is once again making music to be remembered by.
Brian
T
o say Brian Wilson is a man of few
words is a massive understatement.
This interview, which included
nearly 30 questions, was completed in a
mere 13 minutes, not because of any disinterest on Wilson’s part but due to his preference to give very short and simple
answers. Short answers from a musical
Brian Wilson
IE: The new album, No Pier Pressure, is
really good. It has a lot of the classic
Beach Boys elements to it, but I also saw
it as a real step forward, with a modern
vibe to it. How much of that was by
design?
BW: We tried to get those mystic Beach
Boys harmonies, so we put 4 voices up and
duplicated them each 5 times, which gave
us 20 voices on most tracks. That’s a small
choir and it sounded really full.
IE: When you write songs do you always
hear harmonies like that in your head, or
is that a product of experimentation in the
studio?
07•2015
genius who casts such a long musical
shadow on our modern civilization seems
like little to endure when you think of who
is speaking into the microphone. He has
created some of the greatest pop discs of
all time, include The Beach Boys’ 1966
classic, Pet Sounds, which many industry
insiders consider the greatest rock album
of all time.
He’s been through it all: fame, pressure, adulation, drug abuse, mental illness,
lawsuits, and recovery. At 72, he seems to
have found something that has often
alluded him in the past: happiness. With a
new album, No Pier Pressure, and a national tour currently in progress, Brian Wilson
8 illinoisentertainer.com july 2015
BW: After the song is written I hear the
harmonies when I am recording in the studio.
IE: So you don’t work out vocals in your
head at the time you are writing a song?
BW: Yeah, I do.
IE: How different is recording in the studio
for you now than it was in the days you
were recording with or for The Beach
Boys?
BW: Well, we take a little longer in the studio now. I worked really fast in the studio
in the 1960s, but then I slowed down a little bit. Now, it takes about twice as long to
get a song together.
IE: On this record, you were surrounded by
a lot of Beach Boys and associates like Al
Jardine, David Marks (who was also a
Beachboy in the early 1960s); and Blondie
Chaplin, who has played with the band off
and on for 40 years. With Dennis and Carl
now gone, would you say this is a Beach
Boys album without Mike Love?
BW: I started hanging out with Al Jardine
again during the Beach Boys reunion tour
of 2012. When he came into the studio for
this record, I taught him his part, and he
sang just as good as he did 50 years ago!
Just as good.
IE: Do you see your relationship with Al
Jardine continuing?
BW: Well, he is going to tour with me in
June - not sure if we will do any more
recording together, though. I might try
another album with him, but I am not sure
at this point.
IE: You seemed to be enjoying the 2012
reunion with The Beach Boys when you
were doing it. People are still amazed