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Featured Replies

Just saw this, a titan. The only dude the Beatles feared for songwriting prowess 

Jeez.  RIP.

What a sad couple of days.  He and Sly were the same age.

My dad loved The Beach Boys.  They were always on. So I loved them.

This is my favorite.  RIP.

 

13 minutes ago, Harrison Stafford said:

God only knows what we’ll be without Brian Wilson.

So many great songs about summer and youth on that album and their others. 

One of the first things that came to mind on reading this was Neil Young's lyric in "Long May You Run." Several others have already touched on Wilson's influence, and Neil Young got that. What an evocative set of lines:

Maybe the Beach Boys have got you now
With those waves singing "Caroline"
(Oh "Caroline, No")
Rolling down that empty ocean road
Getting to the surf on time

 

Knew it was coming, but still a kick in the gut.  Thank you Brian, for making me cry and making me smile.  They'll study your music for centuries and still not ever fully understand it.

 

  • Author

If you haven't seen it, the Beach Boys documentary on Disney+ is really good. 

 

They are my earliest memory of being exposed to music. My best friend's mom across the street loved The Beach Boys and was always playing their albums. Either she or I (or both of us) was obsessed with Kokomo because that's the song I remember her playing.

Driving across LA in a van with my dad, little brother and I, Beach Boys blaring, seeing surf boards on top of cars.  Everything felt whole.  RIP, and thank you for the fantastic memory soundtrack tunes. 

There aren't too many artists who can take the same 12 notes and twist them into something wholly different from a melodic and harmonic perspective.  He was one of them, up there with titans like Stravinsky, Mozart, Miles Davis, etc.  Crazy talented dude.

Growing up it was The Beatles, Beach Boys, Elvis, and The Rolling Stones. RIP to a legend and thanks for the soundtrack of my youth.

RIP, Genius.  So many great songs. 

Damn -- Brian Wilson and Sly Stone both in the same week?!  Tough to handle for music lovers.

 

So sad to see the great ones from my earlier years slipping away.

Quote

 

One way to understand Brian Wilson's genius is to listen to all of the songs he wrote and arranged, which would be very pleasing but would take a very long time. The other way is to listen to Kokomo, a rare Beach Boys song where he had no involvement, and draw inferences from there.

 

Unattributed

21 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

So sad to see the great ones from my earlier years slipping away.

yes RIP Mozart.

  • Author
1 hour ago, G650 said:

Just saw this, a titan. The only dude the Beatles feared for songwriting prowess 

Rubber Soul pushed Brian Wilson to make Pet Sounds. Pet Sounds pushed Paul & John to make Sgt Peppers. That's why Good Morning Good Morning has the animal noises. It was their tip of the cap to Brian. 

Edited by mdmost

IMG_8902.thumb.jpeg.760469014fb44be125091afe8b361ef9.jpeg

I fucking hate the Eagles, man.

It's hard to argue that BW didn't have one of the most melodic ears ever. His tapestry was so much bigger than all but a very, very select few.

RIP Brian.

Just spent a very pleasurable 2 hours on the back patio, smoking a cigar, drinking good bourbon, and listening to sublime song after song written, arranged, and performed by Brian Wilson and his fellow Beach Boys.  When "God Only Knows" hit the queue, there was nothing to do but raise my glass in tribute to someone who gave us so much beauty.

19 hours ago, HenryJames said:

IMG_8902.jpeg

Reminds me of an ancecdote from Alice Cooper, never been able to find an official confirmation but it has been re-printed everywhere, and it seems believable...

 

“I was sitting backstage after the 1974 Grammys with Bernie Taupin (Elton John’s lyricist) and John Lennon. This was when Brian was really having some mental issues,” said Cooper. “During the course of the conversation, I kept seeing Brian out of the corner of my eye, just kind of staring at us from different angles.” “Finally, he came up to the table, bent down and whispered in my ear ‘Hey Alice, introduce me to John Lennon.’ I couldn’t BELIEVE that these two men had never met! They were virtually neck and neck in the 60’s as the greatest bands on the planet, and I’m SURE they must have crossed paths at some point. But then I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I’m going to be the one to introduce them and become a part of rock history!’”

“So I merely said, ‘Brian Wilson, this is John Lennon. John Lennon, this is Brian Wilson.’ Lennon was very cordial and polite, saying things like ‘Hello Brian, I’ve always wanted to meet you. I’ve always admired your work, and Paul and I considered Pet Sounds one of the best albums ever made.’ Brian thanked him and walked away, at which point Lennon went right back to his conversation like nothing had happened.”

“About ten minutes later, Brian came by our table again, leaned down and whispered something to Bernie, and all of a sudden, Bernie was saying ‘Brian Wilson, this is John Lennon. John Lennon, Brian Wilson.’ Lennon was just as cordial and polite as the first time, saying essentially the same thing about always wanting to meet him. As soon as Brian walked away, John looked at both of us and casually said in his typical Liverpudlian accent, ‘I’ve met him hundreds of times. He’s not well, you know.’” We were impressed by John’s empathy and kindness in dealing with Brian and thankful that Brian has found some mental stability following tumultuous times.

 

On 6/11/2025 at 12:24 PM, Harrison Stafford said:

God only knows what we’ll be without Brian Wilson.

Sting did a nice tribute. Great song. 

 

 

 

RIP Mr. Wilson.  Genius?  OK, I guess maybe he was. Influential?  I suppose he was. 

But all y'all motherfuckers completely lack perspective.  

He wrote and produced "great" songs that nobody listens to.   Seriously, does anybody have the Beach Boys as part of their regular listening rotation?   Not fucking me and I've lived in SoCal my entire life.  Revolver?  Sure.  Abbey Road?  Definitely.   Exile on Main Street?  Yep.   Pet Sounds?  Fuck no.  

Who says "Siri, play Little Deuce Coupe"?   Fucking nobody, that's who.  If "Happiness is a Warm Gun" comes on the radio I crank it.  If "In my room" comes on the radio, I change the channel.  No, wait, I don't change the channel, because it doesn't come on the radio because nobody wants to hear that shit. 

 Maybe some of you cats will play some Beach Boys because he just died.  But you haven't played them in a long time, and you wont be playing them anytime soon after this settles down. 

 

Their 2012 reunion album and following tour with the legit living band members was really surprisingly great. Check it out if you haven't heard it.

Amazing ear for harmony and interesting changes, funky left field ideas that somehow worked brilliantly. He could make a goofy teenage surfing song sound like great art. Yeah, I'd call that genius. He had a gift only a few people on the planet ever approached. Don't let his awkward persona fool you. It was all about music.

15 hours ago, UTCzech III said:

Reminds me of an ancecdote from Alice Cooper, never been able to find an official confirmation but it has been re-printed everywhere, and it seems believable...

 

“I was sitting backstage after the 1974 Grammys with Bernie Taupin (Elton John’s lyricist) and John Lennon. This was when Brian was really having some mental issues,” said Cooper. “During the course of the conversation, I kept seeing Brian out of the corner of my eye, just kind of staring at us from different angles.” “Finally, he came up to the table, bent down and whispered in my ear ‘Hey Alice, introduce me to John Lennon.’ I couldn’t BELIEVE that these two men had never met! They were virtually neck and neck in the 60’s as the greatest bands on the planet, and I’m SURE they must have crossed paths at some point. But then I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I’m going to be the one to introduce them and become a part of rock history!’”

“So I merely said, ‘Brian Wilson, this is John Lennon. John Lennon, this is Brian Wilson.’ Lennon was very cordial and polite, saying things like ‘Hello Brian, I’ve always wanted to meet you. I’ve always admired your work, and Paul and I considered Pet Sounds one of the best albums ever made.’ Brian thanked him and walked away, at which point Lennon went right back to his conversation like nothing had happened.”

“About ten minutes later, Brian came by our table again, leaned down and whispered something to Bernie, and all of a sudden, Bernie was saying ‘Brian Wilson, this is John Lennon. John Lennon, Brian Wilson.’ Lennon was just as cordial and polite as the first time, saying essentially the same thing about always wanting to meet him. As soon as Brian walked away, John looked at both of us and casually said in his typical Liverpudlian accent, ‘I’ve met him hundreds of times. He’s not well, you know.’” We were impressed by John’s empathy and kindness in dealing with Brian and thankful that Brian has found some mental stability following tumultuous times.

 

 

Bernie wrote about it. This is a nice listen from Otis Gibbs.

 

5 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

RIP Mr. Wilson.  Genius?  OK, I guess maybe he was. Influential?  I suppose he was. 

But all y'all motherfuckers completely lack perspective.  

He wrote and produced "great" songs that nobody listens to.   Seriously, does anybody have the Beach Boys as part of their regular listening rotation?   Not fucking me and I've lived in SoCal my entire life.  Revolver?  Sure.  Abbey Road?  Definitely.   Exile on Main Street?  Yep.   Pet Sounds?  Fuck no.  

Who says "Siri, play Little Deuce Coupe"?   Fucking nobody, that's who.  If "Happiness is a Warm Gun" comes on the radio I crank it.  If "In my room" comes on the radio, I change the channel.  No, wait, I don't change the channel, because it doesn't come on the radio because nobody wants to hear that shit. 

 Maybe some of you cats will play some Beach Boys because he just died.  But you haven't played them in a long time, and you wont be playing them anytime soon after this settles down. 

 

We know you're a dork Gil, you didn't have to write five paragraphs expounding on that.

6 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

nobody wants to hear that shit. 

 Maybe some of you cats will play some Beach Boys because he just died.  But you haven't played them in a long time, and you wont be playing them anytime soon after this settles down. 

 

I see that you’ve never met my dad, and that’s ok. 

Gil’s so tough he'd eat the boogers out of a dead man's nose, then ask for seconds.

7 hours ago, DougO said:

 

Bernie wrote about it. This is a nice listen from Otis Gibbs.

 

Very cool, thanks, I will pick that up, even Bernie's prose is so fucking fantastic.

1 hour ago, randomhorn said:

Gil’s so tough he'd eat the boogers out of a dead man's nose, then ask for seconds.

After checking to see how big the dead man’s cock is. 

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