The Smiley Smile Message Board

I found this on Wikipedia and this is the main reason why Brian Wilson quit the Beach Boys

Wilson became physically and emotionally exhausted to a point that he suffered an anxiety attack on December 23, 1964. During the recording sessions of Today! in January 1965, he informed the band that he intended to retire from touring and solely focus his attention on creating and producing music, to which the band reluctantly agreed. Wilson expressed regret over not having done this sooner so that he could do "justice" to the band's recordings, saying "I was run down mentally and emotionally because I was running around, jumping on jets from one city to another on one-night stands, also producing, writing, arranging, singing, planning, teaching – to the point where I had no peace of mind and no chance to actually sit down and think or even rest."

I mean, I can barely handle juggling two jobs and college (forget about hobbies) all at once. The past couple of years haven't been a smooth ride for me, emotionally. So I can hardly imagine what Brian was going through. And even when you do find time to do fun things, or make music or art, you're too mentally exhausted to do so.

That whole "doing justice" idea—if he's anything like me, then he gets really, really upset at himself if he didn't feel like he did his best.

Also, I can't imagine being an introvert and constantly touring. I'm not even that introverted, but there are some days where (real life example) customers at work are condescending and hurtful, and the only thing I want to do is be in my room.

Reason to live
Reason to continue
Reason to go on
Reason to live

Just curious.

For fans who were there at that time.

If you bought a ticket for The Beach Boys in 1965, were you disappointed that Brian wasn't there?  I mean, his vocals were a huge part of the sound of those records. 

Granted, I can't blame Brian for doing what he did, but did that affect your desire to see them live? 

Even then I understood.  They were putting out several albums a year.  It just became part of it.  Brian stayed home to prepare for the future.  He was on the albums...until Live in london.  He was in the TAMI show.  He was on Ed Sullivan...when it counted.  Good enough.  Well...at least that's my personal view of it.  And...I gotta tell ya...Seeing the Beach Boys in Maple Leaf Gardens/Toronto...you couldn't really see them anyway.  They were but distant dots on the horizon of a most promising future.

Truth be told...following the collapse of Smile...I never expected to see Brian Wilson anywhere ever again.

COMMENT:   I did not buy a ticket, but I was there. I have spoken with hundreds, even thousands of fans at concerts all during those times and no one was ever dissatisfied with the performance of the group less Brian. I never heard fans say the concert was OK, but Brian would have made it extremely better. Mostly people would ask about Brian's health, not why he wasn't there or when he would be touring again. It was fully understood and accepted that he was travel challenged and that the five principals on the front-line were more than sufficient to perform all the songs and parts. -- and they were!  Brian is not the only Beach Boy with a high voice. Brian's parts were covered and didn't seem to make a dent in fans enjoyment of the concert just because Brian wasn't on stage and singing. If Brian's head would have been in a better place, his stage presence would have been a plus, but given where his thinking was at that time, he was better off, and the show's were better off with Brian staying at home and doing his thing there. Traveling on tour is more than just walking out on stage and playing the piano. It's, doing one-night-stands, on and off planes, in and out of busses and cars, press conferences, pressing fans, flashing cameras, mics in your face, missed meals, poor sleep -- all part of touring and more than Brian could handle. Yes Brian was missed by all who may have bought a ticket, but not enough to keep them from buying the ticket. The shows were full and got good reviews. Even the reviews said the shows were excellent and hoped that Brian could join the five traveling Beach Boys when he felt better. I'm sorry that you could not have experienced a Beach Boy show of that time, but believe me, those were some of the very best performances the group could offer and did, with certainty, provide.
Good Listening,  ~Stephen W. Desper   

Steven,

Thank for your response.  I've always wondered that.  I know they did some great shows without Brian, particularly in the early 1970s. 

I'm glad to hear that most of the fans seemed to be understanding.

Lee,

Thanks for your perspective as well.  You're right.  Who would've thought that Brian Wilson would be such a consistent touring artist since 1999. 

'Sunflower" is one of the finest examples of production and engineering and mixing that exists.

You must be terribly proud of it, and with good reason.

Is there any possibility of a repeat ?

- cheers !

COMMENT:
Thanks for the positive feedback.  If there is any "repeat" it would be the re-mastering found at my website under part one of the book Recording The Beach Boys. If you haven't visited, please do -- and try to listen over speakers setup as outlined in the video or connect your computer to your sound system. If you're at all interested in the engineering aspect of Sunflower, do read the first part of the book concerning that period ~SWD

http://swdstudyvideos.com

Thanks Stephen, much appreciated !

and "Sunflower Volume II, 2016" may be in order !

- best wishes

This fan bought a ticket in '65 and was a bit disappointed that Brian didn't show up. However, I got to see Bruce at his second show with the BBs, and Denny was there! Best of all, I got to see my favorite band perform live at my first-ever concert.  

:thewilsons