Brian Wilson on Making Music, Stage Fright, and Why ‘Love & Mercy’ Scared Him
You already know Brian Wilson as the brain machine behind the Beach Boys, the reclusive, mysterious, and tortured songwriter who quit touring to spearhead masterpieces like Pet Sounds and the elusive SMiLE. He’s also the man who ultimately triumphed over evildoers like the infamous Dr. Eugene Landy, who, in the 1980s attempted to psychologically arrange his mind in ways that could only be called heinous and abusive. And, finally, Wilson has, against all odds, continued to create, produce, oversee, and, yes, even tour; besides his own solo outings, he joined the other surviving Beach Boys for a 50th anniversary reunion tour in 2012 and produced the band’s first album of new material in almost three decades, That’s Why God Made the Radio.
On Friday, Love & Mercy, a biopic about Wilson in which he’s portrayed in the ’60s by Paul Dano and as his late-80s, early 90s self by John Cusak, opens in the US. Dealing with Brian Wilson’s multitude of demons and toxic relationships throughout his life, the film pulls no punches when it comes to showing the harsh realities of Dr. Landy’s treatment in particular, but also sprinkles in a few other villains, from Wilson’s father, Murry, to Beach Boys’ frontman and Wilson’s cousin, Mike Love. Ultimately, however, Love & Mercy showcases his ultimate triumph, that, along with help from his wife and family, he’s been able to overcome these extreme circumstances and remain a pillar of the music world, even today.
Yesterday, I told you a little bit about what it’s like to interview Brian Wilson. Now, in the actual interview, he opens up about the film, his new album No Pier Pressure, his dream collaboration, and much more.
REBEAT: You have so much going on; it’s really an exciting year for you between the new album, touring, and Love & Mercy. On No Pier Pressure, you work with a real variety of collaborators. Do you find it more fulfilling to work in a collaboration?
BRIAN WILSON: Yeah, it’s easier to write a song. With collaborations, you can bounce ideas off each other. Like a chord pattern, or a melody, or the lyrics.
Do you typically like to start with one part of the song, say, the lyrics, and work from there, or does it depend on the song?
Well, it’s always the chord pattern, then the melody, then the lyrics. It’s like a process.
If you could collaborate with anybody in history — at all — who would it be and why?
I would work with Paul McCartney. I like his music very much, and I think I might want to write a song with him sometime.
You know this, but he’s a huge fan of yours, too, so I think that would be fun on both ends.
Yeah it would be. I think so.
Have you ever brought it up to him?
No, I haven’t. I’m going to, though.
So, on your list of your favorite collaborators, where would Mike Love rank?
Oh, he’s my favorite collaborator that I’ve worked with.
What collaborations with him are you most proud of?
A song called “Do It Again.” I love the lyrics that he wrote, and I like the way he sang the lead on it. It’s got a great tempo, too.
I last spoke to you in 2012 before the Beach Boys went out on the 50th anniversary tour, and you told me that at that time, you’d rather be doing a Beach Boys tour than doing a solo tour. Did that whole experience change your mind about that?
Yeah. When I did that tour, we did 72 concerts, you know. And it was quite a rough, grueling tour. But I enjoyed being with the guys. Traveling was the hardest part, yeah.
Did you enjoy it overall? Do you have good memories of it?
Yeah, it was a good tour.
Going back to your album, I noticed that some of the songs on it sound a lot like those you produced and wrote for That’s Why God Made the Radio. Were some of them left over from that?
There [were] a couple left over, and I did use them for my solo album. Al Jardine and David Marks sang on “Tell Me Why” and “The Right Time,” [but] my favorite actually is “Sail Away,” sung by Blondie Chaplin. I like that a lot; I like that song.
What’s the best part of making an album for you: the writing, the recording, the producing…?
My favorite part is the vocals, doing the vocals. We try to do four-part harmonies, you know.
Right, of course. And I have to ask, do you like doing press? Do you like doing interviews?
Yeah, I do. I enjoy doing interviews very much, I like it.
Great. I’m glad to hear that, especially since I’m doing one right now. So, a lot of inspiration for your material comes from California. What does California mean to you these days?
Well, California means good restaurants, and good parks to take walks in, and you know, just those kinds of things.
If somebody were new to LA, what restaurant would you recommend?
Uh, I would recommend — there’s too many to mention.
Speaking of LA, I caught Brian Fest at the Fonda Theater when I was in California recently. What was that experience like for you?
It was quite a night, quite a night. It was unreal. I had so many great artists doing my songs, you know. I was really proud that night; I felt really proud.
What were the highlights for you?
When someone did “Don’t Worry Baby” and “God Only Knows.” Those were my two favorites.
Obviously, Love & Mercy is coming out [this week]. You’ve said that you thought the film focuses too heavily on the negative aspects of your life?
Right. That’s why it scared me a lot to see that movie, you know? It brought back a lot of really bad memories. What I went through on drugs, the Dr. Landy program trip, a lot of that kind of stuff. But some good memories, too, though. Bad and good.
Do you consider yourself to be a more positive person these days?
Yeah, I think so. I think so, yeah.
How did it feel watching yourself portrayed onscreen by two great actors?
John Cusack approximated the way I was very well. So did Paul Dano. Paul Dano sang the way I did; he knew how to play “God Only Knows” on the piano. He was just great.
I loved those scenes, too, with him in the studio recording. Those were my favorite parts of the film, I think. I could have watched two hours of just that.
Right! Me, too. Those are my favorites, too.
Is there anything that you wish would’ve been in the film that wasn’t included?
No, that pretty much covered it. They really got a pretty much factual life; it’s a pretty factual movie.
Was it weird to watch yourself on the screen?
It was kind of scary. I had a lot of fun watching, though.
Also, I have to say I thought the dogs that portrayed Banana and Louie stole the scene a couple of times.
Yeah [laughs]. Those were my dogs when I lived in Bel Air. I remember them.
So, you’re also doing some concerts this summer. What does it feel like to be onstage these days?
Well, it’s good. I like the vibe of the audience. I like the way my band plays the instruments. It’s just kind of a nice experience.
Do you still get stage fright?
I do, yeah, for about a half hour before the show, I get a little stage fright.
What do you do to curb it?
I sit down and meditate for about a half hour.
What’s your ideal day like, Brian? If you could get up in the morning and do whatever you want, what would it be?
Uh, having breakfast at a delicatessen, walking at the park, and playing with my kids.
Would playing or listening to music be part of it?
Yeah. I listen to “oldies but goodies” quite a bit, quite a lot.
Do you ever sit down and listen to a Beach Boys album?
No, I don’t play Beach Boys albums. I’ve heard them enough.
If an alien landed on Earth, what three songs or albums would tell them to listen to right away?
I’d tell them to listen to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Anything else?
No.
Is there something in your life that you haven’t done that you’d like to do?
Yeah: a rock ‘n’ roll album. I’d like to do a rock ‘n’ roll album.
I heard that you were going to try to plan a tribute to Chuck Berry. Is that kind of tied up in that?
Yeah, Chuck Berry and Little Richard and all the great rock ‘n’ roll guys. I’d like to do an album, a tribute album, for them.
Would it be just you or would you bring on other people?
I’d work with Al Jardine.
That would be a great album. If you’re thinking about the next five or 10 years, what do you look forward to?
I look forward to my June tour.
Day to day, what’s the thing that gets you up in the morning?
I can’t answer that question.
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