eye candy. Brian has said before that he loves women's voices, and of course he put Marilyn on some BB records, so it's not that odd. I think Taylor is worth a lot more than her looks. And as has been said here, she seems to be a classy and genuinely nice person (I think her smiles on stage are quite warm and genuine), and like the other members of the band, she gets Brian and is patient with him.