Brian reflects on a lifetime of storms....

[Peter Reum]

That is the nicest interview Brian has given in a number of years. It sounds genuine to me.

[Mikie]

Brian DID talk like this, in my opinion, in the 60's and 70's. 

Yeah, when he was interviewed while in his car in 1968 and on the Mike Douglas show in 1976.

[Ron]

Brian DID talk like this, in my opinion, in the 60's and 70's. 

Yeah, when he was interviewed while in his car in 1968 and on the Mike Douglas show in 1976.

Yes.  I just rewatched the Mike Douglas show and that's exactly what i'm talking about... he sounds very similar to how he sounds here.  Basically he's talking about ideas and aspirations instead of simply answering questions.  I'm sure people that know him personally have probably seen him talk like that often, even lately.

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

Maybe you guys should handle all of his interviews.

 

[Emdeeh]

In one of my new songs, “One Kind of Love,” I wrote, “Driftwood floating on the sea/Searching for the me, and all that I have known to be ... thank God you noticed me and brought back harmony to this lonely song.” The “you” isn’t any one person. It’s my fans. My harmonies -- all my diverse voices -- are my way of including their voices. It’s a mystical connection between me and my fans.

Cool... a shout-out to the fans from BW.  

[GoodVibrations33]

PS. where is the link to the Guitar Center interview please. I think I missed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSy-p1Lejfw

And, a bonus:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72U7UL0Nky0

[Generation42]

Fascinating interview: Brian on a good day makes for a fine subject.

You said it, Andrew.  That was really quite something to hear from Brian.  Good stuff.

[TMinthePM]

"...Bob Crewe, famous for his work with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons...ho showed me how to utilize horns to sharpen and sculpt an overall sound."

I can't believe he said that, as I have been tripping on the Seasons since Christmas!

[rn57]

Definitely tinkered with by David Ritz (or somebody, anyway) in terms of wording...but the thoughts are recognizably Brian's.   He's offering some pretty substantial clues about his work here.  The emphasis he places on "It's A Blue World" over "Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring" is especially interesting - that recording does seem to have started him thinking about the kind of chords and voicings that would some day lead to Today and Pet Sounds.   

[PS]

Fascinating - I don't recall ever hearing him namecheck - and specifically credit - Bob Crewe before as a primary influence on his understanding of horns in production.

[Ron]

Great interview!

[b00ts]

I don't know... I guess it could have been more like

"Oh Yeah! And the Four Seasons!  What's that guy?  The Bah bah bah, badda Badda Badda Bah bah bah! part... the horns... man..   Bob Crewe?  Yeah, that's him, and the part with the drums Bap Bap Bap!  I like their production"

Then the guy makes it

"..Bob Crewe, famous for his work with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons...ho showed me how to utilize horns to sharpen and sculpt an overall sound."

In discussing how this writer might have altered Brian's words in order to make him seem more eloquent, posters in this thread are now reverse-engineering Brian's interview answers to better fit their conception of him as an addled half-wit incapable of articulating ideas verbally.

[ontor pertawst]

This tends to happen when fans turn their objects of fandom into cartoon characters.

Kinda like how my version of Mike Love drops references to his song titles every two sentences an-

Oh wait.

[Ang Jones]

I don't know... I guess it could have been more like

"Oh Yeah! And the Four Seasons!  What's that guy?  The Bah bah bah, badda Badda Badda Bah bah bah! part... the horns... man..   Bob Crewe?  Yeah, that's him, and the part with the drums Bap Bap Bap!  I like their production"

Then the guy makes it

"..Bob Crewe, famous for his work with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons...ho showed me how to utilize horns to sharpen and sculpt an overall sound."

In discussing how this writer might have altered Brian's words in order to make him seem more eloquent, posters in this thread are now reverse-engineering Brian's interview answers to better fit their conception of him as an addled half-wit incapable of articulating ideas verbally.

This tends to happen when fans turn their objects of fandom into cartoon characters.

Kinda like how my version of Mike Love drops references to his song titles every two sentences an-

Oh wait.

Love these last two posts!  

But the idea of Brian as "an addled half-wit incapable of articulating ideas" has been fed to us repeatedly over the years. Making out someone is crazy as a means of controlling them or reducing their credibility can be quite effective. Watch the old 'Gaslight' films (the first is the best, though a tad melodramatic in parts...). I remember how Brian used to speak of 'mind gangsters' and this was taken by some as a sign of his paranoia. However people have upon occasion tried to steal his ideas. Not so paranoid when you think about it.

[Ang Jones]

" I think it was the healing, cathartic music therapy"....

Oh, but did Brian actually say this? Well yeah! https://www.billboard.com/video/brian-wilson-the-billboard-shoot-6524084

[Mike's Beard]

Before the writer rejigged it Brian's answers were as follows;
Your fans may be surprised by the cover of No Pier Pressure. We’re at the beach, but there’s no sunshine, no surfers, no people whatsoever. Is this your way of rejecting pressure to replicate the lighthearted music associated with your early success?

"Yes"

In Love & Mercy, much of the action centers on your bouts with -depression. How did you react to the film?

"It scared me"

Couldn’t that same criticism about emotional heaviness be levied at your new record?

"I don't remember"

Are you singing to your brothers Carl and Dennis, both of whom have passed on? To your dad? Your mom? Your former bandmates?

"No"

When you listen to the album, do you find yourself drifting back to distant memories?

"Be My Baby"

How do you find the music business today?

"I like that new Doobie Brothers tune 'What a Fool Believes'"

Do you see loss as a major theme in your work?

"I don't know, I'll have to ask my wife"

Frightening voices -- auditory hallucinations -- have plagued you for much of your life. Is your need to harmonize a way to quiet those voices?

"Can we get Gene in here?"

What about the future? What’s next?

"I'm going to make a rock & roll album"

A poignant scene in Love & Mercy portrays you meeting Melinda, your future wife, and you’re unable to express your feelings. Instead, you write three words on a card: “Lonely, scared, frightened.” If you were handed a card today, what words would express your present state of mind?

"I like cheese pizza."

[Ron]

I don't know... I guess it could have been more like

"Oh Yeah! And the Four Seasons!  What's that guy?  The Bah bah bah, badda Badda Badda Bah bah bah! part... the horns... man..   Bob Crewe?  Yeah, that's him, and the part with the drums Bap Bap Bap!  I like their production"

Then the guy makes it

"..Bob Crewe, famous for his work with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons...ho showed me how to utilize horns to sharpen and sculpt an overall sound."

In discussing how this writer might have altered Brian's words in order to make him seem more eloquent, posters in this thread are now reverse-engineering Brian's interview answers to better fit their conception of him as an addled half-wit incapable of articulating ideas verbally.

I'm sorry, i'll delete my opinion for you.  Carry on.

[Micha]

Those answers do NOT sound AT ALL like Brian Wilson.  Not on his best day.  Not in the 60's.  Not in the 70's.  Not under Landy.  Not at all.

The printed answers do sound like his answers in that short interview clip on the page, so I don't have a reason to doubt Brian said them more or less like that. A little bit more mumbled maybe, but in content and tone like they are written.

[Wirestone]

" I think it was the healing, cathartic music therapy"....

Oh, but did Brian actually say this? Well yeah! https://www.billboard.com/video/brian-wilson-the-billboard-shoot-6524084

In that same video, he answers one of the interview questions (about the L&M movie) with quite different words than the ones quoted in the accompanying text.

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

I don't know... I guess it could have been more like

"Oh Yeah! And the Four Seasons!  What's that guy?  The Bah bah bah, badda Badda Badda Bah bah bah! part... the horns... man..   Bob Crewe?  Yeah, that's him, and the part with the drums Bap Bap Bap!  I like their production"

Then the guy makes it

"..Bob Crewe, famous for his work with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons...ho showed me how to utilize horns to sharpen and sculpt an overall sound."

In discussing how this writer might have altered Brian's words in order to make him seem more eloquent, posters in this thread are now reverse-engineering Brian's interview answers to better fit their conception of him as an addled half-wit incapable of articulating ideas verbally.

This tends to happen when fans turn their objects of fandom into cartoon characters.

Kinda like how my version of Mike Love drops references to his song titles every two sentences an-

Oh wait.

Love these last two posts!  

But the idea of Brian as "an addled half-wit incapable of articulating ideas" has been fed to us repeatedly over the years. Making out someone is crazy as a means of controlling them or reducing their credibility can be quite effective. Watch the old 'Gaslight' films (the first is the best, though a tad melodramatic in parts...). I remember how Brian used to speak of 'mind gangsters' and this was taken by some as a sign of his paranoia. However people have upon occasion tried to steal his ideas. Not so paranoid when you think about it.

Agreed Ang - when a man speaks in metaphors on occasion - as artists will do, he's open to these accusations.  I remember in Psych 101 long ago when paranoia was neatly described as "delusions of grandeur and delusions of persecution."  Well, when a person is a public figure, there is the grandeur and the persecution, so is that delusional? 

And as someone who was around during the worst of times, the man was always articulate.  He was in horrible pain and self-doubt, but he was never the least bit addled, and he sure as hell wasn't in bed all the time.  The drug thing?  Only once when I was around did someone bring some, and Brian was the sane person in the room keeping it away from me.  It's amazing how these idiotic characterizations take hold.  Just because someone has memorized Nick Kent doesn't mean that they know anything about Brian, since he made 99% of his stuff up in whatever state of mind he wrote.  Yet people believe him over Brian, because they want to.  OOOHHH, the DARK SIDE!  Spare me...try OOHHHH, bullsh*t...

[b00ts]

I don't know... I guess it could have been more like

"Oh Yeah! And the Four Seasons!  What's that guy?  The Bah bah bah, badda Badda Badda Bah bah bah! part... the horns... man..   Bob Crewe?  Yeah, that's him, and the part with the drums Bap Bap Bap!  I like their production"

Then the guy makes it

"..Bob Crewe, famous for his work with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons...ho showed me how to utilize horns to sharpen and sculpt an overall sound."

In discussing how this writer might have altered Brian's words in order to make him seem more eloquent, posters in this thread are now reverse-engineering Brian's interview answers to better fit their conception of him as an addled half-wit incapable of articulating ideas verbally.

I'm sorry, i'll delete my opinion for you.  Carry on.

Didn't mean to single you out, Ron. I just thought your post was funny (and I see where you're coming from with it).

[Ang Jones]

" I think it was the healing, cathartic music therapy"....

Oh, but did Brian actually say this? Well yeah! https://www.billboard.com/video/brian-wilson-the-billboard-shoot-6524084

In that same video, he answers one of the interview questions (about the L&M movie) with quite different words than the ones quoted in the accompanying text.

Just trying to point out that Brian is capable of an articulate sentence and can use words of more than one syllable. It is more than a little disrespectful to consider him inarticulate. When Brian is in the right mood and with the right interviewer he can be extremely interesting.

[b00ts]

" I think it was the healing, cathartic music therapy"....

Oh, but did Brian actually say this? Well yeah! https://www.billboard.com/video/brian-wilson-the-billboard-shoot-6524084

In that same video, he answers one of the interview questions (about the L&M movie) with quite different words than the ones quoted in the accompanying text.

Just trying to point out that Brian is capable of an articulate sentence and can use words of more than one syllable. It is more than a little disrespectful to consider him inarticulate. When Brian is in the right mood and with the right interviewer he can be extremely interesting.

Exactly. A lot of this is due to the media's focus on the hardships in Brian's life (which is admittedly also a key part of his narrative whenever he sells a record).

[Wirestone]

I have never -- never -- intended to say that Brian cannot express himself. Just listen to the interview segments on the BW88 reissue. Just find any number of interviews available online.

But I do commit journalism from time to time, and I am not a fan of wholesale rewriting of interviews. "Editing and condensation," yes. There are several such Brian interviews out there, where it's clear that his responses have been stitched together with the followup questions omitted. And depending on the venue, I have no problem with that. It's still basically using the subject's words.

A circumstance like this, though, rubs me the wrong way. I acknowledge that it doesn't bother everyone else. And I don't think anything about the sentiments or ideas expressed seems false or out of place. The piece clearly has its roots in a real interview, and likely one in which Brian was quite forthcoming.

But you can watch the video on the Billboard site of him answering a question about the movie.

Here's the verbatim transcript from the video:

"Some of it I thought was done really great. Some of it, I think they played the dark side of my life a little too heavy. On the dark side on my life. They learned from various different people about my life and production and music. They learned about that, so they portrayed me very well."

If I were wrangling that for a printed Q & A, I might have rendered it like this (again, with a note that it was edited):

"Some of it was done really great. Some of it, they played the dark side of my life a little too heavy. They learned from various people about my life and production and music, so they portrayed me very well."

Now, here's how Billboard's written answer -- from what seems like the same part of the interview -- reads:

"I thought it dwelled too long in the darkness. Overall I liked the movie, especially those scenes when I was creating in the studio. I’m endorsing it, but, to be honest, I thought it was heavier than it needed to be."

The sentiments are identical, and some of the word choices are similar. But there's nothing inarticulate about Brian's responses in the video. If anything, the way he speaks, giving special emphasis to the oh-so-60s term "heavy," communicates a great deal about the project and his reaction.

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

I have never -- never -- intended to say that Brian cannot express himself. Just listen to the interview segments on the BW88 reissue. Just find any number of interviews available online.

But I do commit journalism from time to time, and I am not a fan of wholesale rewriting of interviews. "Editing and condensation," yes. There are several such Brian interviews out there, where it's clear that his responses have been stitched together with the followup questions omitted. And depending on the venue, I have no problem with that. It's still basically using the subject's words.

A circumstance like this, though, rubs me the wrong way. I acknowledge that it doesn't bother everyone else. And I don't think anything about the sentiments or ideas expressed seems false or out of place. The piece clearly has its roots in a real interview, and likely one in which Brian was quite forthcoming.

But you can watch the video on the Billboard site of him answering a question about the movie.

Here's the verbatim transcript from the video:

"Some of it I thought was done really great. Some of it, I think they played the dark side of my life a little too heavy. On the dark side on my life. They learned from various different people about my life and production and music. They learned about that, so they portrayed me very well."

If I were wrangling that for a printed Q & A, I might have rendered it like this (again, with a note that it was edited):

"Some of it was done really great. Some of it, they played the dark side of my life a little too heavy. They learned from various people about my life and production and music, so they portrayed me very well."

Now, here's how Billboard's written answer -- from what seems like the same part of the interview -- reads:

"I thought it dwelled too long in the darkness. Overall I liked the movie, especially those scenes when I was creating in the studio. I’m endorsing it, but, to be honest, I thought it was heavier than it needed to be."

The sentiments are identical, and some of the word choices are similar. But there's nothing inarticulate about Brian's responses in the video. If anything, the way he speaks, giving special emphasis to the oh-so-60s term "heavy," communicates a great deal about the project and his reaction.

I'm not speaking for Ang and I don't know if you were referring to my post as well, but you never struck me as a culprit of those who deem Brian inarticulate.  But those ghosts are ever present here and occasionally rear their ugly heads. 

Yes - rewrites for the sake of being concise can change the flavor of an interview and hopefully aren't overdone in a piece.  It's a fine line, agreed.  I spent 25 years of my life summarizing events and conversations between people, so I get your drift.  I think our point is that it's a "we don't know" situation, and Brian's style of speech varies.  Most of us do that to some degree in different environments.  Brian happens to be masterful when it comes to this.