Brian Wilson Interview + Tarantula + Sand Pebbles

No-one's gonna win a Pulitzer prize writing up their Brian Wilson interview. The man, as has been catalogued a thousand times, doesn't give good interview. His clipped, brief-to-the-point-of-curt answers are dealt out in Presbyterian portions - enough to answer the specific question, and no more. No Bono-like dissertations, no Lou Reed grumpiness, no Pete Townsend confessionals. No colour. I had 25 questions ready, and I asked them all in 15 minutes. Apart from the merest hint of the triumphant, you could be talking to Brian Wilson's book keeper.

All that granted, there's still something moving about talking to the guy. You know you're listening to a performer who's come through a brutal childhood, several breakdowns at the height of his group's popularity and some dodgy LA psychiatry to deliver the most beautiful pop hymns of the modern era. Doesn't matter what he says, what you hear between the lines is 'I'm a survivor. Took it all, and I'm still here, making beautiful, uplifting music because that's the only thing that matters.'

Are you enjoying the touring experience more these days? In the past you haven't been so keen…
Well, I used to be real scared to perform. Nowadays, I don't get so scared before a performance - I used to get real scared and very, very nervous, to the point where I almost had to throw up I was so nervous - but I'm ok now…

do you have any rituals you go through before a show?
yeah, I go (sings a scale) 'ma ma ma ma ma ma maaa'. I do vocal exercises for about 10 minutes, then straight on to the stage…

the reaction to your live shows has been fantastic both here and elsewhere. It must be gratifying to have those songs mean so much to people all these years later…
well they love the Beach Boy songs and Brian Wilson songs, but people love Smile more than anything. They think it's great…

why do you think that is?
because it's a great, happy, jovial album. It's a happy teenage symphony to God and everybody likes it…

there's a real diversity of song styles that flows through Smile. What song has been the most challenging to reproduce live?
I find 'Surf's Up' the hardest one to do live…

why is that?
it's just that the melody goes waaay up high and way down low - it's just very hard to sing…

it's interesting you mention that - I was wondering if you still sing the songs in the original key you wrote them in?
oh yeah - the songs are all in the same keys. They've just been twisted around a little bit…

tell us how the whole Smile redux thing came about…
well, about 9 months ago my wife said to me, she goes, er "I think the world is ready for Smile now" and I agreed. So I taught my orchestra Smile, then we took it to London and premiered it in London, where we got standing ovations 6 nights in a row - they loved it there. Then we were so thrilled about that we went into the studio and recorded it.

because there've been periods in the past where you didn't want to talk about it - a chapter in your life you didn't want to revisit. It must have been a real turning point to finally say 'let's do it'…
it represented a dream come true, that we'd waited for for 38 years. A dream come true was what it was…

for those who don't know the history, why was it never released? What was it that stopped you?
Well Van Dyke (Parks) and I thought we were too far ahead of our time, so we both agreed to shelve it, put it on the shelf for 38 years. We just put it on the shelf, we didn't know how long it would stay there (laughs)... but we knew it was too advanced for people…

with the new release, was it a case of comparing back and forth between the original and new versions?

Nah, we just touched up the lyrics and melodies for the first 2 movements, then we created a third movement all about Hawaii and water and paradise, then we did it…

how has your success as a solo artist in the last few years made you reflect back on your Beach Boys legacy? There were some ups and downs in that history for you…
I'm happy I went out on my own. I'm much happier on stage now because my band plays better and sings better than The Beach Boys…

Have any of the Beach Boys come to see your shows?
No, we don't talk to each other - ever…

Apparently Mike Love has done an interview in an upcoming Mojo magazine - have you heard anything about that?
No I haven't - what'd he say?

It hasn't come out here yet, but apparently he says he wasn't the guy who stood in the way of Pet Sounds and Smile - he says he's been unfairly portrayed. You haven't seen or heard any of that?
(long pause) no, I haven't…

what Beach Boys tunes apart from the Smile songs do you do in the live show?
we do God Only Knows, California Girls, Help Me Rhonda, Barbara Ann, Fun Fun Fun, Surfin' USA and Do It Again - and Surfer Girl and In My Room, so we do a lot of Beach Boys songs…

and you perform the entire Smile album?
we do the whole album as a continuum - from one section to the other…

that must make for an intense performance…
it's not intense, it's just a happy experience, because it's very uplifting music, that's a good way to put it - uplifting. Is that lifting you up enough? (laughs)

Legend has it that Paul McCartney was chewing on a carrot for the original take of 'Vege-Tables'.
yeah, that was true. We gave him a carrot and a celery stalk, and he chewed 'em up while we were recording. We were all laughing real hard, you know…he got us laughing real hard

Good Vibrations is often mentioned as the best pop song of all time. Are you happy to claim that honour?
I think it's one of the best songs - I don't think Good Vibrations is the best song of all - I think it's one of the better records ever made. I think The Ronettes made some good records, and I think so did The Beatles. So, it's a matter of taste…

What would you put up there from The Ronettes and The Beatles as ranking alongside yours?
'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' would be a pretty good record…

what about pop writers and performers working today. Are there any that you particularly admire?
No, I actually still admire Paul McCartney and The Beatles' music, but I don't really listen to radio anymore

you don't listen to radio at all?
no - there's nothing going on… as far as I can see and hear, there's really nothing serious going on in the business, as far as I know… except for Smile, I think Smile is one of the better things going down…

There's talk you're writing new songs as we speak - what inspires you sit down at the piano and write these days?
Lately it's been my wife that's been inspiring me, you know - and my kids… it used to be Phil Spector that used to inspire me, but not as much anymore…

what about the beach and the ocean, is that still a source of inspiration?
no, I don't go to the beach anymore … I lived on the ocean for 9 years in Malibu in the 80's and early 90's and now I don't go to the beach anymore…

are there people you'd like to work with in the future?
I'd like to work with Spector if he'd ever want to produce me, and that's about it - otherwise I'll produce myself…

your touring party must be pretty big with an onstage band of 19 - what's the vibe like in the Wilson tour bus - party central or cups of tea after the show?
it's a quiet little cup of tea for us - nothing too rambunctious (laughs)…