Brian Wilson
Template:Short description {{#invoke:Other people|otherPeople}} Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition and mastery of recording techniques, he is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and significant songwriters of the 20th century. His best-known work is distinguished for its high production values, complex harmonies and orchestrations, vocal layering, and introspective or ingenuous themes. Wilson is also known for his former high vocal range and lifelong struggles with mental illness.
Wilson's formative influences included George Gershwin, the Four Freshmen, Phil Spector, and Burt Bacharach. In 1961, he began his professional career as a member of the Beach Boys, serving as the band's songwriter, producer, co-lead vocalist, bassist, keyboardist, and de facto leader. After signing with Capitol Records in 1962, he became the first pop musician credited for writing, arranging, producing, and performing his own material. He also produced acts such as the Honeys and American Spring. By the mid-1960s he had written or co-written more than two dozen U.S. Top 40 hits, including the number-ones "Surf City" (1963), "I Get Around" (1964), "Help Me, Rhonda" (1965), and "Good Vibrations" (1966). He is considered among the first music producer auteurs and the first rock producers to apply the studio as an instrument.
In 1964, Wilson had a nervous breakdown and resigned from regular concert touring to focus on songwriting and production. This led to works such as the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and his first credited solo release, "Caroline, No" (both 1966), as well as the unfinished album Smile. By the late 1960s, his productivity and mental health had significantly declined, leading to periods marked by reclusion, overeating, and substance abuse. His first professional comeback yielded the almost solo effort The Beach Boys Love You (1977). In the 1980s, he formed a controversial creative and business partnership with his psychologist, Eugene Landy, and relaunched his solo career with the self-titled album Brian Wilson (1988). Wilson disassociated from Landy in 1991 and toured regularly as a solo artist from 1999 to 2022.
Heralding popular music's recognition as an art form, Wilson's accomplishments as a producer helped initiate an era of unprecedented creative autonomy for label-signed acts. His songs became defining works of the early 1960s zeitgeist and he is regarded as an important figure to many music genres and movements, including the California sound, art pop, psychedelia, chamber pop, progressive music, punk, outsider, and sunshine pop. Since the 1980s, his influence has extended to styles such as post-punk, indie rock, emo, dream pop, Shibuya-kei, and chillwave. He has received numerous industry awards, multiple hall of fame inductions, and frequent inclusion in critics' lists of the greatest musicians of all time.
1942–1961: Background and musical trainingEdit
ChildhoodEdit
Brian Douglas Wilson was born on June 20, 1942, at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, California, the first child of Audree Neva (Template:Nee Korthof) and Murry Wilson, a machinist who later pursued songwriting part-time.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Wilson's two younger brothers, Dennis and Carl, were born in 1944 and 1946.Template:Sfn Shortly after Dennis' birth, the family moved from Inglewood to 3701 West 119th Street in nearby Hawthorne, California.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Wilson, along with his siblings, suffered psychological and sporadic physical maltreatment from their father.Template:Sfn His 2016 memoir characterizes his father as "violent" and "cruel"; however, it also suggests that certain narratives about the mistreatment had been overstated or unfounded.Template:Sfn
From an early age, Wilson exhibited an aptitude for learning by ear.Template:Sfn His father remembered how, after hearing only a few verses of "When the Caissons Go Rolling Along", the infant Wilson was able to reproduce its melody.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Murry was a driving force in cultivating his children's musical talents.Template:Sfn Wilson undertook six weeks of accordion lessons, and by ages seven and eight, he performed choir solos at church.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn His choir director declared him to have perfect pitch.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Wilson owned an educational record titled The Instruments of the OrchestraTemplate:Sfn and was a regular listener of KFWB, his favorite radio station at the time.Template:Sfn Carl introduced him to R&B, and their uncle Charlie taught him boogie-woogie piano. Both brothers would frequently stay up listening to Johnny Otis' KFOX radio show, incorporating its R&B tracks into their musical lexicon.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
One of Wilson's first forays into songwriting, penned when he was nine, was a reinterpretation of the lyrics to Stephen Foster's "Oh! Susannah".Template:SfnTemplate:Refn At age 12, his family acquired an upright piano, and he began teaching himself to play piano by spending hours mastering his favorite songs.Template:Sfn He learned how to write manuscript music through a friend of his father.Template:Sfn
Wilson sang with peers at school functions, as well as with family and friends at home, and guided his two brothers in learning harmony parts, which they would rehearse together. He also played piano obsessively after school, deconstructing the harmonies of the Four Freshmen by listening to short segments of their songs on a phonograph, then working to recreate the blended sounds note by note on the keyboard.Template:Sfn
High school and collegeEdit
In high school, Wilson played quarterback for Hawthorne High's football team,Template:Sfn played baseball for American Legion Ball,<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and ran cross-country in his senior year.Template:Sfn At 15, he briefly worked part-time sweeping at a jewelry store, his only paid employment before his success in music.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn He also cleaned for his father's machining company, ABLE, on weekends.Template:Sfn Wilson auditioned to sing for the Original Sound Record Company's inaugural record release, but was deemed too young.Template:Sfn For his 16th birthday, he received a portable two-trackTemplate:Sfn Wollensak tape recorder, allowing him to experiment with recording songs, group vocals, and rudimentary production techniques.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Wilson involved his friends around the piano and would most frequently harmonize with those from his senior class in these recordings.Template:Sfn
For his Senior Problems course in October 1959, Wilson submitted an essay, "My Philosophy", in which he stated that his ambitions were to "make a name for myself [...] in music."Template:Sfn One of Wilson's earliest public performances was at a fall arts program at his high school. He enlisted his cousin and frequent singing partner Mike Love and, to entice Carl into the group, named the newly formed membership "Carl and the Passions". They performed songs by Dion and the Belmonts and the Four Freshmen, impressing classmate and musician, Al Jardine.Template:Sfn Fred Morgan, Wilson's high school music teacher, recalled his aptitude for learning Bach and Beethoven at 17.Template:Sfn
In September 1960, Wilson enrolled as a psychology major at El Camino College in Los Angeles, also pursuing music.Template:Sfn Disappointed by his teachers' disdain for pop music, he withdrew from college after about 18 months.Template:Sfn By his account, he crafted his first entirely original melody, "Surfer Girl", in 1961, inspired by a Dion and the Belmonts rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star". However, his close high school friends disputed his claim, recalling earlier original compositions.Template:Sfn
Formation of the Beach BoysEdit
The three Wilson brothers, Love, and Jardine debuted their first music group together, called "the Pendletones", in the autumn of 1961. At Dennis's suggestion, Brian and Love co-wrote the group's first song, "Surfin'".Template:Sfn Murry became their manager.Template:Sfn
Produced by Hite and Dorinda Morgan on Candix Records, "Surfin'" became a hit in Los Angeles and reached 75 on the national Billboard sales charts.Template:Sfn However, the group's name was changed by Candix Records to the Beach Boys.Template:Sfn Their major live debut was at the Ritchie Valens Memorial Dance on New Year's Eve, 1961. Just days before, Wilson had received an electric bass from his father, quickly learning to play with Jardine switching to rhythm guitar.Template:Sfn
When Candix Records faced financial difficulties and sold the Beach Boys' master recordings to another label, Murry ended their contract. As "Surfin'" faded from the charts, Wilson collaborated with local musician Gary Usher to produce demo recordings for new tracks, including "409" and "Surfin' Safari". Capitol Records were persuaded to release the demos as a single, achieving a double-sided national hit.Template:Sfn
1962–1966: Peak yearsEdit
Early productions and freelancingEdit
In 1962, Wilson and the Beach Boys signed a seven-year contract with Capitol Records under producer Nick Venet.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn During sessions for their debut album, Surfin' Safari, Wilson negotiated with Capitol to record the band outside the label's basement studios, which he deemed ill-suited for his group.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn At Wilson's insistence, Capitol permitted the Beach Boys to fund their own external sessions while retaining all rights to the recordings.Template:Sfn He also secured production control over the album, though he was not credited for this role in the liner notes.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Inspired by producer Phil Spector, whose work with the Teddy Bears he admired, Wilson sought to emulate Spector's career path.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Wilson reflected, "I've always felt I was a behind-the-scenes man, rather than an entertainer."Template:Sfn Collaborating with songwriter Gary Usher, he composed numerous songs patterned after the Teddy Bears' style and produced records for local talent, though without commercial breakthrough.Template:Sfn His first uncredited production outside the Beach Boys was Rachel and the Revolvers' "The Revo-Lution", co-written with Usher and released by Dot Records in September.Template:Sfn Interference from Wilson's father eventually led to the dissolution of his partnership with Usher.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
By mid-1962, Wilson was writing with disc jockey Roger Christian,Template:Sfn whom he met via Murry or Usher,Template:Sfn and with guitarist Bob Norberg, who later became his roommate.Template:Sfn In October 1962, Safari Records—a short-lived label founded by MurryTemplate:Sfn—released the single "The Surfer Moon" by Bob & Sheri, the first record to credit Brian as producer.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The label's only other release was Bob & Sheri's "Humpty Dumpty",Template:Sfn with both songs written by Wilson.Template:Sfn
From January to March 1963, Wilson produced the Beach Boys' second album, Surfin' U.S.A., limiting his public appearances with the group to television gigs and local shows to prioritize studio work.Template:Sfn David Marks substituted for him on vocals during other performances.Template:Sfn In March, Capitol released "Surfin' U.S.A.", the Beach Boys' first top-ten single.Template:Sfn The accompanying album peaked at number two on the Billboard charts by July, cementing the Beach Boys as a major commercial act.Template:Sfn
Against Venet's wishes, Wilson collaborated with artists outside Capitol, including the Liberty Records duo Jan and Dean.Template:Sfn Wilson co-wrote "Surf City" with Jan Berry, which topped U.S. charts in July 1963, his first composition to do so.Template:Sfn The song's success revitalized Jan and Dean's faltering career.Template:Sfn Capitol and Wilson's father disapproved of the collaboration; Murry demanded his son cease working with the duo, though they continued to appear on each other's recordings.Template:Sfn
Around this time, Wilson began producing the Rovell Sisters, a girl group consisting of sisters Marilyn and Diane Rovell and their cousin Ginger Blake, whom he met at a Beach Boys concert the previous August.Template:Sfn Wilson pitched the group to Capitol as "the Honeys", a female counterpart to the Beach Boys. The company released several Honeys records as singles, though they sold poorly.Template:Sfn He grew close to the Rovell family and resided primarily at their home through 1963 and 1964.Template:Sfn The group's fourth single "He's a Doll", released in April 1964,Template:Sfn exemplified his attempts to become an entrepreneurial producer like Spector.Template:Sfn
Wilson was first officially credited as the Beach Boys' producer on their album Surfer Girl, recorded in June and July 1963 and released that September.Template:Sfn This LP reached number seven on the national charts, with similarly successful singles.Template:Sfn He also produced the car-themed album Little Deuce Coupe, released just three weeks after Surfer Girl.Template:Sfn Still resistant to touring, Jardine was his live substitute. By late 1963, Marks' departure necessitated Wilson's return to the touring lineup.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn By the end of the year, Wilson had written, arranged, or produced 42 songs for other acts.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
International success and Houston flight incidentEdit
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Throughout 1964, Wilson toured internationally with the Beach Boys while writing and producing their albums Shut Down Volume 2 (March), All Summer Long (June), and The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (November).Template:Sfn Following a particularly stressful Australasian tour in early 1964, the group dismissed Murry as their manager.Template:Sfn Murry maintained occasional contact with Wilson, offering unsolicited advice on the group's business decisions.Template:Sfn Wilson also continued to solicit his father's opinions on musical matters.Template:Sfn
In February, Beatlemania swept the U.S., a development that deeply concerned Wilson, who felt the Beach Boys' supremacy had been threatened by the British Invasion.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Reflecting in 1966, he said, "The Beatles invasion shook me up a lot. [...] So we stepped on the gas a little bit."Template:Sfn The Beach Boys' May 1964 single "I Get Around", their first U.S. number-one hit, is identified by scholar James Perone as representing both a successful response to the British Invasion and the beginning of an unofficial rivalry between Wilson and the Beatles, principally Paul McCartney.Template:Sfn The B-side, "Don't Worry Baby", was cited by Wilson in a 1970 interview as "Probably the best record we've done".Template:Sfn
By late 1964, Wilson faced mounting psychological strain from career pressures.Template:Sfn He began distancing himself from the Beach Boys' surf-themed material, which had ceased following the All Summer Long track "Don't Back Down".Template:Sfn During the group's first major European tour, a reporter asked how he had felt about originating the surfing sound, to which he responded by saying he had aimed to "produce a sound that teens dig, and that can be applied to any theme."Template:Sfn Exhausted by his self-described "Mr Everything" role, he later expressed feeling mentally drained and unable to rest.Template:Sfn Adding to his concerns was the group's "business operations" and the quality of their records, which he believed suffered from this arrangement.Template:Sfn
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On December 23, 1964, Wilson was to accompany his bandmates for a two-week U.S. tour, but during a flight from Los Angeles to Houston, he experienced a breakdown, sobbing uncontrollably due to stress over his recent marriage to Marilyn Rovell.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Jardine recalled, "None of us had ever witnessed something like that."Template:Sfn Wilson played the show in Houston later that day, but was replaced by session musician Glen Campbell for the rest of the tour.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Wilson, speaking in 1966, described it as "the first of a series of three breakdowns".Template:Sfn When the group resumed recording their next album in January 1965, Wilson declared that he would be withdrawing from future tours.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Wilson attributed his decision partly to a "fucked up" jealousy of Spector and the Beatles.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
Campbell continued substituting for Wilson on tour until February 1965, after which Wilson produced Campbell's solo single, "Guess I'm Dumb", as a gesture of appreciation. Columbia Records staff producer Bruce Johnston was subsequently hired as Wilson's permanent touring replacement.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
Growing drug use and religious epiphanyEdit
With his bandmates frequently touring, Wilson grew socially distant from the Beach Boys.Template:Sfn In late 1964, he had relocated to an apartment at 7235 Hollywood Boulevard, where he began cultivating a new social circle through music industry connections.Template:Sfn Biographer Steven Gaines writes that this period marked Wilson's first independence from familial oversight, allowing friendships without "parental interference."Template:Sfn Wilson befriended talent agent Loren Schwartz, whom he met at a Hollywood studio.Template:Sfn Through Schwartz, Wilson engaged with literature on philosophy and world religions, sparking his interest in mystical topics.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Schwartz also introduced Wilson to marijuana and hashish; his habitual use of these substances, combined with his frequent visits to Schwartz's apartment, contributed to marital tensions with his wife Marilyn.Template:Sfn His first song composed under the influence of marijuana was "Please Let Me Wonder" (1965).Template:Sfn
Throughout 1965, Wilson's musical ambitions progressed significantly with the albums The Beach Boys Today! (March) and Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (June).Template:Sfn Weeks after relocating to an apartment on West Hollywood's Gardner Street with his wife early in the year, Wilson took LSD for the first time under Schwartz's supervision..Template:Sfn Wilson later said of the experience, "it just tore my head off. [...] You just come to grips with what you are, what you can do [and] can't do, and learn to face it."Template:Sfn During the experience, he composed portions of the Beach Boys' single "California Girls".<ref name="Boucher2007">Template:Cite news</ref> He later described the session for the song's backing track, held on April 6, as his "favorite", and the opening orchestral section as "the greatest piece of music that I've ever written."Template:Sfn However, he attributed persistent paranoia later that year to his LSD use.Template:Sfn
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After unsuccessful efforts to distance Wilson from Schwartz, Marilyn temporarily separated from him.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn She later reflected on the strain caused by his drug-associated social circle, stating, "He was not the same Brian... These people were very hurtful, and I tried to get that through to Brian."Template:Sfn The couple soon reconciled,Template:Sfn and, in late 1965, moved into a newly purchased home at 1448 Laurel Way in Beverly Hills.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
Pet Sounds and SmileEdit
Wilson recalled that after relocating to his Beverly Hills home, he experienced an unexpected surge of creativity, working for hours to develop new musical ideas. He acknowledged heavy drug use, stating, "I was taking [...] a lot of pills, and it fouled me up for a while. It got me really introspective".Template:Sfn Over five months, he planned an album that would elevate his music to "a spiritual level".Template:Sfn
In December 1965, Wilson enlisted jingle writer Tony Asher as his lyricist for the Beach Boys' next album, Pet Sounds (May 1966).Template:Sfn He produced most of the album between January and April 1966 across multiple Hollywood studios, mainly employing his bandmates for singing vocal parts and session musicians for the backing tracks.Template:Sfn Reflecting on the album, Wilson highlighted the instrumental "Let's Go Away for Awhile" as his "most satisfying piece of music" at the time and "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" as a partially autobiographical song "about a guy who was crying because he thought he was too advanced".Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In a 1995 interview, he called "Caroline, No" "probably the best [song] I've ever written."Template:Sfn
The album's lead single, "Caroline, No", released in March 1966, became Wilson's first solo credit,Template:Sfn sparking speculation about his potential departure from the Beach Boys.Template:Sfn Wilson later said, "I explained to [the group], 'It's OK. It is only a temporary rift […] I wanted to step out a little bit.'"Template:Sfn The single peaked at number 32, while Pet Sounds reached number 10.Template:Sfn Wilson was "mortified" that his artistic growth had failed to translate into a number-one album.Template:Sfn Marilyn stated, "When it wasn't received by the public the way he thought it would be received, it made him hold back. ... but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. He needed to create more."<ref name="Marilyn1997"/>
Wilson met Derek Taylor, the Beatles' former press officer, who became the Beach Boys' publicist in 1966. At Wilson's request, Taylor launched a media campaign to elevate his public image, promoting him as a "genius".Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Taylor's reputation and outreach bolstered the album's critical success in the UK.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn However, Wilson later expressed resentment toward the "genius" label, which he felt heightened unrealistic expectations for his work.<ref name="MF1976">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Harrington91" /> Bandmates including Mike Love and Carl Wilson also grew frustrated as media coverage increasingly centered on Wilson, overshadowing the group's collaborative efforts.Template:Sfn
Through late 1966, Wilson worked extensively on the Beach Boys' single "Good Vibrations", which topped the U.S. charts in December, and began collaborating with session musician Van Dyke Parks on Smile, the planned follow-up to Pet Sounds.Template:Sfn Wilson touted Smile as a "teenage symphony to God"Template:Sfn and his expanding circle increasingly influenced his business and creative affairs.Template:Sfn Parks said that, eventually, "it wasn't just Brian and me in a room; it was Brian and me ... and all kinds of self-interested people pulling him in various directions."Template:Sfn Television producer David Oppenheim, who visited Wilson's home while filming the 1967 documentary Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution, characterized the attended scenes as "a playpen of irresponsible people."Template:Sfn
1967–1973: DeclineEdit
Home studio transitionEdit
Smile was never finished, due in large part to Wilson's worsening mental condition and exhaustion.Template:Sfn Associates often cite late 1966 as a turning point, coinciding with erratic behavior during sessions for the track "Fire" (or "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow").Template:Sfn In April 1967, Wilson and his wife relocated to a newly purchased mansion on 10452 Bellagio Road in Bel Air.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Refn There, Wilson began constructing a personal home studio.Template:Sfn By this time, most of his recent associates had departed or been excluded from his life.Template:Sfn
In May, Derek Taylor announced that Smile had been "scrapped".Template:Sfn Wilson explained in a 1968 interview, "We pulled out [...] because I was about ready to die. I was trying so hard. So, all of a sudden I decided not to try any more."Template:Sfn That July, the Beach Boys released "Heroes and Villains" as a single; its mixed critical and commercial reception further strained Wilson's morale, with biographers citing it as a factor in his professional and psychological decline.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He later acknowledged that upholding his industry reputation "was a really big thing for me" and that he had grown weary of demands to produce "great orchestral stuff all the time".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Beginning with Smiley Smile (September 1967), the band shifted recording operations to Wilson's studio, where they worked intermittently until 1972. The album marked the first time production was credited to the group collectively instead of Wilson alone.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Producer Terry Melcher attributed this change to Wilson's reluctance to risk individual scrutiny, saying he no longer wanted to "put his stamp on records".Template:Sfn In August 1967, Wilson briefly rejoined the band for two live performances in Honolulu, recorded for an unfinished live album titled Lei'd in Hawaii.Template:Sfn
During sessions for Wild Honey (December 1967), Wilson encouraged his brother Carl to contribute more to the record-making process.<ref name="MF1976"/> He also began producing tracks for Danny Hutton's group Redwood, recording three songs including "Time to Get Alone" and "Darlin'", but the project was halted by Carl and Mike Love, who urged Brian to prioritize Beach Boys commitments.Template:Sfn The band's June 1968 album Friends was recorded during a period of emotional recovery for Wilson.Template:Sfn While the album featured increased contributions from other members, Wilson remained central, even on tracks he did not write.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He later described Friends as his second "solo album" (after Pet Sounds)<ref name="Oui"/> and his favorite Beach Boys album.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Reduced activity and "Bedroom Tapes"Edit
For the remainder of 1968, Wilson's songwriting output declined substantially, as did his emotional state, leading him to self-medicate with overconsumption of food, alcohol, and drugs.Template:Sfn As the Beach Boys faced impending financial collapse, he began to supplement his regular amphetamines and marijuana with cocaine,Template:Sfn which Hutton had introduced to him.Template:Sfn Hutton later stated that Wilson expressed suicidal ideation during this period, describing it as the onset of Wilson's "real decline".Template:Sfn
In mid-1968, Wilson was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, possibly voluntarily.Template:Sfn His hospitalization was kept private, and his bandmates proceeded with recording sessions for 20/20 (February 1969).Template:Sfn Once discharged later in the year, Wilson rarely finished any tracks for the band, leaving much of his subsequent output for Carl to complete.<ref name=Bedroom2014 /> Journalist Nik Cohn wrote in 1968 that Wilson had become the subject of rumors describing him as "increasingly withdrawn", "brooding", and "hermitic" Template:Sic, with occasional sightings of him "in the back of some limousine, cruising around Hollywood, bleary and unshaven, huddled way tight into himself."Template:Sfn
Wilson typically stayed secluded upstairs while the group recorded below, joining sessions only to suggest revisions to music he had overheard.Template:Sfn He occasionally emerged from his bedroom to preview new songs for the group. Melcher likened these appearances to Aesop delivering a new fable.<ref name="Chidester2014" /><ref name="Bedroom2014" /> Journalist Brian Chidester later coined the term "Bedroom Tapes" to refer to Wilson's unreleased output between 1968 and 1975, most of which remains unheard publicly.<ref name=Bedroom2014>Template:Cite news</ref>
According to Mike Love, Wilson had "lost interest in the mechanical aspect" of recording, deferring technical work to Carl.Template:Sfn Band engineer Stephen Desper said that Brian remained "indirectly involved" with the group's productions through Carl<ref name="songwriter">Template:Cite AV media</ref> and that Brian's reduced contributions stemmed from "limited hours in the day", as well as his aversion to confrontation: "Brian [...] doesn't like to hurt anyone's feelings, so if someone's working on something else, he wasn't going to jump in there and say, 'Look, this is my production and my house, so get outta here!'"Template:Sfn Conversely, Dennis stated that Brian had "no involvement at all" with the band beginning with the 20/20 sessions, forcing them to salvage and assemble fragments of his earlier work.<ref name="DW76"/>Template:Refn Marilyn recalled that her husband withdrew because of perceived resentment from the group: "It was like, 'OK, you assholes, you think you can do as good as me or whatever—go ahead—you do it. You think it's so easy? You do it.'"<ref name="IJWMFTT">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
Sea of Tunes sale and Reprise signingEdit
Early in 1969, the Beach Boys commenced recording Sunflower (August 1970).Template:Sfn Wilson contributed numerous songs, though most were excluded from the final track selection.Template:Sfn He co-wrote and produced the single "Break Away" with his father in early 1969, after which he largely withdrew from studio work until August.Template:Sfn The group faced difficulties securing a new record deal, attributed by Gaines to Wilson's diminished standing in the industry.Template:Sfn In May 1969, Wilson disclosed the band's near-bankruptcy to reporters, which derailed negotiations with Deutsche Grammophon and nearly jeopardized their upcoming European tour.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn That July, he opened a short-lived health food store, the Radiant Radish, with cousin Steve Korthof and associate Arny Geller.Template:Sfn
In August, the Beach Boys' publishing company, Sea of Tunes, sold their song catalog to Irving Almo Music for $700,000 ($Template:Format price in Template:Inflation-year).Template:Sfn Wilson signed the consent form under pressure from his father.Template:Sfn Marilyn later stated that the sale emotionally devastated him: "It killed him. Killed him. I don't think he talked for days. [...] Brian took it as Murry not believing in him anymore."Template:Sfn During this period, Wilson reportedly engaged in self-destructive behavior, including an attempt to drive off a cliff and a demand to be buried in a backyard grave he had dug.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn He channeled his despondence into writing "'Til I Die", later calling the song a summation of "everything I had to say at the time."Template:Sfn
Later in 1969, Wilson produced poet Stephen Kalinich's spoken-word album A World of Peace Must Come.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn That November, the Beach Boys signed to Reprise Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros.,Template:Sfn with contractual terms requiring Wilson's active participation in their albums.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn In March 1970, Wilson briefly substituted for Mike Love on tour.Template:Sfn In April, he attempted to produce a country and western album for co-manager Fred Vail, later known as Cows in the Pasture.Template:Sfn
Spring and Mount Vernon and FairwayEdit
Wilson's disappointment over the poor commercial reception of SunflowerTemplate:Sfn led him to reduce his contributions to subsequent Beach Boys recordings.Template:Sfn Bruce Johnston described his involvement in the Surf's Up sessions (August 1971) as that of "a visitor."Template:Sfn In November 1970, Wilson performed with the band at the Whisky a Go Go for one-and-a-half dates. Intense discomfort forced him to leave mid-performance during the second show.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Following this experience, he told Melody Maker that although he was "quite happy living at home", he felt less creative and less engaged with the band. He described himself as "a kind of drop-out".Template:Sfn In September 1971, Wilson told a reporter he had recently returned to arranging rather than writing.Template:Sfn In December, at a Long Beach concert, manager Jack Rieley persuaded Wilson to perform with the Beach Boys, though his appearance lasted only minutes.Template:Sfn
From late 1971 to early 1972, Wilson and musician David Sandler collaborated on Spring, the first album by Marilyn Wilson and Diane Rovell's new group, American Spring.Template:Sfn As with much of his work in this period, the extent of his contributions varied,Template:Sfn but it was his most involved production effort since Friends in 1968.Template:Sfn During the recording of Carl and the Passions (April 1972), Wilson rarely left his bedroom, though Blondie Chaplin recalled, "when he came down his contribution was amazing."Template:Sfn Wilson's unavailability was such that his image had to be superimposed into the group portrait included in the record sleeve.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
During the summer of 1972, Wilson joined his bandmates when they temporarily relocated to Holland after persistent persuasion.Template:Sfn Residing in a Dutch house known as "Flowers" and repeatedly listening to Randy Newman's album Sail Away, he was inspired to write a fairy tale, Mount Vernon and Fairway, drawing on memories of listening to the radio at Mike Love's family home in his youth.Template:Sfn The group declined to include the fairy tale on their next album, Holland (January 1973), and instead released it as a bonus EP packaged with the album.Template:Sfn That April, Wilson briefly joined his bandmates onstage during an encore at the Hollywood Palladium.Template:Sfn
1973–1975: Recluse periodEdit
After his father's death in June 1973, Wilson secluded himself in the chauffeur's quarters of his home, where he spent his time sleeping, abusing drugs and alcohol, overeating, and exhibiting self-destructive behavior.Template:Sfn He rarely ventured outside wearing anything but pajamas and later said that his father's death "had a lot to do with my retreating".Template:Sfn Wilson's family were eventually forced to take control of his financial affairs due to his irresponsible drug expenditures.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Refn This led Wilson to occasionally wander the city, begging for rides, drugs, and alcohol.Template:Sfn
According to Wilson, from 1974 to 1975, his output was confined to minimal, fragmentary recordings, due to a diminished capacity for sustained concentration.Template:Sfn He elaborated that he had been preoccupied with snorting cocaine, reading magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and "hanging out with Danny Hutton", whose Laurel Canyon house had become the center of Wilson's social life.Template:Sfn Although increasingly reclusive during the day, Wilson spent many nights at Hutton's house fraternizing with colleagues such as Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Refn Other visitors of Hutton's home included Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn On several occasions, Marilyn Wilson sent her friends to climb Hutton's fence and retrieve her husband.Template:Sfn In 1974, Wilson interrupted a set by jazz musician Larry Coryell at The Troubadour by leaping on stage and singing "Be-Bop-A-Lula" while wearing slippers and a bathrobe.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Many reported anecdotes involving Wilson in the early 1970s, though frequently of questionable veracity, attained a legendary status.Template:Sfn Recalling Wilson's wellbeing at the time, John Sebastian said, "It wasn't all grimness."Template:Sfn Jeff Foskett, then a Beach Boys fan who had visited Wilson's home unannounced, similarly commented that Wilson had responded cordially to the visit and had belied the popular myths surrounding him.<ref name="AstonishingGenius2011">Template:Cite news</ref> Wilson also participated in some recording sessions for Nilsson's "Salmon Falls"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and Keith Moon's solo album, Two Sides of the Moon.Template:Sfn
The Beach Boys' greatest hits compilation Endless Summer was a surprise success, becoming the band's second number-one U.S. album in October 1974. To take advantage of their sudden resurgence in popularity, Wilson agreed to join his bandmates in Colorado for the recording of a new album at James William Guercio's Caribou Ranch studio.Template:Sfn The group completed a few tracks, including "Child of Winter (Christmas Song)", but ultimately abandoned the project.Template:Sfn Released as a single at the end of December 1974, "Child of Winter" was their first record that displayed the credit "Produced by Brian Wilson" since 1966.Template:Sfn
Early in 1975, while still under contract with Warner Bros., Wilson signed a short-lived sideline production deal with Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher's Equinox Records. Together, they founded the loose-knit supergroup known as California Music, which also involved Gary Usher, Curt Boettcher, and other Los Angeles musicians.Template:Sfn Along with his guest appearances on Johnny Rivers' rendition of "Help Me, Rhonda" and Jackie DeShannon's "Boat to Sail", Wilson's production of California Music's single "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" represents his only "serious" work throughout this period.Template:Sfn
1975–1982: "Brian's Back!"Edit
15 Big Ones, Love You, and Adult/ChildEdit
Wilson's increased consumption of food, cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs—including heroin—strained his marriage to Marilyn, who threatened divorce or institutionalization.Template:Sfn His weight reached Template:Convert.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In 1975, to address his declining health, band manager Stephen Love appointed his brother Stan, a professional basketball player, as Wilson's bodyguard, trainer, and caretaker.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn A family intervention involving the band's lawyers and accountants was arranged to remind Wilson of his contractual obligation to write and produce for the Beach Boys.Template:Sfn According to Stan, Wilson's growing resentment had led him to frequently announce his withdrawal from the Beach Boys, but his bandmates persisted.Template:Sfn Although Stan improved Wilson's health over several months, he soon returned to his NBA commitments.Template:Sfn Wilson entered psychologist Eugene Landy's intensive 24-hour therapy program in October.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Under Landy's care, Wilson stabilized and became more socially engaged, renewing his productivity.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In 1976, the slogan "Brian's Back!" was widely used to promote the Beach Boys' concert tours and the July release of 15 Big Ones, the first album since Pet Sounds to list Wilson as the sole producer.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Recording sessions were tense, as his bandmates opposed his proposal for a covers album and questioned his readiness to lead studio proceedings.Template:Sfn The album ultimately featured a mix of covers and original material.Template:Sfn
Beginning on July 2, 1976, Wilson resumed regular performances with the band for the first time since 1964, singing and alternating between bass guitar and piano.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Refn In August, he toured outside California for the first time since 1970.Template:Sfn NBC premiered a Lorne Michaels–produced television special, titled The Beach Boys, featuring recent concert footage, interviews, and a comedy sketch with Wilson alongside NBC's Saturday Night cast members Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Despite the promotional success of "Brian's Back!", the campaign was controversial. Wilson's remarks in interviews implied he had not fully recovered from his addictions; on one occasion, he remarked that he "felt like a prisoner."<ref name="AstonishingGenius2011"/> A concert reviewer noted that he "seemed uncomfortable on stage" and contributed "nil".Template:Sfn
From October 1976 to January 1977, Wilson produced a collection of recordings largely on his own while his bandmates pursued other creative and personal endeavors.Template:Sfn Released in April 1977, The Beach Boys Love You was the band's first album to feature Wilson as the primary composer since Wild Honey in 1967.Template:Sfn Originally titled Brian Loves You,Template:Sfn the album showcased Wilson playing nearly every instrument.Template:Sfn Band engineer Earle Mankey described it as Wilson's effort to create a "serious, autobiographical" work.Template:Sfn In a 1998 interview, Wilson listed 15 Big Ones and Love You as his two favorite Beach Boys albums.Template:Sfn
At the end of 1976, Wilson's family and management dismissed Landy after he raised his monthly fee to $20,000 ($Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation-year).Template:Sfn Shortly afterward, Wilson told a journalist he considered the treatment successful.Template:Sfn Landy's role was immediately assumed by his cousins, Steve Korthof and Stan Love, and professional model Rocky Pamplin—a college friend of Stan.Template:Sfn Under their supervision, Wilson maintained a healthy, drug-free lifestyle for several months.Template:Sfn
In early 1977, Wilson produced Adult/Child, intended as the follow-up to Love You, but some bandmates voiced concerns about the work, leading to its non-release.Template:Sfn In March, the Beach Boys signed with CBS Records, whose contract required Wilson to compose most of the material for all subsequent albums. According to Gaines, Wilson was distraught at the prospect.Template:Sfn In reference to the sessions for M.I.U. Album (October 1978), Wilson described experiencing a "mental blank-out".<ref name="Benci">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He was credited as the album's "executive producer".Template:Sfn Stan noted that Wilson was "depressed"Template:Sfn and reluctant to write with Mike, though Mike persisted.Template:Sfn Around this time, Wilson attempted to produce an album for Pamplin that would have featured the Honeys as backing vocalists.Template:Sfn
Hospitalizations and "cocaine sessions"Edit
After a disastrous Australian tour in 1978, Wilson regressed and began secretly acquiring cocaine and barbiturates.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In mid-1978, following an overdose, he hitchhiked in West Hollywood, eventually arriving at a gay bar where he played piano for drinks.Template:Sfn A bar patron then drove him to Mexico, after which he hitchhiked to San Diego.Template:Sfn Days later, police found him in Balboa Park without shoes, money, or a wallet, and he was taken to Alvarado Hospital to detox from alcohol poisoning.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Wilson rejoined his bandmates for the recording of L.A. (Light Album) (March 1979), but after producing demos and early recordings, he asked that Bruce Johnston take over the project.Template:Sfn
With his marriage unraveling, Wilson left his mansion in Beverly Hills for a modest home on Sunset Boulevard, where his alcoholism worsened.Template:Sfn After attacking his doctor, he was institutionalized at Brotzman Memorial HospitalTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn—initially admitted in November 1978 for three months, discharged for one month, then readmitted.Template:Sfn In January 1979, while hospitalized, his caregivers Stan Love and Rocky Pamplin were dismissed.Template:Sfn Wilson was released in March.Template:Sfn He rented a house in Santa Monica and was cared for by a "round-the-clock" psychiatric nursing team.Template:Sfn Later, he purchased a home in Pacific Palisades.Template:Sfn Although his bandmates urged him to produce their next album, Keepin' the Summer Alive (March 1980), he was unable or unwilling to do so.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Wilson continued his overeating and drug habits.Template:Sfn To motivate Wilson in his musical endeavors, Dennis occasionally provided him with McDonald's hamburgers and cocaine.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Jon Stebbins' biography of Dennis describes clandestine recording sessions between the brothers, which were hidden due to efforts by "certain members of the Beach Boys clan" to keep them apart. Discovering their collaboration often led to a halt in the proceedings.Template:Sfn Bootlegged tapes of the brothers' collaborations—produced in 1980 and 1981 at the Venice Beach home studio of musicologist and film executive Garby Leon—later became known among fans as the "cocaine sessions" or "hamburger sessions".Template:Sfn
In early 1981, Pamplin and Stan Love were convicted of assaulting Dennis after learning he had been providing Wilson with drugs.Template:Sfn In early 1982, Wilson signed a trust document granting Carl control of his finances and voting power in the band's corporate structure, and he was involuntarily admitted for a three-day stay at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica.Template:Sfn By the end of the year, his weight exceeded Template:Convert.Template:Sfn
1982–1991: Second Landy interventionEdit
Recovery and the Wilson ProjectEdit
In 1982, after overdosing on alcohol, cocaine, and other drugs,<ref name="TelegraphObit">Template:Cite news</ref> Wilson's family and management staged an elaborate ruse to persuade him to reenter Landy's program.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn On November 5, the group falsely informed Wilson that he was destitute and no longer a Beach Boy, insisting he reenlist Landy as his caretaker to continue receiving his touring income.Template:Sfn Landy agreed to resume treatment only if granted complete control over Wilson's affairs and promised rehabilitation within two years.Template:Sfn
Wilson acquiesced and was taken to Hawaii, where he was isolated from friends and family and placed on a strict diet and health regimen.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Combined with counseling sessions that retaught him basic social etiquette, the treatment restored his physical health.Template:Sfn By March 1983, he had returned to Los Angeles and was moved, under Landy's direction, to a Malibu home where he lived with several of Landy's aides and was cut off from many of his own friends and family.Template:Sfn
Between 1983 and 1986, Landy charged approximately $430,000 annually ($Template:Format price in Template:Inflation-year). When he requested additional funds, Carl Wilson was obliged to allocate a quarter of Brian's publishing royalties.<ref name="TelegraphObit"/> Landy gradually assumed the role of Wilson's creative and financial partner, eventually representing him at Brother Records, Inc. corporate meetings.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Landy was accused of creating a Svengali-like environment by controlling every aspect of Wilson's life—including his musical direction.Template:Sfn Wilson countered these claims, stating, "People say that Dr. Landy runs my life, but the truth is, I'm in charge."Template:Sfn He later claimed that in mid-1985 he attempted suicide by swimming as far out to sea as possible before one of Landy's aides retrieved him.Template:Sfn
As Wilson's recovery consolidated, he participated in recording The Beach Boys (June 1985),Template:Sfn a release touted as his "comeback".Template:Sfn He then curtailed regular collaborations with the band to pursue a solo career under Landy's guidance.Template:Sfn In 1986, he worked with former collaborator Gary Usher at Usher's studio, producing roughly a dozen songs—most unreleasedTemplate:Sfn—with one track, "Let's Go to Heaven in My Car", appearing on the Police Academy 3 (1986) soundtrack.Template:Sfn This body of work became known as "the Wilson Project".Template:Sfn
Brian Wilson, Sweet Insanity, first memoir, and conservatorshipEdit
{{#invoke:Listen|main}} Wilson occasionally rejoined his bandmates on stage and performed his first ever solo gigs at several charity concerts around Los Angeles.<ref name="MakingTheAlbum">Template:Cite press release</ref> In January 1987, he accepted a solo contract from Sire Records president Seymour Stein, mandated co-production by multi-instrumentalist Andy Paley to keep Wilson focused.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In return, Landy was allowed to serve as executive producer.Template:Sfn Other producers, including Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker, soon joined the project, and conflicts with Landy emerged.Template:Sfn
Released in July 1988, Brian Wilson received favorable reviews and moderate sales, peaking at number 52 in the U.S.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The album featured "Rio Grande", an eight-minute Western suite reminiscent of songs from Smile.Template:Sfn Its release was largely overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Landy and the success of the Beach Boys' "Kokomo", their first number-one hit since "Good Vibrations" and the first without Wilson's involvement.Template:Sfn By 1990, Wilson was estranged from the Beach Boys, with his bandmates scheduling recording sessions without him and twice rejecting his offers to produce an album, according to Brother Records president Elliot Lott.Template:Sfn
In 1989, Wilson and Landy formed the company Brains and Genius. By then, Landy was no longer legally recognized as Wilson's therapist and had surrendered his California psychology license.Template:Sfn Together, they worked on Wilson's second solo album, Sweet Insanity, with Landy co-writing nearly all the material.Template:Sfn Sire rejected the album due to Landy's lyrics and the inclusion of Wilson's rap song "Smart Girls".Template:Sfn In May 1989, Wilson recorded "Daddy's Little Girl" for the film She's Out of Control, and in June, he was among the featured guests on the charity single "The Spirit of the Forest".Template:Sfn
In October 1991, Wilson published his first memoir, Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story.Template:Sfn Biographer Peter Ames Carlin noted that the book plagiarized excerpts from earlier biographies and ranged from harsh criticisms of his bandmates to passages resembling legal depositions.Template:Sfn The memoir prompted defamation lawsuits from Mike Love, Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, and his mother, Audree Wilson.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn After a conservatorship suit filed by his family in May 1991, Wilson and Landy's partnership was dissolved in December, followed by a restraining order.Template:Sfn
1992–2019: Career resurgence and touringEdit
Lawsuits, documentary, and collaborative albumsEdit
Throughout the 1990s, Wilson was embroiled in numerous lawsuits.Template:Sfn In August 1989, he had filed a $100 million suit against Irving Music to reclaim song publishing rights sold by his father decades earlier.Template:Sfn He did not regain the rights, but secured a $10 million out-of-court settlement in April 1992.Template:Sfn The next month, Wilson was sued by Mike Love over long-neglected royalties and songwriting credits. In December 1994, a jury ruled in favor of Love, awarding him $5 million and a share of future royalties from Wilson.Template:Sfn In September 1995, Wilson sued his former conservator, Jerome Billet, seeking $10 million for alleged failures in supervising the lawyers handling the Irving Music and Love lawsuits.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to his second wife Melinda, when they married in 1995, Wilson was entangled in nine separate lawsuits, many unresolved until the early 2000s.<ref name="LK2004">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Wilson's productivity had increased significantly after his disassociation from Landy.Template:Sfn He and Andy Paley composed and recorded a substantial body of material intended for a proposed Beach Boys album throughout the early to mid-1990s.Template:Sfn Concurrently, Wilson collaborated with musician Don Was on the documentary Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (1995), whose soundtrack—comprising rerecorded Beach Boys songs—was released in August as his second solo album.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
In 1993, Wilson agreed to record an album of songs by Van Dyke Parks,Template:Sfn which was credited to the duo and released as Orange Crate Art in October 1995.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In the late 1990s, Wilson and Tony Asher rekindled their writing partnership,Template:Sfn and one of their songs, "Everything I Need", appeared on The Wilsons (1997)—a project by his daughters Carnie and Wendy that included select contributions from Wilson.Template:Sfn
Imagination and first solo toursEdit
Although some recordings with the Beach Boys were completed, the Wilson–Paley project was eventually abandoned.Template:Sfn Instead, Wilson co-produced the band's 1996 album Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 with Joe Thomas, owner of River North Records.Template:Sfn In 1997, Wilson relocated to St. Charles, Illinois, to work on a solo project with Thomas.Template:Sfn His third solo album, Imagination (June 1998)—which he described as "really a Brian Wilson/Joe Thomas album"—peaked at number 88 in the U.S. and received criticism for its homogenized radio pop sound.Template:Sfn Shortly before the album's release, Wilson lost his brother Carl and their mother Audree.Template:Sfn
Some reports from this period suggested that Wilson was exploited by those close to him, including Melinda.Template:Sfn His daughter Carnie nicknamed Ledbetter "Melandy",<ref name="Lester98">Template:Cite magazine</ref> while family friend Ginger Blake described Wilson as "complacent and basically surrendered".<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> Mike Love stated his willingness to reunite the Beach Boys with Wilson but remarked that "Brian usually has someone in his life who tells him what to do. And now that person kinda wants to keep him away from us. I don't know why. You'd have to ask her, I guess."Template:Sfn When asked if he still considered himself a Beach Boy, Wilson responded, "No. Maybe a little bit."Template:Sfn Debate persisted among fans over whether Wilson fully consented to his semi-regular touring schedule through the 2010s.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
From March to July 1999, Wilson embarked on his first solo tour, playing about a dozen dates in the U.S. and Japan.Template:Sfn His supporting band included former Beach Boys touring musician Jeff Foskett (guitar), Wondermints members Darian Sahanaja (keyboards), Nick Walusko (guitar), Mike D'Amico (percussion, drums), and Probyn Gregory (guitar, horns); along with Chicago-based session musicians Scott Bennett (various), Paul Mertens (woodwinds), Bob Lizik (bass), Todd Sucherman (drums), and Taylor Mills (backing vocals).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He toured the U.S. again in October.Template:Sfn In 2000, he stated, "I feel much more comfortable on stage now. I have a good band behind me. It's a much better band than the Beach Boys were."Template:Sfn
In August 1999, Wilson filed suit against Thomas, seeking damages and a declaration that he could work on his next album without Thomas's involvement.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Thomas counter-sued, alleging that Wilson's wife had "schemed against and manipulated" him and Wilson; the case was settled out of court.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Live albums and Brian Wilson Presents SmileEdit
Early in 2000, Wilson released his first live album, Live at the Roxy Theatre.Template:Sfn Later that year, he embarked on U.S. tour dates featuring the first full live performances of Pet Sounds, with Wilson backed by a 55-piece orchestra. Van Dyke Parks was commissioned to write an overture arrangement of Wilson's songs.Template:Sfn Although critics praised the tour, it was poorly attended and resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.Template:Sfn In March 2001, Wilson attended a tribute show held in his honor at Radio City Music Hall in New York, where he performed "Heroes and Villains" publicly for the first time in decades.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
The Pet Sounds tour was followed by one in Europe in 2002, with a sold-out four-night residency at the Royal Festival Hall in London.Template:Sfn Recordings from these concerts were issued as the live album Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live (June 2002).Template:Sfn Over the next year, Wilson continued sporadic recording sessions for his fourth solo album, Gettin' In over My Head.Template:Sfn Released in June 2004, the record featured guest appearances from Parks, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and Elton John.Template:Sfn Some of the songs were leftovers from Wilson's collaborations with Paley and Thomas.Template:Sfn
To the surprise of his associates, Wilson agreed to follow the Pet Sounds tours with concert dates featuring songs from the unfinished Smile album.Template:Sfn Sahanaja assisted with sequencing and Parks contributed additional lyrics.Template:Sfn Brian Wilson Presents Smile (BWPS) premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in London in February 2004Template:Sfn and its positive reception led to a subsequent studio album adaptation.Template:Sfn Released in September, BWPS debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200, the highest chart position for any album by the Beach Boys or Wilson since 1976's 15 Big OnesTemplate:Sfn and the highest ever debut for a Beach Boys-related album.Template:Sfn It was later certified platinum.Template:Sfn
In support of BWPS, Wilson embarked on a tour covering the U.S., Europe, and Japan.Template:Sfn Sahanaja told Australian Musician, "In six years of touring this is the happiest we've ever seen Brian".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In July 2005, Wilson performed at the Live 8 in Berlin, an event watched by about three million viewers on television.Template:Sfn In September, he organized a charity drive for Hurricane Katrina victims, raising over $250,000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In November, Mike Love filed a lawsuit alleging that Wilson misappropriated his songs, likeness, the Beach Boys trademark, and the Smile album in connection with BWPS.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Sfn The suit was dismissed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Covers albums, That Lucky Old Sun, and Beach Boys reunionEdit
In October 2005, Arista Records released Wilson's album What I Really Want for Christmas, featuring two new originals by Wilson.Template:Sfn To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pet Sounds, he toured the album briefly in November 2006 with Al Jardine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2007, the Southbank Centre in London commissioned Wilson to create a new song cycle in the style of Smile. Collaborating with Scott Bennett, Wilson reconfigured a collection of recently written songs into That Lucky Old Sun, a semi-autobiographical conceptual piece about California.Template:Sfn A studio-recorded version of the work was released as his seventh solo album in September 2008 and received generally favorable reviews.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
In 2009, Wilson was approached by Walt Disney Records to record a Disney songs album, agreeing only if he could also record an album of George Gershwin songs.Template:Sfn The Gershwin project, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, was released in August 2010, reaching number 26 on the Billboard 200 and topping its Jazz Albums chart. Wilson then toured, performing the album in its entirety.Template:Sfn In October 2011, he released In the Key of Disney, which peaked at number 83 in the U.S. This release was soon overshadowed by The Smile Sessions, issued one week later.Template:Sfn
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In mid-2011, he reunited with Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks, and Bruce Johnston to re-record "Do It Again" in secret for a potential 50th anniversary album.Template:Sfn Rumors soon circulated in the music press about a world tour by the group. In a September report, Wilson said he was not participating in the tour with his bandmates, remarking, "I don't really like working with the guys, but it all depends on how we feel and how much money's involved. Money's not the only reason I made records, but it does hold a place in our lives."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Ultimately, Wilson agreed to the tour—which lasted until September 2012—and to record the album That's Why God Made the Radio, released in June 2012.Template:Sfn By that time, Wilson had renewed his creative partnership with Joe Thomas. Although Wilson was listed as the album's producer, Thomas was credited with "recording" and Love with "executive producer".Template:Sfn
No Pier Pressure and Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary World TourEdit
In June 2013, Wilson's website announced that he was recording and self-producing new material with Don Was, Al Jardine, David Marks, Blondie Chaplin, and Jeff Beck.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It stated that the material might be split into three albums: one of new pop songs, another of mostly instrumental tracks with Beck, and another of interwoven tracks dubbed "the suite" which initially began form as the closing four tracks of That's Why God Made the Radio.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In January 2014, Wilson declared in an interview that the Beck collaborations would not be released.<ref name="Somethingelse">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="DesertSun">Template:Cite news</ref>
In September 2014, Wilson attended the premiere of Bill Pohlad's biopic Love & Mercy at the Toronto International Film Festival.<ref name=biff>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He had contributed "One Kind of Love" to the film, which later received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October, BBC released a re-recorded version of "God Only Knows" —featuring Wilson, Brian May, Elton John, Jake Bugg, Stevie Wonder, Lorde, and others—to commemorate the launch of BBC Music.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A week later, he was featured as a guest vocalist on Emile Haynie's single "Falling Apart".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His cover of Paul McCartney's "Wanderlust" was included on the tribute album The Art of McCartney in November.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Released in April 2015, No Pier Pressure marked another collaboration between Wilson and Joe Thomas, featuring guest appearances from Jardine, Marks, Chaplin, and others.Template:Sfn Fans had reacted negatively to the announcement that Wilson would be recording a duets album, prompting a Facebook post—attributed to Wilson—that said, "In my life in music, I've been told too many times not to fuck with the formula, but as an artist it's my job to do that."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The album reached the U.S. top 30, but critical reaction was mixed due to its adult contemporary arrangements and extensive use of autotune.Template:Sfn Later that year, Sahanaja was asked if Wilson was reaching the end of his career as a performing artist, responding, "I gotta be honest. Each of the past five years I thought to myself, 'Well, this is probably going to be it.'"<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
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In March 2016, Wilson and Al Jardine began the Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary World Tour, billed as his final performances of the album.Template:Sfn In October, his second memoir, I Am Brian Wilson, written by journalist Ben Greenman after several months of interviews, was published.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Refn Asked about negative remarks in Wilson's book, Love refuted that his printed statements were spoken and argued that Wilson was "not in charge of his life, like I am mine", adding that he preferred to avoid pressuring Wilson "because I know he has a lot of issues."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the late 2010s, Wilson remarked to a journalist that he had not "had a friend to talk to in three years."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In a 2016 Rolling Stone interview, Wilson responded to a retirement question by stating he would rather continue touring than sit idle.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2019, Wilson embarked on a co-headlining tour with the Zombies, performing selections from Friends and Surf's Up.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2020s: At My Piano, UMPG sale, and dementiaEdit
Around this time, Wilson had two back surgeries that left him reliant on a walker.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2019, he postponed some concert dates due to worsening mental health.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The next month, his social media declared that he had recovered and would resume touring.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Pausing his tours due to the COVID-19 pandemic,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> he resumed touring in August 2021.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In November, two releases followed: At My Piano, featuring new instrumental piano recordings of his songs,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the soundtrack to Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, which includes both new and previously unreleased recordings.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
At the end of 2021, Wilson sold his publishing rights to Universal Music Publishing Group for $50 million. Wilson was paid almost $32 million for his songwriter share plus $19 million for his reversion rights (his ability to reclaim his song rights within a time period after signing them away under the Copyright Act of 1976).<ref name=rolling/> In 2022, his ex-wife Marilyn, who had been awarded half of his songwriting royalties, sued Wilson for $6.7 million.<ref name=rolling>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
On July 26, 2022, Wilson played his final concert as part of a joint tour with Chicago at the Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan, where he was reported to have "sat rigid and expressionless" throughout the performance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Days later, he cancelled his remaining tour dates for that year, with his management citing "unforeseen health reasons".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During a January 2023 appearance on a Beach Boys fan podcast, Wilson's daughter Carnie reported that her father was "probably not going to tour anymore, which is heartbreaking".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On January 30, 2024, Melinda Ledbetter died at their home.<ref name="melindadeath"/> The following month, it was announced that Wilson had dementia and entered into another conservatorship, which began in May 2024.<ref name="conserve">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="conserve2">Template:Cite news</ref>
Cows in the Pasture, the unfinished album Wilson had produced for Fred Vail in 1970, is to be released in 2025, accompanied by a docuseries about Vail and the album's making.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Musical influencesEdit
Early influencesEdit
Wilson's chordal vocabulary derived primarily from rock and roll, doo-wop, and vocal jazz.Template:Sfn At age two, he heard Glenn Miller's 1943 rendition of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, an experience that left a lasting emotional impactTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn—later saying, "It sort of became a general life theme".Template:Sfn As a child, his favorite artists included Roy Rogers, Carl Perkins, Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Henry Mancini, and Rosemary Clooney.Template:Sfn He recalled Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" (1954) as the first music he felt compelled to learn and sing.<ref name="B&N01" /> His education in music composition and jazz harmony largely came from deconstructing the vocal harmonies of the Four Freshmen, whose repertoire included works by Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Cole Porter.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
Wilson credited his mother with introducing him to the Four Freshmen,Template:Sfn attributing his love for harmonies and the human voice to their "groovy sectional sound".<ref name="PopGenius">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Their 1956 album Freshmen Favorites was the first pop album that Wilson listened to in its entiretyTemplate:Sfn and he regarded Voices in Love (1958) as "probably the greatest single vocal album I've ever heard".Template:Sfn He greatly admired the group's arrangers, Pete Rugolo and Dick Reynolds,Template:Sfn the latter's services he later employed for the Beach Boys' Christmas album and Adult/Child.Template:Sfn It is likely that Wilson learned nearly the entirety of the Four Freshmen's recorded repertoire through 1961, after which his obsession with the group diminished.Template:Sfn In addition to the Four Freshmen, Mike Love recalled Wilson "playing and studying a lot of Ricky Nelson, the Four Preps, and the Hi-Los".Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
Inquired for his music tastes in 1961, Wilson replied, "top 10".Template:Sfn Particular favorites included Chuck Berry, the Coasters, and the Everly Brothers.Template:Sfn He particularly admired Berry's "rhythm and lyrical thoughts".<ref name="Sharp09"/> Carl said that he and his brother "were total Chuck Berry freaks" and together sang Coasters songs with Four Freshmen-style arrangements before the Beach Boys formed.Template:Sfn
Wilson disliked surf music. In the estimation of biographer Timothy White, he instead sought a "new plateau midway between Gershwin and the best Four Freshmen material" when forming his band.Template:Sfn Gershwin's influence became more pronounced later in his career, particularly after the 1970s when he dedicated himself to learning the violin parts from Rhapsody in Blue.Template:Sfn In 1994, he recorded a choral version of the piece with Van Dyke Parks.Template:Sfn
Spector and BacharachEdit
Phil Spector's influence on Wilson is widely acknowledged.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In 1966, he referred to Spector as "the single most influential producer",<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and in 2000, "probably the biggest influence of all", noting, "Anybody with a good ear can hear that I was influenced by Spector."Template:Sfn He particularly admired his method of treating "the song as one giant instrument", valuing the enormous, spacious sound, with "the best drums I ever heard".Template:Sfn Upon hearing the Ronettes' 1963 hit "Be My Baby" on his car radio, he immediately pulled over and declared it the greatest record he had ever heard.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Record producer Lou Adler personally introduced them only a few days later.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Contrary to many accounts,Template:Sfn Spector's engineer, Larry Levine, recalled that Spector held Wilson in high regard and was openly effusive in his praise.<ref name="Levine1997">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> Levine said that the two producers "had a good rapport", with Wilson often attending Spector's recording sessions and consulting him about his production methods.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn After Spector's "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (1964) became a hit for the Righteous Brothers, Wilson called co-writers Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil to laud the record as the greatest ever and expressed his desire to work with them in the future.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He submitted "Don't Worry Baby" and "Don't Hurt My Little Sister", both written with the Ronettes in mind, but Spector declined.Template:Sfn
Asked for songs that he wished he had written, Wilson listed three: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", "Be My Baby", and Burt Bacharach's "Here I Am",<ref name="Sharp09" />Template:Refn the latter composer being often overlooked by scholars as an influence.Template:Sfn Wilson named Bacharach, alongside Spector and Chuck Berry, as his main chordal influences,<ref name="Sharp09">Template:Cite news</ref> and said that Bacharach had a "profound" influence that "got me going in a direction."<ref name=BrianWilson1997/>Template:Refn Wilson produced renditions of Bacharach's "My Little Red Book" and "Walk On By" in 1967 and 1968, respectively, but left the recordings unreleased.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
OthersEdit
Wilson's other significant musical influences include Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons,Template:Sfn Nelson Riddle,Template:Sfn the Motown sound,<ref name="Sharp09"/>Template:Refn Disney film soundtracks such as Mary Poppins (1964),Template:Sfn and soul musicians such as Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Wendy Carlos' 1969 album Switched-On Bach, described by Wilson as "one of the most electrifying records" he had ever heard,Template:Sfn influenced his use of synthesizers.<ref name="Caroline"/>
It is often reported that the Beach Boys and the Beatles influenced each other,Template:Sfn although Wilson rejected the notion.<ref name="beatlesinfluence">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Refn He acknowledged that he had felt threatened by the Beatles' successTemplate:Sfn and that this awareness drove him to concentrate his efforts on trying to outdo them in the studio.<ref name="MSLE">Template:Cite book</ref> He praised Paul McCartney's stylistic versatility and commended his bass playing as "technically fantastic".Template:Sfn
In 1976, Wilson commented that he felt contemporary popular music had lacked the artistic integrity it once had,<ref name="Oui" /> with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975) being one exception.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In a 1988 interview, he named the 1982 compilation Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I and Paul Simon's 1986 release Graceland among his ten favorite albums of all time.<ref name="Contrast88"/> In 2007, he cited Billy Joel as his favorite pianist.<ref name="Kub07">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By 2015, Wilson maintained that he does not listen to modern music, only "oldies but goodies".<ref name=LVRJ>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
ArtistryEdit
Compositional styleEdit
{{#invoke:Listen|main}}
Wilson's writing process, as he described in 1966, started with finding a basic chord pattern and rhythm that he termed "feels", or "brief note sequences, fragments of ideas". He explained, "once they're out of my head and into the open air, I can see them and touch them firmly."Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He wrote later that he aspired to write songs that appear "simple, no matter how complex it really is."<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
Common devices in Wilson's musical structures include jazz chords, such as sevenths and ninths.Template:Sfn Wilson attributed his use of minor seventh chords to his affinity for the music of Bacharach.<ref name="Caroline">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> Chord inversions, particularly those featuring a tonic with a fifth in the bass, are also prevalent in his work,Template:Sfn again influenced by Bacharach.<ref name="Sharp09"/> The flattened subtonic, which is common in the music of the Four Freshmen and popular music in general, is the nondiatonic chord that appears the most in Wilson's compositions.Template:Sfn Sudden breaks into a cappella segments, again borrowed from the Four Freshmen, are another feature of his music, having been employed in "Salt Lake City" (1965) and "Sloop John B" (1966).Template:Sfn
Many of Wilson's compositions are marked by destabilized tonal centers.Template:Sfn He frequently uses key changes within verses and choruses, including "truck driver's modulations", to create dynamic shifts.Template:Sfn Tertian movement is another recurring technique.Template:Sfn
Wilson's bass parts are often melodic and given prominent focus in his arrangements.Template:Sfn He also applied chromaticism in his musical structures.Template:Sfn His use of chromatic bass descents are most notably displayed in "Our Prayer" (1969).Template:Sfn Other songs are characterized by "syncopated exercises and counterpoints piled on top of jittery eighth-note clusters and loping shuffle grooves", features that producer Alan Boyd said took "an almost manic edge" in Wilson's work during the 1970s.<ref name=Bedroom2014/>
Some of Wilson's songs incorporate a I – IV – I – V pattern, a formula derived from "Da Doo Ron Ron",Template:Sfn as well as a circle of fifths sequence that begins with the mediant (iii), inspired by "Be My Baby".Template:Sfn He frequently uses stepwise-falling melodic lines,Template:Sfn stepwise diatonic rises,Template:Sfn and whole-step root movements.Template:Sfn Numerous songs alternate between supertonic and dominant chords or tonic and flattened subtonic chords, the latter featuring in the verses of "Guess I'm Dumb" and the intro to "California Girls".Template:Sfn
LyricsEdit
Wilson generally collaborated with another lyricist,Template:Sfn although he occasionally composed both words and music alone.<ref name="Kub07"/> Most of his songs explore introspective themes,Template:Sfn and several portray the male object or narrator as a "loser", evident on "She Knows Me Too Well", "Don't Hurt My Little Sister", "Merry Christmas, Baby", and "All Dressed Up for School".Template:Sfn Other recurring themes in Wilson's songs include feminine objectification,Template:SfnTemplate:Refn youthful innocence,Template:SfnTemplate:Refn slice of life stories,Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Refn and health and fitness.<ref name="LeafBW00"/>Template:Refn
Although the Beach Boys became known for surfing imagery, his compositions with collaborators outside the band typically avoided this subject matter.Template:Sfn Unlike his contemporaries, social issues were never referenced in his lyrics.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn In his 2008 book Dark Mirror: The Pathology of the Singer-Songwriter, Donald Brackett identifies Wilson as "the Carl Sandburg and Robert Frost of popular music—deceptively simple, colloquial in phrasing, with a spare and evocative lyrical style embedded in the culture that created it."Template:Sfn Brackett opined that Wilson expressed "intense fragility" and "emotional vulnerability" to degrees that few other singer-songwriters had.Template:Sfn
Studios and musiciansEdit
Wilson said, "I was unable to really think as a producer up until the time where I really got familiar with Phil Spector's work. That was when I started to design the experience to be a record rather than just a song."Template:Sfn He frequently attended Spector's recording sessions, observing his arranging and recording techniques, and adopted Spector's choice of studios and session musicians, later known as the Wrecking Crew.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Wilson established approximately one-third of a song's final arrangement during the writing process, with the remainder developed in the studio.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Refn
Rather than using Gold Star Studios, Spector's favored facility, Wilson chose Studio 3 at Western for its privacy and the presence of staff engineer Chuck Britz,Template:Sfn who served as Wilson's principal engineer from 1962 to 1967.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn While Britz typically handled technical tasks like level mixing and microphone placement,Template:Sfn Wilson made extensive adjustments to the setup,Template:Sfn usurping standard studio protocols of the era that limited console use to assigned engineers.Template:Sfn Once Britz prepared an initial configuration, Wilson took control of the console, directing session musicians from the booth using an intercom or non-verbal cues alongside chord charts.Template:Sfn Britz recalled that Wilson would work with the players until he achieved the desired sound, a process that frequently lasted for hours.Template:Sfn
Wilson first used the Wrecking Crew for productions with the Honeys in March 1963,Template:Sfn and two months later, during sessions for Surfer Girl, he began gradually integrating these musicians into Beach Boys records.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Refn Until 1965, the band members typically performed the instrumentation,<ref name="SlowinskiMyth"/>Template:Sfn but as Wilson's sessions came to necessitate 11 or more different players, his reliance on the Wrecking Crew increased.<ref name="HimesSurf" /> In 1966 and 1967, he almost exclusively used these musicians for the backing tracks,Template:Sfn<ref name="SlowinskiMyth">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> although their involvement diminished considerably after 1967.Template:Sfn
His musicians, many trained in conservatories, were impressed by his abilities.Template:Sfn Unlike most other producers, Wilson never required them to devise their own parts.Template:Sfn Bassist Carole Kaye recounted that the group "were in awe of Brian",Template:Sfn while guitarist Jerry Cole recalled that he and his fellow players "would walk out of Brian's sessions shaking our heads, saying, 'This son of a bitch is either crazy, or he's an absolute genius.'"Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Drummer Hal Blaine, however, recalled that all of the musicians "helped arrange, as far as I'm concerned."Template:Sfn
Production styleEdit
Wilson's best-known productions typically employed instruments such as saxophones and bass harmonicas.Template:Sfn He usually instructed his drummer to play only the snare and floor-tom afterbeats characteristic of Spector's records.Template:Sfn Reflecting further Spector influence, Wilson rarely used ride or crash cymbalsTemplate:Sfn and often combined color tones to produce novel sounds.Template:Sfn Other practices he adopted from Spector included recording two echo chambers simultaneously and having standup and Fender bass play identical parts.<ref name="Kub07"/> His bass lines were usually played with a hard plectrum, which imparted a more percussive quality—a technique he adapted from Motown.Template:Sfn
His first use of a string section was on "The Surfer Moon" in mid-1963.Template:Sfn Before Pet Sounds, he seldom used string ensembles,Template:Sfn preferring to overdub them after recording the basic instrumental track,Template:Sfn which was then followed by vocal overdubs.<ref name=HimesSurf /> Beginning with the 1963 track "Surfin' U.S.A.", he double-tracked the vocals, resulting in a more resonant sound.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
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Starting in 1964, Wilson performed tape splices on his recordings, usually to allow difficult vocal sections to be performed by the group. By 1965, he had become more adventurous in his use of tape splicing. These experiments culminated with the complex editing processes adopted for "Good Vibrations" and Smile. Mark Linett, who has engineered Wilson's recordings since the 1980s, stated, "He certainly wasn't the first person to do edits, but it was unusual to record a song in four or five sections, and then cut it together."<ref name="SOS04">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
According to Wilson, after his first nervous breakdown in 1964, he had endeavored to "take the things I learned from Phil Spector" and maximize his instrumental palette.Template:Sfn In Priore's assessment, Wilson reconfigured Spector's Wall of Sound techniques, aiming for "audio clarity" and "a more lush, comfortable feel".Template:Sfn The 2003 book Temples of Sound states that Wilson distinguished himself from Spector through the usage of certain instruments, such as banjo, and by possessing a "clean muscle" missing in Spector's work.Template:Sfn Danny Hutton remarked that anyone recording immediately after Wilson's session would fail to replicate the sound he achieved. According to Hutton, "There was a lot of subtle stuff he did. [...] He was just hands-on. He would change the reverb and the echo, and all of a sudden, something just – whoa! – got twice as big and fat."Template:Sfn
SingingEdit
{{#invoke:Listen|main}}
Wilson's vocal style was shaped by studying the Four Freshmen, from whom he developed a versatile head voice that allowed him to hit high notes without resorting to falsetto, although he did use falsetto on some Beach Boys tracks.Template:Sfn He recalled that he "learned how to sing falsetto" through listening to Four Freshmen renditions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rosemary Clooney also influenced his singing; by mimicking her phrasing on recordings like "Hey There", he learned "to sing with feeling".Template:Sfn
Wilson's highest note was D5 in 1966.<ref name="PopGenius"/> Initially, his singing was characterized by a pure tenor voice; later in life, he employed this range only rarely.Template:Sfn Fearing that a high vocal delivery might fuel perceptions of homosexuality, he avoided it.<ref name=RCMSharp>Template:Cite magazine</ref> After the early 1970s, his voice degraded following heavy cigarette and cocaine use,Template:Sfn with 15 Big Ones marking the emergence of what biographer Peter Ames Carlin termed Wilson's "baritone croak".Template:Sfn In a 1999 interview, Wilson compared his style to Bob Dylan's "harsh, raspy voice".<ref name=CoynePart1>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Mental healthEdit
Onset of illnessEdit
Wilson is diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and mild bipolar disorder.Template:Sfn Since 1965, he has regularly experienced auditory hallucinations in the form of disembodied voices.<ref name="freedom2007">Template:Cite news</ref> Wilson referred to the voices as "heroes and villains" that contributed to "a life of scare".Template:Sfn
His family and associates faced challenges in discerning genuine mental health issues from potential manipulative behavior on Wilson's part.Template:Sfn Subsequent to his Houston flight incident from December 1964, Marilyn arranged his first psychiatrist visit, where it was ruled that Wilson's condition was due to work-related fatigue.Template:Sfn Wilson typically refused counseling, and his family believed his idiosyncrasies stemmed from drug habits or were innate to his personality.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Refn Marilyn countered accusations of neglect on her part, emphasizing her repeated efforts to get him professional help.Template:Sfn
According to Wilson, he was introduced to recreational drugs by an acquaintance during a Beach Boys tour.<ref name="Oui" />Template:Refn His hallucinations emerged early in 1965, about a week after his first time using psychedelics.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Loren Schwartz, his supplier, said that Wilson's first dosage was 125 micrograms of "pure Owsley" and resulted in "full-on ego death".Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Mike Love observed signs of irregular behavior in Wilson by July, recalling an incident where Wilson deliberately crashed his car, an act Love deemed out of character.Template:Sfn His drug use was initially concealed from his bandmates and family,Template:Sfn including Love, who had thought Wilson to be strictly opposed to drugs.Template:Sfn
Wilson, in 1990, attributed LSD to his developing "a Jesus Christ complex" in the mid-1960s.Template:Sfn Following the advice of Four Freshmen manager Bill Wagner, Wilson consulted with a UCLA psychiatrist on the adverse effects of LSD. The psychiatrist later told Wagner, "I don't know if he is savable. He gives me the impression he's been on it for a while, and he's entirely enamored of it."Template:Sfn By 1966, Wilson acknowledged using "pills" for introspection rather than leisure and viewed psychedelic usage as benign.Template:Sfn His 2016 memoir states that he abstained from consuming LSD for a second time until he was 23, around 1966 or 1967.Template:Sfn Marilyn suspected he had numerous LSD experiences in the ensuing years, although she only knew of two such incidents at the time.Template:Sfn Ledbetter, in 2004, claimed Wilson had taken LSD only thrice in his life.<ref name="LK2004" />Template:Refn
As Wilson's condition worsened, he grew susceptible to paranoid delusions, believing that his auditory hallucinations were Satan coming "in the form of other people that were competing with me and had ideas of killing me."Template:Sfn By 1968, following the birth of their first child, Marilyn's concerns about Wilson's mental health intensified.Template:Sfn Wilson was hospitalized later that year and prescribed Thorazine for severe anxiety disorder.<ref name="Bedroom2014" /> He may have self-admitted and possibly received treatments ranging from talking therapies to doses of lithium and electroconvulsive therapy during this stay.Template:Sfn
Post-LandyEdit
Wilson was given the since-retracted diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia,Template:Sfn in addition to manic-depressive psychosis, when he was a patient at Brotzman Memorial Hospital in 1978.Template:Sfn Landy, in 1976, had initially refuted such a diagnosis, suggesting Wilson's main issue was "being scared".Template:Sfn In 1984, doctors again misdiagnosed Wilson with schizophrenia, also finding evidence of brain damage caused by drug use.<ref name="A Boy's own story">Template:Cite news</ref>
In the late 1980s, Wilson developed facial tics (tardive dyskinesia) symptomatic of excessive psychotropic medications.Template:Sfn Therapist Peter Reum stated that Wilson would have deterioriated into a "drooling, palsied mental patient", and potentially died of heart failure had he continued this drug regimen.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn In a 2002 interview, Wilson stated, "I don't regret [the Landy program]. I loved the guy—he saved me."Template:Sfn After Wilson sought medical care elsewhere, he was declared to have organic personality disorder.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
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Wilson's mental condition improved in later years, although his auditory hallucinations persisted, especially when performing onstage.<ref name="AstonishingGenius2011"/> He credits his relationship with his second wife for allowing him to resume his career as a musician. In his own words, he said that he should have spent the early 2000s "in a mental institution under heavy sedation" due to the stresses of his condition; however, "Things have started to get a little bit easier, but I'm not always in a positive, happy place."<ref name="freedom2007"/> In 2002, he lamented that his successful treatment had inhibited his creativity and songwriting.<ref name="A Boy's own story" />
Personal lifeEdit
Deafness in right earEdit
At age 11, during a Christmas choir recital, it was found that Wilson had significantly diminished hearing in his right ear.Template:Sfn The issue was diagnosed as a nerve impingement.Template:Sfn The exact cause remains unclear.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Refn
Due to this infirmity, Wilson developed a habit of speaking from the side of his mouth,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn giving the false impression that he had suffered a stroke.Template:Sfn He also experiences tinnitus.Template:Sfn In the late 1960s, he underwent corrective surgery that was unsuccessful in restoring his hearing.Template:Sfn
Relationships and childrenEdit
Wilson's first serious relationship was with Judy Bowles, a high school student he had met at a baseball game in mid-1961.Template:Sfn The couple were engaged during Christmas 1963 and were to be married the following December.Template:Sfn She inspired his songs "Judy" (1962), "Surfer Girl" (1963), and, according to some accounts, "The Warmth of the Sun" (1964), the latter being written shortly after they had separated.Template:Sfn Around then, he had gradually become romantically involved with singer Marilyn Rovell, whom he had met in August 1962.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Inspired by a remark from Marilyn's older sister Diane, Wilson wrote "Don't Hurt My Little Sister" (1965) about his early relationship with Marilyn.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Wilson and Marilyn were married in December 1964. They had two daughters, Carnie and Wendy (born 1968 and 1969, respectively), who later had musical success as two-thirds of the group Wilson Phillips.Template:Sfn His daughters inspired his songs "Roller Skating Child" (1977)<ref name=Wilson1977>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and "Little Children" (1988).Template:Sfn
Much of the lyrical content from Pet Sounds reflected early marital strainsTemplate:Sfn that later intensified.Template:Sfn Wilson later described himself as a neglectful father and husband during his first marriage.Template:Sfn He had encouraged his wife to pursue extramarital affairs, including one with songwriter Tandyn Almer,Template:Sfn while he engaged in an affair with her sister,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn the subject of his song "My Diane" (1978).Template:Sfn Concurrently, Wilson maintained an affair with Debbie Keil,Template:Sfn who inspired his song "The Night Was So Young" (1977).Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
In July 1978, Wilson and Marilyn separated, and he filed for divorce in January 1979.Template:Sfn Marilyn received custody of their childrenTemplate:Sfn and a half share of Wilson's songwriting royalties.<ref name=rolling/> Wilson continued his relationship with Keil until 1981.Template:Sfn After the separation, Wilson dated one of his nurses, Carolyn Williams, until January 1983.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Singer Linda Ronstadt, in her 2013 memoir Simple Dreams, implied that she had briefly dated Wilson in the 1970s.Template:Sfn
Wilson initially dated Melinda Kae Ledbetter from 1986 to late 1989.Template:Sfn Ledbetter attributed the premature end of their relationship to interference by Landy.Template:Sfn After 1991, he and Ledbetter reconnected and married on February 6, 1995,Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Ledbetter became Wilson's manager.<ref name=Fine1999>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They adopted five children.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> By 2012, Wilson had six grandchildren, two daughters of Carnie and four sons of Wendy.Template:Sfn Ledbetter died on January 30, 2024.<ref name="melindadeath">Template:Cite news</ref> In his social media, Wilson declared she "was my savior. She gave me the emotional security I needed to have a career. She encouraged me to make the music that was closer to my heart".<ref>Template:Cite Instagram</ref>
SpiritualityEdit
Wilson was raised in a Presbyterian family.<ref name="B&N01" /> In many interviews, he has emphasized the spiritual essence of his music, particularly with Pet Sounds.Template:Sfn He was also intrigued by astrology, numerology, and the occult, as reflected in his original concepts for Smile.Template:Sfn In 1966, Wilson expressed his belief that all music "starts with religion", and while he recognized a "higher being who is better than we are", he was not traditionally religious.Template:Sfn
In the late 1960s, Wilson and his bandmates promoted Transcendental Meditation (TM).Template:Sfn By 1968, he had equated religion and meditation,Template:Sfn though he ultimately abandoned TM.Template:Sfn He described himself in 1976 as having over-diversified his readings,<ref name="Oui">Template:Cite magazine</ref> maintaining then that he still believed that the coming of "the great Messiah [...] came in the form of drugs" while acknowledging that his own drug experiences "really didn't work out so well".Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Refn
In 2011, he said that while he had spiritual beliefs, he did not follow any particular religion.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Asked in 2004 for his favorite book, Wilson answered "the Bible", and questioned if he believed in life after death, Wilson replied "I don't".<ref name="Q&A2004">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
InterviewsEdit
Wilson has admitted to having a poor memory and occasionally lying in interviews to "test" people.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In later years, many writers have found Wilson challenging to interview, as his responses are usually curt or lacking in substance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Refn Edgers wrote in 2000 that "no writer will ever understand Brian Wilson", highlighting his often "clipped and conflicting" responses, adding that he "generally makes it clear to interviewers that he would rather be somewhere else — and that's when he's feeling good."<ref name="Edgers00">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Salon's Peter Gilstrap wrote in 2015 that Wilson had been known to end interviews abruptly.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Refn
Cultural impact and influenceEdit
Sales achievementsEdit
From 1962 to 1979, Wilson wrote or co-wrote over two dozen U.S. Top 40 hits for the Beach Boys, with eleven reaching the top 10, including the number-ones "I Get Around" (1964), "Help Me, Rhonda" (1965), and "Good Vibrations" (1966).Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Three more that he produced, but did not write, were the band's "Barbara Ann" (number 2) in 1965, "Sloop John B" (number 3) in 1966, and "Rock and Roll Music" (number 5) in 1976.Template:Sfn Among his other top 10 hits, Wilson co-wrote Jan and Dean's "Surf City" (the first chart-topping surf song) and "Dead Man's Curve" (number 8) in 1963, and the Hondells' "Little Honda" (number 9) in 1964.Template:Sfn
Popular music, industry practices, and record productionEdit
Wilson is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and significant songwriters of the late 20th century.<ref name="conversation2015">Template:Cite news</ref> Fellow composers who have acknowledged his advancements include Philip Glass, Gustavo Dudamel, and Burt Bacharach, the latter of whom praised Wilson as "one of the greatest innovators" in music history.<ref name="WilsonWebsiteQuotes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In discussing Wilson's harmonic ingenuity, musicologist Philip Lambert states in 2016 that his harmonic approach demonstrated an exceptional mastery, leaving a lasting imprint on popular music since.Template:Sfn
The level of creative control that Wilson had asserted over his own record output was unprecedented in the music industry,Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn leading him to become the first pop artist credited for writing, arranging, producing, and performing his own material.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Wilson's autonomy encompassed control over recording studios and personnel, including engineers and the typically intrusive A&R representative. According to biographer James Murphy, Wilson's singular artistic freedom was pivotal in reshaping both the landscape of popular music and the music industry's perception of artistic control.Template:Sfn
In addition to being one of the first music producer auteurs, Wilson helped popularize the idea of the recording studio as a compositional tool,Template:Sfn and he was the first rock producer to use the studio in this fashion.Template:Sfn Granata writes that Wilson "redefined" the role of the producer.Template:Sfn Peter Doggett identifies Wilson as the quintessential figure of an era marked by "some of the most notorious pop battles" between "idealistic musicians" and the executives funding their ambitious projects.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
Beatles producer George Martin said, "No one made a greater impact on the Beatles than Brian [...] the musician who challenged them most of all."Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Refn Jimmy Webb explained, "As far as a major, modern producer who was working right in the middle of the pop milieu, no one was doing what Brian was doing. We didn't even know that it was possible until he did it."Template:Sfn David Crosby called Wilson "the most highly regarded pop musician in America. Hands down."Template:Sfn
His accomplishments as a producer influenced many others in his field, effectively setting a precedent that allowed subsequent bands and artists to produce their own recording sessions.Template:Sfn Following his exercise of total creative autonomy, Wilson ignited an explosion of like-minded California producers, supplanting New York as the center of popular records.Template:Sfn Wilson was also a pioneer of "project" recording, where an artist records by himself rather than at an established studio.Template:Sfn
The 1967 CBS documentary Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution described Wilson as "one of today's most important pop musicians."Template:Sfn Many musicians have voiced admiration for Wilson's work or cited it as an influence, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Ray Davies, John Cale, David Byrne, Todd Rundgren, Patti Smith, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Randy Newman, Ray Charles, and Chrissie Hynde.<ref name="Contrast88">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Art pop, pop art, psychedelia, and progressive musicEdit
Further to his invention of new musical textures and his novel applications of quasi-symphonic orchestras, Wilson helped propel the mid-1960s art pop movement,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and, with Pet Sounds, was immediately heralded as art rock's leading figure.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Carlin writes that Wilson had originated an "art-rock" style that merged transcendent artistic possibilities with the mainstream appeal of pop music.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Academic Larry Starr writes, "In a sense, Brian Wilson was the first self-conscious second-generation rock 'n' roller" as well as "the first fully realized" example of both an innovative and majorly successful pop musician.Template:Sfn Starr credits Wilson with establishing a successful career model that was then followed by the Beatles and other mid-1960s British Invasion acts.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn According to journalist Erik Davis, in addition to composing "a soundtrack to the early '60s", Wilson initiated "a delicate and joyful art pop unique in music history and presaged the mellowness so fundamental to '70s California pop."<ref name="Davis1990">Template:Cite news</ref>
Van Dyke Parks stated, "Brian Wilson was not imitative, he was inventive; for people who don't write songs, it's hard to understand how inventive he really was."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Parks elaborated that "Wilson made music as accessible as a cartoon and yet rewarded repeated listening as much as Bach", also suggesting that Wilson's sensibilities overlapped with those espoused by other pop artists of the era.<ref name="HimesSurf">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:RefnTemplate:Refn
Under Wilson's creative leadership, the Beach Boys became major contributors to the development of psychedelic music, although they are rarely credited for this distinction.Template:Sfn Christian Matijas-Mecca, in his book about psychedelic rock, credits Wilson, alongside Bob Dylan and the Beatles, for establishing a creative standard that "enabled psychedelic artists to expand their sonic and compositional boundaries", yielding "entirely new" sounds and tone colors.Template:Sfn In an editorial piece on sunshine pop, The A.V. ClubTemplate:'s Noel Murray recognized Wilson as among "studio rats [that] set the pace for how pop music could and should sound in the Flower Power era: at once starry-eyed and wistful."<ref name=AVSunshine>Template:Cite news</ref>
Wilson's work with the Beach Boys, especially on Pet Sounds, "Good Vibrations" and Smile, marked the beginnings of progressive pop, a genre that is distinguished by sophisticated and unorthodox approaches to pop music.<ref name="progpopguide"/> Writing in 1978, biographer David Leaf identified Wilson's 1960s productions as a chief influence on bands such as Queen, Electric Light Orchestra, 10cc, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, among others.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Musicologist Bill Martin acknowledged Wilson's influence on progressive rock, particularly through his complex songwriting and basslines.Template:Sfn
Wilson's detachment from live performance—deploying bandmates as "attractive avatars"—presaged later producer-musicians like Max Martin. Writing in 2016, The AtlanticTemplate:'s Jason Guriel credits Pet Sounds with inventing "the modern pop album" by establishing auteur-driven production, anticipating "the rise of the producer [and] the modern pop-centric era, which privileges producer over artist and blurs the line between entertainment and art."<ref name="Guriel2016">Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Refn
Naïve art, rock/pop division, and outsider musicEdit
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Wilson's popularity and success is attributed partly to the perceived naïveté of his work and personality.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn<ref name="Hoskyns95"/> In music journalist Barney Hoskyns' description, the "particular appeal of Wilson's genius" can be traced to his "singular naivety" and "ingenuousness", alongside his band being "the very obverse of hip".<ref name="Hoskyns95"/> Commenting on the seemingly "campy and corny" quality of the Beach Boys' early records, David Marks said that Wilson had been "dead serious about them all", elaborating, "It's hard to believe that anyone could be that naive and honest, but he was. That's what made those records so successful. You could feel the sincerity in them."Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
The most culturally significant "tragedy" in 1960s rock, according to journalist Richard Goldstein, was Wilson's failure to overcome his insecurities and realize "his full potential as a composer" after having anticipated developments such as electronica and minimalism.<ref name=GoldsteinSalon>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Writing in 1981, sociomusicologist Simon Frith identified Wilson's withdrawal in 1967, along with Phil Spector's self-imposed retirement in 1966, as the catalysts for the "rock/pop split that has afflicted American music ever since".<ref name="Frith/HistoryOfRock">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Speaking in a 1997 interview, musician Sean O'Hagan felt that rock music's domination of mass culture following the mid-1960s had the effect of artistically stifling contemporary pop composers who, until then, had been guided by Wilson's increasingly ambitious creative advancements.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In her article which dubbed him "the godfather of sensitive pop", music journalist Patricia Cárdenas credits Wilson with ultimately inspiring many musicians to value the craft of pop songwriting as much as "the primal, hard-driving rock 'n' roll the world had come to know since then."<ref name="Cardenas20">Template:Cite news</ref>
By the mid-1970s, Wilson had tied with ex-Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett for rock music's foremost "mythical casualty".<ref name="Lester98"/> Timothy White wrote that Wilson's ensuing legend rivaled that of the California myth promoted by the Beach Boys,Template:Sfn while Brackett characterized Wilson's "rise and fall and rise" as a "downright Shakespearean" story.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
Ultimately, Wilson became regarded as the most famous outsider musician.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Author Irwin Chusid, who codified the term "outsider music", noted Wilson as a potentially unconvincing example of the genre due to Wilson's commercial successes, but argued that the musician should be considered an outsider due to his "tormented" background, past issues with drug dependencies, and unorthodox songwriting.Template:Sfn
Alternative music and continued cultural resonanceEdit
Wilson has also been declared the "godfather" of punk, indie rock, and emo.<ref name="Cardenas20"/> Principally through his early records, Wilson, alongside his collaborator Mike Love, was a key influence on the development of punk rock and the movement's evolution into indie rock.<ref name=Shoup2015>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Refn According to critic Carl Wilson (no relation to the Beach Boys' Carl Wilson), "The Ramones, for instance, seized on and subverted the early Wilson template: Be True to Your School became Rock'n'Roll High School."<ref name=BBCMozart/> The critic adds that Wilson's "vulnerability", "offbeat instruments", and "intricate harmonies", together with the Smile mythos, served as a "touchstone" for art-inclined post-punk and bands such as Pere Ubu, XTC, U2, R.E.M., the Pixies, and My Bloody Valentine.<ref name=BBCMozart>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Later in the 20th century, Wilson was credited with "godfathering" an era of independently produced music that was heavily indebted to his melodic sensibilities, chamber pop orchestrations, and recording experiments.<ref name="Leas2016">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Author Nathan Wiseman-Trowse credited Wilson, alongside Spector, with having "arguably pioneered", in popular music, the "approach to the sheer physicality of sound", an integral characteristic of the dream pop genre.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Newer acts who were influenced by Wilson, or that voiced their admiration, included Robyn Hitchcock, Redd Kross, the Church, Rain Parade, Big Dipper, the Go-Betweens, Psychic TV, the Feelies, and the dBs.<ref name="Contrast88"/>
Many of the most popular acts of the 1980s and 1990s recorded songs that celebrated or referenced Wilson's music, including R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen, Barenaked Ladies, the Jayhawks, and Wilco.Template:Sfn Simultaneously, the High Llamas inspired many American touring groups, especially around Los Angeles, to recognize Wilson as an "alternative music hero".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Stereolab and the Elephant 6 collective, whose roster included Apples in Stereo, of Montreal and the Olivia Tremor Control, were all heavily influenced by Wilson.<ref name="Allen21">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In Japan, references to Wilson and his "mad boy genius" legend became a common trope among Template:Nihongo musicians such as Cornelius.<ref name="Walters">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2000, Marina Records released Caroline Now!, an album of Wilson's songs recorded by artists including Alex Chilton, Kim Fowley, the Aluminum Group, Eric Matthews, Saint Etienne, Peter Thomas, the High Llamas, and Jad Fair of Half Japanese.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Through acts such as Panda Bear, and especially his 2007 album Person Pitch, Wilson began to be recognized for his continued impact on the indie music vanguard.<ref name="Allen21"/> In 2009, Pitchfork ran an editorial feature that traced the development of nascent indie music scenes, and chillwave in particular, to the themes of Wilson's songs and his reputation for being an "emotionally fragile dude with mental health problems who coped by taking drugs."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Wilson's influence continues to be attributed to modern dream pop acts such as Au Revoir Simone, Wild Nothing, Alvvays, and Lana Del Rey.<ref name="Allen21"/> In 2022, She & Him, accompanied by the release of Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson, embarked on a concert tour dedicated to renditions of Wilson's songs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Authorized documentary filmsEdit
- Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times, directed by Don Was, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1995.Template:Sfn It features new interviews with Wilson and many other musicians, including Linda Ronstadt and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, who discuss Wilson's life and his music achievements.Template:Sfn
- Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile, directed by David Leaf, premiered on the Showtime network in October 2004.Template:Sfn It includes interviews with Wilson and dozens of his associates, albeit none of his surviving bandmates from the Beach Boys, who declined to appear in the film.<ref name="Planer">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, directed by Brent Wilson (no relation), premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is focused on the previous two decades of Wilson's life, with appearances from Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Jim James, Nick Jonas, Taylor Hawkins, Don Was, and Jakob Dylan.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
AccoladesEdit
Awards and honorsEdit
- Nine-time Grammy Award nominee, two-time winner.<ref name=CNNfacts>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- 2005: Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 2013: Best Historical Album for The Smile Sessions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1988: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Beach Boys.Template:Sfn
- 2000: Songwriters Hall of Fame, inducted by Paul McCartney,Template:Sfn who referred to him as "one of the great American geniuses".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- 2006: UK Music Hall of Fame, inducted by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
- 2003: Ivor Novello International Award for his contributions to popular music.Template:Sfn
- 2003: Honorary doctorate of music from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.Template:Sfn
- 2004: BMI Icon at the 52nd annual BMI Pop Awards, being saluted for his "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- 2005: MusiCares Person of the Year, for his artistic and philanthropic accomplishmentsTemplate:Sfn
- 2007: Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame<ref name="Kub07"/>
- 2007: Kennedy Center Honors committee recognized Wilson for a lifetime of contributions to American culture through the performing arts in music.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 2008: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 2011: UCLA George and Ira Gershwin Award at UCLA Spring Sing.Template:Sfn
- 2016: Golden Globe nomination for "One Kind of Love" from Love & Mercy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Polls and critics' rankingsEdit
- In 1966, Wilson was ranked number four in NMETemplate:'s "World Music Personality" reader's poll—about 1,000 votes ahead of Bob Dylan and 500 behind John Lennon.Template:Sfn
- In 2008, Wilson was ranked number 52 in Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". He was described in his entry as "the ultimate singer's songwriter" of the mid-1960s.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
- In 2012, Wilson was ranked number eight in NMETemplate:'s list of the "50 Greatest Producers Ever", elaborating "few consider quite how groundbreaking Brian Wilson's studio techniques were in the mid-60s".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- In 2015, Wilson was ranked number 12 in Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of the "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
- In 2020, Brian Wilson Presents Smile was ranked number 399 on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
- In 2022, Wilson was ranked second in Ultimate Classic RockTemplate:'s list of the best producers in rock history.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- In 2023, Wilson was ranked number 57 in Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time", elaborating that "he is so renowned for his producing and songwriting skills that his gifts as a vocalist are often overlooked".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
DiscographyEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:See also Template:Div col
- Brian Wilson (1988)
- I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (1995) (soundtrack)
- Orange Crate Art (1995) (with Van Dyke Parks)
- Imagination (1998)
- Gettin' In over My Head (2004)
- Brian Wilson Presents Smile (2004)
- What I Really Want for Christmas (2005)
- That Lucky Old Sun (2008)
- Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin (2010)
- In the Key of Disney (2011)
- No Pier Pressure (2015)
- At My Piano (2021)
FilmographyEdit
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | The Girls on the Beach | himself (with the Beach Boys) |
| 1965 | The Monkey's Uncle | himself (with the Beach Boys) |
| 1987 | The Return of Bruno | himself |
| 1993 | Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey | himself |
| 1995 | Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times | himself |
| 2004 | Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile | himself |
| 2006 | Tales of the Rat Fink | The Surfite (voice) |
| 2014 | Love & Mercy | himself (archival) |
| 2018 | Echo in the Canyon | himself |
| 2021 | Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road | himself |
Television
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution | himself |
| 1988 | The New Leave It to Beaver | Mr. Hawthorne |
| 1988 | Full House | himself (with the Beach Boys) |
| 2005 | Duck Dodgers | himself (voice) |
See alsoEdit
- Pet Projects: The Brian Wilson Productions
- Playback: The Brian Wilson Anthology
- List of people with absolute pitch
- List of people with bipolar disorder
- List of recluses
- List of unreleased songs recorded by the Beach Boys
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
BibliographyEdit
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Further readingEdit
Books
Journals
Web articles
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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External linksEdit
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