Is this Brian signature Legit? You Make the Call!

[HeyJude]

Okay, I'm in a used CD shop. Does this Brian signature look real? It's messy enough I could believe it is! Or so messy as to be easily faked!

[bgas]

too legible to be real

[southbay]

I've never seen brian write a cursive upper case "s" as is in his last name here.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Fake - if you can read "Wilson", it's not kosher.

[HeyJude]

I did pass, too expensive for something so iffy, and not priced high enough to seen legit. Also in bad shape to boot. 

[mikeddonn]

The signature is a good one, the s is a bit suspect but Brian did do them pretty clearly in 2004 (I've seen him personally sign something similar).  However, by the time (2010) the Gershwin album came out Brian's signature has usually been no more than a B squiggle then a W squiggle.  So it looks to me as if someone has faked it from an older signature.

[acedecade75]

Just out of curiosity, how much were they asking for this?

[Wirestone]

Brian signed a pretty legible one in front of me in 2009, looking much like that one. I'd say it's legit.

[Mikie]

I'd say it's legit too. Better to get it in person anyway. It's not that hard to get.

[alf wiedersehen]

The signature might look a little weird because of how bumpy the cover is.
Probably not the easiest thing to sign.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Signed in front of me, September 16th 2011, London.

[HeyJude]

I'd say it's legit too. Better to get it in person anyway. It's not that hard to get.

I have an in-person signature as well, plus an infamous debatable BB group signature from C50, so this wasn't difficult to pass up. It actually photographed well; it didn't jump out as super display-worthy for those into that.

I was 50/50 at best about authenticity. My 2007 autograph is legible, while the 2012 is indeed a B and W with scribbles.

This place marks up rare and OOP discs, so I think they had reason to believe it was fake. Maybe the person trading it in told them it was fake!

[Mikie]

Lessee, Jude, there's Vinyl Solution in San Carlos, The Record Man in Redwood City, and Rasputin's in Mountain View. Is it one of those by chance?

[leggo of my ego]

Okay, I'm in a used CD shop. Does this Brian signature look real? It's messy enough I could believe it is! Or so messy as to be easily faked!

There was a limited edition of this CD with t-shirt, mug, etc and the autographs (in gold ink) always looked 2 good B brian-authentic

I lost a bid on one at $79 and glad I lost.  What you got in the pic looks faked too.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Just looked at the full sized image, and the B is all wrong - no downstroke, or any sign of one. I stand by my fake judgement. I've got several of Brian's signatures down the years and one thing they've not gotten is better, more legible.

[HeyJude]

All I can say is that the actual quality of the signature, as in the hand used to write it, is not the main thing that makes me think it's a fake. I'm very 50/50 on that. All of the other circumstances seem more shady.

My 2007 in-person signature has an upper-case "S", so that's not a deal breaker, but then again, that is a HUGE Brian signature (signed with Al) on a big "Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary Tour" poster for their three west coast gigs in January 2007, so a very large Brian signature may be more likely to be more legible. Al's "J" in Jardine is freaking six or eight inches tall probably.  

I think a used CD shop not at least marking the thing up to double price, and someone trading it in without trying to eBay the thing for a little more than the likely $2 trade-in value, are more suspect factors.

Who knows. A friend of mine at this same store bought a Nick Cave CD, and hidden under the slipcase was a definitely-legit autograph, signed to his big fan "Debbie!"  

[mikeddonn]

It's not one of the usual fakes, that's for sure.  If this one is a fake it's a decent attempt.  There are arguments for and against with his one.  I still think it's too neat to be a 2010 or later signature, unless Brian wasn't busy that day!  Andrew I can see a slight downstroke on the B (top left).  The Brian also has the trademark 'bridge' as well.  I'd say it looks more real than fake, but I'm still not sure.

[Smilin Ed H]

The one I have is kinda halfway between AGD's and the other one, so ... maybe.

[LeeDempsey]

By adjusting the contrast on my monitor I can see the downstroke of the "B" superimposed over the black piano key, so I wouldn't be concerned about that.  I have a number of signatures from around that time period from different situations -- mass promotional signings, where Brian's signature is little more than a straight line; and one-on-one autograph signings, where Brian took more time.  I'm out of town, but when I get home I'll compare this to mine.  But for now I'd say there's a decent chance it's real.

Lee

[bringahorseinhere?]

at a guess.............. real

RickB

[Mikie]

I have six Brian Wilson autographs; five of them I obtained in person. 1976 through 2012. No two are the same.

[mikeddonn]

By adjusting the contrast on my monitor I can see the downstroke of the "B" superimposed over the black piano key, so I wouldn't be concerned about that.

Lee

That's what I thought Lee.  If I was pushed to decide I'd now say it's real.

[Ron]

It's real.  Just my opinion.


1. who the hell would fake it?  If it's on the wall and they want 100 bucks, yeah, maybe they faked it, but if it's just mixed in with the other stuff... it's probably legit. 

2. it's on a cd, recently released, he probably signed 10,000 of them around the time the cd came out everywhere he went.  They let everybody and their brother backstage anymore and everybody and their brother wanted his signature on this cd.  If you look through the cd racks at used cd stores, you'll see maybe even 1% of the cd's signed!  I've probably bought 10 over the years, used, signed by somebody or the other... Fiona Apple was the last cool one I saw.

3. Although apparently he signs things differently all the time, look at how the "w" is structured. 

[Paul J B]

The vast majority of signed memorabilia by rock stars, athletes, movie stars, ect. that you will find for sale are fake. It is a huge business for crooks. Do a little research and you will come to the same conclusion.

For the record, I have 2 signed pieces by Brian that he signed in front of me....as with the images posted by AGD.....they are very nearly identical. There are fakes and bad fakes and that Gershwin cd looks like a bad fake.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Done a little processing and yes, the downstroke of the B is there, so disregard what I said there.

That said, the 'body' of the B is suspect in that the junction between top and bottom loop is itself a small open loop (mine isn't)... and the visible l and s in "Wilson" is questionable, as is the dotted i and the gaps: W il s on. The "Brian" is reasonably convincing, but the "Wilson" looks like someone trying too hard to make sure you can tell who it is. I stand by my original call: forgery.