Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
24 Jun 2025 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: beach boys, brian wilson, in my room
27 Aug 2023 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: alice cooper, brian wilson, john lennon
(via Quora) (Answered by John Leavy)
Both humorous and sad.
Alice Cooper says that he was backstage at the Grammies one year chatting with John Lennon. Later on, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys approached him and said, “That’s John Lennon, isn’t it? Could you introduce us?”
Alice thought, “Wow, I get to introduce two of the all time greats of music.” He introduced them and John cheerfully told Brian what big fans he and Paul McCartney were, and how much The Beach Boys had inspired the the Beatles.
Then, over the next hour, Brian approached Bernie Taupin and a few other people and asked to be introduced to John again and again. Each time, John was gracious and friendly, acting as if he was meeting Brian for the first time ever.
Alice looked at John in confusion. John shrugged, “I’ve known Brian for years. He isn’t well, you know.”
07 Apr 2021 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: beach boys, brian wilson
by Shaun Kelly
When John F. Kennedy flew to Texas to begin his reelection campaign for the presidency on Thursday morning, November 21, 1963, the number-one band in the US consisted of five teens from Southern California called, appropriately enough, The Beach Boys. A heady mixture of cousins, siblings, and neighbors ranging in age from 17 to 23, the fledgling band had already released four long-playing records between 1962 and ’63, with their latest album release, Little Deuce Coupe, establishing itself as one of rock’s first “concept albums.” Within 18 months of their arrival onto the pop musical scene The Beach Boys had already manifested themselves as quintessentially American in style, concept, and sound.
Why then did such an improbable collection of kids from a working-class suburb of Los Angeles grab hold of the imaginations of millions in such a short time? It’s fairly simple, really: The Beach Boys’ were blessed to be led by the group’s lead vocalist, bass player, and primary composer, Brian Wilson. A musical wunderkind whose tastes ranged from Beethoven to The Kingston Trio, Wilson had been influenced by such disparate composers as George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Chuck Berry, and the R&B songwriting duo of Mike Leiber and Jerry Stoller…
Read more: America’s Summer Dream – The Beach Boys Before Dealey Plaza | slkellydotorg
16 Oct 2015 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: beach boys, brian wilson, murry wilson
From early 1965. As the Beach Boys record what would become their second #1 hit, a drunken Murry Wilson (father of Brian, Carl and Dennis) offers the kind of unsolicited input that eventually led to the Boys purchasing a fake mixing console that he could man harmlessly.
Murry’s “help” mostly seems to take the form of taunts, put-downs, muzzy musical advice, and morale-crushing references to how much better they used to sing–and includes his infamous “I’m a genius too” at 2:09.
Notorious head case Brian comes across as the clear-headed one here. And despite Murry’s request to stop recording, Brian makes sure the tape keeps rolling to preserve their exchange. As a result, we have this audio document of the relationship between the band and the father they ultimately had to fire as manager.
Murry’s presence so marred the recording of “Rhonda” that the Beach Boys recorded a new version weeks later.
Incidentally, in a vindictive attempt to top his own sons’ act Murry Wilson began managing a cover band called the Renegades, changing their name to the Sunrays. They hit #51 with “I Live for the Sun”.
06 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: beach boys, brian wilson
19 Jul 2014 1 Comment
in General Posts Tags: beach boys, brian wilson
Brian Wilson was deep into writing songs for a new Beach Boys album when Mike Love pulled the plug on the group’s 2012 reunion tour. “It was a shock,” Wilson says. “I was so proud of how the Boys were singing. Then it just ended.”
For a while, Wilson let the music go: “I was writing for the Boys, so I thought, ‘What am I gonna do without them?'”
But last year he got the idea to bring in guest singers to finish the songs. Wilson had loved working with female vocalists since his early Beach Boys days, when he’d moonlight producing tracks for girl groups like the Honeys, which featured his first wife, Marilyn Rovell. He invited some of his favorite young singers to Ocean Way studios in Hollywood, including Lana Del Rey, Kacey Musgraves and Zooey Deschanel. Frank Ocean rapped on “Special Love,” though the track remains unfinished and may not make the album. A track with Nate Ruess from fun. was more successful: He “sounds a little like my brother Carl,” Wilson says…
Every Moment Has A Song 