Has anyone met Brian Wilson?

[Awesoman]

Have never met Brian Wilson but I've met both his daughters when the performed with Al at Stone Mountain, GA.  They were both nice; even had a brief instant message chat with Carnie at one point.  Worked backstage at Chastain Park in Atlanta and got my picture with Mike Love (which happens to be my avatar).  Drove the backup band from the hotel to the venue; Chris Farmer in particular was a really nice guy.  Tried to talk to Bruce but he was coming and going.  Seemed friendly enough. 

Considering that I don't know what kind of Brian Wilson I might be encountering if I ever had the chance to meet him, I'll be ok if I don't get that opportunity.  I get the impression he would be totally fine with being left alone.  :-)

[Awesoman]

And on a side note, a girl I knew in high school once told me an encounter she had with the Beach Boys.  She went to one of their shows when she was very young and it was particularly cold that evening.  She was up front near the stage and one of the band members noticed she appeared to be rather cold.  She told me one of the Beach Boys gave her their jacket to warm up.  I asked her if she remembered which one and she didn't know for sure, but seemed to think it was Carl. 

[mikeyj]

And on a side note, a girl I knew in high school once told me an encounter she had with the Beach Boys.  She went to one of their shows when she was very young and it was particularly cold that evening.  She was up front near the stage and one of the band members noticed she appeared to be rather cold.  She told me one of the Beach Boys gave her their jacket to warm up.  I asked her if she remembered which one and she didn't know for sure, but seemed to think it was Carl. 

cool story... good ol' Carl

[Ptolemaios]

I met Brian after a Smile concert in Stockholm back in 2004. He signed my Pet Sounds cd booklet, or atleast draw two blurry lines on it I will never forget his eyes, he seemed like he was insane. Those eyes were on fire. I remember the look exactly like it was yesterday. Made me feel sad for him.

[mikeyj]

I met Brian after a Smile concert in Stockholm back in 2004. He signed my Pet Sounds cd booklet, or atleast draw two blurry lines on it I will never forget his eyes, he seemed like he was insane. Those eyes were on fire. I remember the look exactly like it was yesterday. Made me feel sad for him.

When I met him he signed my Pet Sounds cd booklet too! I was going to bring my Pet Sounds vinyl, but I didn't want to carry it all the way into the city (ie: Sydney) as it didn't fit in my bag and I wasn't sure if he was going to be there to begin with (but I had a feeling he was).... I also got my photo with him which was pretty cool cause it turned out pretty well. All in all a great experience... I was just really happy to see him perform live, so to get his autograph and a photo with him topped off a great four days!!

As for Brian's eyes, well he has been through a lot and as they say, the eyes are the windows to ones soul.

[MBE]

The first picture where I think the eyes look scared is on the back of Holland.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Scared? More like haunted. Yikes...

[kookadams]

Hopefully no one minds me bumping this topic back up, but after yesterday, I can finally say that, indeed, I HAVE met Brian Wilson! 

This weekend, he was signing new copies of the "That Lucky Old Sun" DVD at two Guitar Centers around L.A. (Hollywood and Northridge, to be exact) and then a Guitar Center in La Mesa, which is in San Diego.  Even though I'm far closer to the first two locations, things didn't work out Saturday and so me and a friend ended up driving two hours to SD to meet him.  We head over there, get there about two hours before the signing and I'm 12th in line.  The line built up around the time he got there (it was due to begin at 1 P.M.) and he shows up in a nice Saturn that was parked two spots next to my car (as I was walking back to my car you could see on the windshield that he was a guest at the Muholland Estates the night before).  We're able to film him walking in (brought my camcorder) and then the signing starts.  They let in 5 people at a time and, first, you'd have to buy either TLOS on CD or the new DVD in order to get him to sign, plus one additional flat item.  So I buy the DVD and then walk right up to him.  I was beyond nervous: I was walking up to THE MAN, my musical idol.  I hand him my TLOS DVD and "Pet Sounds" vinyl for him to sign and as he's signing, he says: "Hi, how are you doing?!"  Inside, I just sort of turned into a 12 year old, thinking: "Oh My God, Brian Wilson just asked me a something!  Oh My God, Oh My God, Oh My God!!"  I answer him and then once he's done, I ask if I could shake his hand and he says: "Sure!" and I shake it and I said something like: "Thank you for all the great music, you're truly a genius, sir," and walk off.  Of course, it sounded incredibly awkward, and I had even rehearsed saying it (at least I didn't go with my other line: "Brian, I love your music as much as you love "Be My Baby!"), but I said it, nonetheless. 

We were able to film him walking in and my friend (I didn't know this until afterwards) asked Brian before the signing started whether he could take a picture of him, to which Brian said yes.  So I have a sweet photo of Brian posing directly into my camera with a little smile (my newest desktop, by the way).  Unfortunately, the moment of me being up there with him wasn't really captured because security didn't want photographs taken with Brian AND the person he was signing for (just Brian was fine, though).  My friend tried to sneak one anyways, but because he rushed it so security wouldn't see it, and because people were coming up, the photo blurred, so the closest thing I have is an incredibly blurry Brian and part of my body and face... you can barely make it out, yet it's now one of my most valued photos.   

All in all a great day.  He seemed to be in good spirits and he looked good, I'm happy to say.  I had heard reports that he only signed for 15 minutes or so in Northridge the night before and took off because he was tired, so I was a little nervous how he'd be, but he really did look good.  Keep in mind the following note, though, which I didn't say before: I suffer from kidney stones around once a year, usually in the fall.  When I woke up yesterday morning, I woke up with that horrible pain.  Out of all days.  Somehow, I managed to brave it out and still go to SD, and in an act of divine intervention, the pain managed to subside nearly the whole time I was there, until coming back near when I got home.  I wasn't missing this for anything. 

So there you go.  Not as awesome as some of the other stories on this thread, but thought I'd add it! 

I was there too man I think I was talkin' to you for awhile in line if you remember. Anyway that was the first time I met Brian too. There's so much I wanted to say and all I could come up with was "thank you for everything you've done" or some sh*t. I've wanted to meet him since I was a kid when I became a Beach Boys fanatic at 7 years old. He looked at me and kinda nodded and that was it I didn't even know we were aloud to shake his hand since the security there was strict about giving him his space and how and when photos could be taken. I got him to sign my Good Vibrations 45 and TLOS DVD. Prior to that there was a radio station doing a promo for the his upcoming show in San Diego where you spin a wheel and have the chance to win tickets and I won 'em! I was so excited. But yeah man I think I was talkin' to you in line.
-Josh (kookadams@hotmail.com & myspace.com/adams)

[The Shift]

I got to "meet" Brian at a few backstage meet & greets during the initial SMiLE tour of the UK in 04.

Most of the time he was quiet as folk came out with the "thanks for the music" lines and was in production line mode, signing, occasionally shaking hands but saying nothing.

But on one occasion as he was signing my programme (or some such...) I mentioned to him how the performances seemed to be getting tighter and more confident every night (I went to 10 of the gigs!), he suddenly looked me in the eye and came to life: "Yeah, we're getting better every night, real strong..." he said, or something like that.

He went from one extreme to the other in a flash, and the new extreme was a guy fully alert, enthusiastic and fired up about the shows. I was so gobsmacked I could only mumble in reply, shake his hand and, erm, thank him for the music!

The next time I went to a meet at greet, at the Birmingham gig, it was the last of that tour I was attending. I didn't take anything to sign; I just stood in line, and when it came my turn I just thanked him for the wonderful tour.

He looked a little surprised that I didn't want a signature but wasn't phased.

I also got to meet & greet him at one of the RFH Pet Sounds shows in 02 -  he signed my copy of Kingsley Abbott's book "he Beach Boys' Pet Sounds: The Greatest Album of the Twentieth Century" which was already signed by the author earlier that evening, inscribed very nicely indeed as a memento of that great gig.

Does Kingsley post here. or lurk, I wonder?  Very, very nice guy, & very knowledgeable.

[shelter]

I really hate to be a spoil sport and ruin a good story...but nevertheless it needs to be said....The Kingsmen toured with the BBs on the Summer Safari tour (July-Aug 1964) and "Wendy" was recorded before that tour (April-May at the latest)....so there's a memory problem there...Clearly Brian didn't write Wendy on a tour bus in July 1964....That's the problem with memories....it was probably another song

Since the story's already ruined...  Of course it's very well possible (even likely, if you ask me) that Brian writing songs in his sleep was a put-on too... If they were constantly trying to fool people it could very well be that they were just fooling their support act with a song that they'd written before the tour...

[Chris Brown]

I really hate to be a spoil sport and ruin a good story...but nevertheless it needs to be said....The Kingsmen toured with the BBs on the Summer Safari tour (July-Aug 1964) and "Wendy" was recorded before that tour (April-May at the latest)....so there's a memory problem there...Clearly Brian didn't write Wendy on a tour bus in July 1964....That's the problem with memories....it was probably another song

Since the story's already ruined...  Of course it's very well possible (even likely, if you ask me) that Brian writing songs in his sleep was a put-on too... If they were constantly trying to fool people it could very well be that they were just fooling their support act with a song that they'd written before the tour...

I never thought of that, but you could very well be right.  I can see them doing something like that.

At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if it was true.  Macca fell out of bed and wrote "Yesterday," so I'm sure Brian could have written a song in his sleep too.

[shelter]

I'm willing to believe that someone can come up with a melody in his sleep, but a complete vocal arrangement?

[lance]

Well, why not?

[shelter]

Well, why not?

There's a huge difference between just thinking up something as basic as a melody and something as complicated as a four part vocal arrangement. I think the first is something natural that everyone can do (some better than others obviously) and the second is a skill. And I know Brian Wilson circa 1964 was a more gifted songwriter and arranger than pretty much everyone else on the planet, but I find it hard to believe that he was so gifted that he could even use his skills in his sleep...

[The Shift]

Well, why not?

There's a huge difference between just thinking up something as basic as a melody and something as complicated as a four part vocal arrangement. I think the first is something natural that everyone can do (some better than others obviously) and the second is a skill. And I know Brian Wilson circa 1964 was a more gifted songwriter and arranger than pretty much everyone else on the planet, but I find it hard to believe that he was so gifted that he could even use his skills in his sleep...

When I was a kid I could never master the skills of making paper airplanes until I dreamed how to do it. But I guess the four-part harmony equivalent would be dreaming how to build my own spitfire from scratch!

[Black Tiger]

And I know Brian Wilson circa 1964 was a more gifted songwriter and arranger than pretty much everyone else on the planet, but I find it hard to believe that he was so gifted that he could even use his skills in his sleep...

The key word there is gifted; where did that gift come from? Brian would say it was from God. If God could gift him with such an incredible ability to arrange in his waking state, is it so hard to imagine that he could also receive this gift in his sleep? This is how Milton was said to have composed Paradise Lost. He received divine inspiration in his sleep and then dictated the poetry to his daughters next morning.

[lance]

I think it's more than possible that BW(or any decent arranger) could dream up part of a vocal arrangement in his sleep, especially when your "tool" is the Beach Boys who probably could have naturally done a vocal arrangement themselves, wake up, teach it to the others and finish it at the same time. Now if you told me he dreamed all the parts recorded for Breakaway I'd be skeptical...but "Wendy" or something? I can believe it.

[Aegir]

Brian used to obsessively listen to Four Freshmen records. He knows how to harmonize anything. If he woke up with a melody in his head, he could easily come up with harmonies for it on the spot.

[Joel Goldenberg]

Meeting #1. In late July 2001. I was in NYC and stood in line to get standby tickets to Conan, specifically because Brian was the musical guest. I was the first one to not get a ticket, but I waited at Rockefeller Center anyway, determined to meet Brian. He finally came out, and one other fan was there as well. Unfortunately, Brian seemed catatonic that day (he was standing alone waiting for Melinda to come with a car), and didn't really respond to us, except to shake our hands.

Encounter #2 - about May or June 2005. I'm a journalist, and our entertainment editor knew I was knowledgeable about the BBs, so he asked me to interview Brian on the phone in advance of his Montreal Smile show. I was never so nervous about an interview in my life, knowing full well I could be getting one-word answers and knowing a phone interview is limiting. The interview wasn't too bad, although I couldn't resist some fanboy questions. But when he said "hello, Joel" in what sounded like his prime voice, I was in heaven! Brian was most enthusiastic when I praised the Smile DVD.

Meeting #2- I bought and won tickets for the abovementioned concert, which was fantastic. Got backstage in between sets, and Brian signed loads of things for me, and was encouraged to do so by his assistant Scott Bennett— Smile CD, Imagination, other things. You could tell that Brian is treated with kid gloves. Met Melinda (very nice) and some members of the band as well, including Taylor Mills. Not Darian though. The best product of that meeting with Brian is my new avatar.

Missed meeting #3. Saw Brian again for the Gershwin tour, but didn't get back stage.

Dream meeting #1: Had a dream I was in an obscure bookstore,and I hear an acoustic version of Sgt. Pepper playing over the speakers. Turns out its Paul McCartney and Brian busking, and I'm the only one watching them.

Dream meeting #2: Had the common dream in which I procrastinated and did not complete a school project. I thought of an essay topic, and asked Brian to link Gershwin and the BBs.

Dream meeting #3: Had a dream that I saw Brian flailing on stage with his bass circa '77, and then met today's Brian, asked how his kids are and got an enthusiastic but hard to understand answer.

[Mikie]

I met Brian inside his house in Bel-Aire in 1976, at his autobiography book signing in the early 90's in S.F., at a Beach Boys convention in San Diego in the early 90's, the Lucky Old Sun signing, and at a SMiLE album signing in 2011 in S.F. There's been a couple of times when I knew he was off the road that I wanted to meet him at his favorite deli for lunch, but decided just to leave him alone.

[ThyRavenAscend]

I'm a youngin' (24 y/o), so growing up listening to the Beach Boys and seeing that they were in "black and white" caused me to think of them as history.  So, that I met Brian Wilson was a genuine surprise.

My dad & I went to a Brian Wilson show two summers ago in Iowa (which is another reason why I never thought I'd meet BW or any celebrity for that matter: I lived in Iowa lol).  Before the show, Brian was in his tour bus and evidently they decided to let the few dozen people near the bus step into the bus one at a time to have Brian sign something.  I didn't have anything for him to sign, and I didn't care: I just wanted to meet my hero.  So I stepped in, I shook his hand, I think I told him thank-you or something, he asked Jeff, "Is this the meet-and-greet?", and that was that.  Honestly, I'm not even sure BW knew I was there, so that's why I like to say that, "I met Brian Wilson, but I don't think Brian Wilson met me." 

I imagine that's probably a terribly boring story for some of you older folk who grew up with the BB and met them when they were younger--but for me, meeting BW was like meeting someone from history.  It was an experience I never thought I'd have, so I am grateful to have had it at all.

[Crow]

I have never met Brian Wilson but through a friend in the radio business I have met David Sandler a couple of times. The most memorable was around 1990 I think. I got to hang with him in his house (we both live in Minnesota). He had great Brian Wilson stories, about Spring and seeing the album for the first time and how amazing that was. He sat at his piano and played songs and went through why Brian is so amazing. Then he would play songs without singing the lyrics and make me guess which songs they were. I got them all except the Love you songs (I hadn't gotten to that album yet!). He even gave me a cassette with a few original songs on it. Super amazing experience.

[ThyRavenAscend]

I have never met Brian Wilson but through a friend in the radio business I have met David Sandler a couple of times. The most memorable was around 1990 I think. I got to hang with him in his house (we both live in Minnesota). He had great Brian Wilson stories, about Spring and seeing the album for the first time and how amazing that was. He sat at his piano and played songs and went through why Brian is so amazing. Then he would play songs without singing the lyrics and make me guess which songs they were. I got them all except the Love you songs (I hadn't gotten to that album yet!). He even gave me a cassette with a few original songs on it. Super amazing experience.

Neat connection: the band my dad was in recorded a single with David Sandler in the 70's:
'The Sunday Social recorded...“Too Heavy To Carry” in January 1972...in Minneapolis with David Sandler producing.' (From: https://www.iowarocknroll.com/inductees/247/sunday-social)

(I posted the single on MySpace back when MySpace was cool.  My dad's playing rhythm guitar; I think the song is pretty great: https://myspace.com/sundaysocialmusic/music/song/too-heavy-to-carry-23002308-22803493)

[Generation42]

(I posted the single on MySpace back when MySpace was cool.  My dad's playing rhythm guitar; I think the song is pretty great: https://myspace.com/sundaysocialmusic/music/song/too-heavy-to-carry-23002308-22803493)

That was nice.  A bit of a surprise swing in the chorus, there, too.   

Is your Dad one of the fellas in the picture, then?


Oh, and I've never met Brian, but I really enjoyed seeing him live with the 'Boys during C50!  If I ever had the opportunity, I'd love to play music with him some day.

[Orange Crate Art]

I met Brian in Providence Rhode Island in November of 2009. It lasted about 60 seconds, it was backstage, he was very nice and signed my concert poster. We shook hands (I was so thrilled that I forgot to take my pen out of my hand when we shook hands...lol). And then he played an incredible set. It was at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel. My profile picture shows my meeting with Brian from that night.