The Smiley Smile Message Board

Check it out. . .

http://www.jambands.com/features/2016/05/16/brian-wilson-looks-back-on-pet-sounds-at-50/?1

Well done mate!

Much thanks.

Great interview!

Thanks for posting that Howie! Great job as usual!

Some great questions you asked!

Aw man, what a great interview. Get a little in depth and it really paid off, seemed like Brian was interested.

Once again, great interview. Hope maybe you could get a longer interview with Brian one of these days.

That was a pretty cool interview. Interesting that Brian listens to the Doors. Never would have imagined him as a Doors fan.

Great read. Thanks, Howie.

Very good interview.  I do wish Howie had asked if Brian had written any new songs in the last year and if he has any plans for new material, but I'm sure someone will ask those questions.

Nicely done; I like how your questions jump a decade (give or take) in the chronology if there's the slightest waning of interest. Was this done on the phone? Face to face?

Many thanks Howie.

Great article. i love the final quote: "it’s probably one of the best albums we ever did." That'll have most readers' eyebrows flying over their heads at the understatement, but to many of us diehard fans it seems a very good way of putting it.

Good one, Howie!  :)

HE: One of the most beloved tracks on Pet Sounds is “Sloop John B.“—which, depending on who you talk to, you didn’t want included on Pet Sounds, but caved under record company pressure to include it. Clear it up once and for all did you want “Sloop John B. on Pet Sounds?

BW: I wanted it to be a single but when they said ‘album,’ I said ‘fine,’ that was okay with me. I said it would help the album. Y’know, it would help it sell and it would fit perfectly.


That is most satisfying to read. Thank you both. :=)

Thanks, Howie!


^-^

A lot was left on the cutting room floor. . .

____________________


What about writing – what’s going on with new music?

I haven’t written anything for about a year-and-a-half. I’m gonna start writing again.

Who did you think you’re going to write with?

I’m gonna write with myself this time.

Music and lyrics?

Yeah.

I wish you would work with Jeff Lynne again.

Oh, like “Let It Shine?” Yeah, than was a good one. Jeff and I wrote that.

Yeah, there was a 6-string bass on it, and it was just really smart, emotional music.  Y’know, Jeff Lynne just produced Bryan Adams, and the way he did it was: ‘Do your vocals, do the demo, send it to me and I’ll do everything else.’ I think that would be perfect for you. I think the two of you would do a great album in that way. A whole new different way of doing it.

Right! Right! Right!

I also think you should work with Barry Gibb.

Y’know, I’ve thought about that. I think I’m gonna pass on that.

Why?

I’m a little scared of him. I’m scared of his music.

It’s pretty powerful, right?

Yeah, pretty good music. A little scary for me to think about working with him.

In 1966 and 1967 you created the three most famous Brian Wilson productions – Pet Sounds, the “Good Vibrations” single, and Smile – which were immediately followed up with two albums, Smiley Smile and Wild Honey with the production credit attributed to “The Beach Boys.” How and why did that change come about?

I remember that, yeah.

Why did that happen?

I don’t know. It’s been too long ago to remember.

You remember a song from Wild Honey called “Aren’t You Glad”?

I sure do! I like that song!

We’re coming up on the 40th anniversary of the (Beach Boys’) “Brian Is Back” publicity campaign and there was a lot of incredible music that happened in that time – 15 Big Ones, Love You, and (the unreleased) Adult/Child.

Right.

Adult/Child has amazing songs like “It’s Trying To Say,” “Everybody Wants To Live,” “Lines” – and those songs are kind of lost to the mists of time. Do you ever think about these songs? Are they still a part of you? Are they in there still?

Y’know, I haven’t thought about those songs recently at all. It’s like a blur.  It’s like I can’t even remember that Adult/Child album.

Well, 2016 marks 40 years since you first “came back” – what do you remember about all those events – playing Oakland, Anaheim. The NBC Lorne Michaels special?

Well, the Lorne Michaels special I liked very much, but a lot of this I can’t remember ‘cause it’s a long time ago.

What do you remember about The Beach Boys Love You -- which as you know, is almost as cherished by your fans -- for entirely different reasons -- as Pet Sounds and Smile is?

We gave ourselves, like 10, 12 hours a day booked time, y’know? And we took our time and we weren’t in any big rush to go anywhere, so we just took our time and recorded Love You.

Re: John's question. . . 

This interview came from two separate phone calls.

I've easily interviewed BW a dozen or so times and have found that when talking to him one on one -- either in his home or a studio -- if you can see his eyes, you can connect and it makes for a smoother, more natural chat. He's reading you the whole time. He's vibing you. It's intense. The last of those Wilson brother eyes. With the phone, I just pop it out like a Rorschach -- the answer is the answer. He's got 'em all -- he just doesn't want to say or go into it. (And why would you if every personal and professional triumph was cased in bull sh*t from your surroundings?)

I have noticed that his classic dodge of "I don't know -- ask me another question" has been replaced with "It's a long tine ago. I don't remember."

To talk with him is a joy.
He's an angel.
I end every chat telling him I love him.

Aahhh, thanks for that!c :o

Thanks so much, Howie.

Among other things, I appreciated the shout-out to Love You. I'd be curious how he regards some of the songs and arrangements. Has Brian ever given an in-depth interview on that album in his later years?

Thanks, Howie. Made my day.

This is amazing, thank you Howie!

I'm very glad you're also a Love You fan and its a thrill to see you asked Brian what he recalled from the album.

I have a question for you: In this interview (or previous ) did you ever felt Brian was nostalgic about Love You? In wikipedia there's a quote from Earle Mankey about Brian saying he was searching for the same 'fire' from his younger days when recording Love You.

I just think that's a very powerful statement, making Love You very personal and full of sonic melancholy. What do you think?

I really enjoyed reading that.  He's such a sweet soul.  Thanks, Howie!

Great interview, Howie!

Great stuff Howie.  Thanks for asking the questions most of us here would like Brian to get asked in interviews.  You've built up trust over the years and it shows.  ;D

I hope he 'remembers' the answers to some of those questions before his book comes out!

I would love to see Brian sitting at a piano being interviewed by someone like you where he's relaxed and opens up and demonstrates some of his inspiration/ideas for his songs on the piano.  How he came up with things etc.  I've seen some snippets over the years but it would be great to have more.

Super interview, thank you Howie!

Howie, that was a great interview. You asked questions that are not usually asked. Thanks also for the "outtakes!"

My pleasure guys!

Wonderful interview, thanks so much for asking about the likes of Adult/Child too! ;D

 Really wonderful interview, thanks Howie. Great stuff about the eye contact, one-on-one connection and trust bringing out spontaneous, honest, in-depth answers. There's obviously more there to be remembered and shared if he is just gently encouraged, sincerely praised and given a warm, safe, personal setting for his recollections, with someone who obviously understands him. I wonder if Melinda and his circle tell him just how much new insights will be appreciated and how much it means to the fans for him to be courageous enough to share as much as he feels comfortable with, so that it can just feel less threatening and emotionally exposed to open up. You can tell that in this interview he's really making an effort, pushing his comfort envelope and enjoying it as much as can be expected, thank you for being one of the people who makes him feel better about his intrinsically uncomfortable interview experiences. He has of course already given more than enough through his music and if it's just inherently unpleasant for him to give details (I get the feeling that some is and some isn't, technical stuff not so much, context more so) then of course he should be spared inordinate pressure to do so.

 “Marcella.” Tell me what you remember about tracking that song.

Right, one of my favorites, yeah. Carl did a great job, he was really good. “Marcella,” y’know, I’m gonna tell ya, I was having mental difficulties during that time and I didn’t even know if the guys got in the studio and recorded ‘Marcella’ without me on it! So, I said, ‘I wanna be on it!’ So I overdubbed my voice on it.


Hands down that's my favorite line from the interview. Cool stuff like this would not have ended up in a run of the mill interview by a non-fan of Brian's. Very Cool!

Um, did something happen? I just now saw this and clicked on the link and there's not much in this interview at all. Really short, safe stuff. No references to the Doors or other stuff people seem to be referencing. Certainly nothing as interesting as the "outtakes" posted by Howie in this thread. Gee, I'd like to see what I've missed.

I clicked here: http://www.jambands.com/features/2016/05/16/brian-wilson-looks-back-on-pet-sounds-at-50/?1

Click on the second page.  ;)

Howie great interview! I loved that you asked about his 1970 appearances. But I agree with an earlier poster: he doesn't seem to recall detailed specifics of a lot of stuff, so if his book is way more detailed about such stuff I'm going to be wondering about it.

Thank you for sharing this interview!

Too bad he doesn't seem to remember much about Adult/Child, as I think some of the stuff he did in more recent years is pretty close to what he was first attempting with those sessions in 1977, like parts of the Gershwin album or his rendition of the song That Lucky Old Sun.

Superb stuff, Howie. Knowing Brian's approach to interviews, you've developed a great way to keep things light and positive, and then slip in questions on topics that are likely more dodgy for Brian, thus creating a better chance that he'll be comfortable enough to answer in a way that we haven't heard before.

And--it works!! Here's hoping you have many more opportunities to continue on with this approach.

Well worth the read.  But then I expected it to be.  Standards set, realized and adhered to.  Thanks Howie/Brian.