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Ten minutes. That's the time allocated for our conversation with Brian Wilson, whose All Music Guide bio starts by proclaiming him “arguably the greatest American composer of popular music in the rock era." It's a tough line to argue against given the global impact of 1966's Pet Sounds, not to mention the small pop miracles of “In My Room," “Good Vibrations" and countless other singles, as well as his long delayed personal opus SMiLE. His compositional acumen remains pretty bloody sharp, too, as witnessed by 2007's That Lucky Old Sun collaboration with old pal Van Dyke Parks. That entire album gets a live-in-the studio treatment on a new DVD (released January 27 by Capitol Records), where Wilson's crack touring band support the bittersweet soaring and diving of a man who inspired other inspirers in the '60s, influencing The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and everyone else with a radio and decent taste.
With a mind chattering with questions accumulated in close to 40 years of exposure to his music, I picked up the phone. Funny thing is Brian Wilson is a man of VERY few words, and though our time was brief there was an easy, pause rich flow to things, where he only seemed to comment if he felt the need. Maybe after four decades in the biz he's said as much as needs be said on most topics. So, with that in mind, here's what we brought back from our field excursion into the drifty world of Mr. Wilson.
JamBase: I just watched the new DVD and I have to say for a guy that's been doing this since the early '60s you look happier than ever. What is it about music that endures for you?
Brian Wilson: Thank you! It's not just the melodies, of course, but the harmonies that get me the most.
JamBase: Your work brings to mind that the human voice has dropped out of popular music, especially on the radio. It's become something very machined, and you're keeping alive something that began with choral music.
Brian Wilson: I have a commitment to music as a person. I've been making music for 46 years! And it's my obligation to make music.
There are so many people who are acolytes of what you've done. When you look at popular music, what do you see as your stamp on it?
I think we've introduced some harmonic ideas, and lyrically and melodically we've introduced some good ideas.
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There's a sense of playfulness that resides in your music, even still. You seem to be having a blast with your own band these days.
Yeah, I know! I have a better time with this new band than I do with The Beach Boys.
There's a timeless quality to much of your music. Do you strive for that, to not be just of 2009?
Yeah, I try to make timeless music. I lock into my keyboard and shut the world out. I isolate my keyboard and my voice and try to write songs that way.
You're playing live with some regularity in recent years. You hadn't embraced the stage for a long while, so how is this recent stretch of performing for you?
It's pretty pleasant. It's a nice feeling. It's exciting.
There's an impression of Brian Wilson as the serious perfectionist that your recent stage efforts shakes up. What are some of the cliches or misinformation about you that you think is most inaccurate?
I can't answer that question [laughs].
When you open the new DVD, a backstage pass laminate falls out with a picture of you smiling in the sun, eyes towards the sky, with the phrase “All Access." I couldn't help read that as a metaphor given the imagery and your history. Was that intentional?
No it wasn't but that's how it came out [laughs].
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The whole That Lucky Old Sun album is inspired in some way or another by Southern California. What is it about California that holds this mystique for you?
Well, it's not just the beaches or the ocean, it's the restaurants, the nightclubs, stuff like that that raced through my mind.
One thing I've noticed as a native Californian is how there's mountain, oceans, forests, deserts, pretty much any kind of landscape you could want. I wonder if that geographical diversity plays into your music, too?
It does.
Do you feel there's more of these sort of large themes you'd like to get to as a composer?
Not really. I think I'm through with concert albums but I'd like to make a rock 'n' roll album! The Phil Spector type of record always fires me up. I got one song written, but that's about all.
Here's the lovely “Midnight's Another Day" from the new DVD.
Brian recently appeared with a couple band mates on the ever-wonderful Black Cab Sessions, where they performed “That Lucky Old Sun" and “California Girls."
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