The Smiley Smile Message Board

Props to the uploader. Must've been an off day for BW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5LjTkJj-yc

Brian does a show at NAMM every year, I wonder why

Maybe Jeff has some connection to it

It doesn't sound off per se - just trying to sing GOK really softly. SUSA is a bit odder though

Better than last year's performance at the same event

True story.

He's looking real tired, seems to have a bit of a hard time walking as well.

Brian sounds really sweet during GOK in a way.

I see nothing wrong in the performance whatsoever. This isn't a 21-y-o newbie trying to impress label execs, it's Brian performing to a barrage of iPhones and Galaxies. Though he's going through the motions, he sounds pretty sweet nonetheless.

Maybe, as Jeff's saying "And now Brian's going to perform the greatest song ever written…" (or however it's phrased) Brian's thinking "Oh my gosh but we didn't rehearse Summer's Gone…"; and then when the guys start the GOK intro he's thinking: "Oh he means that one, again. Thanks a bunch Jeff…"

I agree he sounds just fine on GOK. Wish they'd play some less obvious material at events such as this, maybe "Back Home", "Be My Baby" or "Girl Don't Tell Me", stuff like that.

I don't know how anyone can watch a video like this and knock Jeff.  I just don't get it.  >:(

Thanks for the link.

Brian's never been comfortable performing in front of cameras, and never will be. All those people sticking their iphones in his face.. I'd be uncomfortable, too.
I agree about him trying to sing GOK in a more sweet/intimate manner. He's not performing in a stadium, after all.

And damn, he looks suave in that jacket.  :3d

Not a bad vocal at all, actually like the approach. But before he sings the opening line, it seems like he heaves a sigh..like, "do I really have to do this?".

Nice jacket, too!

Just let the man jam out to Ding-Dang!! ;D

Poor Brian should be spending his remaining days doing what he likes. I'm pretty sure doing a performance like this for the iphone weilding audience isn't what he likes.

The jacket really is awesome  ;D

Obviously not. But he's a pro and (more or less) behaving that way. This is a good example: he probably was obligated to show up and play a couple of tunes, so he did - in a polite, but not overly enthusiastic manner. People still went home (or back to their desktops) smiling.

Wow, do you know something we don't? Please share. I feel bad that so many of his fans think the way that you do about him. Like he's a zombie or a simpleton who can't think and do for himself.

Most of us aren't zombies or simpletons and we do stuff we don't like to do all the time nonetheless.. what's your point? Brian's just another person having work to do.

Sounds fine to me. I see Billy made it, where were Al and Dave?

Continual posts that Brian is forced, cajoled to do anything, especially musical, just gets old. I doubt that Brian would do these types of shows unless he wanted to. He is not some lazy Jabba the Hut just taking up space on this Earth, is all.

Did you feel the same was true all throughout the Landy era? If not, how did you tell the difference?

I disagree.

IMO if Brian had his way he wouldn't tour at all..

People around Brian obviously want him to get out and do shows, I'm just not sure he wants to. Personally I've been at Brian shows where he looks like he wants to be anywhere else in the world

Actually, at that point I did think that Landy was calling the shots. This time though, Brian is in much better shape now than he was then. Do his Advisers advise him? Sure they do, that is what they do for everyone that has one. It seems many here give him no credit at all. Secondly, that personal stuff is really done of our business, imho. They use the terms Professional Life and Private Life for a reason.

This argument comes up all the time, and I guess no one really knows the answer except Brian and family. But here's what I've picked up from this board (and correct me if I'm not relaying the info correctly):
1. Brian is often a lot more "with it" than he seems. Sometimes he's putting on an act when he seems out of it.
2. Brian sometimes has bad days where he really IS out of it or does not want to be doing what he's doing, as he is mentally ill.
3. Brian is very good at manipulation and overall would not do anything he really didn't want to do.

Is that right?
So the conclusion I reach is that maybe there's a show here or there where he really doesn't want to be there, but overall, the touring and recording of recent years have happened because he has willingly gone along with it. Am I completely off-base?

Sounds about right to me.

I think he sounds nice.
He's smiling here and there, and it seems sincere.

These are popular beliefs right now, but I don't put too much stock in them, personally.

But my question was, how could you tell? You criticize someone saying "do you know something we don't?" but you clearly felt the same way and hindsight in this case, works to prove you right. But how did you know at the time? Did you know something we didn't?

Why not? People who interact with Brian on a consistent basis have backed that up. Not flaming you, just asking what makes you skeptical.

Don't over-blow what I said. It was a general comment saying we pry too much into Brian's personal business.

No, it's a fair question. Personally, I think it's fairly comforting to believe that this is the case. I have no doubt that he's different in private but to say that his behaviour is a big put-on seems mostly like wishful thinking and accounts for very little of what we've actually seen in the last say, fifteen years. And ultimately I simply cannot believe that a man who became so thoroughly under the control of a mad doctor who, granted, saved his life, to the extent that he looked like he suffered from Stockholm Syndome is also a man who "is very good at manipulation and overall would not do anything he really didn't want to do."

Brian is probably like most everyone else; he probably has good days and bad days. Can be manipulative. Can put-on and be put-off. Also, all the Landy business was over 20 years ago. Everything changes over time. Give the guy some credit for cryin' out loud.

I don't believe that you give someone credit by calling that person manipulative and claiming that they are putting on an appearance of being "not with it" just for the sake of it.

sh*t, I call myself manipulative. We all act that way at times. Shoot, a spoiled child can act that way quite often.

Nevertheless, it is not to someone's credit, to call them "manipulative." And the argument is not that Brian is acting "that way at times" but that he seems to be acting this way in every single aspect of his public and professional life. And to that I say: pure hogwash.

Well, you were responding to Amy's post. She said he SOMETIMES acts that way. No one ever said that he acts like that way in every single aspect of his life.

In that case, I do agree with you.  I think it is obvious Brian has slowed down quite a bit in the past 15 years since Imagination came out (f***, I feel old). I think a better way to put this is, a lot of times Brian exaggerates.

Yes, in the same way that certain autistic children can exaggerate their affliction at times.

Well, Amy was just trying to figure out what others have been saying, so I am certainly fine with what she wrote. And Brian's "public and professional life" does not refer to "every single aspect of his life." But, yes, people have certainly suggested that Brian indeed does act like that consistently in his public and professional life, going back to the very beginning of the Beach Boys and extending to this very moment. It's a thoroughly ridiculous notion, as far as I'm concerned.

The group and the songs sound great. Just another lovely event while we wait to hear about the new studio plans. . . . .

I agree 100% with the Prof. We are at a point when we should enjoy the band in all of its various combinations, while holding out hope that there will be another good album sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Did anyone post this snippet earlier? I just found it and I think it's a total crack-up...might just say it all about the Brian/Mike relationship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLIbu6sJ4-I

I thought it was widely known that Brian is not neccessarily in absolute charge of his day-to-day plan and sometimes he is not always enthusiastic what people have planned for him. I would guess he asks Jeff or his wife when making decisions and that he generally does what they advise him to do, simply because he trusts in the people around him making the decisions which they believe are in his interest. I'm not saying he is a simpleton in any way or incapacitated, it's just the way things are and he is generally very happy about it.
I may now see some folly in my comment, but what I meant was that perhaps the people around him making his plan might not take enough into account that ANYONE would hate performing in a venue for reporters and people with iphones. It's like the event was more about making sure one captures the moment on iphone rather than actually listening and enjoying. imo.

Big Don, makin' a lot of sense!

...does seriously nobody consider the fact that he's also just getting old? Old people slow down a bit. Doesn't necessarily mean they're dying. It just happens at that age.

He looks dignified.

.

Thanks a lot for posting this video!

I really liked GOK, IMO Brian sang really well - I agree with some of the comments on the 'sweetness' of his voice there. Cool stuff  :)

And I don't think Brian looks any odder than he does whenever he performs. He actually had a cool moment at the end of GOK, when people start applauding, he smiled really nicely, like thinking 'yeah, I know I'm good' - I took a quick screenshot for u guys to check it out.

(http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/1407/brianj.png)

Cheers!

(http://i46.tinypic.com/91csi9.jpg)

That reads sincere in my book  ;D

Yeah, you can tell with Brian when he's 'fake smiling' and it's genuine.

At Wembley he seemed genuinely humbled by the sold out crowd of 12 thousand people going crazy for him. He was looking at the crowd with a very sincere smile, not the forced smile were so used to at this point.

I wish I had a picture, it was awesome.

GOK is reminiscent of the Lei'd in Hawaii rehearsal recording. Nice.

Hi, joined because I saw 90%+ of my YouTube views were coming from here! This is the 2nd half of show (he did Surfer Girl and California Girls as well) and while this was my only time I saw Brian (unless he was at a show I saw as a kid in about 1978? at Anaheim Stadium after a soccer game) I was thrilled. He seemed tired, but never having seen him, I wasn't sure how much energy he has at any shows.

I got there about 30 minutes before the show to get a decent spot and since I had a monopod, I knew I would get over the first couple of rows of folks. Hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks, Chris! Nice to have you with us!!

Welcome to the board! May we call you 'The Edge'?

(Thanks for the clip!)

Finally got a chance to watch it, and holy sh*t.

I actually really like the GOK a lot. I do wish they'd brought up Brian in the mix, but it's all good. Even when he goes for the high notes, that little break in his voice sounds almost artistic.

The "Surfer Girl" performance: CLICK (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hsJ3aLBSjA).


Interesting comment by Foskett at the end..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBRlfInRQCk

Gibson's own clip of the NAMM performance - just a few seconds of Surfin USA and CG, plus Jeff's comment about the Epiphone from the end of SG -- but worth putting up because it was shot from the right side of the "stage" and shows the whole lineup playing.

Does Jeff call Brian "The great Brian Wilson" wherever they go.

For instance when Brian and Jeff go out for dinner does he tell the waitress "The Great Brian Wilson would like the soup of the day followed by a steak". Or at the bank does he tell the teller "The great Brian Wilson would like to make a withdrawal".

Maybe Brian requests it.

:lol :lol :lol

That'd make an awesome skit....

 :lol

Jeff: "I'd like to make a reservation for tonight, please."

Maitre D: "Ok, can I have a first name?"

J: "The Great Brian Wilson"

MD: "A first name, sir."

J "....The Great."

I see it more like, "Man, I really don't feel like feel going on tour, but it makes a lot of money and people are counting on me.  And I do like all the food and being treated like a rock star."

It's more like a job for him at this point... he's seeing what he can get out of it for the least amount of effort possible. But then again, shouldn't he be able to retire by now?

"Well, all you posters on Smiley Smile Message Board have to understand, my wife and I have a lot of kids and dogs."

 :lol :lol

MD: And your name Sir?

J: "The Great Jeffery Foskett"

MD: Really, Sir?

J: Have you not heard "FISH!"

Something that occurred to be while watching the SG performance... during his solo part, Brian basically had to wing it because everybody playing something at that point was on his right side...the side where he's deaf!