The Smiley Smile Message Board

Here it is:
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2zmbsv/i_am_brian_wilson_cofounder_of_the_beach_boys_amaa/

The admin just posted a "note from Brian" on Brian's board:

Get your questions ready – I'll be participating in a @Reddit_AMA TODAY at 1pm PST/4PM EST! https://www.reddit.com/r/iama

Sorry...What is Reddit?  Like Joe Walsh...I'm an analog man. :hat

Would someone here be able to copy and paste a transcript of this session? Unfortunately I'll be away working when it's going to be happening and won't get a chance to read it live. Thanks in advance!  :)

Starts at the exact time my shift begins...dammit.

Brian is becoming more web savvy than me  ;D

Reddit is a glorified message board on which people discuss just about anything. If you register, you can post messages and reply to them, like you do here. They call themselves "the front page of the internet", which hardly seems right.

Regarding the "Ask Me Anything" function:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddit#IAmA_and_AMA

They're also one of the creepiest sites on the Internet. They don't treat people well, ESPECIALLY women.

I think Bri's management is making a huge mistake.

Well actually that describes most of the internet...not necessarily reddit.   ;)

Many, many celebrities have done an AMA on reddit--not rare at all

Cher and Obama have done them.

I just went to the page and there are only 17 comments/questions.

Just got my question in (under an assumed name of course -- it's Reddit). Wonder if he'll get to it this time? 

(64 questions now)

Maybe a lot of us are reluctant to sign up for Reddit, even for Brian! I'm just there to read the answers.

LG6 2 points 7 minutes ago
What's under Mike Love's baseball cap?

officialbrianwilson 1 point just now
A bald head.

Ok, so this may not be bad after all  :lol

"Al Blaine?" Maybe Brian IS typing this.

How do these things work? Someone is reading him the questions and skipped all the previous music-related questions to ask him this one? Lol.

lol that's hilarious that he actually answered that question.  :lol

He is truly, an Internet commentator now.

I might have asked the Mike Love question.  ;D

duddersj
Hi Brian, what's your biggest fear?


officialbrianwilson
Dying.

bidet_mate 4 points 17 minutes ago
What did you think the first time you heard the Barenaked Ladies song, "Brian Wilson?"

officialbrianwilson 1 point 2 minutes ago
I was honored that they would use my name but it embarrassed me a little bit because I was lying in bed a lot haha

BWPS1 0 points 19 minutes ago
How do you like your steak cooked? What's your favorite flavor of cake?

permalink
officialbrianwilson 1 point 3 minutes ago
Medium rare with ketchup on top and my favorite flavor of cake is cheesecake

We live in strange times.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAfEtUbUQAAq7eS.jpg)

pricklypearanoid 2 points 6 minutes ago

Brian, would you rather fight one horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses?


officialbrianwilson 5 points 3 minutes ago

100 duck sized horses for sure haha

...and I might have gifted you with the most precious of "Reddit Gold" for it, and the fact he answered.

This is the best question ever!

A new answer for Brian's favorite movie!

"The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock because it had a sense of humor. Some guys car blew up and he got killed and it made me laugh for some reason running from the birds."

QL: You had a very well publicized battle with depression for a part of your life. What do you credit with helping you break out of it and getting your drive to make all that great music back?
Many thanks for all that music, Brian.

A: My doctor turned me on to exercise, running was what helped break me out of my depression and get me back to songwriting. That among other things.

Q. if I were Brian Wilson and you were me, what would you ask?

A. I would ask you What does it feel like to have a number one record on the charts?

Q. What does it feel like to have a number one record on the charts?

A. It's a great feeling it's a great honor it's an achievement

deviljho- 0 points 11 minutes ago
What advice do you have to offer to new songwriters? And do you have a favorite Bob Dylan song?

officialbrianwilson 4 points 5 minutes ago
Blowin' In The Wind i like the lyrics. I met Bob Dylan in an emergency hospital in Malibu..he accidentally had his thumb broken. It was a cool place to meet him. I'm a fan of his for sure

Q: What do you consider the best songs on Dennis' solo album?


A: You and I thats my favorite because I liked his vocal. Great vocal

Talk about a goldmine interview. A goldmine for Brianisms, that is. The weirdness of the internet and Brian's natural sense of humour mix like gin and fizz.

Q. Could you describe your most vivid childhood memory? Musical or otherwise?

A. The first time that my brothers and I saw the ocean. My dad brought us there. That was the most memorable part of my childhood.

Wow... Thank you, internet.

sweetdudejim 0 points 43 minutes ago
Hey Brian, what made you make the decision to get back in touch with Blondie Chaplin? Personally I think it's a great reunion and I can't wait to hear all of "Sail Away" and see you guys on tour!

officialbrianwilson 2 points 3 minutes ago
Blondies voice was the only decision we needed he adds so much to the songs he's on. Can't wait to go on tour with him!

mshecket 1 point 7 minutes ago
Could you tell us the name of your favorite vegatables?

officialbrianwilson 1 point 2 minutes ago
Broccolli

Q. Mr. Wilson, are you a TV game show fan? Which one would you like to a contestant?

A. Wheel of Fortune I love game shows. I watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy everyday. I would love to go on but I don't think I'd be very good haha

Q. How was it filming with the cast of Full House? For some reason that's one of the only episodes I remember!

A. I've never been on Full House

Q. What's one little-known fact about you or your life that you'd like people to know?

A. That I'm deaf in my right ear and that I used to do transcendental meditation at my house. Most people don't know that.

Q. What makes you cringe when you hear a bad tune? Any cliche's that bug you?

A. It bugs me when people sing flat

Brian is a Jeopardy fan? Love it.

Never knew he tried TM.

I didn't think there was an overlap between Wheel of Fortune fans and Jeopardy fans.  :-D
Also, I think there were two Full House BB episodes and Brian was in one of them, correct?

Watching Brian’s 1989 appearance on “Full House” will now be infinitely more amusing. I’ll now watch it assuming the experience was so cheesy and traumatizing that Brian blocked it out of his memory.

"Hey Brian! What is your favorite song from the Love You album?"

""Ding Dang" because I like my brother Carl's vocal"

Different answer to what he said here.

It’s sad that I know this, but I think there are three or four BB appearances on “Full House.” There’s the first one (DJ wins tickets to the BB show and doesn’t know who to take) with all five BB’s. Then Mike made an appearance on an episode singing “Be True to Your School” a year or two later. Then there are one or two episodes in the SIP/Forever era with Mike and Bruce (and also Carl in the “music video” for “Forever”); these are the ones where Bruce makes the decision to “allow” Uncle Jesse to cover “Forever”, ignoring that anybody can cover any song as long as they pay royalties.

The *best* part of these interviews is when we get a different answer. Seriously. Brian does seem to still have an affinity for “Ding Dang.” He abruptly started playing it when he did that QVC live show back in 2000.

The site still says he's "live," but he hasn't answered any questions in a while.

Hilarious

At the top he says he's finished.

Oh, I didn't see that.  ::)  Good Q&A. He sounded like he was having fun.

Brian is the man

‍

‍

That was my favorite one. Hilarious in its honesty.

A very big thank you to Zach for posting that transcript! Very much appreciated!  :)

Brian was in top form, a very cool session today.

I'm crushed that I missed this :-[

I didn't know he was doing it until it was too late. I'm glad he seemed to enjoy it, though. I've been saying he should do an ama for a long time. It looks like it really was a match made in heaven. These are the best questions and answers from him I've seen.

He took the offbeat questions and answered them with humor, instead of what some may have expected. Brian again hitting home runs with some of those one-liners, I really enjoyed that. That's the fun stuff which i think it's great fans are getting a chance to see in these sessions.

Thanks a bunch Zach!

Who or what is a 'Jenny Death'?

Damn kids lol

That was good. Very good and fun.

I hope the rest of the group do one.

I agree, I think the internet's profound love and appreciation of Mike Love will make for a quality AMA... and think of the gossip we could get out of Al Jardine!

Note that he answered even more food questions than he did here.

I've read quite a few AMAs in the few years I've used reddit. Never seen so many food related questions posed, nevermind answered.

If Brian ever comes over for dinner, you know how he likes his steak. And don't forget the ketchup!

For anyone having Brian over for dinner: this important question and answer seems to be missing from Zachrwolfe's very helpful transcript:

Derren_Browns_Parrot 25 points 6 hours ago
Hi Brian,
I like The Beach Boys. 'Get Around' is my favourite and I have fond memories of an holiday on The Isle of Wight listening to it.
What's your favourite ice cream?
REPLY
[–]officialbrianwilson 37 points 6 hours ago
Strawberry

Brian may have left the building hours ago, but the questions are still coming in...

Brian's my hero for many reasons, but gotta say...ketchup and steak?! Ugh. Then again, I'm one of those who feels ketchup should never ever touch beef. It is the culinary equivalent of Speed Turtle. :lol

‍

Thanks, Zach!   Man, so many great questions, so little time.  Better Q & A than last time, I thought.

I'm in public and trying really hard not to burst out laughing.

‍

I think my favorite answer was regarding his pet peeve: "when people sing flat." Seems like such a perfect Brian Wilson response.

This is my favorite of Brian's recent Q&As by far.  That quirky charm is really shining through.

Quote from: Radfahrer on January 25, 2015, 09:04:22 AM
What's your favorite chord?

Quote from: BrianWilson2015 on January 26, 2015, 11:22:28 AM
F sharp seventh is my favorite chord.


From a music theory standpoint, F#7 is the dominant V7 chord, and the second "strongest" sounding chord, in the key of.......B Major!  ;D

To really geek out on the theory part of it, in the key of B major, the F#7 has the most tension and also the most feeling of wanting to resolve. It's an unsettled sound with a characteristic tritone until it goes into its most expected resolution within that key, which would be back to the tonic B major. Tension followed by resolution is one of the hallmarks of trad harmony, and a very interesting choice of a favorite chord followed weeks later by a favorite key.  ;)

One question that I would really like to ask and have answered (never gonna happen) is "what was the original piano part on "I'm Waiting For the Day" that the session musician made the "really great mistake" on to change Brian's mind and go with it instead? He would have to really be thinking clearly to come up with an answer on that one, or else, who knows, he might just rattle it off like it was fresh in his memory. The circumstances would have to be just so though. ???

Yes!  I've always felt the same way about the Birds.  The whole thing is a comedy, but people didn't get it.  it's a hilarious movie.  Not quite as good as Norbit, though.

This exchange was brilliant. 

There was some interview once where he answered his favorite color, twice, and they were both different colors. :)

Man, that answer about his favourite movie is just too damn funny!!  :lol :lol

He seems to agree in a way with Mike on the subject of drugs.

If I had known about this Q+A, I had asked him if he ever ate Currywurst. ::)

I was gonna ask him what his favorite deli sandwich is, as we share a love of delis.

If I ever meet him in person, though, my question would be more along the lines of

'As a songwriter, how do you realize when enough is enough for an album? Say you're on a hot streak, and keep writing more and more songs...how do you get to the point where you realize the album itself is done?'

I'd be interested in his response in light of what happened with Smile, and also because that is a MAJOR problem I have. I've recorded over 500 songs in the past 14 years (not a typo...the 250+ songs I've uploaded on both my websites don't even include the boxes of tapes I have that I never actually uploaded or finished), and been seriously working on this album for close to two years, and it really is finished, but the problem is is that I keep writing, and I end up  putting the previous stuff on the backburner.

that AMA totally won the internet. Definitely one of the best interviews of all time. OF ALL TIME.



Did anybody else get a hilarious mental image of Brian Wilson kicking the poo out of a swarm of duck-sized horses?

Interesting. Going to apologize in advance as I'm going to go a little off track here. I think at some point you have to let it go. I am finishing up my second novel, for release this May. I am certain I could tinker with it and add good stuff until the end of time, but I have no choice in the matter as there is a deadline. It's been bugging me a bit because every time I work with it I come up with a line or two that adds something. But at some point you have to let go, or you'll end up with stuff like making Greedo shoot first in the original Star Wars because you've over thought it too much. Your situation might be a little different because you are creating new works that are part of a body of work, but I still say, slam the door on one album and then move on to the next! :)

"Art is never finished, only abandoned" :3d

I have the feeling an AMA with Al would be a bit of a letdown, unless Range Rover A1 was involved - she'd probably have some questions that could get him to say stuff a little off the beaten track.

But an AMA with Mike would be, for starters, one of the funniest AMAs ever.  Remember, you could ask him anything at all and he would have to answer...."no comment" is not acceptable at Reddit.

But, weren't there twice as many questions Brian didn't answer, as ones he did?

True, but if you do answer a question at Reddit, the, um etiquette there is that you can't say "no comment." And then again - Brian did answer about 30 or 35 percent of the questions.  When he does something like that on Facebook or someplace, it tends to be about 15% at best.

I was kinda tempted to get a "what question would you ask Mike at an AMA" thread going but I'm afraid some of the replies could get me thrown off the board. It'd be like throwing red meat to a bunch of Bengal tigers.  But anyway, this would be my question (riffing on the thread I started a while back):

Mike, suppose Dennis came back to life for one day and did five things. Besides pissing on Landy's grave and throwing the nearest bottle at hand at your head, what are the other three things he'd do?

Very happy to finally get to talk to my hero! It was awesome, and was nice to finally get lucky after the Smiley Smile and Facebook AMA.

So he never met John Lennon? Is that story Alice Cooper tells a put on, or does Brian truly not remember meeting him?

That Alice Cooper story was my first thought, as well.

Thanks for the advice...thinking about releasing an EP* in the meantime.


*Jesus...I'm really showing my age. Do they even USE that term anymore for a mini-album? :lol

It seemed like Brian was more gregarious and lively.

Part of me thinks he was just sitting there while someone else typed the responses (added embellishments by the transcriber). Another part of me thinks his medication was changed or something.

I know I sound cynical and I laughed my way through reading it, but it just didn't seem like the typical Brian interview of "yeah" "hm-hm".

Anyways it was really good and interesting and he still has good humor just couldn't help feel something was off.

Either that or Brian really thinks the name of his session drummer was Al Blaine.

Brian was there, so he knows that the Wrecking Crew didn't play their own instruments. Behind the guys with stage names like Hal Blaine who simply posed for photographs, there were the real musicians like Al Blaine!

It's different when Brian is at ease. Proof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSy-p1Lejfw

Man!  It's uncanny!   I too like my steak medium rare with catsup on top.     And people think  I'm weird for doing this.

Yeah, they're still called EP's and still quite common.

Micky Dolenz recalls a party somewhere in Beverly Hills or LA with Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, Brian Wilson and others. They had all dropped acid and Brian sat a a piano all night and just hit one note continuously through the entire party. It's very likely Brian may have no recollection of meeting John because he was so out of it during this period (which was likely 1973-74).

(http://s12.postimg.org/7cvno0pvh/ama.png)

Yes! AGD has said this many times*-- that when Brian is at ease, he's articulate, verbose,etc. Maybe he was really enjoying the AMA format.

*Correct me if I'm wrong.

We have video evidence that he met Dave Coulier but he also denied that in the interview.... so....

There was an episode of "Intervention" one time where the guy was the son of one of the guys from Grand Funk Railroad, he casually mentioned remembering in the 70's when he was a kid, his parents had wild parties all the time and mentioned Brian as one of the people that was frequently at them.  So I think he was partying pretty hard there for awhile (as if we didn't already know that).