Brian Wilson reflects on the Beach Boys

Brian Wilson’s relationship over the years with his legacy as the driving musical force in the Beach Boys has been tumultuous at best. Internal squabbles that contributed to his withdrawal from the band, and effectively from life for many years, didn’t make the prospect of equanimity toward his past seem very likely.

He doesn’t shy from playing the group’s hits at his own concerts nowadays, but when I spoke with him recently, whenever I’d ask a question about “his music,” he’d quickly make the distinction: “Do you mean the Beach Boys' or my music?”

So the surprise, even though Wilson has been sued in recent years by his cousin and former songwriting partner Mike Love — Love lost — and despite cautioning me at the outset of our talk that he wouldn’t field any questions about the Beach Boys, he spoke warmly about the group on his own from time to time.

While we are having lunch at a deli near his home in Beverly Hills, the Beach Boys’ 1968 hit “Do It Again” came over the store’s music channel, prompting him to reflect on writing it with Love four decades ago and just a few miles away at Love’s house in Coldwater Canyon.

“That was the fastest songwriting session I ever experienced,” he said. “I was playing around with the music and Mike just wrote the words as we went along. ... Mike wrote a lot of really good lyrics.”

He also reminisced about teaching Love, his brothers Carl and Dennis and fellow member Al Jardine  the individual parts to his exquisitely complex harmonies that distinguished their signature songs — the same method he still uses with the Brian Wilson band that’s been backing him for the last decade.

Just then, a hint of competitiveness popped up.

“The people in my band now,” he said, “they’re better singers than the Beach Boys.”

A full profile of Wilson, talking about his new album "That Lucky Old Sun," appears here.

-- Randy Lewis

-Photo by AP Photo/Matt Sayles

Comments

[Brien Comerford]

Brian Wilson and his musical hero and fellow master of melodic music, namely, Paul McCartney, have released great recent CDs. Wilson's "That Lucky Old Sun" and McCartney's "Memory Almost Full" are exemplary CDs.

[Bennie and Edna Negy]

I disagree w/ Brian or Mike Love's comparison's to the Beach Boys' songs! The Beach Boys are an AMERICON icon. The BB'S reflect America ! Mike Love won 5 million dollars in royalty from Brian for song writing credits. It is a shame they can't see how BLESSED they are . God has given them such talent in the music industry. They need to put their greed & pride aside & what is left of them(Al Jardine, Brian Wilson, Mike Love & Bruce Johnston) and , if You're going to tour & play those classic songs, do it together. As their song says"Do it Again"!