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Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009
The enigmatic Brian Wilson talks to Salon about emulating McCartney and Spector -- and writing music after "Smile."
Jun 22, 2005 | Last year, to near-universal critical acclaim, Brian Wilson presented the world with "Smile," a newly recorded and finally "complete" version of the legendary Beach Boys project he shelved in 1967. For Wilson's devoted, often obsessive fans, this was a major event, the long-awaited delivery of the holy grail of popular music.
Now his fans have more reason to celebrate. Rhino has released a two-DVD set that includes "Beautiful Dreamer," a feature-length documentary about the making of "Smile," and a filmed live performance of the album in its entirety. The documentary, by TV veteran David Leaf, follows the story of "Smile" from the beginning, chronicling Wilson's growing ambitions (primarily to beat the Beatles in the race to open up new frontiers in popular music), oddities (his infamous piano in a sandbox in the middle of his living room) and paranoia, and his eventual nervous breakdown, from which he has not fully recovered.
Unfortunately, the film doesn't really get into the minutiae of what Wilson's mental illness consists of, what his life has been like in the years since the nervous breakdown, and what the current state of this great musical mind is, preferring to sidestep those issues and focus on the positive. It also firmly takes the stance that "Smile," in both its mythical unfinished and concrete finished forms, is Wilson's great masterpiece, the best music he ever produced. ("Pet Sounds," anyone?)
But for music fans interested in the legend of "Smile," the film is pleasurable and illuminating viewing. Highlights include interviews with the brilliant and deeply dorky Van Dyke Parks, who wrote the lyrics for "Smile," and bizarre footage of the members of Wilson's new band, who have a goofily amateurish "Waiting for Guffman" vibe about them: They're shown working on "Smile's" complex vocal harmonies and glancing for approval at Wilson, who sits nearby in an armchair, near comatose and completely uninterested.
The real pleasure of "Beautiful Dreamer," though, is in the interview footage with Wilson. When he has granted interviews in recent years, Wilson has generally come across as seriously damaged, blank and unengaged and incapable of complex thought, answering questions flatly and with as few words as possible. In the interviews for this film, there's a refreshing liveliness to Wilson's demeanor. Watch him sitting comfortably at the piano, playing snippets of his music and explaining how they were written, and you can catch glimpses of the dazzling and precocious mind that, at 23, astonished the world with the visionary pop masterpiece "Pet Sounds."
Wilson spoke to Salon last week at his hotel in Manhattan, during a five-day press trip to promote the DVD release. Wilson, who was to appear that night on "The Charlie Rose Show," was relaxed and open. A man of few -- and sometimes inscrutable -- words, he burst forth with enthusiasm about music.
Are you nervous about appearing on "Charlie Rose" tonight?
Very much. I'm very scared and very nervous.
How was it for you having cameras constantly around during the making of "Smile," filming for the "Beautiful Dreamer" documentary?
I got used to it after four or five days. They were following me all around for two months. Into the studio, out of the studio. On the stage, off the stage. Into my house, out of my house. I got used to it, but the first few days were very uncomfortable.
In the documentary it seemed as though you were much less nervous when you were sitting behind a piano.
Yes, that makes me comfortable.
What kind of piano do you have at home?
I have a piano that's called a Yamaha piano. I've had it for about 10 years. I play piano all the time. I'm always at my piano, playing music.
