The Smiley Smile Message Board

This is for Custom Machine, Alan, and I think Sam, who asked for it a couple of years ago. This is a true story. No names have been changed to protect the guilty.

I have been a Beach Boys fan since 1970. A friend of mine at school played his older brother’s “All Summer Long” album one day in his basement. I kept asking him to put the needle back on “I Get Around” over and over until he told me he’d had enough. I went down and bought the single the next day. Then I found “Greatest Hits Vol. 1” at a flea market for some change. Then I heard “Good Vibrations” on the radio and bought that single and played it to death. After that, I picked up the “Carl & The Passions/Pet Sounds” dual package at the flea market for $2.00. I was confused a little bit about the band members and the difference in the music, but I gave both albums equal playing time on the stereo, going to sleep at night with the headphones on as the needle lifted off the record after “Caroline No” and “Cuddle Up”.

As soon as school was out back in the Summers of 1974 and 1975, my friend Tim and I drove down to Los Angeles to hit the beaches, find good looking surfer girls, and visit Beach Boys sites. During this time, he and I were competitive in collecting original Beach Boys and Beatles records, including all the albums and singles. We went to many record stores (especially used and collector’s ones) and actually had foot races to the “B” section of the store after parking the car. We usually received weird looks doing this. We went by the places we knew were old haunts of The Beach Boys; the Wilson house at 3701 W. 119th , the Love house at Mt. Vernon & Fairway, Foster’s Freeze on Hawthorne Blvd, United Western Recorders at 6000 Sunset Blvd., and Gold Star Studios (unfortunately it was closed). We went over to the Capitol Tower and parked in the parking lot, which covered the Capitol Records echo chamber and the site of the “Shut Down Vol. II” album cover shot, in addition to the site of the great monthly record collector’s swap meets in the 70’s. We cooled our heels in the foyer for awhile like Murry Wilson did, but couldn’t get in. More than likely, Voyle Gilmore was probably hiding under his desk from us. We walked over to The Beach Boys business offices at 1654 North Ivar near Hollywood & Vine, where we were provided with a couple of large Beach Boys “Surf’s Up” promo posters and WB press kits. We walked down the street to Wallach’s Music City and picked up some original Sea Of Tunes sheet music, and stopped by The Record Collector in Hollywood and Music Man Murray’s in Downey, and picked up a couple of rare records. We looked for the old site of the Radiant Radish but couldn’t find it. We also stopped by Dick Clark’s office on Sunset, (where I absconded a small reel to reel tape of the interview with Spring off of a table) without asking. Bad boy.

June of 1976. We were on a mission.We drove down to L.A. and stopped by Kittyhawk Graphics on Sunset to visit Dean Torrence and had a long conversation with him about Jan & Dean and The Beach Boys, especially Brian Wilson. He had a lot of stories to tell. Dean showed us his new design and mock-ups of the new Beach Boys album cover for “15 Big Ones”. He gave me a "Legendary Masked Surfers" picture sleeve for the single "Gonna Hustle You" as a ‘souvenir’ of our visit. We then stopped by Brother Studio at 1454 5th St. in Santa Monica. At first, we weren’t sure if we were there – no signs in the front; just an unassuming building made of brick, wood paneling, and a couple of windows with closed curtains. We went into the parking lot in the rear and saw a BSA motorcycle parked outside near the back door. On the sidewalk at the entrance to the locked door was a “Surfin’ USA” gold record embedded in the concrete. Only then were we sure we must be at Brother Studio. We knocked on the door many times, but unfortunately no one answered. It was late, so we figured everyone had gone home for the day, but the only band member who drove a motorcycle was Dennis, so maybe he was recording. Damn, if only we had waited around a little longer!

 At the time, we were real interested in the recording process and wanted to meet and talk with a recording engineer about how they do their job; maybe find a career in the recording business. We decided to visit the RCA building, where some legendary recording studios are. Tim and I walked into the lobby of RCA like business professionals. We waited around until we saw the security guard temporarily step away from his post at the lobby elevator. One of the receptionists was distracted talking to someone, so we made a beeline into the elevator and immediately pushed the button to go up. We had the guts of burglars. Luckily, nobody yelled or chased us. We got out of the elevator on a randomly selected upper floor, snooped around, and came across a mastering lab. Oh boy, oh boy! Like kids in a candy store. We stepped gingerly into the room as if we worked there and watched a gentleman in the process of mastering an album. Real nice guy, and he told us what he was working on and for what artist. I asked him if he’d by chance ever worked on a Beach Boys album before. He says, “Yeah, in fact, I think Brian Wilson is downstairs right now in Studio A”. What??!! We said thanks to the engineer and zipped out the door and downstairs to the ground floor, asking people along the way where Studio A was. This was where Elvis, The Stones, and The Monkees recorded! Just as we were approaching Studio A in the hallway, a big guy who looked like a bear was coming out the door. The only way we could have recognized him was from an artist’s rendition in a Crawdaddy magazine article a month earlier. If not for that and the engineer telling us that he was on the premises, there’s no way we would have recognized him. Brian was very big. He was with a guy who looked a little bit like Mike Love, so at first I thought it was Mike, but it was Mike’s brother Stan. We approached Brian and said hello and shook hands with him. He was on his way out the back door of RCA, and I immediately barraged him with “Hey Brian, we’re huge fans and we have all the Beach Boys records and I have your “Bob and Sheri” and “Kenny & The Cadets” singles” and went on and on. He said, “You still listen to that sh*t?” We glanced out the window and could see a blue/gray Cadillac Sedan deVille limousine pull up and Brian said he had to go with Stan. I said, “Well, is there a chance we could talk to you again soon, Brian?” He said, “Here, you want my phone number? Call me tomorrow”. We wrote it down. He got in the back of the limo and waved. As they drove off we stood there and exclaimed, “Ohhhhhh shiiiiiiit!” The rest of the day we were talking about our meeting with Brian. We went over to Tower Records and picked up the latest Beach Boys single, “Rock & Roll Music” that had just been released. The next day, we called the phone number Brian had given us. It was the wrong number! Damn! Did Brian write down the wrong one on purpose to give us the shake or did he not remember all the numbers correctly? We weren’t about to let him off the hook now. I decided to call fellow Beach Boys aficionado/record collector Derek Bill up in Oxnard, just North of L.A. He said that he knew where Brian lived. So Tim and I drove up to Derek’s house to pick him up. We then drove back to L.A., and up Sunset Blvd. to the the entrance of Bel-Air. At the guard post, the security guard came out and we told him we were there to see Brian Wilson. “Does he know you’re here to see him?”, the guard asked. “Yes he does”, I replied, speaking in a low tone and sounding business-like. The guard went back into the guard house, and a minute later the gate lifted and Tim drove through and up the hill to Bellagio Rd. We drove up and down the street a couple of times and I was thinking about the picture of the front wall of Brian’s house in the May 1976 Crawdaddy article. I was also thinking about the lyrics to “Busy Doin’ Nothin’” with the directions to Brian’s house. I believe it was Derek, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, who finally spotted Brian’s house. Yep. 10452 Bellagio Rd. We could see a couple of garbage cans by the gate with the name “Wilson” spray painted on them, so we knew we were at the right place. It cracked me up – like someone might steal the garbage cans, so they tagged them!  Tim drove the car to the driveway entrance and stopped in front of the iron gate. I got out slowly and walked up to the call box, which was mounted on the wall near the gate. A small sign next to the call box read, “Stand back – speak normal”. So I did. I pressed the button and a lady came on the speaker (I think it was Marilyn) and said, “Yes?” Again, with a business-like voice, I said, “Uh yes, we’re here to see Brian. We met him yesterday at RCA and he gave us a phone number to call, but we called and it was the wrong number”. There was a long pause and I thought we were going to be given the brush-off. All of a sudden there was a buzzing sound and the front gate to the driveway started opening! I quickly walked back to the car and hopped in. Tim, who was the driver, completely froze. He’d heard the conversation on the speaker phone and had started to tense up. I said, “Hey man, drive through the gate!” His leg was shaking so bad he couldn’t push the accelerator pedal! So Derek quickly got out of the back seat, told Tim to get out of the way, and drove us through the gate and down into the driveway next to the house. We parked next to the familiar limousine we had seen the day before with the license plate that read “Love 1”. We got out of the car and Brian came out the front door of the house and walked toward us. He asked us if we had a tape recorder and if we were going to interview him. We said no; we just wanted to visit with him. Then he asked us, “Hey, you wouldn’t have any coke with you, would ya?” I said, “No, we don’t. Sorry, Brian.” We followed Brian into his house. After engaging in small talk for awhile, he motioned for us to come over to his piano and asked us if we wanted to hear a few songs that he’d just recorded. I noticed that on the piano bench cover that the opening notes to “California Girls” were sewn into it. On the wall not far from the piano was a framed macramé piece with the words, “Stay Cool Bri – Cher”. Derek’s neck was on a swivel, looking back and forth and all around at the house’s surroundings. Then we noticed the stained glass window above the front door with the same artwork as the “Wild Honey” album cover. The sun was shining through it and it looked beautiful! There was also a “Wild Honey” ashtray on the piano. Then……I saw someone lurking in the shadows under the stairwell leading upstairs. He was watching us closely. I later found out it was a guy named “Scott Steinberg”, who was Gene Landy’s accountant’s son, acting as Landy’s spy. He wasn’t very big and he sure wasn’t gonna kick anybody’s ass if things didn’t go the way he or Landy wanted!! There were no remnants of a home studio in the house that I could see. So Brian proceeded to play us songs on the piano and we were standing there next to him and our jaws were on the floor in awe the whole time. Tim couldn’t speak. Derek was looking around at various artifacts and making comments under his breath. We couldn’t believe we were actually in the house of the legendary reclusive Brian Wilson. Just then, we saw Marilyn shuffling Carnie and Wendy out the front door and they waved “Hello” to us. Brian played “Back Home”, “Palisades Park”, and a couple of others from the soon to be released “15 Big Ones” album. At the time, we were taken aback at the change of his voice, and thought it was temporary. At no time did he display any eccentric or odd behavior. Just completely lucid and normal. He was obviously very comfortable with us and happy in his surroundings. When he was done playing and singing for us, I asked him to sign my “Crawdaddy” magazine and new “Rock & Roll Music” single. Tim handed him a copy of his “Beach Boys Deluxe Set”. Brian stared at it for a minute and said, “That’s a good one, isn’t it?” and Tim replied in the affirmative. I told Brian that I have a rare single of his called “The Surfer Moon” by “Bob & Sheri”. I asked him who “Sheri” was and he replied, “I f*cked her once, ya know!” I asked him if he’d thought about going on tour with The Beach Boys again and he said that the guys had asked him but he didn’t think he was in good enough shape to do so. Then Brian said he had to go – that he had relatives in the other room waiting for him. We shook hands again and thanked him for his time and he walked us to the door and we said good-bye.   

http://www.feelnumb.com/2009/11/04/2041/

When I got home I wrote Brian a letter thanking him for the visit and encouraged him to go on the road with the group that Summer. I ended the letter with, “Looking forward to seeing you in Oakland!” And sure enough, he was there on stage with the band in Oakland the following month, on July 2, 1976. It was Brian’s first public performance with The Beach Boys in several years.


Let’s hear your stories about meeting Brian Wilson or other member of The Beach Boys!

Annnnnnd you win the board for today. Very nice, thanks, Mikie.

Nice Mikie! ;D

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  Mikie is the man.  Period.

My partner in crime Mikie has some awesome Beach Boys-related stories.

This is great!  Thanks so much for sharing.

Fantastic MIkie!

Thanks for sharing. ..meeting Brian is something on my bucket list. ...

Great story!

After reading that? Yeah...right!!! :lol

Gosh Darn Mikie!!!!

Well I'll be God Damned!    I've been edited.      Any how,    a fantastic story and I had no idea you had such an experience.           To, think, if you played several string instruments and could sing falsetto,   Well,  who knows where you might be working today!

How cool is that! Awesome stuff Mikie!

Thank you, Mikie! I too had been waiting for your story for some time.

Damn! No one can follow up a story like that! You're a lucky guy Mikie :hat

I love Brian stories. Hope I have one to share one day!

It's a classic Mikie.

Wonderful story there Mikie.

The closest I got to meeting Brian was at the VIP "meet and greet" at Sands Bethlahem in 2012. Didn't talk of course. Closest was Dad briefly talking to David Marks (who he accidently bumped into while walking to the back of them lol.)

Mike pointed at me during the concert. Dad was then able to get Al Jradine's pick at the end of it.

  Great BW story.

Thanks to the board members for the nice responses!   Hoping to hear more stories.  :)

The bit that leaped out for me was Brian asking you for coke whilst he was under his first stint as a Landy patient.

Maybe Mikie looked the part in the 70s?  :hat

He did that to pretty much every interviewer in 1976.

Everyone here knows my "Rhapsody In Blue" story so I won't bore you with it again.

Please, do bore, I haven't heard that one and search "Brian Rhapsody in Blue" doesn't help.

I almost met him once then I heard him say "no more handshakes" to someone so didn't bother. Mikie's story is definitely better  ;D

Then you didn't search well. Should of entered the user & type "rhapsody".

Seems like you asked it before but forget.

Perkele, I'm embarassed, that's the one. Thanks!

Okay, my stories: in 2012, I was in Berlin to see the Boys. A friend of mine had a nice room in some fancy hotel downtown, but on the last minute I decided to book a dorm bed in a cheap hostel, to save some money... The next day, my friend told me that the Beach Boys had been staying in the same hotel as she, and they had been meeting fans and signing stuff in the lobby. So I almost met Brian!

While I was in L. A. last year I went to the deli where Brian frequents. I've never drank a cup of coffee so slowly... I wasn't stalking or anything, but hey, if hey would have happened to come there, it would have been something! Alas, he didn't show up.

That same evening I went to Bellagio 10452. The gates were closed, but I parked my car outside, took out my harmonica and recorded some noodling on my iPhone, just to be able to say I have recorded at Bellagio 10452! My beautiful improvisation was interrupted when the gate started to open and some big guy started to walk towards me. That's when I decided the session is over and I split. So there, try to beat that, storytellers!

I've never seen, let alone met, David.  ALL of the rest [except for Glen] yes.  I outlined my Carl [maybe 2 hours] lunch/meeting here months ago.  Spent about 40-45 minutes with Bruce after a show in Winnipeg 10 years later...a few minutes with Mike maybe 3 or 4 times.  Met Al and Denny along the way...Saw Blondie and Ricky wandering about...but THIS is about Brian and my story is so thin and uneventful it doesn't belong in the same thread as Mikie's...[by the way...whatever happening to that reel to reel tape you lifted at Dick's place?]

Anyway...I went to see Brian do the BWPS concert at Place Des Art in Montreal...was that in '05?  I think so...He did Massey Hall in Toronto in '04.  [that show was magical]  I sat beside Melinda in Montreal.  Just a coincidental thing.  Brian's voice had improved noticeably over the course of that year.  After the show we made our way out back to watch as the 'gang' wandered out to get onto the 2 buses waiting to motor everyone over to Detroit.  That's maybe an 11 hour drive.

So out comes Brian and the Misses.  There were maybe 40 of us.  He wandered over with Melinda to say hello.  It was all very cool until some guy stepped out of the pack and started walking right up to Brian.  That was the end of it....and in a flash too.  He and Melinda turned on their heels and immediately made their way to the refuge of their bus.  I think they were travelling with Jeff and his wife?  Everyone else in the next bus.

Darian, Probyn and Nelson [maybe Taylor too?] all popped over to say hello and shoot the breeze for a couple of minutes.  I think it was Nelson's birthday or within maybe a day or two of it.

Anyway...that's as close as I came to meeting Brian.  We were in Quebec.  They're more likely to drink Pepsi there...so NO Brian didn't asked for a Coke. ;)

I was at the same concert, from where the picture on the left emanates. Got a bunch of stuff autographed. Met Melinda and Taylor Mills too. I met Brian in NYC in 2001 but he was not into talking with anyone — he was better in '05. He had just appeared on Conan and I was waiting at NBC for him to emerge from the taping. I interviewed Brian on the phone earlier in '05.

<<Everyone here knows my "Rhapsody In Blue" story so I won't bore you with it again.>>

Here's one from across the pond who hasn't...

X 2

Last post on the previous page, text in yellow.

And that's exactly what Jeff Foskett did to get the gig, Don!  I think it was a couple months or so after I visited Brian, Foskett showed up at Brian's house and that was the beginning of his association with the Beach Boys' "inner circle".

That's one reason Scott Steinberg was hanging around the house. Steinberg didn't follow Brian out to the front driveway where he greeted us. That was Brian's opportunity to ask us if we had some condiments. Brian was still sneaking it. Right around that time he and John Belushi were downing pizzas and beer and snorting hog rails, so he obviously wasn't under surveillance 100% of the time. And I also read later that he was accepting 'drop-offs' in the bushes in the front yard - not sure if that was true or not.

Met him backstage in 2009. He was cool, in command, very relaxed. Wearing a buttoned shirt and sweatpants. After we had our photo taken, and he signed my TLOS program, he moved on to greet some of the other guests. He had an itch on his chest and lifted up the shirt a bit to scratch it. Okay, I thought, that was kind of awkwardly charming. But as I walked away, I looked back. BW had his shirt scrunched up under his chin, full belly exposed, and was spending some serious time adjusting his sweatpants.

This is not a man who has a problem with modesty. ;D  I still have flashbacks.

Nice wire stone! ;D

I've met Brian on several occasions -- my favorite is going on the Beach Boys Historical Sites tour held in conjunction with a CWF event and winding up at a lemonade stand in front of Brian's house! He greeted each of us personally as we stepped off the tour bus. We didn't get to go inside the house, but we all hung out in front, took pictures, and drank lemonade.

http://www.carlwilsonfoundation.org/walk02/bustour02.htm

At another CWF event's soundcheck, I was talking to someone I knew and hadn't seen in a while, when Brian walked in the door and stuck out his hand in my direction. A stunned me said, "Hi, Brian" as he shook my hand and walked on. Totally unexpected....

I crashed the party at the hotel the day before the Washington Monument concert in 1984.  Almost everyone was there, including Brian, Landy, Carl, La Toya Jackson, Joe Jackson and others.  Brian's behavior was odd, and frankly not at all how I perceive him today.  Landy was with him the entire time. 

Can you give us any more details?

Love reading through these kinds of threads.  Personally speaking though, I would never want to meet him.

Why?

.

.

Mike, that is not only the best "meeting Brian Wilson" story I've ever heard, it may be the best story I've ever heard ,period. I thought I had a pretty decent anecdote but forget it.

Thanks, Gerry. There was, and still is, some very big Beach Boys fans representing the S.F. Bay Area!

Wonderful story, Mikie. Had me completely engaged this morning, like reading Lewis Shiner's GLIMPSES all over again.

My full length story has been posted before here (http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,16225.msg395890.html#msg395890). May have the most unique BW autograph in the world, inscribed at Laurel Way on 8.27.1966:

(http://i58.tinypic.com/350m0l2.jpg)

Story was further appended at C50 Red Rocks, when I briefly talked with Brian about our mutual friend, his former DVD producer Maggie Magee. I'm the very happy guy in the black shirt 'tween Brian and Mike:

(http://i57.tinypic.com/657o5u.png)

The story will be finally appended one more time when I see Brian in July at 1st Bank Center in Colorado, just about a mile from my house. This will certainly be the last BW concert for me, so I hope to say goodbye to my lifelong hero, one last summer...

PS, believe it or not I did a board search for your story at work today but came up empty!  Hope people click that link you put up - it's worth the time!

Nice one Milie!

Great to finally read the story  :)

Good to know Brian likes Vince Guaraldi as well.   :hat 

This is such a cool story, Mikie!  Thanks so much for sharing the details of your spending time with BW at his house in 1976, not to mention the numerous other sites you visited. Is Tim still a big BB/BW fan?

I can understand why fans wouldn't want to meet one of their idols. If they happen to be having a bad day or they give you the brush-off, it could taint your opinion of them forever (as illogical as that may be).  I've only talked to Brian on the phone and it was a positive experience and he was in a good mood (thank God!).

I know some people here have had different experiences with Bruce and that's a shame.

My two musical heroes are Brian and Paul McCartney. One of McCartney's security guards explained Paul's technique for getting away from fans if they start taking up too much of his time. He scratches his elbow..which is a signal to his security to get him out of there. They then come over and announce that Paul has an appointment and has to leave. Paul then apologizes to the fan and says he wishes he could spend more time with them but his handlers want him to go. In a way, that's a kind of sweet way to ensure that a fan has a good experience and doesn't think Paul is the bad guy ("He would've hung out all day, but that mean security guard spirited him away!") but believe me...if I ever met Paul I'd be watching to see if he scratched that arm.

Yeah, Tim's still a fan. He's living in Evansville now and lets me know when Brian or The Boys are going to be on the talk shows on TV. He sees them before I do and lets me know ahead of time how the appearances are and about the interview, songs, etc.

And as you probably know, Derek is in heaven now, probably congregating with other hardcore Beach Boys fans that have passed away in the last few years.

Just in awe of Mikie's opening post. Wow.

Thanks, John.  :)  Sometimes my family likes me to recount the story and it's fun to tell. One of the highlights of my life, really. Whether it's a famous politician, sports figure, rock star, or whomever it is, we're amazed at their talent and we put them on a pedestal and have a lot of respect for them. Just meeting them in person and shaking their hand and/or getting their autograph is enough to make most people happy, but if they're in their intimate environment when you meet them in person, well, that's just extra special!

Anybody else have a story about meeting Brian?

Sure, I'll chime in.  Nothing special really, but have met Brian on 4 occasions.  The first being on September 1, 1988 at Tower Records on Sunset Blvd which at the very least was a pretty cool place to meet Brian.  He was doing a record signing for the BW88 album. I was 20 years old at the time and in complete awe, I couldn't say a word as this was just around the time Brian was reappearing in public.  Gene Landy was there that day in full-on Al Capone pin stripe suit, which was pretty creepy. In 1991 I met Brian a second time a book signing for his "auto-biography" in LA.  I actually went through the line 3 times and chatted with him about the then upcoming Sweet Insanity.  On this day Kevin Leslie was sticking right by his side.  

My most interesting encounter with Brian was August 1994.  The Boys were playing at El Camino College in Torrance, CA.  I had already been able to chat for several minutes with Carl, Al, Mike and Bruce when a limo pulled up backstage and out popped Brian, totally unexpected.  He walked right up to one fan in front of me.  The fan asked Brian for an autograph and Brian said, "not now". Undaunted, I asked Brian for a picture with him and he said happily, "sure man!"  . He stopped, smiled for 2 pictures with me and signed an album. Why did he blow past the other fan and stop for me?  I have no idea except that he is Brian Wilson and that is what he does. You just never know what to expect with Brian.  He did not step on stage that day, but sat next to the stage between Melinda (they were not yet married) and Audree watching the entire show, eyes closed for much of the concert.

What was the fourth occasion?

Sorry. Actually there were 5. 4 was the VIP during C50.  No big deal there.  5 was at the Grammy Museum performance the night of the infamous press release. The interesting thing about that night was (besides obviously seeing the band in a setting I will never see again) overhearing a conversation between Melinda and 2 (clearly friendly) reporters from the LA Times. I'll be honest that at that moment I did not fully comprehend the importance or impact of the conversation that was happening just feet away from me.  Within days it would become obvious.

Please to elaborate.....  ;D

I think its this.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/09/entertainment/la-et-ms-brian-wilson-al-jardine-respond-to-mike-love-on-beach-boys-flap-20121008

Oh, definitely, I figured it was in reference to what developed with the end of the tour and those LA Times letters. I was just curious more about the specifics of what was overheard in that conversation.

Just a general, "don't worry, we've got it covered" type of vibe...

I miss Derek and Greg a lot. Derek especially caught me out of nowhere. Greg, I had an inkling something was up...had lost touch with him for some years, then he got back in touch with me shortly before he passed. Was glad to hear from him.

I got to meet BW after a Smile performance in Madison, WI in 2004 at a very small meet and greet. Myself and maybe 5 other people were ushered into a long corridor where Brian was sitting by himself. Before entering we told no photos...get your autograph (I got my copy of Sunflower signed!) and get out quickly. Upon entering Brian shouted out loudly to I believe Jean Sievers "Who are these people!?".  She quickly calmed him down by saying they just wanted some autographs at which point Brian yells out "I'll sign your stuff". Very nervous meeting him...bummed I couldn't get a picture with him, but glad I was able to shake my musical heroes hand and tell him how much his music has meant to me..pretty unforgettable night.

That's what it was like back when I saw Brian in Glenside back in 2004. About fifteen people rushed into a line, ushered up one by one to have Brian scribble on an item, and then shooed away. A certain Philly-area blueboarder ignored the shooing and basically held the line up for a few minutes while she went on and on about gods know what with Brian, who didn't look the least bit interested (some of you may know who I'm referring to).

I was glad to get something signed and I thanked the man for the music; I don't see myself rushing to another similar event anytime soon, if ever. Hearing the 50th Anniversary meet-and-greet stories made me glad I decided to be a penny pincher.

Yep, a freakin' cattle call, but the 3rd row center seat was awesome. :)

Hey, I was there, too.  While I did manage to acquire Darian's set list from that night's performance, I did not get a chance to go backstage.  My friend and I went out back to where the buses were parked, hoping to see Brian.  Sure enough, after a few minutes the stage door opened, and out comes Brian, ushered by security.  There were maybe 10-15 people back there, but Brian went directly to his bus without a word.  I said "thank you, Brian", and then he was gone.

I met Brian during the C50 tour.  Due to them playing at my place of employment, I was lucky enough to also meet Al and David for the first time as well (they were issued Iphones for the tour and Al was having issues trying to use his). I volunteered to pick up Brian at his hotel room and bring him to the venue.  I was very nervous and did not know what to expect.  When I knocked on the door, Foskett was in the suite with him and answered the door.  He invited me in, saying they would be ready in a minute.  I entered the room and there was Brian sitting on the couch.  He really wasn't doing anything, just sitting there while Foskett got ready.  He stood up and grabbed some cookies that were on the table and asked, "Do you want one?"  I politely declined but figured this was my chance to at least thank him for his music and was able to tell him it was an honor to meet him.  I remember he said "thanks" but there was nothing else I could muster at that point.  Luckily Foskett was ready to go and we started moving.  After we started walking to the vehicle, I noticed how bad Brian was walking.  I was wondering if he was going to need help getting into the SUV, but he was able to do it by himself.  On the short drive we had, he asked a few questions about the venue and so forth.  More than I was expecting honestly.  When we got backstage, he went into his dressing room which is where he stayed until it was time to go on stage.  Everyone else was milling around backstage (I remember Al talking to Mike about trying to get California Saga into the setlist at the time) but Brian remained in the dressing room.  Afterwards, my son (who was about 2 weeks from turning 4 at the time) got to have his picture taken with Brian and walked with us back to the SUV. My hands were shaking holding the camera and I remember Brian saying, "Hurry up!" Lucily the picture didn't come out too badly.
The next day, I brought Brian down from his room to the tour bus without Foskett.  Foskett was in a bad mood that morning for some reason and wasn't with Brian until he got on the bus. In hindsight it was very telling but at the time I didn't think too much of it: Dave, Al and Brian along with some backing band members got on the bus that morning. Mike and Bruce traveled separate.  This was May 2012.

And Mikie-
I also want to add that that was one of the greatest stories I have ever heard.  Great stuff!

Thanks for sharing that Shark

Yeah, I was going to mention Jeff Foskett. I wonder how often a fan would show up to Brian's house unannounced,  and receive this kind of hospitality! That is so cool! I was going to mention the others, but they were probably on the road much of the time. So the chances of them being home were much slimmer. Though, I would imagine that the other guys, especially Carl and Al, were very approachable and easy to talk to if they weren't busy. 

That's some story in the OP. I will say, tho, that it seems very easy to get to Brian, you just lie to security guy "Yes, he waits us" and you're in. I mean it's very nice they got to meet him but still. I don't believe there are many artists who  invite their fans to the house. or let them be invited. Anyway, good topic, if somebody has story to share - post them.

I miss Mikie.

Mr. Mott, did you ever meet Brian? Share your encounter.

Me too Cam.

So, I'm trying to follow the thinking here.  Since Brian has been married to Melinda (for over 21 years), random fans aren't let into the house by a very troubled Brian with the hope that they might have coke (obviously a story from decades ago and a terrible time) - so it's no fun anymore?  I guess I'm starting to understand the hostility toward her.  What a buzz-kill - a healthy Brian with a beautiful family - not rock n' roll enough, I guess.

What thinking is that?

I've read the thread again and don't pick up any negativity towards Melinda at all.  Only some fans delighted to have met Brian and happy that they were able to as Brian is such a down to earth guy.  All positive. 

Why do you seem to think everyone hates Brian and Melinda?  It's not the case.

Me too, Add Some.

  The circumstances surrounding Mikie's departure seemed murky, from my POV at least. I'd like to see him return to the board.

Me too, Bubbly Waves

I will really appreciate it if you stayed on topic and began sharing your stories - both new posters and old fans who recently attended BW show and maybe had a chance to go backstage and talk/sign an album. I bumped this thread in hopes to read new stories.

Exactly.

.

Okay. I met Brian on several occasions, after the 2002 Pet Sounds gigs (RFH) and Feb 2004 UK Smile gigs. They were meet n' greet signings, back in the days before they started charging for such social occasions. You know the score: stand in line, wait your turn, shake his hand, get something signed, say something gushing, then womble off and try to compose yourself.

At one such signing - probably Newcastle, but I'm trying to recall things from 12 years ago - Brian wasn't exactly interacting much - Brian conducted the signings in virtual silence - but, having seen a handful of Smile shows by then, I commented to him on how the shows were getting better each evening and he suddenly looked up at me and agreed very enthusiastically that they were getting stronger and stronger. His animated acknowledgement, agreement with my (heartfelt) comment took me by sheer surprise and dumbfounded me. Then thing's got straight back to silent signings.

He didn't invite me back to his place or anything. Not yet anyway…



I Miss Whiplash.

I met Brian only once, Tower Books, when he was autographing copies of his book.  October or November 1991. No sign of Landy, although I'm sure one or two of his handlers were there. Long line, but had some good conversation with other fans. When it was my turn, I asked Brian about a song called "Sweetie", cause I knew he liked it, and he said "yeah, that never came out". He looked at me as he answered my question. I was looking for signs of .. you know, craziness, cause everyone said he was brainwashed by Landy. He seemed okay to me, he was coherent. Not much time for conversation, though, there were a lot of people behind me. When I tried to ask another question, I was asked to move along.
My only other BB meeting was with Carl after one of his solo shows. He was very relaxed and friendly with everyone, but the group of us were embarrassed by the aggressive female fan that was pounding on his dressing room door for him to come out. And I regret not having any pics from this meeting, we took photos all through the concert - used up ALL the film during the show. DOH!

Okay, so if I respond to this, I'm "derailing," in spite of the fact that this has been turned into an "I miss Mikie" or "I miss AGD" thread by many people.  But I'll be the problem, of course. In the first case, the guy seemed to be a fan of Alexandra Morgan/Eugene Landy, and I offended him horribly by questioning that - in addition to not approving of downloading free boots when artist version were available for NPP.  In the second case, one of the major problems was apparently trashing Melinda and Brian - although I guess we all don't know what that entails.  But never mind - I'm not "off topic:"

I met Brian at the Ivar offices in August 1969. He was delightful.  I guess I'm on topic.  Carry on...

I met Brian 4 times briefly.  He was always charming polite and gave time to stop for photo's and autographs.  I've witnessed him restless in most of
these situations. I must have been lucky that he was feeling well and/or in the mood to stop for a bit.

I've never met Brian nor any of the other Boys.

About the closest I've come is pretty lame, I was going through some old boxes recently and found where I was given (supposedly) Brian's personal e-mail address about 15 years ago but apparently I was too chicken to use it.

Haven't met Brian but it's on my bucket list. Had a chance last year but got there too late for the meet and greet

I was fortunate enough to meet Brian in 2011 at the Meijer Gardens Ampitheater in Grand Rapids, MI. Three of us had tickets to the show. I sent Jeff Foskett a message on Facebook about three weeks before the event, telling him I had been a lifelong fan and would really enjoy the chance to meet Brian and have a photo taken with him. Jeff responded to me and agreed to provide 3 backstage passes at the will call window, only on the condition that I refrain from publicizing his favor on these message boards. I complied with his request...up until now, as the coast has long cleared!

When we got to the venue, I discovered that we had only two passes, so one of us would have to remain outside. Anyway, before the show, time must have escaped the band and there was no time for a meet and greet. Jeff sent word to us that we would be able to have our meeting after the show. In the meantime, during the intermission, one of us were able to get Scott Bennett's attention off stage. When we explained our dilemma, he peeled his pass off of his shirt on the spot and gave it to us!

So, after the show, we were escorted in to a large indoor botanic garden. A few minutes later, Jeff, Probyn Gregory, and Brian came walking in. They stayed for about five minutes, and we all got pictures with Brian. He couldn't have been more pleasant, although he was his usual quiet and reserved self. I was able to thank him for being such a positive influence in my life, and he simply said "thank you" and shook my hand. All I remember is that he seemed exhausted, as did the rest of the band. It was very hot, and it had been an outdoor show.

The result of my experience is my avatar photo! Afterwards, I sent Jeff polite thank you email. We went to the show in St. Charles, IL, the following night and ran into Scott there as well. I even met Melinda and her oldest daughter in the lobby of the theater. She couldn't have been more delightful. What a wonderful two days of fandom it was!

Am I missing something?  There are no other posts from you on this thread that I can see apart from on this page.  Who mentioned Landy or Morgan or NPP in this thread?

I miss Carl and Dennis Wilson!

I still think back to that one time I met Carl and think how lucky I was. He was a true gentleman. Wish he and Dennis were still around.

Here's more detail on my phone interview with Brian in 2005, before meeting him in person at the Smile concert in Montreal. Before the scheduled interview time, I was more nervous than I had ever been before any interview with the highest level of politician. That was because I was worried about how Brian would be that day, and if I would get more than one word answers. When interview time cane, and he said "hello Joel" in what sounded like his 1964 voice, I was pleasantly surprised and in heaven. The following is lessons I learned from the interview, if there ever is a next time I interview him for my newspaper, The Suburban.

1. Don't make pre-question small talk, he wants the interview process to start right away.
2. If you compliment his latest album/tour, he brightens up and becomes very enthusiastic.
3. I tried to resist, but the fanboy questions came tumbling out. He seemed to stiffen up at that point.
4. My problem during the interview is that I have read too much about Brian, so I didn't want to ask Beach Boys/Brian Wilson 101 questions.

When I tell my (brief) story of when I met Brian Wilson, I say, "I met Brian, but Brian didn't meet me."  :-D We shook hands, but he was preoccupied at the moment, a bit confused even.

I went w/ my dad to a show (supporting his Gershwin album, me thinks) in the summer of 2010 in Iowa. I never anticipated meeting Brian Wilson, and I'm sure my dad didn't either. But when we got to the show, we happened to be in the right place at the right time: we were near his tour bus, and someone came out & said that Brian would be willing to shake hands & sign stuff. I went in, tried to hand him a CD of my rendition of WIBN like an idiot lol, and I was told he couldn't take it, so I just shook his hand while he said to someone, "Is this the meet-and-greet?" (It wasn't the meet-and-greet lol.) That's it. Not flashy at all, but a totally unexpected experience.

As a kid (I'm 26 now), black-and-white photos were of old and/or dead people. So, naturally, I assumed the BB to be old and/or dead, ya know, based on the pictures I saw. Thus, as a kid, the thought of one day meeting Brian Wilson would hardly have made sense to me. So meeting him felt like an impossible dream that, by chance, came true.

That describes my 2001 encounter to a tee.

That's a great way of putting it and a great story.

My "meeting" Brian was not really a meeting, but rather, a locking of eyes.  In 2005, Brian played Jazz Fest here in New Orleans.  His concert was scheduled for around 5:00 in the afternoon, but around 1:00 or so, there was a separate Q&A session in another area of the Fairgrounds, moderated by Harry Shearer.

There were about 50-75 people in the seats facing out toward the large windows which overlooked the horseracing track.  Brian was on the floor level.  Joining Brian were Jeff Foskett and Darian Sahanaja.  They sang a few a cappella tunes (I think Jeff had his guitar and Darian had a portable keyboard) interspersed with questions taken from the audience.  BWPS had recently been released a few months earlier, so there were a lot of questions asked about SMiLE.  I had practiced a question to ask (I don't remember what it was) but I was never called upon.

The Q&A session lasted around 45 minutes.  I had been fortunate enough to get there early and sit in the front row.  After it ended and Brian and the group were walking out, I stood up, hoping to be able to reach over and shake his hand.  Brian stood up and looked me square in the eyes for what to me seemed to be 10 seconds (it was probably 1 second in reality).  I saw so much depth in those eyes for that one brief second.  Brian's vibe was one of fear, sadness, and strength all at the same time.  I remember giving him a smile, but he was expressionless.  It was surreal and I will never forget that moment.

The expression I saw in 2001, outside Rockefeller Center, was total fear. The 2005 personal encounter was more controlled, and relaxed.

I had the chance to meet Brian Wilson after winning an Instagram contest. My friend and I, both college students, were among the first in line. I was wearing my Radiant Radish shirt and pointed it out to Brian. I said, "Brian, I just had to wear my Radiant Radish shirt."

Brian just looked up and gave me a very angelic stare with a soft smile as Blondie and Al said, "Man, that's so obscure."

Brian didn't say much but, "thank you! Have a great day." as we were leaving.

Worth adding to my encounter notes above than on more than one occasion I was given an after-show backstage pass by none other than AGD. For which I'd like to take the opportunity to thank him again.



sh*t… too late.

Manning, considering you're close enough to Andrew to get backstage passes, I find it incredibly hard to believe that your only avenue of communication with him is this forum. Unless you just wrote that comment to stir up sh*t. Which wouldn't be surprising given the infantile nature of half the posts surrounding this incident.

I agree theae "I miss AGD" comments are starting to seem a little passive aggressive. The board won't crumble and fall because a few people left, it'll be a setback, but this is primarily just a discussion board, not solely dedicated to historical information.

Can we please not keep bringing it up here? What's done is done. Besides, over at the Hoffman board somebody already created a thread there, and looks like someone shared the contents of their PMs.

That is an awesome story.

Where did you get the shirt?

I barely knew him at the time and we've not shared a lot of time in each other's presence since - bumped into him at the odd BBs & BW gig or two; he was at one of the very few Stomp conventions I attended once, and we must have breathed the same air at a handful of Beach Boys Britain events ten or more years ago. Barely spoke on those occasions either. We never sat down over a pint to discuss any mutual interests, and we don't socialise at all… but I am pleased to have met him a couple or three times over the last 20 or so years.

I think I'm right in remembering that back in those glorious days of the 2002 PS gigs one of the band members had given him (or was it Val?) a bunch of passes to distribute to members of Beach Boys Britain and other fellow fans after the gigs. These weren't particularly exclusive "meet your hero" affairs, just the icing on the cake after a series of terrific gigs. These things were handed out by Andrew and others to, I dunno, I'd guess dozens of others - it was the way the Brit BW fan scene rolled at the time, like one big happy family. Please forgive me if I've got any details wrong, it was two or three  lifetimes ago.

Andrew and I have swapped occasional emails and FB messages as well as PMs here; I've never though been treated to any of the "slanderous" messages he's been accused of sending to others on this board (I'm curious enough to wish I had, but not so curious - or intrusive - as to bother asking! :) ).

I am, like many others, very disappointed - in more ways than one - to learn that he's been accused of such things. I've not seen the evidence myself but trust the Mods to behave in the right way over something so serious - the fact that Charles created a thread specifically to deal with it shows how seriously they all took it, and was an acknowledgement that they appreciated their decision would be of sufficient concern to others on the board that something would need to be said, some explanation given. In effect, to me it shows the respect they themselves have had for Andrew.

I wish that thread had been in the General on Topic section of the board; I'd've seen it sooner that way, and wouldn't be posting about the matter in another thread tonight.

For that I apologise, especially to the Mods, and will leave the matter at that.

But thanks for asking - and please, call me John, it's one of the reasons I post here using my real name.

John, that was how it worked.  However, having attended many many Brian gigs back in those days all over the UK and Ireland I was a little irked that, despite being a member of Beach Boys Britain since the start (not anymore) and going to the get togethers, I was missed when it came to the passes for Meet and Greets.  I eventually got one for the Newcastle gig in 2004.  By then I had already had the great pleasure and honour of meeting Brian in 2002 and 2004 as well as members of his fabulous band.  I also remember being frustrated that said passes very often went to the same people all the time.

That said, I first met Brian properly in 2002 outside the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.  I recounted this here on a similar thread previously.  I managed to have my photo taken with Brian.  Ray Lawlor did the honours and it truly was a magical moment.   A wonderful end to a great evening and Brian was very relaxed.  He also signed my Pet Sounds vinyl (just a pity I didn't have a decent marker, although Brian persevered with the pen I had which was running out!).

I also met Brian after his show in Glasgow 2004 (when I managed to get in to the Meet without a pass!) where he signed my SMiLE programme and I had the opportunity to thank him for everything.  He replied, "Thank you" as in, "no, THANK YOU!" as if I was the one doing him a favour!  Again, I couldn't believe it and I'm blessed to have had those opportunities.

Also, at the first Brian show I attended in Glasgow, January 2002 Melinda was sitting behind me.  She was very gracious and allowed me to jump in beside her and have my photo taken with her!  A great lady, and it's a shame not everyone gives her the credit where it's due.

Hopefully in May I may get the chance to meet Brian again.  I'm still thinking about paying for the meet and greet package as I will regret it if I don't!  The shows are really shaping up to be fabulous events as always.  Not long to wait now!

I know what you mean about the pass distribution; it might have been better handled perhaps, at times; I was on the periphery and lucked out by chance really. The first pass I ever received was from David Leaf, at the RFH 2002 - I'd chatted with him and Melinda, who were sat in the seats behind me most nights. Why they kept choosing to sit behind me, I'll never know! ;). I agree, Melinda was/is a star, a fine lady. She had Brian's back at those gigs for sure, and appreciated the fans' support for her husband.

Seems we were at many of the same gigs… maybe we should wear red carnations in May and have a beer!

 :woot :woot :woot

Can we please quit bringing it up? After this, I'm no longer asking. 

Besides, anybody who has any questions on why he was banned, well, on the Hoffman board someone posted the contents of their PM that they received, so I guess they're taking questions there. I dunno, I tried registering for an account there and it got rejected, so dunno

They're on to you! :o

Yeah ,probably.   :lol

I can lurk, though!

And man, I wonder who some of these people are, there. 


Anyway, enough of that...back to meeting Brian Wilson (which is STILL on my bucket list!)

Well, they all seem to be big fans of yours.

They are scared of the king of SS! 8)

I don't think Billy would really appreciate making light of recent events. I for one think if some can't move on they should move on.

I agree. And leave it to Mike's Beard to completely misconstrue everything . I know he has a new account here despite being banned (and there will be hell to pay when I find the account) so he knows good and well I'm the one who got the ball rolling on this, not GF or Chuck.


Edit

And yes I'm aware that I continued the discussion after I asked to get it back on topic...I'm gonna end up creating a sandbox thread later  to continue the discussion so we don't bog this one down.

That would be appreciated Billy. Seems we can't discuss this subject over on Hoffman either! :(

I reopened the ban thread and moved it to the Sandbox

Bought it online on this forum :)

A lot of Brian fans had to comment on how much they loved the shirt.

I think you can still buy the T-Shirt here:

https://society6.com/product/radiant-radish_t-shirt#11=49&4=84&5=20

I've already purchased a couple, and thanks to your reminder I might just buy a couple more!

Wonder how Brian would react if he saw an entire section of fans decked out in these T-shirts at a show. Would he laugh? Would he bolt? Or would he say "If all of you folks with those shirts on had come to the store when it was open, it would still be in business!!"  :smokin

I have a couple of these too plus the "Keeping It Clean With Al Jardine". Which should I wear to the next Brian gig?  Especially if I do the meet and greet.  Or should I do my usual and wear a Dennis Wilson '83 Tour Shirt?

John, I will be looking out for you in Edinburgh and Glasgow!

I saw Brian Wilson up close after the show. I tried to hold me excitement in, but I shouted out his name. I shouted, "bye, Brian!"  He heard me and later said thank you.

How do I upload a Photo here ?

First you upload it to an image uploading site (like postimage.org or tinypic). Then you copy the link to your image and, in your post here, click the 'image' button and paste the link between the tags.

Photo evidence of Brian and I modelling the  'New Summer Shirt Series' in Cork Ireland 2005  ::)

[http://s32.postimg.org/hg4h6q9zl/BW_RD_2005.jpg?noCache=1462035627img]

Well , my first attempt of posting an image sure didn't work  >:(

[(http://s20.postimg.org/8z71yb3h9/BW_RD_2005.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)
how to take a screen shot (http://postimage.org/app.php)img]

.

That's a great photo!