The Smiley Smile Message Board

Must read!

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/05/27/the-beach-boys-crazy-summer.html (http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/05/27/the-beach-boys-crazy-summer.html)

70 million in reunion ticket sales (apparently)

Nice article. Lot of great background material.

I want to know which Brian band member was quoted, he should be fired immediately

Yes, whichever Brian Wilson band member who said he's slumming in a "fairground act" on the Beach Boys reunion after doing "art" with Brian as a solo act.  He doesn't deserve the fat paycheck he's getting, with fans paying up to $500 to go see this "fairground act" he's talking about.  It shows a lack of respect for the audience.  It also overlooks that Brian does a lot of the same fairground oldies on every tour he's done and has played fairground  and casino venues himself.

It's a confusing, long-winded article that trots out every cliche about the band members, particularly Brian and Mike. This guy also seems to be under the impression that Brian writes his own lyrics, and that's usually not the case. 

I respect him for telling the truth.  And I really doubt the backing band is getting rich off this, though they probably deserve to.

Interesting article - some inaccuracies, of course, but the truth about the genesis of the new album/release of TSS/C50 tour has been touched on as dating from two years ago.

Oh, yeah, it's soooo hard to tour in a rock band and get free travel, hotel rooms, play first class venues like the Hollywood Bowl, etc.  The BW band member doesn't appreciate what he has in life.  I call that being kind of a jerk, and I don't care if he does have to put up with Mike Love and Bruce Johnston.  I also don't think Brian Wilson is pure "art," sorry.

I'd respect him for telling the truth if he let them use his name. It's easy to be an unnamed source. Either say it for attribution or don't say it.

If you say it for attribution, you can get fired or reprimanded. If you say it anonymously, you can't. Seems like a pretty good choice to me.

Anonymous sources are what rags like Newsweek and hacks like Tina Brown are known for in the business of news entertainment. Just a heads-up: They've gotten into trouble this way before. The "Anonymous" source could be a legitimate band member seen performing on stage or it could be the guy who tunes the guitar for a band member...again, that's the problem with anonymous sources.

If it is a band member...c'mon, is it that difficult to assume who out of a small group it probably was if the quotes are true?  :)

If they suspected me, I'd just say "Anonymous sources could be anyone, even the guy who tunes a guitar for a band member..."

True though, who knows whether it was actually a band member quoted in the article... Still a very interesting piece. Too bad they aren't opening the second set with "Our Prayer..."

A suite yet unreleased?

Ugh. I get what the writer was trying to do, but five pages of abject negativity completely overpowers the last two "uplifting" pages. It would have been more effective to mix in lighter more uplifting moments during those first five pages. There's no way everything was THAT bad during the sessions he was present for/the New Orleans Jazz Fest.

That's one powerful article right there. Very well written and with insight only an informed fan/Smiley Smiler could have. I never knew that Brian had the idea of changing their name to 'Beach', always thought it was a Carl or Dennis suggestion. Wonder what woulda happened if they had done so. Didn't harm them in the early 70's keeping their name, but ES and 15BO destroyed all that, then came the rediculous KTSA album cover which damaged their image beyond repair....

...And this is why I like Mike Love  :lol

I like this very much. Unvarnished, but not sensational, either. In general, it feels like the truth.

Also ... Five of the songs on the album are new? Including FHTBA? That's a lot! Seems like confirmed new list is up to Shelter, Bill and Sue, Days, Isn't it Time and FHTBA -- that's a lot of good stuff,

A great article so far, and i love this section:

Agreed, and not focused on the actual work. 

No discretion. 

Felt voyeuristic. 

Overpowers the few positive paragraphs. 

Yuk.

Lots of bands shortened their names during that time.  Think Chicago was Chicago Transit Authority, eg. 

Thought it was Jack Reiley who who suggested it? 

Perhaps Andrew can clarify...

And, I don't find this guy knows much about the Beach Boys music.  He should start with the liner notes, even if it is sanitized propaganda from the record company. He would at least know who wrote what, see the serious spiritual "adult" music alongside the high school/car/girly/surf music. 

Better, listen to the enitre catalog. And have some informed opinions. 

He should stick to food and politics.    ;)

p.s. Pet Sounds and SMiLE would not have been possible without the "building blocks" of the early catalog work.  There is much profound lesser-known work in their earlier work, sort of a prefiguration of what was to evolve.

It's not voyeuristic at all. We gossip about far worse here nearly daily. I thought the look into the rehearsal was pretty cool, and a nice antidote to some of the sanitized happy talk around the reunion. There are still tensions there, but the guys are also genuinely working to interact again and build a good show. That's far more likely, and far more interesting, to read about than the Marksian nonsense of "everything fell into place like 1961 again."

The factual errors are minor and generally the result of trying to fit a messy narrative into a single piece. I see precious little negativity -- just the usual attempt to tell Brian's story, which -- sans the music -- is largely a difficult one. The subhed to the article is nonsense -- the one bit I really don't like -- but nothing else strikes me as particularly off. The author is clearly more informed than many critics who write about the band, and who cares if he hasn't heard the whole catalog? You can't make that a requirement to write about a group, or there would never be any articles written about any veteran musical act.

Finally, the band member quoted anonymously shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Not everyone in Brian's band agrees with one another. Some members have not participated when Brian toured hits exclusively. Some members had never been to a Beach Boys show until they played in one. So be it. Not everyone has to agree or believe in the same things to make great music.

Same sideman, different dress.

Thanks for the link !



Is there any truth to it ? I always heard that the sessions were Beach Boys sessions with all the guys singing together.



Re: the fairground act:

The band member didn't say the Beach Boys were a fairground act. He did say "Now we are kind of at the fairgrounds.” and that probably was tongue-in-cheek because they were at the Jazz Fest. The sentence about art is a little unlucky but what the hell ? It's not that big as everybody here tries to make it



All in all a good read. Although imo another one of those guys who don't see the band as a band but as Brian's workers

There may be gossip, here, but it, is more like Vegas gossip, is not Newsweek.  Most fans don't get into the debate. Joe the Plumber reads Newsweek.

And, I hope not everyone agrees on everything. How boring would life be!  There is cohesiveness on stage; where it matters. I don't thing it fairly represents the show or the tour.  King Arthur's Round table seems to be where it's at to make this reunion happen.  

I felt creeped out.  Maybe a guy would not feel that way.   ;)

creeped out??

anyway, nice article.  I really have my doubts we'd get another Beach Boys album, but it'd be interesting if we did.

Ya, I was creeped out. The guy is writing for a major news outlet, not a community newspaper, many of which have excellent "hungry" writers, who dig to get a story and who do their homework.  I found it "sloppy." The subject matter is vast; that is a given.  It can't be boiled down to an article or even a book.  But, not unlike picking your battles to gird for war, one must narrow the topics.  And do a good job with those. 

Brian may embody the Beach Boys concept but, "No Man is an Island..." It is not better visually  captured than when they sing around Brian, at the piano, post Intermission, for "Add Some Music to Your Day." Those five or so minutes, tell more of the story than the drivel in his article.  David Marks also verbally captured it interestingly, with his concept of a "bubble" surrounding them; the years have passed, but, not the synergy.

People might be surprised with what music writing might happen during and after this tour.  People are often more creative as they age, and become more philosophical in thought and continue to learn. 

It ain't over, til it's over.   ;)

The thing about Brian wanting to change their name to "Beach" is practically straight from the Carlin book.

The factual errors are minor and generally the result of trying to fit a messy narrative into a single piece.

Agree 100 percent.

One thing that jumped out at me: do we know for certain it was ML who dissed "Til I Die" when Brian first played it for the band? This is the first time I remember seeing him specifically cited for that. I mean, I always assumed it was Mike since reading the Leaf book, where it doesn't name a name---odd to me, given how criticism of Mike is hardly discrete there---but I've often thought ... well, what if it was one of the others? How differently would we imagine the story then? That episode is so essential to the storyline of "Brian withdrew because he couldn't express himself artistically and personally/Mike took over to make a mint..."

This article might have set a new precedent, he skips 45 years in just the first paragraph!  

Mike Love's reaction to Dick Clark dying?  He Strangles Al and says "YOU'RE NEXT!".

Brian's reaction is proof he's still hiding in there.  His reaction sounds like something he would have said when he was 25.

I love the typical trype like "It is one of the most sophisticated first songs that anyone has ever written".... like the act of actually writing Surfer Girl isnt' enough, he has to go and try to make the case that nobody else had ever written anything that good as their first song... because the reporter has obviously heard the first songs written by 'anybody' and has found them all lacking.  This is the kind of sh*t that leads to the Beach Boys not getting their proper credit with your average listener, because the case is overstated.  

Then he misinterprets the lyrics as Brian singing to a girl he can nonentheless never have... says who?  Brian had his surfer girl!  The writer is projecting his own depressing life onto Brian's.  Brian's a Rock Star, that the writer sees him as a depressed loser who lost 45 years of his life to a bed again perepetuates the myth.



I'm being unkind to the writer, but he's falling into the trap that a lot of people do, he's trying to explain why Brian Wilson does what he does and thinks what he thinks.... which is a losing proposition from the beginning.  The guy's an enigma just like the rest of us are.    Still, an interesting read I suppose.  

BTW, the optimist in me is pleased to see some of my assumptions validated.

For instance.

I've always thought this doesn't necessarily have to be the last Beach Boys album, and the writer claims Brian changed the album title so that it didn't necessarily have to be.

The writer keeps suggesting that Brian's a zombie uncapable of doing anything without his musical director showing him what to sing.... but then slips and says that Brian created all the harmonies for "Think About the Days" or whatever it's called and recorded the entire song in less than 2 hours after the DIA sessions.  If Brian's such a fragment of his old self, how the hell did he pull that off?  Even the writer admits it's gorgeous.  

Geekfanboys claimed that Brian was forced by Melinda or someone to join the band, but apparently Brian's been scheming and pulling strings behind the scenes for years to make it go down.  What?  Brian actually WANTED to work with the Beach Boys?  Nooooo, that doesn't fit the narrative! 

Etc. Etc. Etc.  Be positive people! He's not in the ground yet!  

Agreed! Be positive.

By suggesting Brian's diminished capacity, for writing, is he "practicing medicine" without a license?

Brian is working solo for nearly 15 years. 

Did this author get the memo?

Wonder if he listened to Sirius this weekend for the "banter?"  :lol

People don't expect Brian to be funny. Sometimes, he is!

I'm one of those people that hope this tour leads to some songwriting between Messrs. Wilson and Love, and others. 

Really really enjoyed the read. Stunned that some here consider the behind the scene rehearsal coverage 'negative'. Think about the days? More like think about the mind-trip that all of these guys were on when they commenced working on the album and the tour. There's water under the bridge, but the Surf's Up! You may call it voyeuristic, but I call it an essential fly on the wall perspective. We just don't get these types of articles on the Beach Boys, beyond the same tired formulaic one pagers.

Regarding the 'mysterious Brian band member' I have two things to say - context and yeah...he's RIGHT! Bravo for tellin' it like it is. Didn't Bruce once refer to Brian's show (admiringly) as similar to art cinema? No controversy here. None at all.

The ebb and flow of the article resulted in the triumph of the Beacon Shows and the triumph of Brian in the studio. Nothing voyeuristic or depressing about this at all - it's real life, with a happy ending.  

The Think About the Days anecdote is interesting, especially because it shows how writing with a latter-day Brian Wilson can work. That is, Joe had a chord progression, and Brian devised a melody and vocal arrangement. The thing is, this is not the kind of thing that happens when Brian is sitting alone in his music room in LA. Now, he comes up with cool stuff there on occasion. But clearly the story of Brian's solo career is that this kind of creative pump-priming from collaborators -- be they Andy Paley or Joe Thomas or Bill the Milkman -- can pay off in a big way. And while it's understandable that Melinda looked warily at this kind of collaboration for a lot of the last 10 years -- the politics over writing with BW are maddening -- it can produce interesting results.

While I think the negative may be somewhat overstated in the article, it's good that the oddities and downsides are given coverage...because a lot of that stuff does exist, and it makes people who don't know the full story wonder why these things are. Why does Brian seem out of it from time to time? Is he OK? Is someone else calling the shots? What's going on here?

The inclusion of those things, in my opinion, makes the revelation of the positive things--that Brian is indeed still creative, still sometimes calls the shots, that the BBs seem actually to be getting along well, etc.--feel even more positive. Yes, it's probably a conceit of building the story within the article--you gotta have some drama/controversy to conquer--but for me, it works. At least it certainly works a lot better than stories that buy into just one extreme or another (Brian is a misunderstood God/Brian is a helpless puppet).

I think we all can agree that the Beach Boys story is fraught with harrowing twists and turns, and that the truth about the reunion is that it is genuinely miraculous that it is happening at all, considering that history, and that it is turning out so well--to the point that it indeed may not even be the end of the story.

If you guys think this is negative, wait till you read the next few years worth of coverage and interviews from the band about this tour! it's the Beach Boys we're talking about. There's gonna be a certain amount of snippy gossip!

The antidote didn't work for me, I'm still happy! :) Pretty cool read indeed.

Too bad Al couldn't convince them to perform "Our Prayer". Mike still seems to have "issues" with that material, other than GV and H&V which they've always played.

So what if a sideman made an aside. More important should be what Capitol think of Bruce's comment a week out from the bands new album!

...I received an advance copy of the new record, That’s Why God Made the Radio, a few days ago, but I’ve been reluctant, until now, to listen. One reason is that Johnston already told me not to get my hopes up. “We’re not here going, ‘Oh, the album is going to go to No. 1,” he’d said out in Burbank. “You listen to it and think, ‘This is going to be great.’ But it’s not necessarily going to work out that way.”



Hardly encouraging to Joe Public is it?

Maybe Bruce is trying to keep sales low so Obama can't tax the Beach Boys at a higher rate.

"Slipped"?  "Admits"?  The writer's angle is quite clear -- Brian has good days and bad days.

Cheers,
Jon Blum

I didn't get this sense at all and agree with Jon.  I think the writer was showing how Brian can change daily. 

I'm pretty sure Bruce is saying that while album is excellent -- you listen to it and think it will be super successful -- he's not sure it will be the biggest hit the group has ever had. Saying "It's not necessarily going to work out that way" isn't what you would say if you're telling someone an album is bad -- but it is what you'd say if you're trying to tamp down commercial expectations.

Very very interesting, great job! quite moving at some pars.

Some good moments but yet another article to quote from the Gold book!

Disappointing if for sure that is a member of the band.

The quote from the anonymous band member (and really, it's pretty obvious that it's one of two or three people) seems perfectly reasonable to me. Especially when you consider that the earlier sets on the tour (and especially Jazz Fest) were slightly more obvious than the later ones. It's not like it's an unfair comment -- Mike and Bruce's band often *have* played fairgrounds, and there's not actually anything *wrong* with fairgrounds, but the sort of show they're doing at the moment is clearly not as artistically challenging as the Pet Sounds/Smile/That Lucky Old Sun tours.
In fact, change a couple of words and it could be Mike talking -- "Pet Sounds, Smile, that arty stuff... we've done that, but now it's time for a day out at the fair! We're gonna have fun fun fun!"

The whole venue discussion is interesting.   Not ever a gambler, it would not ever be a destination for me.  The music is there, now, so you go where the music is.  All the big talent, from this era, goes to the casinos.  And, fairgrounds attract a crowd as well.  So many awesome theaters wlhich were around when rock emerged, are now gone, and a few neat theatre venues have been saved from the wrecking ball by their communities.  So, we just sort of have to adapt. 

And it is a little different from Brian's solo shows, but these guys are Brian's "roots," not his "branches."   

Something said "off the cuff" should remain there; "Discretion is the better part of valour." or as some guy named Falstaff said, "The better part of valour is discretion."
[Henry the Fourth, Part 1, Act 5, scene 4, 115-121.]  ;)

Is everyone really pretending to not know who is that anonymous band member? obviously it's Jeff ...

Interesting article, mainly for two reasons:

1- we now know there's a rat in the band. He seems good at faking when onstage, though.
2- the writer seems to support the very debatable opinion that the reunion success depends largely upon Brian pulling of great live performances. Unlikely thesis for someone apparently familiar with the group's history.

I think it's Brian.

Could be anybody.
Jeff at least has a history of playing BBs gigs that resemble fairgrounds (far more than the reunion shows).. so I don't think it's him. It wouldn't be new to him.

Even Bruce has referred to fair gigs as " a day in the dirt."

I was kinda half joking, but that is a fair point i guess.

Sure it could be Brian. ;D That'd be hilarious, him asking the journalist to refer to him as "somebody from Brian's band" and then saying something random about what's going on these days. Classic Brian humour! :)

If anyone here has spent any time with members of Brian's band, it's quite evident it could be one of three or four (or more) guys. Although it's probably the one that everyone here has already figured out. These guys take their B-dub very seriously.

I also don't think he's a rat at all. He's simply stating that this is a different kind of show and venue from many of Brian's highest-profile tours. He's not saying the boys are bad, and he's not saying Brian is having a bad time. He's saying some of it is perhaps less ambitious -- which is arguably true -- and played to a much more general audience -- which is undoubtedly true.

What's more, the one guy in the band who was undoubtedly not the source -- Jeff -- was quoted in another article as saying how concerned the band was for Brian and the schedule and the kind of dates they'd be playing. So if even Mr. "Good Times, Hates Love You" Foskett thought that, concerns from all of Brian's band members, including the artier ones, are understandable. You have to imagine their main loyalty is to him.

These shows musically sound no different to me than the shows Brian was doing the few years prior to the Gershwin album. As far as the touring schedule, there are still many shows to go, but Brian seems to be holding his own and enjoying most them. It's nice seeing he and Mike getting along so well on stage. I think this releationship throughout the tour will make all the difference with Brian's state of mind.

Oh yeah, i forgot that Jeff hated Love You ...

KILL IT WITH FIRE!

Also, it's not at all surprising that the chord progression to Think About The Days is Joe Thomas' -- it sounds like someone trying to sound like Brian rather than sounding like Brian. In fact it most sounds like Bruce, to my ears...

I think you are correct.  If anything, this setlist is closer to Brian's, with non-hits, or "fringe" hits, which got some so airplay but not a lot of fanfare.  Wish I could have seen Briá's Gershwin show.  Too far away.  Brian does seem to be enjoying it.  And a lot of performers now rely on teleprompters.  Younger than Brian.  What I noticed was at a couple of the last  Brian shows, that he did not even look at the monitor.  He has come a long way since he started touring solo.  A long way.  And, except for his back, I think that he is in the best place to do this reunion tour.  He is so validated by the audience and all the band members.  At this point, Mike is the closest thing to a brother.  There seems to still be a special bond between them.   

Good call, actually. I still like it, though -- Brian's melodic / arrangement take on the progression sounds very cool to me.


This is the sense I get, too. Brian seems to have worked very hard to keep his distance during the album sessions -- preparing material in advance, rounding up Joe, getting the record deal on his own -- so the tour is actually the reunion in the sense of him spending time with the other guys. And it seems to be going better than any of us could have hoped.

I wanna know who punched Brian in the eye. Stan?

Hi everyone,

This is Andrew Romano, the author of the article in question. Just wanted to say thank you for the lively discussion and point out that I've posted the entire transcript of my interview with Joe Thomas over on my personal blog:

http://andrewromano.tumblr.com/joethomasbeachboys

It's one of the most in-depth accounts of the writing and recording of the new LP to date, so I thought my fellow Beach Boy fanatics would want to read it.

Apologies in advance for any typos.

Thanks again,
Andrew

Hi Andrew, thanks for stopping by here!
Great article and thanks for the transcript!

I'm gonna dive into it right away!

That Joe Thomas interview transcription is fantastic. Andrew, you should start a new thread just for that interview. Joe comes off as a level-headed, nice person, who really is a good friend to Brian and wants to make the album/reunion the best it can be. I think a lot of people will think differently about Joe after reading that transcription, in a positive way.

Tremendous interview....Thanks for sharing

...That interview was amazing.

Very very interesting!
That was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to read, thanks Andrew!
And yes, Joe Thomas seems quite an ok guy after all.

Yeah, but is it any surprise that from "his point of view" he comes off as a good friend to Brian? Kinda glosses over the whole reason he was sidelined to begin with and not involved for years!

Great interview and lovely detail. I hope he's serious about wanting to have the rest of the suite come out eventually!

Glad to hear you guys are enjoying the interview. Should I really start another thread? Or would it be better to post a link in the "New Album Info" thread? Or just let it be? I defer to the experts... In fact, if anyone else wants to take the baton and find the proper place for it, I'd be happy to step aside. Don't want to be too self-promotional.

Fabulous work, tho! So far it's the only piece that digs under the surface and 3 pat soundbites, some real sad n' stirring moments in the original article and I really appreciate the additional transcript... congrats on scooping everybody else and getting a nice glimpse into the process! You do realize you'll be fueling fan babble about the remaining songs for um, years, right?

"The people who run it get the Beach Boys, and they said, this is the only place for you guys. So they made us an incredible offer based on those songs for a three-record deal."

I'm curious as to plans regarding this statement.

Here's what Mike told me about the deal with Capitol:


"New studio album" = Radio.

"Compilation" = Zinepak, I'm guessing, unless there's yet another "Greatest Hits" in the works.

"And so on" = who knows what. 

Al in particular was very eager to release another studio album--and Joe said there's more than enough material--so that may eventually be an option, depending on how the current reunion pans out. My guess is that the "three-record deal" with Capitol is why they're all speculating about another LP: they know it might have a home if it ever materializes. Which, of course, is a big "if."

The supposed archival release / box?

Thanks for stopping by and for that interview ! That's the kind of stuff I'd like to read more of. And it gave evidence to some speculations I'd made before on another forum (maybe this ne, too. I don't remember).

I wonder why Brian all of a sudden wanted to make a Beach Boys album

That full length transcript is awesome.  It's great to have that much insight into the genesis of this album and tour.

I asked Brian about that and I STILL wonder. I spoke to him before I spoke to Joe Thomas and he gave absolutely no indication that he was the one who set the wheels in motion:


Two interesting things to note here (which I'm only noting in retrospect). 1. Brian specifically refers to the "tour" and not the album, so he's not denying that he triggered the recording project. He's just not telling me that part.  2. Mike spoke to Melinda, then Melinda spoke to Brian. "We"--meaning Melinda and Brian--then said yes. A pretty tidy summary of that whole dynamic.

As sphinx-like as Brian can be--interviewing him was like pulling teeth--he always knows exactly what he's revealing (or not revealing). It took transcribing the interview to see that, however. In the moment it felt like a disaster.

Also, there's this:


Says it all, pretty much.

Andrew,

thanks for joining the board and adding your insights.  Much appreciated.

 :-D :-D That Brian again.....

Greatly enjoyed the Joe Thomas interview Andrew!

To me, I was fascinated by the writing process with the endless hours of rolling tape et al. It sheds light into what the TLOS writing sessions might have been like with Scottie. We can only conjecture obviously, but I could see it playing out the same way.

The details provided by Joe tend to lay credence to Brian being fully involved and running things. Regardless of whether or not TWGMTR is autotuned, hot mastered, slick or whatnot it just makes me smile to know that Brian's having a gas in the studio chair. He deserves it. They all do.

I think Scott approached things somewhat differently, at least in terms of writing. It sounds like Joe really works hard to coax songs out of Brian. With Scott, Brian generally brought more-or-less completed material (with a couple of exceptions). Scott then wrote lyrics, and very occasionally contributed to the music. Scott never said, for example, that he wrote the chorus to any of those tunes, the way Joe takes credit for the Bill and Sue chorus.

Where the two seem to be similar was in working out demos with Brian. Basically they both recorded everything they did because Brian works so fast and is so mercurial. And then they would sort through things after he left -- Scott would sort out arrangements and work out Brian's ideas in much the same way it sounds like Joe did.

Andrew, you asked pretty much every question that was on our minds..

Absolutely brilliant interview and thanks for stopping by

Andrew - I did like that very much.  I liked that the interview showed the real relationship between Brian and
Mike.  It is the rapport that one can see at the shows, the interviews, and mini concerts, such as the little QVC. I did struggle with some sections of the article. 

Now I wonder, whether it was edited and the essence, which is so cool, here, was lost? 

Thanks again for jumping in here, for the readers and contributors.   ;)

Um, if there are longer interview transcripts with the band members... COUGH COUGH SUBTLE HINT COUGH COUGH.

Thank you so much for this. A great read, and one I didn't want to end.

I am a few pages too late, it seems, and haven't yet read the Joe Thomas interview transcript, but I've got to say: This is easily the best article I've read about the reunion. Thank you, Andrew. Clearly, you're a true fan, and provide a perspective that was sorely needed, especially to those of us on this board.

To those of you who think some of the material was "too candid' or what have you... What the foda is wrong with you? Would you prefer some lame, boilerplate article about how great the reunion is with zero context or honesty? Journalism isn't about being a cheerleader during Be True to your School, it's about the pain and triumph and honesty of 'Til I Die. This is the first article that actually provided insight into the process, the clearly knowledgeable writer glosses over the standard biography we've already heard 1,000 times, to good effect, and you wish the timeline had been more detailed? How narrow-minded. Oh, and many of you clearly suffer from a lack of reading comprehension.

A great article, clearly written by a fan FOR fans, and you dismiss it because you haven't yet received your rose-colored glasses, personally signed by Mr. Positivity.

It's not even negative, it's honest. If you have a problem with that, go back to your fantasy world where the Beach Boys are virgins in striped shirts.

Wait. Are you sayin'...NO WAY.  :o

I agree. I loved hearing about the tenuous nature of the early rehearsals. Everyone just standing there, checkin' each other out. To me, that breathes honesty into the narrative and makes the story more compelling. It's the journey, not the destination.

"At 24, Wilson shelved what would have been his most avant-garde album, Smile, and retreated for decades into a dusky haze of drug abuse and mental illness; now, 45 years later, he has reemerged, stable but still somewhat screwy, to give the whole sun-and-surf thing a final go."

I don't understand why this myth persists. Brian has been varying degrees of active every year since 1961 when the band started. The only time there was said to be a real lull was 71 to 74, but even then he was contributing songs and writing even more. He contributed to all Beach Boys album except one (because he was busy working on his own album), he's been recording a fair amount of material almost every year since the mid-70s, has released a solo album at an average of every two and a half years since his first (and a few which were never released), has toured regularly for well over a decade now, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

Not trying to be a dick, apologies if it seems as such, but the myth just kind of discredits all the great work he's done since '67.

I think part of it has to do with the fact that a Newsweek article simply cannot delve into detail to that degree.  It would take pages, and that wasn't really the point of the article.

I don't expect them to at all, it's just that the idea that he "retreated for decades into a dusky haze of drug abuse and mental illness; now, 45 years later, he has reemerged" isn't even an exaggeration - it's just not true.

The reason is it probably makes for a better story.  It's no excuse but there is something to the leader of the Beach Boys reuniting with his band to help recapture his legacy sort of thing.  It makes a far less impactful article aimed by the way at the general public to write something like "Wilson who has been successfully touring as a solo artist since the beginning of the last decade, now embarks on his first tour with The Beach Boys since the death of his brother Carl in 1998".

The way you've spun it slights the whole thing, though - it doesn't have to be slighting or underselling it versus "Brian retreated for 45 years and has only now come back." Telling the honest truth that Brian Wilson, the guy who wrote and produced the majority of their hits and their best material, as well as original members Al Jardine and David Marks are back for a proper reunion tour and album, is a pretty big deal. First tour with original members in nearly a decade and a half, first tour with Brian Wilson as a regular member since the 70s, first album of original material with Brian Wilson in about 25 years, etc. etc. etc.

Again, I wouldn't take so much issue with it if the notion wasn't so dismissive of the work he and the band did after 1967, while furthering an untrue myth that Joe Public believes and enforcing it as true when it isn't. I'm not expecting fanboy-like depths of esoteric information, just the truth.

I'll drop it now, as I didn't even want it to go this far. Certainly a fine and interesting article overall, honestly, I just took issue with this part of it.

Okay, I see what you mean, and I agree. Brian's work post '67 ought to be mentioned more, I guess I'm just so used to the "myth" being the usual story, that I've sort let it go.

Just to offer my perspective (and leave it at that):

The line at the start of the story was intended to give a general reader with no sense of/interest in the Beach Boys a very quick, very broad outline of the arc of Brian's career before diving in. I consider it accurate: Brian did retreat, for many reasons; he was less productive and creative, especially after Sunflower, than he was prior to Smile; he did indulge in drugs; he did suffer from mental illness; and he has reentered the Beach Boys orbit more fully now than at any time since the late 1960s, with the possible exception of Love You.

Later in the article, I provided as much detail about the post-Smile years as I could afford to provide, considering my space restrictions and my general-interest audience. The one line I do regret writing was the one about Brian "usually" offering "only two or three songs per album"; that was meant to refer to 1971-1976 but sounds, due to some subsequent editing, as if it encompasses 1967-1970 as well. I will ask my editor if I can add a sentence or two to the web version about the Smiley Smile to Sunflower period. I love all of those records and they deserve to be included in the story.

NB: I do mention Love You and even Adult Child a few paragraphs later.

No worries. Like I said, that was the only part of it I really took issue with, and it was right there in the beginning, thus it was kind of out of the way right from the start. As I said, a fine article otherwise, and definitely well-informed. I don't expect lots and lots of esoteric fanboy info in articles like this, as it's generally not appropriate for most folks, but the later material was indeed well acknowledged later on.

Like I said, sans the part mentioned (which you just did a good job of explaining and backing up, anyway), it was indeed a really good read.

I'm not sure how big of a deal that would be with the general public though.  I could be wrong though and actually in this case, hope I am.  Remember though, the article was likely written even with non-music fans in mind.

great interview Andrew, thanks a lot

Ha! Who said you hadn't listened to their entire catalog? Great read!  ;D

That was a terrific read. Very informative. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Wow, that was some of the most enjoyable Beach Boys reading I've done in awhile - a job very well done Andrew, glad to have you here!

The insights and background information on the new album and tour were fascinating.  I really didn't think we would learn a lot of these things for several years after the fact, if ever.  It makes me happy to know that Brian had a lot more to do with putting it together than we otherwise thought.  The idea of him earmarking tunes exclusively for the Beach Boys is a touching thought.

Am I the only one who got a little choked up reading about Brian and Mike listening to 50's music in the back of the tour bus?  The "full circle" nature of this whole thing really hit me when I read that.

Andrew, thanks so much for posting your Joe Thomas interview.  It makes for fascinating reading and answered a whole bunch of questions I had regarding the genesis of the new album and the 50 Big Ones Reunion.

I'm a big fan of this type of profile but I really did not enjoy this article.

I also really did not enjoy how the author spewed  info from Carlin's book without sourcing it. It's very easy to sound well informed to the public when you've read the BB cliffnotes.