I haven't watched it yet, but Bristol locals are really excited about how much time they spend on the Bristol Sessions. The Carters, Jimmie Rodgers are all local heroes around here. Excited for the rockabilly episode too.

... [posted in the wrong thread sorry]

Eh, doubting every interview just becomes an unfalsifiable game. Can we really know the truth? I mean, yeah, we could ... if people didn't act like every Brian interview is done in secret code.

Rab, all your posts are great. Wanted to do a standing ovation after reading that first one. Mike absolutely bears a lot of responsibility for dragging out these rumors, which, if there was any truth to them, it would be irresponsible for him not to step in. But he doesn't. The idea that every single person in Brian's private and working relationships doesn't care? It just makes no sense.

Brian has shown he will absolutely pull the plug on a show if he has to. I know some people want him to take it easy and stop touring, but I don't know how many times Brian has to say he looks forward to getting out on the road before we admit it might be a good motivator for him even through really bad days. Not everything is all good or bad, and Brian knows when the bad means he has to put it on hold for a bit.

I'm pretty farklempt, to be honest.  Not because my show was canceled (though I will miss seeing him, Al, Blondie, and the band), but because of the significance of his message.  He has been dealing with mental issues for most of his life.  Up until about 25 years ago, those issues either went untreated, or were treated with ineffective or harmful methods.   His mental issues weren't even spoken of publicly in any way until the stuff about Landy started coming out in the 80s/90s.   But now, he's in a place where he can speak openly and honestly about what is going on.  The message could have easily just been about having back problems, or just even say it's health-related without going into detail.  This is consistent with how so many other celebrities have spoken about their own mental health - the more the public hears things like this, the more normalized it becomes.  He knows we can handle it, and that we still love him.  

This is a lovely takeaway. I am so glad that he is open about it and also knows when it would be impossible to push through something. My heart breaks for him, but I'm glad he will be taken care of with his family and friends and not have to add the billion uncertainties that touring creates into the mix.

but he needs to know his fans love him.

And I'll give him a standing ovation for "God Only Knows." I was lucky enough to hear it the only *truly* acceptable way -- with Carl singing it -- live only one time, but damned if that ain't an ideal song.

God, this. I've only seen him once, but there was something electric and magical about watching all the audience lose their mind over just seeing him onstage and yelling, "We love you!" and giving standing ovations after everything. I FEEL IT. It's such an honor to get to be a part of that.

I search "Brian Wilson" on Twitter sometimes to find fellow fans, and today I ran into a guy who attended one of their shows in 1971. He seemed to have a good memory of a moment when Brian refused to go onstage and even tried to help calm him down. I thought it was interesting, and maybe the fine people of SmileySmile can compare notes.

Thread: https://twitter.com/popasart/status/1114535794847506432

Full text:

Backstage Pass, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Saturday, February 20, 1971
BEACH BOYS

The Beach Boys put on a good show. But here’s the thing: Brian Wilson refused to go on stage. It was crazy. I was standing near the band as they were about to go on, and suddenly Brian announced he wasn’t going to do it. They begged. They cajoled. Brian Wilson’s issue was that he thought he looked fat and was self-conscious about being seen by the fans. At this point I took off my coat and offered it to him, thinking he could cover up his slight paunch. He tried it on but was dissatisfied with how it looked. The Beach Boys manager and a couple of the band members then hatched a plot. They would lure Brian Wilson out behind the back curtain and then suddenly open the curtain. As soon as the fans saw him, he would be trapped and have to stay out and play. The manager manages to lure Brian Wilson out behind the back curtain. They get ready to open the curtain, and I get ready to get this killer photo of Brian’s reaction. Then Brian looked over, saw my camera and ran for the dressing room. He did not return. Afterwards I went back to the dressing room and talked with Brian. He was shy and hesitant but quite nice. What a night!

All the trickery designed to get Brian to play always makes me a little mad. Still, this sounds pretty on the money.

What does it mean that some of the dates are listed "with Nashville Symphony" or other orchestras? Will they have a whole string section on retainer in addition to Brian's full band?

I just watched him in Beach Party last weekend. So sad.

Me when he started singing "In My Room": 

This book showed up on my Amazon page not too long ago. Sounds really interesting -- especially curious to see something focused on how public perception changed with pop culture over time.

I'd say some will be makeup dates and some will be dates to make going out on tour worth it, even if it's a one-month gig or so. Might as well only practice one set, too, hence more "Pet Sounds."

If they happen to book a show near me, will definitely be going again!

I can't convince myself that Rod Stewart and Barry Manilow are different people.

This makes me so excited for that new doc. Just love seeing Brian hang out! What a treasure. 

Also lol at that guy missing his hand at the end.

Gotta be! Especially with all the blue. The tree decor looks identical.

Yeah, and I think any fan will acknowledge that drugs were a problem for the band...but it's not the ONLY answer to why there were issues. There was jealousy, betrayal, tears shed, hostility, creative differences, personality differences, anxiety problems, ego problems...some of this stemmed from drugs but some of it stemmed from many, many other places. Drugs just seem to be any easy way for Mike to say in not so many words "none of this was my fault, it was the drugs taken by other people and the people who took those drugs."

And you're so right: it's really sad that Mike's petulance about the drug issue extends to Brian's current prescription drug regimen. Brian is 76 years old, after a lifetime of schizophrenic episodes, depression, life threatening drug abuse, major obesity, anxiety, you name it, Brian is still able to chug along with touring, recording, helping write a book and helping with an upcoming documentary...and considering his history that is friggin amazing that he almost in his 80s and still able to do this. But if you ask Mike about Brian's current condition you'd think Brian was being propped up like Bernie Lomax in Weekend at Bernies ("Brian is controlled and still medicated, it's not the street drugs anymore but prescription drugs"). It's just pretty sad when you think about it.

Gonna frame this post. It says everything I wanted to. Brian is in agreement with Mike that he shouldn't have taken drugs when he was young, but Mike wants to continue using it as the defining difference between them -- which leads him to say completely whack stuff about mental illness that's frankly hurtful to a lot more people than just Brian. I just think Mike has had plenty of time and opportunity to learn more about it if he truly wanted to.

My point in highlighting him bringing up heavy drugs is that Mike continuously has to bring up the heavy drug use of the Wilson brothers in interviews when it literally has nothing to do with the question he is being asked.

This is why the good will I try to muster up toward Mike sputters out so fast. It's obvious he still blames drugs on everything going wrong, and he extends that even to Brian using drugs now that he specifically needs to deal with mental illness. He's conflated those two in the past and said that's the reason he and Brian don't get along, when it should be obvious that they just have conflicting personalities that would more than explain the feud without dragging their drug use (recreational AND medical!) into it.

I still think it's weird that both he and Al continue to deny ever taking heavy drugs when we have the original session for "Our Prayer" released on TSS. 

Are those recordings the main evidence for the whole band taking acid? Because when I listen to it, it sounds like Brian joking about his music making you feel like you're on a trip, which he was definitely intentionally trying to do for some songs... I could see it either way.

I love Brian's vocal on "When A Man Needs A Woman." And Brian praising Audree on "Dixie"..... I just have something in my eye.

Hi, I'm new here. Came to enjoy and maybe occasionally post. It's hard to find folks in person who share my interest in the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson, especially being a 30-something female in Northern Appalachia, so I'm grateful a board like this exists.

I grew up listening my parents' copy of Endless Summer on 8-Track, and within the last year rekindled my love for the music of the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. I'm still discovering their vast catalogues, but I'm loving every stage of their musical journey, with Pet Sounds being my favorite album, but Love You as my second. Just attended Brian's Christmas Show a few nights ago and it was like a dream come true for me!

Are you me? I just started getting into them, too, mostly just haven't listened to a lot of "Friends" onward, but I seem to love every kind of music they put out. I'm in southern Appalachia and late 20s.

Haven't introduced myself on this thread yet. I got into The Beach Boys after playing Bioshock Infinite, of all things, which includes an amazing barbershop cover of "God Only Knows." I tracked down the original and couldn't believe it was The Beach Boys! I already liked their surf music but just didn't know that they had so many great, lyrical stuff, too. I listened to "Pet Sounds" off and on for a while and then recently watched the "Making of Pet Sounds" documentary which got me down the whole rabbit hole. Been listening to them non-stop for months! Got to see Brian in November! Died! Resurrected! My family thinks I'm possessed!

Good to be here.

On the contrary, at one point, Brian was waving his hands in the air to the music, and my spouse remarked, “I think he likes just being here.” I agreed. And there were a few times when Brian spoke, too. He thanked the audience at the end of the show, and (again, with assistance and a limp) walked off with the rest of the band when they finished singing Auld Lang Syne.

How sweet! I completely agree with your comments. Sometimes I think the audience makeup can be a huge factor--my audience was SO HYPED and it made the show so much fun (it was a Pet Sounds show that wasn't completely sold out but pretty full). Brian sounds awesome on "Christmasey" based on the footage I've seen! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I'm still working my way through their discography, so I had honestly never heard "Winter Symphony" til I clicked on that video. WOW!!! WOW I love it. Al and Brian both sound great and the band sounds really rich.

I liked Rob when I saw him, though he does sound tentative at times. Just maybe not 100% settled in that falsetto voice. His Wouldn't It Be Nice was pretty.

Maybe there will be enough downtime between the Christmas tour and some of the pick-up dates for Pet Sounds (which are in June/July) that would give Brian a chance to work more with the physical therapy side of things. I don't know if there will be new dates added between now and then, but it can't be easy to find the perfect balance of managing pain/recovering on the road. I hope the pain lifts for him.

Thanks for the clips really enjoying watching them. Particularly Al and Blondie. Nice to see the songs done. Though it is very disturbing to see Brian like this. Is he even interested in being there? Sad

I think we've pretty well established from people close to the band that he is interested. It's just a matter of how much pain he's in nowadays, making the typical set more difficult, both physically and emotionally.

I'm surprised no clips of the christmas songs have surfaced yet. I keep checking instagram and youtube. Aside from a 10 second clip of "auld lang syne," nothing.

"Little Saint Nick" and "Merry Christmas Baby" are up at BW.com. https://brianwilson.websitetoolbox.com/post/christmas-tour-2018-opens-in-minneapolis-9932861

"What are you mumbling more progressively quieter each time?" LOL THE FADEOUTS