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Hey guys,

Here's a new interview our blog just did with Probyn: http://musictimestwo.blogspot.com/2012/03/probyn-gregory-brian-wilsons-multi.html Check it out :D

Very good read , and as usual from Probyn always honest sincere and informative ( great guy ) - Also note with great interest that he ( along with all involved etc.. ) is really sending out great vibes about the song 'God Invented Radio'

Great interview....love Probyn's straightforward view on the latest events; very refreshing.   And he gives a mention to AGD--nice!

He's in a tough position having to balance both his family (and newborn son) with the upcoming tour.  Just one of those bad timings...

80's beach boys?  so like what, a bunch of getcha backs?  i just hope it doesn't SOUND 80s. please. pleeaaaaseeee no 80s production.

and how good can this "god made the radio" song actually be???  stop hyping me!!

Really great, honest interview. Looking forward to seeing him again soon, as vital a part of the Beach Boys as he was for the Brian Wilson band. Great guy.

"There's one awesome song, I can't wait to see what the public reaction is, I think the title is along the lines of "That's Why God Gave Us Radio". That's a really good song, even though I didn't play on it, which was kind of a bummer, but such is life, you can't have everything [laughs]."

Hope this doesn't mean the rest are crap - like 80s era Beach Boys stuff...

Thanks for the link/interview ! Can't wait for the album and tour

Wait...what? Was this in 1968?

yeah he didn't seem high on the rest of the album past that song. hum hum

Guess he hasn't heard much finished product, just played on a few sessions. Doesn't mean a thing that he's only referencing one song as "really good".

Getcha Back doesn't really sound like most of the songs on  BB85. But I'd imagine he was referring to the Kokomo / Still Cruisin' sound when he meant 80s Beach Boys.

Since we talked to him it seems like he's been on some more recordings....fyi :)

You mean like Island Fever...? The "cousin of Kokomo" ?  :-\

"People like Andrew G Doe over in the UK seem to have some sort of inside mole, they have information before anyone else that I know."

C'mon Andrew, you can tell me....  I promise to keep it a secret!

 ;D

"I saw Diana Ross coming down the hall, and I said to her "Hey! Looking good Diana!" because she had this nice dress and huge hair, but she didn't even acknowledge that anyone had spoken. You know, that kind of sucked, I don't wanna feel like a fanboy. I'm not 21 anymore, I'm a working musician, in the same game they are."

I guess he forgot to "call her Miss Ross."   :lol  Great interview-- thanks for posting the link

"Kokomo / Still Cruisin' sound when he meant 80s Beach Boys."

f***, no...

oh ok, f*ck loads better!

The 80s thing is pretty arbitrary. We'll see. If he means "Somewhere Near Japan," that might be cool. If we mean "Wipeout," well ...

(We do have an album being overseen by Joe Thomas. We're not going to get hugely retro-sounding tracks. That's been clear for some time.)

But I'm actually cautiously optimistic. Seems like everyone is getting along, and Bruce contributing a song is excellent news.

Probyn is an amazing guy. I'm glad to hear he's playing a notable part in the record, and as a new father myself, I can really sympathize with his take on touring.

80's sounding Beach Boys?... of course it will... its hardly going to sound like 1965 Beach Boys anymore..
they are all 70+ years old now... if its a 80's sound thats still pretty good...  :)

Great interview but it just made me nervous for the album

1980s sound reminds me of imagination since Joe Thomas is involved....

Yup. Joe Thomas is definitely going to affect the sound of this record. I am still looking forward to it, and I'm glad to hear that Bruce has been doing some producing of his own. The fact that Probyn didn't pull any punches makes me optimistic overall for the new record.

I am looking forward as well, the BBs sound like they have way more creative control with JT than Brian did in 1998.

Great interview! Can't wait to hear "That's Why God Made The Radio". With all of the mentions in the press, is it safe to say it will be the 1st single?

Brilliant interview...but : "The after party was crazy, it was actually at the site of the old Manson murder house. Which if you know Dennis Wilson's connection to the whole thing, it makes it very bizarre that The Beach Boys were ever invited to something like that."

WTF  ??? ??? ???

Andrew G. Doe is actually a pseudonym for Melinda Wilson.

I just find it hilarious - and somewhat flattering - that he used my middle initial.   ;D

It's a pretty candid interview for sure, with little evidence of towing any party line. Full credit to Probyn for being so straight-up and honest about everything. And unaffected by his relative fame!

My hat is off to Probyn.

He has the ultimate, ultimate dream gig, yet must balance that against some very important, family concerns!  Good luck to him!

Probyn really lays it all out there ... I remember that after I interviewed him, I had to use some discretion in what was printed.

Its got a PS feel remember. Its not a album of singles....but the whole album is a concept! (We wish).

Some names just call for the middle initial to be always included...like US President John F. Kennedy or actor Michael J. Fox!

The last thing in the world I want--ok, maybe not the very last thing in the whole world, but you get my point--is a concept album. I think it's mostly wasted effort. If some concept emerges through songs somehow linked, fine, but give me an album of the best songs they can muster. There is no shame whatsoever in a batch of 10-12 unrelated pop songs.

I'll stick with concept thanks. Using 70 year old Beach Boys on a album of 'pop' songs leaves me concerned.

Probyn gives a great interview, that's for sure.  Very interesting to read his comments about the Grammys and the new album.  The "80's Beach Boys" thing scares me, but at least we seem to have one great track to look forward to. 

Yeah, I wouldn't leap to any conclusions based on the 80's comment. There's even a big difference between "Crack at Your Love" 80's sound versus even something like "Somewhere Near Japan." I'm guessing there might be some Love-fueled nostalgia and a bit of "Still Cruisin'"-ish stuff going on, as opposed to something more overtly "80's" sounding.

Very interesting interview. Nice to hear the super practical stuff we usually don't think of, like how someone in the band at the grammys makes sure their stage gear is okay, or how the the heck they even drive to the arena and park and get into the building!

The Stamos comments seemed really straight forward. Basically, they have nearing 20 people in the band already, so why do they need another?

at least brian wrote like what, one song on still cruisin?  probyn said brian's hand is in most if not all of them

Am I the only one who likes Crack at your Love?   :lol

The album can't be anything else.

The word 'pop' means bubblegum, simple, 2min 30sec, teen music to these old ears.

"Pop" means "popular." All Beach Boys music is pop. Sometimes it's blended ever so slightly with other genres. But it's been pop from the start, and it continues to be.

I love all of those things! My definition is broader. If you're talking American Popular Music, it would include Ragtime, Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, Swing, Rock, Country and Western, Techno/Electronica, Metal, Hip-Hop and on and on.

Lol somebody doesn't think the Beach Boys are pop?

Damn you youngins! ;D

They were always pop. Not liking the word (or how music has evolved to confuse the meaning) doesn't much matter.

But my point is, that is what they have historically done best. Concepts are almost always awkward and forced. Good songs win. What kind of concept do I need Al Jardine or Mike Love singing to me? It's artificial seriousness. The music is pop. Be proud of it as it is, I say.

The Beach Boys are pop, but there were songs on Pet Sounds and other albums that were deeper (not pop), and were great.

I'm excited about TWGMTR, but I would like read a band member or one of the musicians carrying on about how great at least one other song.  If they haven't written a song titled "Summer's Gone," Brian and Mike get together and write one. 

I can't wait to hear these songs and take the time to reallly absorb them.    So much potential here.  Do you think Bruce will shoot for another grammy?
What will the main Wilson/Love song be like?  How will the production sound?  Will we get something like the better songs on Imagination?  Will it sound like the Wondermints with ML on lead vocals?  All of the above?

I am really kinda intrigued what this album is gonna be like. I think it's gonna be a lot different than anything we are expecting. I think Brian is gonna sound really nice on it. I just have a feeling these are gonna be some of his best vocals performances in a really long time. And I think that he has at least a few classic Beach Boys tunes left in him.

As far as Bruce, if he indeed get a spot for one of his songs, I am really interested to see what direction the song takes. We really haven't heard a *new* Bruce Johnston song since....what? "Slow Summer Dancing"? I'm afraid he might try to write some lame kinda faux '50s ballad, or an overly lame sappy electric piano led thing, or at the worst, something that resembles modern country music since apparently that's what he's really into now. But I'm excited to hear a new Bruce song. I think "Deirdre" and  "The Nearest Faraway Place" are really beautiful, and maybe he will tap into that one more time.

I am nervous about the '80s thing though. I really hope Mike doesn't try to do anything like "Still Cruisin'" or lyrics like those from Summer In Paradise. I think Brian is gonna come up with the goods musically, and I just hope Mike doesn't embarrass himself. I have a feeling it's not gonna sound '80s, but I do think its definitely gonna be the 2011/2012 Beach Boys, and I think that is interesting. Because we already have the 1965 Beach Boys and whatnot. So for better or worse, I'm excited for whatever it is. Because you've got Brian seriously involved in a new album. So at the least, I think it will be very interesting.

Maybe the production and songs will be similar to the Imagination album.  I enjoy the production and for the most part, the songs are quite listenable.  I think it should have done better in terms of sales but the song Imagination still makes me feel good when I hear it. 

I'm a big fan of it. I love BB85.

Crack  works for me too!

I concur.  I've decided that I already hate this song.  If this damn thing is so great, maybe they should just scrap the new album, release the song as a single and call it a day.   :deadhorse

Wasn't that whole album basically the "cousin of 'Kokomo'"?  Or at least its illegitimate children?  :afro

Still Cruisin was the son of Kokomo. SIP was the crazy backwoods relative who's hooked on meth.

Where I Belong was an 80s song and that's brilliant, no need to be scared (I hope)!

With that title I can only imagine something along the lines of "Slightly American Music" or "The Spirit of Rock'n'Roll" coming our way.

I would imagine mid tempo chorus only, then a sublime verse fur sure.

Hopefully more like the former.

Is it terrible I keep writing this song in my head? My chorus sounds pretty amazing, tbf, they'd be fools not to have used it  :lol

I think compared to some of the albums before and the ones after it's really decent. If you strip away most of the synths you have a bunch of decent songs there, if they had songs that matched the calibre of the better efforts on BB85 and with some nice production they could have something really nice on their hands. I love Al's vocal on Crack at Your Love, it's great when he goes into that little falsetto part.

Like I said earlier, I really like the '85 album. Of course today it sounds datedwith the synths but it is the last Beach Boys album where they tried to be contemporary and create new music. "Male ego" (I know it wasn't on the album) is one helluva catchy pop song. When the chorus starts and you hear Carl in the background doing that beautiful ascending line while Brian is singing very strongly in his mid-range, I really get the feeling this should've been a hit. The lytics could be better but the music is cool

Ok. HOW do we get to whose ever in charge here and tell them Joe Thomas is going to make this album sh*t. Even if it has some "amazing" songs on it (like BB85), still the production is going to have that cheesy/slick feel to it. God, even if you did make radio this is making me SICK.

Yeah, the Do It Again remake has that same kind of "clinical" vibe to it. Though I feel the same way about SMiLE '04, TLOS, Gershwin and Disney.


I blame computers. People thinking they can make stuff sound better with computers. I think it's time to start a new retro fad and record stuff exclusively to tape. No more of this digitally manipulating sounds to make them sound the way you want them to sound.

I also blame the government. But I can't let me reasons be known, yet.

I say listen to the album first and THEN hate it!

Just give them a fucking chance.

I'll give and I've given The BB's many chances but, Joe Thomas, a former professional wrestler turned the most cheesetastic "producer" in history. I gave him a chance with Imagination and that's all I needed to hear. Still, I hope for the best.

Whoa. Man. Whoa. Hate is such an ugly word. I don't hate, I masturbate.  :afro

It's still not been established exactly what his role is in the new album. It's been confirmed that he recorded for a few days last year with Brian, and that the two have written songs. It has been confirmed that his company will be producing the PBS special.

It has not been confirmed that he's actually a producer on the record. Indeed, one press release suggested Brian alone was. And Probyn explicitly stays Joe is acting like an "executive producer" -- that is, running traffic and scheduling work on the record. Not necessarily producing the sessions.

But we shall see.

Just an idle thought... as JT is helming the DVD... and the Grammy performance will undoubtedly be on the DVD... maybe that's why the TV feed differed so markedly from the hall mix ?

Speaking of that difference, does anyone have a link to that cell phone video of the house feed?  I was just thinking about it today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPs5r2mcoEM

They really fudged that up. The people I know who watched it think it was lip synched. Brian sounded fine. Not a good mix. Hopefully the DVD version will do justice to the actual performance. Though they already blew it since not nearly as many people are going to watch that.

That could be the case, I still can't believe how much it differed and it wasn't just Brian's vocals either. Mike sounded kinda washed out and echoey when he came in on the "I'm picking up" line on the tv feed but those bass vocals boomed in the hall mix. If it's on the dvd they'll likely sort out the levels of Brian's vocal like they did with the Live 8 dvd. Brian was inaudible on the live broadcast of that but (for better or worse) you can hear him much more clearly on the dvd version.

Much oblidged, Mr Stacks!

Okay, where did the interview go?

Link seems gone.

Since the link no longer works, does anyone know how else to access this interview?  Or did anyone save it?

Yes, does anyone feel like sharing this interview now that the tour is over and whatnot.  I missed it the first time around and have been wanting to read it for 9 months.

It's a great interview and very unfortunate the brass had it deleted.

I still have it. Can I post it here? Or do I have to resort to PM's? It's really not a threatening interview.

I would strongly advise against it.

Why are they so uptight about this interview? We've discussed it up and down in this thread, there's posts about what parts they wouldn't like, it was public before, it's available other places (I have it posted on my blog and I have yet to be approached about it), there's hundreds of other old interviews posted on this forum, it won't affect ticket sales because the tour is over now, nobody on this board is going to think any less of Brian or the Beach Boys, we'll all still buy whatever products they throw at us. What harm will it do? I'm not trying to argue or anything, I'm just genuinely curious. Is there a reason I'm not thinking of?

post it if you want too,. what's the worst that'd happen? struck down by the smiley smile dot net ban hammer? struck down by god herself? absolutely nothing?

Well I wouldn't want to be banned lol. It would be a silly reason for a ban, though. Isn't that kind of like the WikiLeaks stuff? Public domain? I could publish it because it's already been out there because of publisher's rights? Isn't that why Assange can post all of that stuff? Or am I thinking of something else? lol.

Well... I think I could get away with this:

Type this into Google (include the quotations) = "Probyn Gregory is a Los Angeles based musician best known for"

Look for the link that has to do with Tumblr tags. Scroll down a bit.

See if that works lol.

I can' t think of why it would be worthy of a ban, personally.

Ummmm...why?

There isn't anything slanderous or libelous in that interview. We say far worse here on this board on a daily basis!  ;D

Mod note- I was reminded why this was deleted in the first place. My bad...I completely forgot. My apologies to all.


-Billy

Why can't we know what was wrong with it?

Well... Okay then.

YEAH at least tell us the issue!

Seems a bit odd that Probyn would do an interview that people then try to shut down. I mean, once something is on the internet, it's on the internet. According to the tumblr post it's being hunted down by Brian's management. I wonder why, seems a bit odd.

Haven't read it recently but I remember Probyn's interview being frank, honest and enlightening. Never could work out why it was shut down (but if anyone wants to enlighten me in PM I'd be delighted and appreciative).

Could it be that he just didn't sound enthusiastic enough about the new album? IIRC he said it was reminding of 80s Beach Boys material and to many people that would be considered offensive

Reading it again, he's also rather blunt about how annoying doing the Grammy's was, and rather frank about Brian, but he also declines to comment on BW's mental health. I can understand it not toeing the 'party line', but it's not like he said Mike Love whipped a prostitute in the studio or something. It's not worth all the fuss of everyone trying to read it.

I don't get it at all. Just people on the internet being drama queens. There's nothing wrong with this interview.

the only thing I could possibly think of is that the after-party was at the site of the Manson murders. BUT HEY, if there were like 50 other people there I don't Probyn is the only person who knows.

The only thing that springs to mind to me is the way he spoke about Brian sometimes not being 100% on stage and suffering auditory hallucinations affecting his performance. Now this is common knowledge to most people who know anything about Brian Wilson, but I can imagine that sort of comment ruffling a few feathers in Brian's management.

Can we just post the interview already?!  ::)

Just google that sentence a few posts up. I did.

It's a bit grumpy/burned out sounding. I can see why BB management wouldn't necessarily be too happy for everyone to know they ended up on the bill at the last minute and had to do laps of the car park.

Bit petty, but feasible

Is this a fear-of-the-powers-that-be-reading-this-here kinda thang?

I agree..

Probyn didn't come across in a good light, he seems pretty entitled

I couldn't disagree more. He comes across as a professional musician who doesn't want other people in the business to treat him unprofessionally, whether Diana Ross being rude or the Grammys staff not  making proper arrangements. That's not being entitled, that's expecting professional behaviour from work colleagues.

The interview seemed harmless enough to me at the time, but I can guess which bit makes the board moderators not want it reposting here, and I wouldn't argue with them about that...

Probyn got in trouble with who I'm assuming were Brian's people (for being genuinely honest, which is bs imo) and he asked for it to be removed from internet sources because of that. I don't know what he got in trouble about, but it's silly. I understand the bad publicity, but really, I'm sure if I asked the people sitting around me at the reunion show I went to if they heard about that Probyn Gregory interview, they'd respond asking "Probe what? Who?" even if it remained online.

At the very least the Irvine audience was more infected with Probymania -- I caught one of those stupid beach balls being batted around and in deranged, spidery Sharpie on the side someone had scrawled... "PROBIN" along with other arcane, misspelled inscriptions.

gotta love censorship.  :)

What exact info belongs to miss Grammy, now? Sorry, I'm lost.

Hey guys we were the ones who put it up & kinda got in trouble for whatever reason & I don't really want to deal with that again haha. We do have NEW content we filmed with Probyn, Darian, Scott & Mike when they were here on the 50th tour that should be going online soon. Lets just say the Probyn interview got some mics adjusted...

I had an interesting email or three after that was put online.  :ahh

by Bruce, yes?

Good for you.