I thought Brian was near-joking when he complained about Paul. VDP (I think) asked Brian what it was like to meet the Queen, and Brian said, "I couldn't get a word in! Paul had had too much to drink ,and he just kept talking! It wasn't fair because he'd met her before." That's paraphrasing, but I think the main complaint was that Paul monopolized the chatter.
But hey, it was Brian, and not Paul, who addressed the Queen as "Queen."

I've known composers who can barely play anything. There are just so many different areas, and they all require different talents.

I think Irving Berlin was one of those composers who could barely play piano. He had a lever he used to change keys.
I agree that there was variations of musical ability, although I think there is such a thing as general musical talent. Some people are innately musical; some are not.

Theory of multiple intelligences-

http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr054.shtml

Actually, Brian Wilson rather than The Beach Boys?!  Seems a bit controversial.  They haven't been inducted as a group yet have they?  Not as far as I can recollect anyway...

This is in no way to diminish the greatness of the Beach Boys, but Brian Wilson deserves to receive honors all on his own, just as a composer or producer. I really think his legacy should be considered separately from the Beach Boys as well as with them, if that makes sense.

[as a fan]

All I am trying to point out is our own wants as fans may not mesh with what he wants. I can't argue with some of the final results as a fan but  his comments lead me to two questions. First did getting to this high point career wise, come at the expense of his personal desires? Second what is the line between encouraging and presuring somebody? Is it so unreasonable that I ask this as an observer?

I think what got a lot of people angry was the post(s) that said things like [paraphrased] "Trust me, David and Melinda are not what they seem." And "I can't reveal anything, but time will tell." That kind of thing. It seemed to imply that people had inside information and were just teasing to get attention. It also seemed extremely vitriolic toward David and Melinda, as if implying that there is no love or friendship involved at all-- as if they're these evil masterminds or something. That doesn't seem fair to say until you've got evidence supporting it that you're willing to share.
But if you're just speculating and questioning whether Brian is doing what he wants, then I don't have a problem with that. The only thing I have a problem with is taking every negative thing Brian says and ignoring every positive thing, because as Ron pointed out, Brian is depressed and apt to say negative things. He doesn't have a filter.

To my eyes it was "painfully obvious" he didn't want to be at that first Smile show in London. Didn't want to do it long before in rehearsals either...at least that's the way it seemed on the doc. Guess David and Mel know best though.

-hp

And he said numerous times that he didn't want to do the Smile premiere. That's no secret. He was scared. He's Brian Wilson, and he was premiering Smile. Anyone would be scared. But then he said that once it started, he felt better. And then once it was over, he felt extreme relief (as in...I did Smile--not as in...the show is over). He also said he thought about backing out. I'm sure if he really wanted to back out, he would have, but he kept cooperating.  Ultimately, if he was pushed into it, it was the best thing. I mean, look. He's relieved that Smile is out there and was well received. He's creating again. He seems more articulate in interviews now than he has in a long time. So maybe David and Melinda (and Brian himself) DO know best. And maybe we don't know anything about Brian's life and should stop making accusations.

[Sometimes Brian doesn't sing so well. But often his singing is still quite good, and he knows his limitations in most cases. As Luther pointed out, in a band with virtuoso musicians and incredible vocalists it means Brian is the weakest performer on stage.

[

The other thing is that Brian doesn't wear an ear monitor, does he? With only one good ear, it doesn't seem like he could. I agree that Brian is the weakest performer on stage, but that whole band (Brian included) is able to perform Smile night after night. That takes a lot.

How is the complete arrangement for recording better in musical terms in a live performance than the arrangement to suit the band performing live?

Please demonstrate how the legacy has been destroyed.

I've never seen the BBs live (except on TV). But having grown up in the 80s, myself and my friends NEVER took the Beach Boys seriously, and that was based on what we saw of them on TV. They looked like an oldies band. They played surfing and car songs. I enjoyed the surfing and car songs, but the BBs themselves in their 40s didn't strike me as innovators ,and when I saw the striped shirts pictures, I figured they were discovered by the label and instructed to sing other people's songs, a la New Kids on the Block. And that in the 80s they were still riding that very commercial wave.
When I heard Pet Sounds at age 15, I was surprised. When I heard H&V at age 22, I was flabergasted. Never, ever, ever knew that the Beach Boys had done anything like that. And I didn't even realize that they were responsible for their own material until I read the liner notes of Pet Sounds.

And also, given that Melinda is indeed an outsider from the BBs, you can't really blame her for going along with DL's vision on Beautiful Dreamer-- I mean, given that she really doesn't know what happened with Smile any more than we do.

 

We can't blame her for contirbuting to a documentary that is very negative towards the Beach Boys? What are you saying, that she doesn't know what she's doing? She's Brian's manager and guardian for crying out loud. Everything pretty much goes through her hands.

I was trying to make a point. You can't say she doesn't know anything about the story and then blame her for supporting a certain point of view. I mean, if she doesn't know anything about the story and she's a complete outsider, then she may well think that the BBs are largely to blame for the downfall of Smile. After all, the dominant point of view she's heard is Brian's.  AND she knows that Mike made that awful TV movie that made Brian look at lot worse than BD made the BBs look. Besides, I don't even see BD as being THAT negative toward the BBs. The reason it doesn't include their viewpoint is because they refused to talk on it, and one of the people (David Anderle?) says something like, "You can't blame the BBs for being dismayed about the music if you put yourself in their place." Even Marilyn said negative things about the BBs in "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times"-- (i.e.-- "They really tore Brian down.") And she was there! But she doesn't get the flak that Melinda does. All I'm saying is that I believe that both of Brian's wives want(ed) what is best for him. Melinda is trying to shore up Brian's legacy. To do it, she's supporting the idea that he was the genius in the BBs and can also stand on his own, right or wrong. Maybe she does it at the expense of the BBs by supporting a documentary, but has she ever directly criticized the Beach Boys?

I don't get how Melinda, et al have 'skewered' Brian's career.

I think he's talking about Melinda skewering MIKE LOVE.

Also, I can understand how Mike Love could resent Melinda and David Leaf considering they made that documentary that bashed him personally as well as the other Beach Boys, and part of their marketing campaign of Brian consists of talking about how untalented the other Beach Boys are. It kind of reminds me of Yoko Ono saying John Lennon was everything and other Beatles were nothing. Also, Melinda and David Leaf were not around in the 60's so how the foda would they know what was going on with Brian and the rest of the guys or what the circumstances were when the albums were recorded. Melinda and David Leaf are outsiders in every sense of the word and maybe should stay in their element. 

But when, specifically, did Melinda (or even David Leaf) talk about how untalented the other BBs were? And how would Mike know what is going on with Brian and his management when he's not around Brian now? Mike has been bashing Melinda since before the Smile documentary, has he not? And also, given that Melinda is indeed an outsider from the BBs, you can't really blame her for going along with DL's vision on Beautiful Dreamer-- I mean, given that she really doesn't know what happened with Smile any more than we do.

Okay, I went back and looked in the Carlin book. The part about the Uncut story is on page 293. To me, Carlin is expressing skepticism about the credibility of this story. First of all, he refers to it as a British pop culture magazine-- the British press loves sensationalism. The book reads, "A blistering, if desperately overheated, expose in Britain's pop culture magazine Uncut called on a cast array of anonymous sources to describe the 'predicament' [Carlin's quotes] Brian had landed in, 'relinquishing' his hard-won liberty to a 'blonde phantom...'" Then Carlin says that the article is "awash in rumor and unsourced accusations" and suggests that the author interpreted Brian's mood at the time as "evidence of the misery being inflicted upon him." Then it goes on to say that many people in Brian's life insisted that he was being controlled.

I don't think PAC is necessarily concluding that this is true. Otherwise, could he truly refer to Brian's "redemption" in the book's title? If he is reading this, perhaps he'd like to weigh in. As I said, I know nothing other than what I've read. I guess I'd like to believe, based on the remarkable comeback (and it is a true comeback, true to the integrity of the music and to Brian's stature), that Brian is being treated well and is genuinely loved.

Because I was told in confidence, as I'm sure the unnamed sources in Peter's book did the same.

The assertion that Melinda and DL "are not what they seem" sounds so sinister. I mean, I know people have pointed the finger at Melinda, but then where does it end? Does Brian's band (whom everyone seems to identify as genuinely caring about Brian) know about whatever is going on, and are they okay with it? They do go along with the recording and touring regimen, after all.

I've got to go back and read the Carlin book again...what I got from it was the ackowledgement that, yes, Melinda has some control over Brian, but only because Brian could not function without/insists on that kind of arrangement. And that in that aspect, Melinda is somewhat like Landy, but without the attention-seeking, damaging drug-administering element.

Brian has never had a successful solo career, but that's not down to management. That's down to the fact that his name a lot less recognizable than the Beach Boys' name. 

Or maybe it's due to the fact that the solo MUSIC isn't that good.
[ ]

Fair enough-- it could be the music, could be the lack of name recognition, could be that he's not an 18-year-old female with implants.  But it's not his management.

I know nothing of Brian's life and very little about the music business. But to say "things ain't good"...well, that's not necessarily the case. There are plenty of bands with diminishing returns. Doesn't mean their management is horrible. Look at REM, for instance. The fact is that Brian is not a hitmaker anymore. Even a charmer like Paul McCartney isn't exactly at the top of the charts. Brian is 64 years old, with a longtime reputation for being a weird recluse, fair or not, and he doesn't have the ability to refute that by giving some great interview in Rolling Stone or something. A lot of people don't even recognize his name. Brian has never had a successful solo career, but that's not down to management. That's down to the fact that his name a lot less recognizable than the Beach Boys' name.

As far as Brian being on a different label with every album, I have no idea why that is, and I'm sure you know better, Andrew. I don't think anyone expects that if Brian stayed on one, supportive label for several albums, he'd start to sell millions of albums. I'm sure that he wants hits because that mentality is part of how he was raised, but those around him may feel that the goal is as much to get his brain going again as it is to sell albums. And the fact that Brian toured for years with an amazingly talented band and that the pendulum has swung a bit from "Brian Wilson, weird recluse to Brian Wilson, genius composer" is a step in the right direction. Whoever is responsible for making that happen deserves some credit. I have no idea if Melinda is good to Brian or not, but is there real evidence that she's not? If Melinda is a wonderful wife but a mediocre manager, well, at least give her some props. I can't imagine how hard it must be to be in her position, and I get tired of women getting maligned for using their brains or expressing their opinions. Cue Linda, Yoko, Hillary, or whoever. I don't like the "She's just his wife and should stay out of it" mentality. Melinda has made mistakes, I'm sure, but have they been worse than mistakes made by Brian's previous management?

Wendy's kids are among those acknowledged in the SMiLE liner notes. I don't have the CD in front of me, but I believe he thanked "Leo and TBD" because Wendy's second child had not been born and therefore had no name at the time.

About this Melinda thing, I have a question. Suppose she's controlling Brian in some way that is inappropriate. What would be her motive for doing so? They have money already, and she doesn't seem particularly demanding or extravagant. She's obviously not looking to springboard a career off Brian. So why would she force or strongly encourage him to do anything that isn't for his own good?

I'm having a hard time buying that her motives are anything but loving and honorable.

Yeah, that's kind of what I meant when I said "maybe ET cut that part out."   

I hardly ever post here, but I thought I'd just add my two cents. He could have said, "You know, this has been talked to death. Yes, there were drug problems in the group, divorces, and so on. My cousin Brian had a lot of problems [and you, know maybe he could have admitted to maybe causing some problems himself, because they all did], but he's doing so much better these days, and it's great to see him healthy. We got along well during the rooftop reunion, and I think maybe it's time to let the past go."

Or maybe he did, and ET cut that part out.

We don't really know the circumstances of the interview, though.  Mike speaks his mind, if an interviewer says "Why did the beach boys break up" what's he supposed to say?  "Oh, Brian was better than all of us so he went solo" ?  He's gonna say "Well, of course Dennis passed away, and Brian unfortunately had mental issues and in my opinion developed a severe drug addiction" so of course he's gonna talk about the old stuff.  He did say at the end of the interview that he wanted to get back together with Brian and he hoped it would happen. 

If you prefer not to go to the Web site for whatever reason, please consider writing a letter anyway.
Send letters to:
The Kennedy Center Honors, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20566.

Brian deserves this recognition!

Hi Everyone,
Forgive me if this isn't the right forum for this. I'm new here. There's a movement afoot to get Brian a Kennedy Center Honor. This is one of the highest arts awards in the U.S. It goes to musicians, dancers, actors, directors, etc. Every year, just five people (individuals only) are honored. Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Tina Turner and Elton John are past honorees. Brian should be on this list. Grassroots campaigns can influence the selection, so we're starting this campaign to get people to write letters in support of Brian. Please go to http://www.webspawner.com/users.abirnba/index.html to see where to write.

Thanks!
Amy