Is Brian Wilson actually left-handed?

[Smile4ever]

I'll go straight to the experts. I've repeatedly read that Brian Wilson is left-handed. In the past I've chalked it up to misinformation that has spread...but maybe it has some credibility. Can you definitively tell me whether or not this is true?

I know Brian plays a bass guitar in the standard right-handed position. But many left-handed people do this. Is Brian left-handed or right-handed? As of now, I'll categorize this as an "unsolved mystery." Hopefully within a few minutes it will be a definitively closed case....

[NiekL]

I'm left handed, but I play guitar and bass right-handed.

But I've seen him writing autographs with his right hand.

[NiekL]

But of course in those times writing with your left hand was often discouraged and childeren were tought to write right-handed. So he may be left-handed, still.

[Gertie J.]

carl is a southpaw.

[Smile4ever]

But of course in those times writing with your left hand was often discouraged and childeren were tought to write right-handed. So he may be left-handed, still.

That's a good point. Does anyone know if any Wilson/BB biographers have ever provided insight into this situation?

[drbeachboy]

Check the baseball pix in the MiC book. Throwing a ball always gives it away.

[Smile4ever]

Check the baseball pix in the MiC book. Throwing a ball always gives it away.

Is it possible he was taught to do it otherwise? Also, I don't have the MiC book. Does anyone know if he's throwing with his right hand?

[southbay]

He throws a baseball left handed; Bats both right and left; writes right handed.  For the record, Carl threw left handed, played guitar right handed, wrote left handed.

[Mikie]

Southbay is correct.  The subject was milked for all it was worth on this thread:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15279.0.html

[Smile4ever]

I read the thread and realize it was extensively discussed. But I don't know if anything conclusive was ever reached.

He throws left-handed. Bats left-handed and sometimes right-handed, and writes with his right hand.

From what I gather, he's got to be either ambidextrous, or he is naturally left-handed and was encouraged to be right-handed as a child?

[Gertie J.]

carl was left-handed, not brian.

[LetHimRun]

Check the baseball pix in the MiC book. Throwing a ball always gives it away.

Not really. I write left handed, use a utensil left handed, throw a ball right handed, use scissors right handed.

[drbeachboy]

Check the baseball pix in the MiC book. Throwing a ball always gives it away.

Not really. I write left handed, use a utensil left handed, throw a ball right handed, use scissors right handed.

I am naturally lefthanded, but write, use a fork and scissors right handed. Sports (throwing), is usually something you learn/do naturally. Even switch hitters in baseball have a natural side. Cool, that you learned to do that, though.

[37!ws]

BTW, those of you who say Brian throws left-handed...in the photo thread, there's a picture of him throwing right-handed.

[southbay]

BTW, those of you who say Brian throws left-handed...in the photo thread, there's a picture of him throwing right-handed.

can you be  more specific, the photo thread is 89 pages long...

[37!ws]

All I remember is somewhere June 2013 or before...

[TV Forces]

According to Wikipedia, "There are four different types of handedness that include: left-handedness, right-handedness, mixed-handedness, and ambidexterity."  It seems some of the folks in this thread are "mixed-handedness," meaning there is a "change of hand preference between different tasks."  When I grew up, we were always told you are whatever hand you write with but that's apparently not the case.  Paul McCartney writes with his left hand, but Kurt Cobain wrote with his right, yet like Paul, he played guitar lefty.  What makes Kurt a lefty?

[southbay]

All I remember is somewhere June 2013 or before...

yep, page 71.  Looks to be from the early 70's, maybe 70 or 71.  The image does not appear to be reversed to my eye.  I don't know what to tell you.  Every other photo I have seen of Brian throwing a baseball (or a volleyball for that matter if one remembers the picture from backstage at Anaheim Stadium) is of him throwing left handed, including throwing out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium, where one would certainly use their preferred throwing hand. What can I say, Brian is a complex guy...

[Smile4ever]

Calling Stebbins and other biographers: take on this challenge and become the first writer to ever give us a definitive scoop on the "handedness" of genius composer Brian Wilson.

[Amy B.]

Calling Stebbins and other biographers: take on this challenge and become the first writer to ever give us a definitive scoop on the "handedness" of genius composer Brian Wilson.

Ha. It shouldn't be that hard, since Brian is alive. It's not like we're trying to figure out if Lincoln was left-handed based on a photo and some account from 1862. I wonder if most people are just mixed-handed. I do everything left-handed except using scissors, which I do right-handed. I cannot for the life of me use scissors left-handed.

[drbeachboy]

Calling Stebbins and other biographers: take on this challenge and become the first writer to ever give us a definitive scoop on the "handedness" of genius composer Brian Wilson.

Ha. It shouldn't be that hard, since Brian is alive. It's not like we're trying to figure out if Lincoln was left-handed based on a photo and some account from 1862. I wonder if most people are just mixed-handed. I do everything left-handed except using scissors, which I do right-handed. I cannot for the life of me use scissors left-handed.

When I was little kid in the early 60's, it was rare finding a pair of lefthanded scissors. Even my very lefthanded brother cuts righthanded.

[bgas]

Calling Stebbins and other biographers: take on this challenge and become the first writer to ever give us a definitive scoop on the "handedness" of genius composer Brian Wilson.

Ha. It shouldn't be that hard, since Brian is alive. It's not like we're trying to figure out if Lincoln was left-handed based on a photo and some account from 1862. I wonder if most people are just mixed-handed. I do everything left-handed except using scissors, which I do right-handed. I cannot for the life of me use scissors left-handed.

When I was little kid in the early 60's, it was rare finding a pair of lefthanded scissors. Even my very lefthanded brother cuts righthanded.

HUh!  Being a rightie I suppose I've never understood all this about having left handed stuff. Scissors are handed?  weird, they seem like it shouldn't matter.
Perhaps lefties should simply learn to use thig right-handed like normal folks... 

[drbeachboy]

Calling Stebbins and other biographers: take on this challenge and become the first writer to ever give us a definitive scoop on the "handedness" of genius composer Brian Wilson.

Ha. It shouldn't be that hard, since Brian is alive. It's not like we're trying to figure out if Lincoln was left-handed based on a photo and some account from 1862. I wonder if most people are just mixed-handed. I do everything left-handed except using scissors, which I do right-handed. I cannot for the life of me use scissors left-handed.

When I was little kid in the early 60's, it was rare finding a pair of lefthanded scissors. Even my very lefthanded brother cuts righthanded.

HUh!  Being a rightie I suppose I've never understood all this about having left handed stuff. Scissors are handed?  weird, they seem like it shouldn't matter.
Perhaps lefties should simply learn to use thig right-handed like normal folks...  

We do, we do! At least we used to.

[RangeRoverA1]

According to Wikipedia, "There are four different types of handedness that include: left-handedness, right-handedness, mixed-handedness, and ambidexterity."  It seems some of the folks in this thread are "mixed-handedness," meaning there is a "change of hand preference between different tasks."

I always thought that there are only 2 types - righties & lefties. So, going by that knowledge, I used to think that I'm righty. But now, after reading that there are additional 2 types of such thing, I'm definitely mixed-handed, i.e. I write, use fork, scissors etc. with my right hand, but everything else I do using the other hand. F.ex., when I imitate playing banjo while listening to the song with banjo solo, I show it backwards, i.e. as left-handed. Other way around, it's inconvenient to me. Anyway, thanks for bringing that tiny extract, Mr. Forces! Very useful fact it is.

As for the subject, I heard that left-handed people are extremely talented, successful & differ from usual right-handed people. They are more creative, quick-minded etc. etc. I don't know if it's correct or not, but sth. tells me that Brian isn't just right-handed that's all. He may very well be ambidextrous.

[37!ws]

BTW, here's the photo from the photo thread that at least implies that Brian could throw right-handed:

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2jkj94J2c1qg49moo10_r1_1280.jpg

Mind you, I'm open to the thinking that the photo could have been flopped...