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Title: He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move Post by: willy on June 16, 2010, 05:31:09 AM Just wondering about this 'Da Doo Ron Ron'-esque Lindsey/Brian collaboration.
Does anyone know the origins of this, who's idea was it to put Linds and Brian together (Landy?), and was this 'written in the studio'? Has Lindsey ever commented on this song and the sessions? I would imagine the song had a difficult birth, with perfectionist control freak (in the nicest possible way :o) LB surrounded by the surf nazis, if that was the case. Title: Re: He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move Post by: Christian on June 16, 2010, 07:16:02 AM from Q Magazine (1992):
"Brian was doing his solo record and Eugene Landy (Wilson's controversial therapist and producer) called me up. Brian came up to my house with a song which was very catchy, but about exercising," laughs Buckingham. "You don't wanna do that, I said, so we rewrote it. It was a very unsettling situation. If Landy wasn't there, he'd have these two little surf Nazis who would not let Brian out of their sight. I know Landy did him a lot of good in the beginning with his radical techniques, but in my opinion there was a role reversal where Landy glommed onto Brian as his ticket to a glamorous world. Brian was not happy, and there was no way he'd grow into a full adult in this situation. Musically, Landy was keeping him doing this 'Baby, let's ride to heaven in my car' kinda stuff, when he really should have been getting into something a little more experimental, or adult at least. That was a little heartbreaking to watch." Title: Re: He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move Post by: willy on June 16, 2010, 11:31:06 AM Thanks Christian!
The thought of those two musical gods in collaboration, and something so seemingly throwaway was the result. Title: Re: He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move Post by: Wirestone on June 16, 2010, 11:37:14 AM I believe Brian wrote the song a few years earlier with Usher (it was worked on during the Usher sessions, at least), so it wasn't really a songwriting collaboration. LB just helped with reworking the lyrics and producing the finished product, I'd guess.
Title: Re: He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move Post by: c-man on June 16, 2010, 11:44:53 AM I should've asked LB when I ran into him (almost literally) at one of Brian's SMiLE concerts in L.A. a few years back. As it was, I had a nice two-minute conversation with him, but I was too star-shocked to remember that he'd even colloborated with Bri!
In a 1987 issue of Creem (I believe that was the one), Lindsey did speak of working on this track with Bri. Without digging it out for the quote, he basically said he wanted to push Brian into doing something more than just a standard three-or-four chord progression on the song, but Brian being the way he was at the time, he wasn't able to do much more than that. Title: Re: He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move Post by: TdHabib on June 16, 2010, 12:05:29 PM Thanks for the good information guys; Buckingham is a real intelligent guy from what I've been able to ascertain and his analysis of Brian during this era seems spot on. The miracle is that Brian did some decently experimental and thoughtful work on BW 88, I can remember Paley saying that anything good they did on that album was done on borrowed time.
It's always interesting to hear other rock stars impressions on Brian, particularly when I respect their work. I remember Eric Stewart saying that he saw Brian in concert in Italy and "he was a little slow, but he got into it. What a talent." Title: Re: He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move Post by: Howie Edelson on June 16, 2010, 12:40:17 PM I've interviewed Lindsey several times and have spoken to him a length about his time with the Wilsons. He told me, among other things, that the entire BW collaboration seemed forced, needless, and was basically at no point natural or comfortable for either party. Although good humored about the bizarre situation, he cited Brian as being clearly unwell.
Title: Re: He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move Post by: Andrew G. Doe on June 16, 2010, 12:43:50 PM I believe Brian wrote the song a few years earlier with Usher (it was worked on during the Usher sessions, at least)... Indeed - June 28 & 29, 1986. Title: Re: He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move Post by: willy on June 16, 2010, 01:59:50 PM I've interviewed Lindsey several times and have spoken to him a length about his time with the Wilsons. He told me, among other things, that the entire BW collaboration seemed forced, needless, and was basically at no point natural or comfortable for either party. Although good humored about the bizarre situation, he cited Brian as being clearly unwell. Hope it might not be too late for something more fulfilling between those two! Title: Re: He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move Post by: Beckgtr09 on June 16, 2010, 10:58:21 PM Back when Lindsey was promoting the OUT OF THE CRADLE cd, he came here to Michigan. He was doing an interview at a sports bar with the disc jockey. Between the breaks Lindsey would do questions and autographs with us fans. When it was my turn I asked Lindsey " so what was it like working with Brian Wilson ? " He just looked at me and said " it was just like any other day working with Brian, if the security wasn't there.." . He then autographed the picture I had of him and thanked him. Somewhere I have all the pictures I took of the performance, and not one of Lindsey and I together. That was one request he asked for, no person to person pictures taken. I still admire Lindsey and I am glad he has been back into the music industry.
Ted |