Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

May I have... I'm sure most everybody knows,

but for anybody who might not, may we introduce you by name?

- Al Jardine - Thank you, Al.

- Dennis Wilson. - Thank you.

- Brian Wilson. - Carl Wilson.

Mike Love.

Now, I think, uh... whoop, what happened? There you are.

How long has this singing been going on?

About three years now.

You know, it's an amazing thing, because you have hit after hit.

Who determines, Brian, what will be done next?

Well, I guess I do, I don't know.

I write the songs and produce them,

so I have a lot to say about it.

This is a little intro, you know.

All right, let's try to really pull it off good now.

Here we go.

Play hard and strong, all the way.

You know the part...

- Do-do, do-do... - Yeah, after the horn.

That's your spot... do-do, do-do.

And then what after that, Brian? Then he goes...

- Let me hear the organ. - Ba-dum!

Perfect.

Okay, we'll go with that.

Let's go again, please.

- Here we go. - Yeah.

You've been out on this really long tour.

- Right. - You know, recording

several new albums.

Uh... you know, really nonstop since, you know,

since your late '50s era.

- Right, right. - Um...

How do you explain that kind of burst of creativity and energy?

Where does the, this, this sudden surge

of creativity and energy come for you?

It starts in my brain...

makes its way out onto the piano...

and then on to the... to the speakers in the studio.

Yeah.

Is that something you can explain?

Is that something that's even explainable?

No, I can't. I can't.

And now, okay, I'd like to start it out

with the, uh, organ and the Fender bass.

He was one of the first people

to actually use the studio as an instrument itself.

Play hard and strong all the way.

Really feel it, fellas, play.

And there's a certain amount of songwriting you can

learn how to do and you can educate yourself, and then...

- Watch me on that part. - It's just a fact

that some people are just better than other people...

and Brian's one of the people who's

just better than other people.

Are we ready? Let's go.

Take five, "Good Vibrations."

"Good Vibrations," goddamn.

The idea that the chorus is at one studio

and the verses are in the other studio?

That's why that song is so freaky and so wonderful.

"Good Vibrations" was recorded in four studios:

Western, Sunset Sound, Gold Star and RCA Victor.

Well, each studio was different, you know?

Like, you can't... not any one studio's the same.

He sets a very high standard for...

not just being innovative,

but... to... also be emotionally evocative.

Well, he used all the orchestra.

He used orchestral things.

He used timpani, he used woodwinds.

His musical knowledge wasn't just as a band.

He had an orchestra in his head.

I mean, the Beatles had George Martin to do it for them,

but Brian, he did it himself.

Well, the Beatles were probably my favorite group.

Very, very inspirational with "Rubber Soul."

That made me write the "Pet Sounds" album.

The level of musicianship and musicality...

I don't think anybody's touched it yet, for, for my money.

Back at that time,

there's a lot of upbeat, up-tempo songs,

but Brian brought in this haunting harmony.

You know there's something going on

with Brian Wilson.

There's no hiding that this man is troubled

and trying to escape something.

He's just... one of the greatest artists

who ever walked the face of the earth...

in our time or in any time.

While we're making the tapes, Pop,

we won't be able to have that, uh, camera going.

It's a wonderful treat for me tonight

to have heard and seen the Beach Boys...

and as you can hear

in the background, the girls are still hollering for them.

I'm quite pleased to present to you two of them,

Brian Wilson on my right,

and Carl Wilson, his brother, on the left.

So, this is just two of them.

In just a minute, you'll meet the rest of them, but...

Brian, I understand that you've written, uh,

many of the songs that you all have recorded, and...

when you write a song, um, for yourself or for your group...

what gives you the, um, incentive to write them?

Well, usually, uh, just the fact that we're in the industry

and there's a lot of groups competing with us,

and, uh, I feel that competition, you know,

and also I just... I love music,

and I get very inspired just generally creative anyway...

- Right, I understand. - You know, and I just do it

all the time, write all the time.

Well, now, the, um... how many of them have you had

that have been million-sellers?

Well, actually, million-sellers, we've had one million-seller,

that was "I Get Around," just recently.

- You wrote this? - Yes, I did.

Here's this genius

who just can't help but come up

with these complex arrangements of harmonies,

and then his little brother comes in and says,

"Well, you guys should write songs about cars and surfing,

'cause that's what kids are into."

Name some of them that you've written, Brian.

Okay...

Well, starting with, uh, "Surfin'," our first record,

"Surfin' Safari," "409," "Surfer Girl," "Little Deuce Coupe,"

"Shutdown," "Surfin' U.S.A," "Be True to Your School..."

"The Little Old Lady from Pasadena"?

That's Jan and Dean.

- Is that right? - And, uh... "Fun, Fun, Fun..."

- Oh, it goes on and on. - "I Get Around,"

"Don't Worry, Baby..." we had "Little Saint Nick"

- at Christmastime... - Uh-huh.

- And then... pardon me? - "When I Grow Up..."

- "When I Grow Up to Be a Man" and "She Knows Me Too Well"

are our latest records.

Well, you certainly are a talented young man.

Let's talk to your brother just a minute.

Do you share this, uh, admiration for your brother?

Yes. Well...

He's, he's done very well with us, you know, I mean...

we've had great good luck with the records...

And this... you're Carl, right?

- Right. - Carl's the lead guitar player.

Lead guitar.

How did you, uh, assemble the group...?

Well, one day, as we were walking down the street,

we all bumped heads.

- No, I don't know. - Seriously, Dennis got the idea

that we should write something about surfing,

because he was a big, avid server... surfer then.

- You're a surfer. - Yes, ma'am.

Well, this is something we don't have much out in Oklahoma.

I, I know.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

May I compliment you on your beautiful dress?

- Thank you. - It is beautiful.

I think it is beautiful... is it a gown or a dress or...?

Well, actually it's, uh... sort of, um, a beach girl type...

- I like that. - I wanted to be in style

when I talk to the Beach Boys.

At the end of the concert,

the girls would all rush the stage to get Dennis.

You know, we'd say... me and Mike and the guys would go,

"What's going on here," you know?

The girls were all crying, "Dennis, Dennis," you know?

- Yeah. He was our sex symbol. - Right, right.

You and he had a little competition, uh,

for some women sometimes, too, didn't you?

- Who, me and Dennis? - Yeah.

- No... - No?

He was a ladies' man.

I never was a ladies' man, you know?

- Right. - He was always the ladies' man.

What, what prevented you

from being a ladies' man, do you think?

Ah... just shy of girls, a little shy.

Uh-huh, right.

You can park right there.

- In the handicapped? - Yeah. Yeah.

- I always park there. - Really?

- Yeah. - Okay.

These guys'll probably wanna move it, but I'll park here.

Okay.

I'm hungry.

- All right, let's get in there. - Okay.

Must have been to this deli with you about... 20 times.

- Yeah, at least 20. - Right?

- Good times here. - Yeah.

It's, uh... I'm, I'm hot, you know?

- Yeah. - I'm nervous.

- Yeah. - I didn't sleep last night,

and my head feels wacky.

- Oh, it does? - Yeah.

Why don't we just relax?

Okay. Enjoy our food.

When you get scared, what do you do?

You just take a deep breath?

If I take... if I get scared, I take a, a deep breath,