Departed
Former Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2019 3:05:10 GMT -5
[This is an old thread I started on the Pet Sounds Forum, but I thought it might be worth restarting here.]Look, Im a big Brian fan. Always have been. At one time, you definitely could have called me a "Brianista." And no matter what, Today/Pet Sounds/SMiLE/Smiley Smile/Love You/That Lucky Old Sun/The Paley Sessions and a whole boatload of random songs before, after and in between all those are more than enough to make him my favorite artist no matter what. I care about Brian as a person too and not just the music. And I will say, I think he's been doing far better as a person these last twenty years than he was before or would be if he hadn't met Melinda. I dont think he'd be in a good place if left purely to himself and obviously he wouldn't be anywhere near in good shape if left with Landy. In all probability Landy would have milked him dry with new album proceeds for as long as possible before killing him off or allowing him to die and collecting his fortune. That said, I think it was inappropriate for her to become his manager, and I think she's completely, inexcusably mismanaged his solo career. Now, admittedly it's wikipedia so some stuff could be wrong, but reading their article on the Paley Sessions was pretty eye opening. How she pushed him away from this new collaboration he seemed so enthusiastic about because "she didn't think it was commercial enough." She pushed him to work with Joe Thomas, who completely misunderstands Brian as an artist ("Avant garde? Not the Brian Wilson I know") and they've since turned him into an autotuned, easy listening robot. This is a man who ought to be producing other acts, collaborating with whoever he wants to, and making quirky offbeat works of art. So what if it's not commercial? He can live comfortably on Mike's touring and the royalties of the old hits until the world ends! Plus, he's Brian goddamned Wilson--the name alone ensures a comfortable if not spectacular position on the charts. Listening to his post-Landy solo stuff just makes me sad. We could have had a kickass Paley album in the 90s, god knows what else in the 2000s, but instead we've got a plethora of garbage. He doesn't owe me anything, yes. And he could have retired in the 90s and I'd call his legacy more than secure and earned. But if he's going to make solo stuff, it should at least be good. It should at least be stuff HE wants to make. And Im not convinced that this adult contemporary direction is really it. Many of the quotes friends or associates of Brian in that Paley article seemed to agree--he doesn't REALLY want to go in this direction, but he's a passive person and content to let Melinda call the shots. I personally think you can hear for yourself when he's enthusiastic about a project and when he's not, and more often than not I think he's either passively going through the motions or deliberately half-assing it these days. We know from Paley and TLOS that when he wants to, he can absolutely knock it out of the park; it's not a regression of talent that caused the decline. I dont believe Brian is controlled day to day, I dont think Melinda is a bad person or has anything but his best interests at heart. I DO think she controls the direction of his solo stuff however, and I think she means well but has ruined it. I see where the "wifeandmanagers" slur comes from even if it's a gross exaggeration, similar to "Mike killed SMiLE." They're all humans with shades of gray. But it seems like criticizing Melinda and Brian's solo career is very taboo. Maybe not as much here as it was on SmileySmile, where it would get you crucified, called a troll or Mike-shill and run out of town. But even here I don't see anyone talking about it, and after listening to the albums and reading that article, for me it seems like something of an elephant in the room nobody wants to address. I could see how criticizing a guy's wife is crass...but when she inserted herself into the business end of things, she opened herself to that criticism. And I can see how nobody wants to criticize Brian since he's like a real life teddy bear, he's been through so much and he's in the best place he's ever been. But, with the exception of ONE officially released album and one collection of bootlegged demos, his solo career is an embarrassment. And I think it reveals that while he is in fact a genius, this idea that everything he touches is gold is a myth. He's a great collaborator when he has the right person behind him. His two best projects wouldn't be what they are without two immensely talented people bringing out the best in him. Love You wouldn't have been finished without Carl. Paley stimulated Brian and brought out the best music he'd done in decades. Darian got him to loosen up on the SMiLE-phobia and finish it. And without Mike's ear for catchy hooks or EVERYONE'S vocals, those early Beach Boy songs wouldn't be anything near as good. If you want to see Brian without a great lyricist, a great backing band, or an artistically stimulating partner...look at the vast majority of his solo work. Flashes of brilliance, but nothing to write home about.
|
|
|
Post by kds on Jan 3, 2019 8:12:39 GMT -5
[This is an old thread I started on the Pet Sounds Forum, but I thought it might be worth restarting here.]And I can see how nobody wants to criticize Brian since he's like a real life teddy bear, he's been through so much and he's in the best place he's ever been. But, with the exception of ONE officially released album and one collection of bootlegged demos, his solo career is an embarrassment. And I think it reveals that while he is in fact a genius, this idea that everything he touches is gold is a myth. He's a great collaborator when he has the right person behind him. His two best projects wouldn't be what they are without two immensely talented people bringing out the best in him. Love You wouldn't have been finished without Carl. Paley stimulated Brian and brought out the best music he'd done in decades. Darian got him to loosen up on the SMiLE-phobia and finish it. And without Mike's ear for catchy hooks or EVERYONE'S vocals, those early Beach Boy songs wouldn't be anything near as good. If you want to see Brian without a great lyricist, a great backing band, or an artistically stimulating partner...look at the vast majority of his solo work. Flashes of brilliance, but nothing to write home about. I think Brian's solo career is mostly middle of the road stuff, mostly enjoyable, but not magical. But, like I've said before, I don't think he's done anything magical since Til I Die. I know Bruce got a lot of hate for saying something to the effect of "Brian kinda lost it" around 1970 (paraphrasing) in the Endless Harmony doc, but I really don't think he's far off.
|
|
|
Post by Cam Mott on Jan 3, 2019 8:25:16 GMT -5
Since I believe Brian doesnt do anything he doesn't want to do, whatever they do as a couple is their choice. Maybe it is fair game to criticize wives sometimes but I think it should be hands off, wives and husbands do their best for each other.
Marilyn, for instance, has gotten a lot of unfair and unjustified criticism in the past imo.
|
|
Departed
Former Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2019 8:54:28 GMT -5
I disagree with the assessment that Brian couldn’t make great music without a lot of help.
This is a guy who had no formal classical music training yet wrote all the music to pet Sounds by himself. The lyrics are not what make pet sounds special. The wrecking crew does a marvelous job of course, but even if it was a slightly worse group of musicians putting that album together, it’s the songwriting that make it incredible. There was no other musician in pop music at the time who could do what he did by himself. It’s not like a Beatles situation where he could write a good chord progression and George Martin comes in and does the heavy lifting when it comes to instrumentation. Caroline, no was almost a BW solo song.
Secondly, I would take the vocal harmonies alone as great music. Our prayer, one for the boys, the don’t Talk chorale, think about the days. These are beautiful gorgeous pieces.
I also disagree with the notion that he ‘lost it’ after 1970. I think he went through different phases of his career, and many of the changes were based on context.
I don’t think love you is a second pet Sounds, but I do think it’s a great and interesting ‘concept’ album with brilliant chord progressions and harmonies (hallmarks of BW’s work). Re: BW88, I don’t think Melt Away rivals God Only Knows, but I do think the harmonies are incredible and as a whole it warrants at least as much musical consideration as a track like ‘don’t back down’ or something like that from the 60s. There are some breathtaking moments on TWGMTR as well. Summers gone is one of my favorites. For me that song alone is enough to end the ‘Brian lost it’ debate.
I think his ups and downs have had more to do with his health and the context within which an album was being made. Put Mozart in the pet Sounds studio sessions or the bw88 sessions and see which album comes out better. Context matters, regardless of talent.
Also want to note I’m not saying Brian is blameless for these issues at all. He was a cause of many of the contextual issues the bb and his solo band have faced. But I don’t think it means he lost his abilities, because when the conditions have been right he has still delivered beautiful music.
|
|
|
Post by kds on Jan 3, 2019 9:06:40 GMT -5
I disagree with the assessment that Brian couldn’t make great music without a lot of help. This is a guy who had no formal classical music training yet wrote all the music to pet Sounds by himself. The lyrics are not what make pet sounds special. The wrecking crew does a marvelous job of course, but even if it was a slightly worse group of musicians putting that album together, it’s the songwriting that make it incredible. There was no other musician in pop music at the time who could do what he did by himself. It’s not like a Beatles situation where he could write a good chord progression and George Martin comes in and does the heavy lifting when it comes to instrumentation. Caroline, no was almost a BW solo song. Secondly, I would take the vocal harmonies alone as great music. Our prayer, one for the boys, the don’t Talk chorale, think about the days. These are beautiful gorgeous pieces. I also disagree with the notion that he ‘lost it’ after 1970. I think he went through different phases of his career, and many of the changes were based on context. I don’t think love you is a second pet Sounds, but I do think it’s a great and interesting ‘concept’ album with brilliant chord progressions and harmonies (hallmarks of BW’s work). Re: BW88, I don’t think Melt Away rivals God Only Knows, but I do think the harmonies are incredible and as a whole it warrants at least as much musical consideration as a track like ‘don’t back down’ or something like that from the 60s. There are some breathtaking moments on TWGMTR as well. Summers gone is one of my favorites. For me that song alone is enough to end the ‘Brian lost it’ debate. I think his ups and downs have had more to do with his health and the context within which an album was being made. Put Mozart in the pet Sounds studio sessions or the bw88 sessions and see which album comes out better. Context matters, regardless of talent. Also want to note I’m not saying Brian is blameless for these issues at all. He was a cause of many of the contextual issues the bb and his solo band have faced. But I don’t think it means he lost his abilities, because when the conditions have been right he has still delivered beautiful music. I should've elaborated. I don't 100% agree with the notion that Brian "lost it" in 1970 or so, but I do think that there's been an overall drop in quality since then. Granted, there's some very good to great material, but nothing really special IMO. But, you can also say that about a lot of other legacy artists, not just Brian.
|
|
|
Post by Autotune on Jan 3, 2019 9:37:59 GMT -5
I think the main problem with the Melinda issue is that we are not sure what the extent of her influence is. Brian named her repeatedly through the years when explaining his reasons for doing such and such. And we somehow like to blame her for many of Brian’s career shortcomings (GIOMH, unsuccessful tours, etc.). But the truth is that we’re not really sure how the workings are within the BW organization. Every time the argument gets heated, an insider or a friend jumps in and assures us that BW is his own man and calls his own shots. So I guess, in the end, more blame should be put on Brian for his own career shortcomings. Blaming others and cutting Brian slack is as old as the group is.
PS: a little off-topic, but Thomas was right on this one... Brian is/was NOT an avant-garde artist.
|
|
|
Post by George Faulkner on Jan 3, 2019 10:59:43 GMT -5
I'm happy for Brian. Happy he has a family, that he's making music, that he's alive... Finger pointing never works for me in the art world. The "could've, should've" stuff - if you think about it in the context of many great artists - never makes sense to me (how are you feeling about Paul McCartney's albums the last 10 years?). Brian has had a rough life in a lot of ways. Blaming managers and handlers only happens in his case because we know he has them and needs them to keep the projects flowing.
Would I have preferred a finished Paley album? Yeah. Another Orange Crate Art? Yup. Less Joe Thomas? You betcha. But, the Disney album was way out there. Like, who the hell would do that? Not a go-to for me, but it makes me happy. Some remarkable musical moments have happened in the Melinda era. Just my two cents.
|
|
|
Post by ian on Jan 3, 2019 11:20:36 GMT -5
I think that Brian since 1988 has put out albums that have their moments and two (smile and lucky old sun) that are near classics. I am trying to think of another 1960s artist that has done that. Everyone has their own opinions-maybe Paul Simon springs to mind-and certainly Dylan had a creative renaissance starting with time out of mind. To my ears-the Stones haven’t put out any album since 1989 that I feel a need to listen to more then once (and my Stones book is currently available on amazon-plug, plug) and I haven’t felt strongly about anything by Paul McCartney (though I have to admit that as much as I love the Beatles I’ve never loved solo Paul). I love everything Neil Young did in the 60s and 70s but have no great desire to listen to anything he’s done post 1980. I love everything the kinks did from 1964 to 1971 but muswell hillbillies is their last essential album. I didn’t buy the recent who releases so I’ll reserve comment on that. I’ve heard that David Crosby’s recent records were decent but I don’t have them
|
|
|
Post by ian on Jan 3, 2019 11:33:25 GMT -5
Left out van the man-his work with them and solo career up to 1986 are full of solid efforts but a lot of his recent efforts seem rushed and too workmanlike. Robert plant does some interesting stuff and Bowie continued to make challenging material till he died (but I think 1980s scary monsters was his last classic). I like most of Marvin Gaye’s stuff but he’s been dead since 1984.
|
|
|
Post by ian on Jan 3, 2019 11:38:08 GMT -5
I guess I’m saying that you have to put your attitude towards Brian’s music in perspective. What has Bruce done since 1979?? She believes in love again and...Brian may not knock them out of the park but a lot of guys aren’t even trying
|
|
|
Post by kds on Jan 3, 2019 11:41:42 GMT -5
PS: a little off-topic, but Thomas was right on this one... Brian is/was NOT an avant-garde artist. I couldn't agree more. Brian was a great producer / songwriter / singer, but I never understood why he gets called "avant garde." Because of one (un)finished album from 1967??
|
|
|
Post by Wicked Lester on Jan 3, 2019 11:49:00 GMT -5
It happens to them all. Great artists don't have an unimited supply of great songs within them. I do agree that Brian hasn't come close to recapturing the magic of what he achieved up until the early 70s.
|
|
|
Post by John Manning on Jan 3, 2019 11:49:40 GMT -5
Question for fans who’ve been to Brian’s recent US gigs: has Melinda attended any of them? Back in 2000, 2002, and I think 2004, I seem to recall her being at every gig I attended, seated carefully in a position in the audience where Brian could seen her and get that confidence boost he needed back then. Does this still happen?
|
|
|
Post by kds on Jan 3, 2019 11:54:26 GMT -5
Just for S&Gs, here are some of my thoughts on Brian's career since he met Melinda (as I realize my assessment that he's offered no "magic" moments since 1970 may appear a tad harsh)
Brian Wilson 1988 - Some great moments (Love and Mercy, Melt Away, Let It Shine) some forced (Rio Grande). Extremely dated production, but a mostly good album.
OCA - A VDP album with Brian singing. It's OK.
IJWMFTT - A trend in later BB releases, inferior remakes to classic songs. Although it does contain my favorite version of L&M
Imagination - Joe Thomas at his most sugary sweet, but there's still a lot of good songs there.
Smile - It's great that Brian got the monkey off his back, but IMO, this album was rendered obsolete with the Smile Sessions released
Getting In Over My Head - A couple highlights, but easily the weakest BW solo release.
What I Really Want For Christmas - It's actually become one of my favorite Christmas albums. The first of three extremely well produced releases.
That Lucky Old Sun - Brian's finest solo work IMO. The only real weak links are the spoken word tracks, but in the context of the album, they kind of work (especially if you watch the live version on DVD).
Reimagines Gershwin - Not being a huge fan of the source material, I really don't listen to this album. But The Like In I Love You is stunning.
Key of Disney - Again, not really a fan of the source material, and this one feels like the contractual obligation that it is.
That's Why God Made the Radio - A brilliant BB album IMO, their best since Holland. The last four songs are absolutely wonderful.
No Pier Pressure - Despite a bit of a patchy feel due to the overabundance of guest stars, it's a good listen.
For a legacy artist, Brian has been quite prolific, and I think there's a lot more to like than not.
|
|
|
Post by Mikie on Jan 3, 2019 13:55:59 GMT -5
Question for fans who’ve been to Brian’s recent US gigs: has Melinda attended any of them? Back in 2000, 2002, and I think 2004, I seem to recall her being at every gig I attended, seated carefully in a position in the audience where Brian could seen her and get that confidence boost he needed back then. Does this still happen? Question of the hour. Where's Melinda?
|
|
Departed
Former Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2019 14:03:02 GMT -5
Question for fans who’ve been to Brian’s recent US gigs: has Melinda attended any of them? Back in 2000, 2002, and I think 2004, I seem to recall her being at every gig I attended, seated carefully in a position in the audience where Brian could seen her and get that confidence boost he needed back then. Does this still happen? Question of the hour. Where's Melinda? Hopefully at home being a mother to her/their five children.
|
|
|
Post by AGD on Jan 3, 2019 14:16:50 GMT -5
Question of the hour. Where's Melinda? Hopefully at home being a mother to her/their five children. The two elder girls are in their 20s and Dylan is mid teens. Where's Melinda is a very valid question. Nowhere to be seen during Brian's back surgery in May and subsequent recuperation, no defence of Brian when he was being critically savaged during the fall shows, and she's normally like a mama bear in these situations. Nothing for several months. It's odd and maybe even concerning.
|
|
Departed
Former Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2019 14:27:54 GMT -5
Hopefully at home being a mother to her/their five children. The two elder girls are in their 20s and Dylan is mid teens. Many girls (and boys) in their 20's and mid-teens need a mother more than ever. You don't stop being a parent when your child reaches a certain age, especially in today's society.
|
|
|
Post by Mopp on Jan 3, 2019 15:03:52 GMT -5
How involved was she in BWPS?
|
|
|
Post by John Manning on Jan 3, 2019 15:21:20 GMT -5
The two elder girls are in their 20s and Dylan is mid teens. Many girls (and boys) in their 20's and mid-teens need a mother more than ever. You don't stop being a parent when your child reaches a certain age, especially in today's society. Couldn’t agree more and that was on my mind when I posed the question, but also why I directed it to our American members. Brian’s toured three shows pretty extensively there (compared to here in the U.K.) in recent months and I’m curious to know whether she attended any or all of those US shows, and even whether she might have taken some or all the kids along to see their pop play. I met her at PS gigs a few times back in 2002 and she was marvellously supportive and right there for her man, and he obviously needed her by his side. If he’s grown in confidence to the extent that he’s overcome his unease at live performances and doesn’t need her there to (metaphorically) hold his hand, then this aspect of his rehabilitation/therapy (whatever you want to call it) has clearly worked. Which would be bloomin’ marvellous.
|
|
|
Post by AGD on Jan 3, 2019 15:21:33 GMT -5
Well, it was widely reported that following the first Pet Sounds shows in 2000-2002, she said "well, there's only one thing to do now, isn't there ?"
|
|
Departed
Former Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2019 15:24:54 GMT -5
When you discuss Melinda, of course you are relying mostly on speculation. As I've said in numerous posts, when it comes to Brian Wilson, we're not supposed to know what's going on or who is calling the shots. They do a very good job at that, exceptional actually. So we speculate; that's what one mostly does on a rock & roll message board!
I tend to divide Melinda's influence into two categories - personal and professional. Personally, who knows what goes on in their marriage or behind closed doors. THAT really is none of our business. The only aspects of the relationship that ever caused me to raise my eyebrows were when they moved to St. Charles and when they adopted five young children. As a long-time diehard fan of Brian Wilson, one couldn't help but wonder who was driving those decisions. There was one odd thing that Brian said - on film - that I have never seen or heard explored further. On the Brian Wilson On Tour DVD, Brian was discussing the song "Cry", and he said that he told Melinda that he wanted a divorce. If I do the math correctly, that would've happened shortly after they were married, and I've often wondered what prompted Brian to feel that strongly to ask Melinda for a divorce.
Overwhelmingly though, you have to believe that Melinda has been good for Brian. She gave him a life, a new lease on life. Remember, when they were dating/married, Brian was under a conservatorship. Who knows what kind of life Brian would've had under a court-appointed conservator. Melinda basically assumed the role of a conservator when they were married, and you can't help but see a Brian Wilson who was up and around, active, and living a clean life. Brian was able to smile again. You can see it in many photographs. He had love and emotional security, and who could ask for more than that. And Melinda gave that to him, and for that we should all be grateful.
On the professional side, I have my qualms. Many years ago on the Larry King TV Show, Melinda showed her hand when she said something about Brian not just throwing something (a new record) out there every couple of years. In other words, she was going to make sure that we got a consistent flow of Brian Wilson product. Well, she kept her promise on that. Is that fortunate or unfortunate? Look, when the history books are written, Brian's solo career - the great comeback, his resurrection, his overcoming mental illness - is going to be praised and featured prominently, and Melinda was the driving force behind that. The problem I have with all of that is that you have to look deeper, you have to look beneath the surface. The battling and overcoming mental illness part? Absolutely, Brian - and Melinda - deserve an extraordinary amount of credit. Brian set an example that in some ways goes beyond the music.
But the recordings and the touring? Let's just say I don't give Melinda "credit"; actually I tend to give her more blame. Frankly, I view Brian's solo recordings as overall disappointing. I won't take the time here to get into all of that, just to say that I think Brian's wifeandamanagers were influencing him, strongly influencing him, to churn out product. I find all of his solo albums subpar and disappointing. As far as live performances, let's just say I give Brian an "A" for effort. Yes, nobody ever thought we would see Brian do the extent of touring that he actually did, but then you also have to objectively look at the quality in addition to the quantity. I also won't get into all of that either, just to say that one has to be a very sympathetic, empathetic, and lover of Brian Wilson to say that his live performances - with his lack of playing an instrument, his lack of interaction with the band and audience, his actual singing, his setlists (little to no solo songs), and his basic onstage demeanor - were very good or excellent.
And that's my basic, or my overall "problem" with Melinda. I feel that she was the driving force behind Brian's solo career, a career that I don't really believe he wanted or the overwhelming number of Beach Boys' fans wanted. Yes, I believe there were times over the last 25 years when Brian didn't want to have anything to do with The Beach Boys. And there were a few projects that suited the "solo" Brian Wilson rather than The Beach Boys including BWPS, the Gershwin album, and maybe even the Disney album. But I also think that deep in his heart, Brian never wanted to leave the Beach Boys completely the way he did. I often wonder how much Melinda was behind Brian's vote to sell the touring license to Mike Love. She got rid of Mike Love and made millions of dollars at the same time. I think that Brian composed with the Beach Boys in mind, and probably wished he was producing and recording with them. I think we got a lot of BW solo albums that didn't reach their full potential because of the loss of the Beach Boys' voices and input. I think we missed out on SEVERAL YEARS of Brian Wilson recording and touring with The Beach Boys. And, without sounding like Mike Love, I also question why Brian is still going the solo route, and not finishing his career as a Beach Boy. I guess every fan of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys has to make up their own mind about the way Brian's solo career unfolded, and what we might've lost - or not. And I'm sure a large number view Brian's solo career as a huge success. I don't, but that's my opinion, just one fan's opinion.
|
|
Departed
Former Member
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2019 15:38:09 GMT -5
Many girls (and boys) in their 20's and mid-teens need a mother more than ever. You don't stop being a parent when your child reaches a certain age, especially in today's society. Couldn’t agree more and that was on my mind when I posed the question, but also why I directed it to our American members. Brian’s toured three shows pretty extensively there (compared to here in the U.K.) in recent months and I’m curious to know whether she attended any or all of those US shows, and even whether she might have taken some or all the kids along to see their pop play. I met her at PS gigs a few times back in 2002 and she was marvellously supportive and right there for her man, and he obviously needed her by his side. If he’s grown in confidence to the extent that he’s overcome his unease at live performances and doesn’t need her there to (metaphorically) hold his hand, then this aspect of his rehabilitation/therapy (whatever you want to call it) has clearly worked. Which would be bloomin’ marvellous. I've seen the occasional, albeit very occasional photograph with Brian's kids on stage at some concerts. As much as Melinda was/is involved with Brian's career, I wouldn't be surprised if even she found the touring "old hat" or dare I say boring after several years. I mean, as far as Brian is concerned, his part in the live performances is basically unchanged over the years. And, again, maybe her home life is starting to take precedence.
|
|
|
Post by kds on Jan 3, 2019 16:05:45 GMT -5
And that's my basic, or my overall "problem" with Melinda. I feel that she was the driving force behind Brian's solo career, a career that I don't really believe he wanted or the overwhelming number of Beach Boys' fans wanted. Yes, I believe there were times over the last 25 years when Brian didn't want to have anything to do with The Beach Boys. And there were a few projects that suited the "solo" Brian Wilson rather than The Beach Boys including BWPS, the Gershwin album, and maybe even the Disney album. But I also think that deep in his heart, Brian never wanted to leave the Beach Boys completely the way he did. I think that Brian composed with the Beach Boys in mind, and several times wished he was producing and recording with them. I think we got a lot of BW solo albums that didn't reach their full potential. I think we missed out on several years of Brian Wilson recording with The Beach Boys and touring with The Beach Boys. And, without sounding like Mike Love, I also question why Brian is still going the solo route, and not finishing his career as a Beach Boy. I guess every fan of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys has to make up their own mind about the way Brian's solo career unfolded, and what we might've lost - or not. And I'm sure a large number view Brian's solo career as a huge success. I don't, but that's my opinion, just one fan's opinion.
I do believe that somebody or some people, maybe Melinda maybe not, have been trying to grow the Brian Wilson brand for awhile now. I think the off and on Pet Sounds tours over the past 19 years have been an effort to make it known that Pet Sounds is BRIAN WILSON's masterpiece, rather than a BEACH BOYS masterpiece. The same could be said for the Love and Mercy movie. Like I said, I could be dead wrong, and I have no clue who is turning the screws, but I feel like somebody, or some people, would prefer a viable Brian Wilson brand rather than have Brian Wilson be one of The Beach Boys.
|
|
|
Post by Autotune on Jan 3, 2019 16:09:55 GMT -5
Let us be clear: selling Brian Wilson is no easy task for anyone. If Melinda, at one point or another, set herself to manage his husband’s career, she must have known she had a daunting challenge ahead.
How do you sell Brian? If you let Brian be Brian, then things can get easily off-beat, weird, or he might just as well not do what he’s supposed to. Do you show Brian as a troubled pop genius? That’s fine, but a) meanwhile you’re also trying to show that Brian overcame his troubles and b) you can’t sell a 70-year old genius merely upon the work he did when he was 23. If you’re going to show him as a genius, then you have to have new “genius” music— whatever that is. How compatible is that with the AC direction of many of his efforts?
Perhaps you can sell Brian as an all-loving, all-caring, all-smiling, love-and-mercy-wishing man. But the aloof and obliviuos man you see publicly giving interviews and onstage bears little resemblance with that.
I think Brian is capable of greatness, but a normal solo career isn’t probably the environment for such greatness to come out. On the other hand, without a solo career, there wouldn’t be any output at all. It’s a hell of a paradox, and you can’t blame Melinda for trying to solve it the best way she could.
|
|