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Author Topic: Rolling Stone: The Salvation of Brian Wilson  (Read 28763 times)
joe_blow
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« Reply #25 on: August 28, 2017, 10:02:07 PM »

Is that the same shirt worn in the Endless Harmony doc?
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« Reply #26 on: August 28, 2017, 10:21:45 PM »

I thought it wouldn't be possible but after reading this I love the guy even more! sh*t, what a motherfucker.
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« Reply #27 on: August 29, 2017, 01:39:11 AM »

Alan Hardon was hilarious
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« Reply #28 on: August 29, 2017, 03:41:08 AM »

What an uplifting article and interview! Thanks to Jason Fine for writing a great piece on Brian. And it is great to see Brian behind the scenes like this, in real life. It's a very positive example for people dealing with issues of depression to see someone like Brian keep going, doing what he does, and making people happy along with finding happiness in his own life and family. It's a daily struggle to come out of those dark clouds of depression, but here is a man who is still beating all the odds - It's a great example of someone especially hitting age 75 still making a difference and doing it with style and aplomb.

And I couldn't help but think after this article - among other reports and accounts from people who actually know - how foolish it is and has been to hear a cadre of ersatz "insiders" who haven't spent any personal time with Brian in years, various internet commentators with shared agendas and axes to grind, and even his own cousin continue to repeat how "controlled" Brian is, how he's being forced to tour, how he's not happy doing what he is doing, etc etc etc, blah blah blah...

At some point there has to be an acceptance that this report in RS, along with what has already been said by those truly "in the know" to borrow a phrase, is truly how it is in real life. On many levels, including all the talk about the "Beach Boys" getting back together and Brian's state of mind and personal life. Accept no substitutes for the truth and reality, no matter how good the salesmen are trying to peddle the snake oil for various reasons.

Go Brian! We love you!  Smiley

Have to agree with this. We witness so many so-called experts and those who claim to have insider knowledge telling us Brian is being "forced" to tour. Well it doesn't get any more 'inside' than from Brian's own mouth, does it? 

It's one of the best interviews I've read in ages. Brian is prepared to admit his vulnerabilities but in doing so shows his strength, his humour and some of the reasons why so many of us love him.
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« Reply #29 on: August 29, 2017, 06:38:26 AM »

"Hey, it's Al Hard-On," Wilson says,  deadpan  LOL LOL LOL

Okay, does anyone get this joke? "Al Hard-on" doesnt rhyme with his "Al Jardine"....usually those kind of names rhyme or are a pun....for example recently in the news reince priebus at the white house had a nickname as reince penis....maybe im just over thinking this i guess? haha

It makes sense if the J is silent, like the name Julio. A former co-worker who actually gave Al a lift in his station wagon outside an early 70's gig in the NE pronounced Jardine as "Hardine", so who knows. Maybe it's an inside joke or the way some pronounce his name!

I'm guessing, especially if Brian's joke is some sort of remnant of some ancient in-joke the BBs had in the early days, it could well be the "Hardine" pronunciation that is the source of the pun.

I recall years ago when MSNBC used to do their "Time & Again" TV series utilizing stuff from the NBC News archives, they did an episode on the Beach Boys (with a lot of great stuff), and one of the old TV news clips from the early 90s (I want to say it was a reporter at the band's 30th anniversary festivities at Capitol) pronounced it "Al Hardine."
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« Reply #30 on: August 29, 2017, 07:42:57 AM »

I'm not sure if or when we will get a book from Jason Fine on Brian Wilson, but I would be willing to pre-order now. I would like to know why his collaboration on Brian's book fell apart. I do think it would have been superior to what we got.
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« Reply #31 on: August 29, 2017, 07:43:13 AM »

Great Article!
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« Reply #32 on: August 29, 2017, 08:16:45 AM »

For as much as people rag on RS as of late, they have always featured the group and were especially complimentary to Brian through the years. Before the internet arrived, you did anything to scrape up any info on your favorite group including joining fan clubs.
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« Reply #33 on: August 29, 2017, 08:19:38 AM »

I'm not sure if or when we will get a book from Jason Fine on Brian Wilson, but I would be willing to pre-order now. I would like to know why his collaboration on Brian's book fell apart. I do think it would have been superior to what we got.

It appears Jason Fine was named Managing Editor of Rolling Stone in the summer of 2015. I don't know how the schedules/timing line up, but one possibility is that Fine may have known even earlier in the year that this move was coming and he wouldn't have time to take on that role and do Brian's book.

What we of course can assume is that there wasn't any sort of falling out as evidenced by this excellent new piece from Fine.

I think Fine would probably be a better candidate to write a good biography on Brian rather than co-author an autobiography, so maybe there's a chance that'll happen at some point. His C50 article from 2012 is, along with a few other pieces including Howie Edelson's posts on this board, among the few definitive pieces on the tour/anniversary.

Some authors have turned aborted "autobiographies" into biographies. I read one on Billy Joel a little while back based on work started on Joel's canceled book. Unfortunately that one wasn't that great. The best bits were what were clearly sparse but still insightful detailed interviews with Joel himself (presumably meant as a starting point on the canceled autobiography). Other than that, it was a pretty run-of-the-mill book.

My only complaint about this new Fine article is that he didn't delve a bit more into C50, but I realize that's just one of my continued areas of interest. His C50 article in 2012 is great, but it was published *during* the tour. I'd love to see what Fine has to say about the *end* of the tour in detail.
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« Reply #34 on: August 29, 2017, 09:10:07 AM »

Not saying doing a postgame dissection of Brian's book and asking "what if?" doesn't have a place, but what fans got was an autobiography that had Brian giving inside details of various events and happenings most specific to the years where the Carlin biography (probably the most definitive IMO up to the autobiography) left off. And we also got Brian in his own words talking about past events too, specific to his perspective.

Jason Fine is a terrific writer and journalist. His articles are always enjoyable, informative, and above all very very well-written to where there is a certain flow to them that everyone can latch onto and get the main ideas of the piece and the subject being written about. He also does seem to have a certain rapport with Brian personally where there is a sense of openness and letting guards down in the moment, and that comes through in the article. So yes, I'm biased but I really look forward to reading Jason's work.

Having said that, the articles and features Jason has written about Brian are so strong - IMO - in part because they are in the now, meaning it feels like a conversation and a report about the current events of the moment in Brian's life. Again, it's the mark of a very skillful journalist to capture the whole scene along with the relevant interview points and comments.

Brian's book is an autobiography, which translates into Brian himself talking about events in his life. It's Brian telling the story. That's the design and format of the book.

I think the way "I Am Brian Wilson" came out was a great format to get the inside scoop on events in the timeline that had not been reported in the past decade or so, along with various well-known events through Brian's own eyes and perspective. The fastball of the book was getting the behind-the-scenes details that Brian experienced. And in some cases, he did open up to where the detail was fascinating.

Example: Where did anyone hear the story about Brian walking past the Brill Building, then going to a restaurant and randomly finding Carole King dining at a table nearby...then running into Barry Mann in the mens room, and finding out Cynthia Weil was there too? That's amazing! That whole saga as told in the book is among the really, really good stuff. That's the power of the book as it came out.

When I read Jason's features on Brian, they're once again in the now, more powerful as a journalist capturing a moment in the present time and reporting it. And in that time spent in the now, the relevant and important quotes and answers come out. But the pieces are not what an autobiography like Brian's book would necessarily have thrived on. Could Jason have gotten some great stories from Brian? Of course, he's a professional, skilled journalist and writer. But I don't think a book as an autobiography would have tapped into what makes Jason's features on Brian so damned powerful and good. It's a different thing for lack of a better term.

The book "I Am Brian Wilson" is as unique as the man himself, and has the same kind of unexpected flow and sequencing as his most innovative music. It's not formula, it's not linear, but there are moments of sheer beauty and triumph that pop up unexpectedly when the reader least expects it, or in the middle of a more dry and factual telling of some event. It's along the lines of Smile, or Good Vibrations, or that one musical moment in a song that jumps out and grabs the listener.

If it had been a rote historical telling of the story as I understand some were gnashing their teeth about because "historians" weren't involved enough in the writing, the book would have been collecting dust on the collective shelf. So there is a sour grapes element but there is also the sense that I don't think another rote, linear historical exploration would have served any unique purpose.

I would have loved a Jason Fine book on Brian too, but not as an autobiography. As a biography or even a third-party observation and exploration of Brian in the present day, yes. But that's not what the book was or is.  I'm content and excited to read the next feature Jason writes about Brian. I'm still picking up "I Am Brian Wilson", turning to random pages, and learning new things...just like I can randomly pick out a Smile fragment or Heroes session at random, listen, and hear something new.

Just my opinion.  Smiley
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« Reply #35 on: August 29, 2017, 11:13:56 AM »

btw if Needleinthehay didn't get the joke regarding Al's last name, it seems it's Brian's half-humorous/ half-serious plea "Don't be hard on Al", it's good friendly standing for old friend.

That's a bit like how a parent would explain it to their kid if asked  Grin
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« Reply #36 on: August 29, 2017, 01:54:55 PM »

Not saying doing a postgame dissection of Brian's book and asking "what if?" doesn't have a place, but what fans got was an autobiography that had Brian giving inside details of various events and happenings most specific to the years where the Carlin biography (probably the most definitive IMO up to the autobiography) left off. And we also got Brian in his own words talking about past events too, specific to his perspective.

Jason Fine is a terrific writer and journalist. His articles are always enjoyable, informative, and above all very very well-written to where there is a certain flow to them that everyone can latch onto and get the main ideas of the piece and the subject being written about. He also does seem to have a certain rapport with Brian personally where there is a sense of openness and letting guards down in the moment, and that comes through in the article. So yes, I'm biased but I really look forward to reading Jason's work.

Having said that, the articles and features Jason has written about Brian are so strong - IMO - in part because they are in the now, meaning it feels like a conversation and a report about the current events of the moment in Brian's life. Again, it's the mark of a very skillful journalist to capture the whole scene along with the relevant interview points and comments.

Brian's book is an autobiography, which translates into Brian himself talking about events in his life. It's Brian telling the story. That's the design and format of the book.


I agree with many of your points. I like the way things turned out. I enjoyed Brian's book immensely for its weird randomness and unique anecdotes, as well as the look into Brian's thoughts. And I like Jason Fine's features on Brian because the rapport he has developed with Brian, as well as his skill, allow him to present a fascinating look at (presumably) the real Brian today. There's no "Brian Wilson is a difficult interview. His answers to my questions are terse, and I find myself out of things to ask before the allotted time is up." That's so common, taking up word count with that explanation for a bad interview. It always means Brian wasn't comfortable enough to open up. Fine gets him to TALK. And he also talks, in a different way, in the autobiography. So I don't have any "what if." I like the way things are.
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« Reply #37 on: August 29, 2017, 03:45:24 PM »

The RS articles on the band, Brian, and Mike over the last few years have all been excellent.
Interesting to hear Brian is thinking about doing a Rock and Rolll album Grin
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« Reply #38 on: August 29, 2017, 05:07:50 PM »


The book "I Am Brian Wilson" is as unique as the man himself, and has the same kind of unexpected flow and sequencing as his most innovative music. It's not formula, it's not linear, but there are moments of sheer beauty and triumph that pop up unexpectedly when the reader least expects it, or in the middle of a more dry and factual telling of some event. It's along the lines of Smile, or Good Vibrations, or that one musical moment in a song that jumps out and grabs the listener.

If it had been a rote historical telling of the story as I understand some were gnashing their teeth about because "historians" weren't involved enough in the writing, the book would have been collecting dust on the collective shelf. So there is a sour grapes element but there is also the sense that I don't think another rote, linear historical exploration would have served any unique purpose.

I would have loved a Jason Fine book on Brian too, but not as an autobiography. As a biography or even a third-party observation and exploration of Brian in the present day, yes. But that's not what the book was or is.  I'm content and excited to read the next feature Jason writes about Brian. I'm still picking up "I Am Brian Wilson", turning to random pages, and learning new things...just like I can randomly pick out a Smile fragment or Heroes session at random, listen, and hear something new.

Just my opinion.  Smiley

Agreed about "I Am Brian Wilson." I do think, however, that much of the credit for this should go to Ben Greenman, who ghostwrote the book. Channeling Brian's thought processes and giving his words additional weight did indeed create a unique take on a tried-and-true format. Artlessly combining and sequencing those memories into something that seamless is another form of modular creativity, so such an approach (one that mimics GV and SMiLE) does seem particularly appropriate.
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« Reply #39 on: August 29, 2017, 10:45:24 PM »

I thought it wouldn't be possible but after reading this I love the guy even more! sh*t, what a motherfucker.
Yes! BW is definitely a g**d*** f***ing m****f****er! His next f***ing album is going to f**k up this m****f**ing world big time! S**t! G**d***it!
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« Reply #40 on: August 30, 2017, 01:09:59 AM »

Seems to me that Brian's recent autobiography would have been a much more interesting read if the writer of this article, Jason Fine, had been the cowriter of I Am Brian Wilson, as originally planned.





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« Reply #41 on: August 30, 2017, 03:30:44 AM »

btw if Needleinthehay didn't get the joke regarding Al's last name, it seems it's Brian's half-humorous/ half-serious plea "Don't be hard on Al", it's good friendly standing for old friend.

That's a bit like how a parent would explain it to their kid if asked  Grin

LOL LOL LOL
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« Reply #42 on: August 30, 2017, 09:10:45 AM »

I would love to read transcripts from Jason Fine's time spent with Brian.  He seems to be the only journalist with that kind of access who makes Brian feel comfortable.  I would definitely buy a book consisting solely of his conversations with Brian.

I didn't realize Brian cursed so much!
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« Reply #43 on: August 30, 2017, 09:17:44 AM »

I would love to read transcripts from Jason Fine's time spent with Brian.  He seems to be the only journalist with that kind of access who makes Brian feel comfortable.  I would definitely buy a book consisting solely of his conversations with Brian.

I didn't realize Brian cursed so much!

In my experience, the more comfortable and relaxed Brian is, the more he swears. So if he swears during a concert, it's another sign he's having a good night and having a good time. He started swearing when I saw him on the 2000 PS tour; asking the audience "how loud can you f**kin' yell?"
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« Reply #44 on: August 30, 2017, 09:18:49 AM »

I would love to read transcripts from Jason Fine's time spent with Brian.  He seems to be the only journalist with that kind of access who makes Brian feel comfortable.  I would definitely buy a book consisting solely of his conversations with Brian.

I didn't realize Brian cursed so much!

Brian seems to let some four letter words slip when he's in high spirits.  

The best BW performance I saw was last September in Bethesda, MD, and he introed GV by shouting "Who wants some godddamn shitty vibrations!!!!"
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« Reply #45 on: August 30, 2017, 09:25:57 AM »

I would love to read transcripts from Jason Fine's time spent with Brian.  He seems to be the only journalist with that kind of access who makes Brian feel comfortable.  I would definitely buy a book consisting solely of his conversations with Brian.

I didn't realize Brian cursed so much!

Brian seems to let some four letter words slip when he's in high spirits.  

The best BW performance I saw was last September in Bethesda, MD, and he introed GV by shouting "Who wants some godddamn shitty vibrations!!!!"

Are you serious?  That is hilarious!
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« Reply #46 on: August 30, 2017, 09:28:14 AM »

We could start a whole thread of songs that Brian introduces with a salty tongue.

"Here's a song I wrote in 1966 called 'God, who the f*!k Knows?' "

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« Reply #47 on: August 30, 2017, 09:29:18 AM »

I would love to read transcripts from Jason Fine's time spent with Brian.  He seems to be the only journalist with that kind of access who makes Brian feel comfortable.  I would definitely buy a book consisting solely of his conversations with Brian.

I didn't realize Brian cursed so much!

Brian seems to let some four letter words slip when he's in high spirits.  

The best BW performance I saw was last September in Bethesda, MD, and he introed GV by shouting "Who wants some godddamn shitty vibrations!!!!"

Are you serious?  That is hilarious!

Yeah, apparently he did that at a few shows in late September of last year, and I'm pretty sure one of them was filmed, so hopefully they got a great BW concert for a Bluray release.
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« Reply #48 on: August 30, 2017, 10:28:04 AM »

Interesting. A friend texted the link to this article, knowing I'm a BB fan. She enjoys BB music but is not a huge fan. I replied, "Yes, I read this and loved it!" She said, "Different reaction than I had, but glad you enjoyed it."

I didn't ask for clarification. I wonder if these things read differently if you don't have the context of having read about Brian for years.
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« Reply #49 on: August 30, 2017, 09:53:39 PM »

We could start a whole thread of songs that Brian introduces with a salty tongue.

"Here's a song I wrote in 1966 called 'God, who the f*!k Knows?' "


"Al Hard-on is going to sing a song called Help Me F***king Rhonda!" "Caroline, F***ing No!" "Surfin' the G***d*** USA" "F**k F**k F**k" 
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