the vibes around current brian

[puni puni]

i was watching a "behind-the-scenes a day in the life" video today of bdw when he was touring that lucky old sun and i thought it was really messed up the way jeff foskett was talking about brian behind his back to the camera. the whole atmosphere the band is implicitly upon seems really awkward and plastic; almost to me like they're treating brian as a child. a lot of people on this board seem to do something similar. i don't even think it's morally right to discuss a stranger's mental/emotional health publicity, let alone when jeff subtly brought it up in that video.

just something that disturbed me. i draw a few parallels between brian and myself, and it would suck if this was one of them.

[b00ts]

i was watching a "behind-the-scenes a day in the life" video today of bdw when he was touring that lucky old sun and i thought it was really messed up the way jeff foskett was talking about brian behind his back to the camera. the whole atmosphere the band is implicitly upon seems really awkward and plastic; almost to me like they're treating brian as a child. a lot of people on this board seem to do something similar. i don't even think it's morally right to discuss a stranger's mental/emotional health publicity, let alone when jeff subtly brought it up in that video.

just something that disturbed me. i draw a few parallels between brian and myself, and it would suck if this was one of them.

You lost me at the end. You draw parallels between yourself and Brian, so you hope Jeff Foskett isn't going to discuss your mental/emotional health publicly?

[runnersdialzero]

i was watching a "behind-the-scenes a day in the life" video today of bdw when he was touring that lucky old sun and i thought it was really messed up the way jeff foskett was talking about brian behind his back to the camera. the whole atmosphere the band is implicitly upon seems really awkward and plastic; almost to me like they're treating brian as a child. a lot of people on this board seem to do something similar. i don't even think it's morally right to discuss a stranger's mental/emotional health publicity, let alone when jeff subtly brought it up in that video.

just something that disturbed me. i draw a few parallels between brian and myself, and it would suck if this was one of them.

You lost me at the end. You draw parallels between yourself and Brian, so you hope Jeff Foskett isn't going to discuss your mental/emotional health publicly?

"It would suck if this was one of them" meaning "It would suck if this was one of the parallels between Brian and myself", meaning he hopes people aren't talking about him behind his back, regarding him as a child, etc.

[puni puni]

"It would suck if this was one of them" meaning "It would suck if this was one of the parallels between Brian and myself", meaning he hopes people aren't talking about him behind his back, regarding him as a child, etc.

yeah, thanks

[phirnis]

I think I remember that video, is it still available?

[b00ts]

i was watching a "behind-the-scenes a day in the life" video today of bdw when he was touring that lucky old sun and i thought it was really messed up the way jeff foskett was talking about brian behind his back to the camera. the whole atmosphere the band is implicitly upon seems really awkward and plastic; almost to me like they're treating brian as a child. a lot of people on this board seem to do something similar. i don't even think it's morally right to discuss a stranger's mental/emotional health publicity, let alone when jeff subtly brought it up in that video.

just something that disturbed me. i draw a few parallels between brian and myself, and it would suck if this was one of them.

You lost me at the end. You draw parallels between yourself and Brian, so you hope Jeff Foskett isn't going to discuss your mental/emotional health publicly?

"It would suck if this was one of them" meaning "It would suck if this was one of the parallels between Brian and myself", meaning he hopes people aren't talking about him behind his back, regarding him as a child, etc.

What would I do without you, runnersdialzero?

I suppose it is a bit disturbing at first blush but right or wrong, Brian's mental state has been used by The Beach Boys and his solo camp as a sales/promotion tool since at least 1976 and the first "Brian's Back" campaign, if not earlier.

One need only a cursory glance at Brian's official messageboard to see the outpouring of well-intentioned and well-worn praise for BW's ability to overcome adversity. Many people feel they can relate to Brian for this reason.

It's not hard to be inspired by what Brian has accomplished in the past 12 or 13 years, including many milestones that once seemed more like contemporary historical fiction, specifically his live performances, completion of SMiLe, and peformances of SMiLe.

Brian's band is a crucial part of his support group so if anyone has the right to talk on camera about Brian's condition, aside from Brian and his family, it is a guy like Jeff Foskett. In a way he has been mother, father, Murray and Landy to Brian for his renaissance.

I like that things aren't sugarcoated when it comes to Brian's mental health and it makes for an excellent documentary in "Beautiful Dreamer." Aside from marketing, I suspect it also serves a secondary practical purpose as a healthy public emotional release valve for those around Brian who have to work around and through his neuroses. Moreover, it helps people understand when Brian has an off-night or a difficult interview.

All that said, I do find the mawkish fixation on Brian's mental state off-putting. Over on the Bleü Board, there is a bit of a cult of personality revolving around Brian's mental illness. It is not healthy and I am glad that isn't the case here on Smileysmile.net.

As a fan who is well-versed in Brian's career, everything from his official DVDs to promotional clips and TV appearances seems to start with a lengthy focus on his history of mental illness. Coupled with the endlessly recycled clip of The Beach Boys singing "Surfin'" from 1963, it means that a true Beach Boys/Brian Wilson fan is one who is able to skip the first 3-6 minutes of any Brian Wilson-related video producton and know they didn't miss a thing.

[cablegeddon]

In the A&E documentary one of the family friends says "this isn't the real BW it's the surrendered BW"

I suppose it is a bit disturbing at first blush but right or wrong, Brian's mental state has been used by The Beach Boys and his solo camp as a sales/promotion tool since at least 1976 and the first "Brian's Back" campaign, if not earlier.

Some of the things, offering his daughter LSD, flirting with a 12-year old girl, introduing himself to his adult daughter at a cocktail party, makes me wonder who gave these stories to the media. They're just damaging.

[Chris Brown]

In the A&E documentary one of the family friends says "this isn't the real BW it's the surrendered BW"

That was Ginger Blake.  David Anderle says something similar near the end of that doc as well.

[Andrew G. Doe]

One need only a cursory glance at Brian's official messageboard to see the outpouring of well-intentioned and well-worn praise for BW's ability to overcome adversity. Many people feel they can relate to Brian for this reason.

All that said, I do find the mawkish fixation on Brian's mental state off-putting. Over on the Bleü Board, there is a bit of a cult of personality revolving around Brian's mental illness. It is not healthy and I am glad that isn't the case here on Smileysmile.net.

It's not unknown for a section of the fanbase of any given personality with such issues (Syd, Roky, Peter Green) to associate with them on the basis of their problems rather than their art: I can understand that, it's kind of saying "well, I'm a bit like this person and look, they've got all these people loving them", which  is encouraging, except when, as happens, these 'fans' elect to focus on the problems and not the positive results or even any great knowledge of the artist's output. That's very sinister.

Some of the things, offering his daughter LSD, flirting with a 12-year old girl, introduing himself to his adult daughter at a clocktail party, makes me wonder who gave these stories to the media. They're just damaging.

First one was a family member (it was smack, btw), last one was the daughter in question and I'm guessing the middle was also a daughter, as I recall the girl in question was a friend of theirs.

[cablegeddon]

Thanks Andrew G. Doe / Chris Brown.

Some family and friends....

[SMiLE Brian]

I think everybody is just trying to do their best in a very difficult situation, Brian's band is like his 2nd family and really do care deeply for the man. Things  were worse with Landy taking care of him and the"brian is back" stunt.

[Curtis Leon]

i was watching a "behind-the-scenes a day in the life" video today of bdw when he was touring that lucky old sun and i thought it was really messed up the way jeff foskett was talking about brian behind his back to the camera. the whole atmosphere the band is implicitly upon seems really awkward and plastic; almost to me like they're treating brian as a child. a lot of people on this board seem to do something similar. i don't even think it's morally right to discuss a stranger's mental/emotional health publicity, let alone when jeff subtly brought it up in that video.

just something that disturbed me. i draw a few parallels between brian and myself, and it would suck if this was one of them.

It's quite off putting, I agree. I think a lot of people tend to forget sometimes that Brian is a human being just like the rest of us. They tend to elevate him on a pedestal and treat him like he's something sacred, who's lifestyle and former/current actions are to be studied like an rare and priceless artifact. Even the fact that we're discussing it right now is proof enough. I've always wondered what Brian himself thinks of it all - very few artists get the same meticulous attention to lifestyle and history as he gets. Not even more popular contemporary artists like John Lennon or Paul McCartney get the same kind of scrutiny. Syd Barrett gets it to some extent, but Pink Floyd was never as popular as the Beach Boys when he was a part of it, and his general seclusion from '74 onward pretty much prevented any closer study.

I'd personally find it rather disturbing.

[runnersdialzero]

I'M PICKIN UP BAD VIBRATIONS
SHE'S GIVIN ME THE BAD CITATIONS

[SMiLE Brian]

Brian's management needs to let him retire, but other than that, Brian is doing way better than he has in a long time with his support group of family and bandmates.

[Wirestone]

Brian's management needs to let him retire

From touring? Perhaps. I doubt he wants to stay out of the studio and away from the piano, though.

That being said, one of the great oddities about BW and BBs is how incredibly open the world is to fans -- and how willing it is to talk about Brian's issues in excruciating depth. If you just make a connection or two (especially in this age of Facebook), it's not that hard to learn way more than you even care to.

And this has historically been true! Everyone in the saga has been spilling their guts from the 70s on. It's almost dysfunctional, in a way. I mean, do McCartney fans or Dylan fans hear this much first-hand scuttlebutt?

[SMiLE Brian]

Brian's management needs to let him retire

From touring? Perhaps. I doubt he wants to stay out of the studio and away from the piano, though.

That being said, one of the great oddities about BW and BBs is how incredibly open the world is to fans -- and how willing it is to talk about Brian's issues in excruciating depth. If you just make a connection or two (especially in this age of Facebook), it's not that hard to learn way more than you even care to.

And this has historically been true! Everyone in the saga has been spilling their guts from the 70s on. It's almost dysfunctional, in a way. I mean, do McCartney fans or Dylan fans hear this much first-hand scuttlebutt?

Yeah i meant retirement from touring, his group would be awesome in the studio working with Brian on whatever projects Brian thinks up.

[JohnMill]

One need only a cursory glance at Brian's official messageboard to see the outpouring of well-intentioned and well-worn praise for BW's ability to overcome adversity. Many people feel they can relate to Brian for this reason.

This is a very insightful point and one that I've always felt merited some discussion.  When I think about the bands that I listen to and their fanbases, I don't think there is any other band that I'm aware of where the fans feel such an emotional investment in than The Beach Boys and the circle of people with whom they associate with.  I mean just take this message board for example: When it was revealed that Van Dyke Parks did not write an essay for TSS, there was an outrage here where one would think that someone just shot the darn dog.  I mean people really took it personally that Van Dyke was either a) excluded from or b) chose not to pen an essay for the box set.

The same thing with Mike Love.  There is an entire quarry of Beach Boys fans who treat Mike Love like he was the black sheep of their own family instead of someone whom most of them have never met and if they had really never had any significant contact with in their life.

Then when you hear people speak about Brian Wilson and his plights, it's almost again like they are talking about a family member or a friend instead of whom he actually is.  Part of it I believe is due to some of the plights Brian has gone through which people can relate to but also I think a lot of it has to do with his music and how his songs bear the quality of being emotional touchstones for so many people.  I really do believe that Beach Boys fans have an emotional investment in their favorite band (Brian Wilson specifically) that simply does not exist in other fanbases.  Even in the case of Bruce Springsteen (whom I'm a huge fan of) who has spent his entire career giving voice to the working class I have not seen the amount of empathy that exists between The Beach Boys and their fanbase.  It's really something very unique I believe.

[Wirestone]

Even in the case of Bruce Springsteen (whom I'm a huge fan of) who has spent his entire career giving voice to the working class I have not seen the amount of empathy that exists between The Beach Boys and their fanbase.  It's really something very unique I believe.

But they embrace the fans too. And maybe that's why the unusual give-and-take exists. So many people in the BW / BB world began as fans -- Leaf, Darian, Foskett, etc., etc. -- so they have a direct connection to others who connect with the group. And for some reason, Brian and and all the other main actors have never felt like a separate class -- they seem like regular, working people who somehow made a lot of money though talent and hard work.

[Mr. Cohen]

...they seem like regular, working people who somehow made a lot of money though talent and hard work.

Until they fired Murry - the most honest, hardest working man in showbiz.

[donald]

I would guess that Jeff knows Brian way better than most people and if he were not private and protective he could say a great deal about Brian that might be embarassing and hurtful.  Instead, he is on the stage, to Brian's left, every night they have performed, with Brian glancing over for a cue or some reassurance, which Jeff is always ready in a milisecond to provide....seemlessly filling in a forgotten word or picking up the vocal as needed.  I think he acts more like Carl or Dennis, an admiring and  respectful younger brother who is concerned about his brother's delicate condition.
And sometimes brothers give one another sh*t.

[Mr. Wilson]

At the beginning of this thread a video was mentioned..What video are you referring to..?..

[puni puni]

http://www.rollingstone.com/videos/new-and-hot/brian-wilson-behind-the-scenes-at-his-new-york-concert-20081212#ooid=YwcDQzMTqLGCqAsvs4Cn1lA_xbW2JtVG

[runnersdialzero]

wat @ Brian suddenly busting out part of "Long Promised Road".

Edit: Ah, I guess it was acknowledged in the video. Still cool.

[hypehat]

I don't think Jeff, Darian, or anyone else was speaking out of turn about Brian's condition in that video?

I mean, even if he was, Brian Wilson is a man who the public mostly know as man with mental health problems. His condition should be acknowledged, and understood.

Plus, you could just as well say most of the things Jeff said about Brian referring to his 1966 self, for instance. Oh no, Brian loves playing his piano and eating! How disrespectful.  

[Mr. Wilson]

Thanks for the link..I dont see anthing in it that is offensive..Love to see BW play LPR in concert..! YEA.!