"We are at a loss for words right now. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world."
What would surfing be, today, if not for The Beach Boys? The quintet, originally made up of three brothers, Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, cousin Mike Love and pal Al Jardine exploded onto the scene with their 1963 hit Surfin’ USA. The ode to our Sport of Kings, and The Beach Boys California-infused vibe, had kids around the world dreaming of getting their feet in the wax, of getting back on the sled and resetting.
While the sun, surf, fun themes resonated, it was Brian Wilson’s orchestration that really mattered. Considered a genius by many, Wilson had a breakdown in 1964 and stopped touring with the band but continued to make art. The album Pet Sounds widely considered one of the greatest ever made.
Wilson became more reclusive over time, battling drugs and alcohol plus severe mental health troubles, though did pop back up now and again, releasing solo albums and touring again for the last 20, or such, years, though began declining with what his family described as a “major neurocognitive disorder” in 2023.
He died yesterday at the age of 82, his family announcing, “We are at a loss for words right now. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.”
As a surfer, do you have any strong Beach Boy opinions? Were you inspired? Frustrated with the inspiration of others? Do you have a favorite song?
Hard to beat God Only Knows, for my money.
RIP.
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They did paint an idyllic California existence of girls, cars, surfing and fun, fun, fun – too bad it never really existed and then Charles Manson and his murderous family came along to literally Paint It, Black.
The two most beautiful songs that are hard to listen to these days after losing a close loved one are God Only Knows (Brian Wilson) and In My Life (Lennon and McCartney).
The Wilson songs I still love are Don’t Worry Baby, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Good Vibrations, and a few others.
Wilson has about 10 songs that are next level. When you consider that he had a mental breakdown after about five years of song writing, and was never quite the same, that is pretty incredible, I think.
Well put……
Dukes Malibu is a no-go Timbo.
And not just cos it’s still closed after the fires and mudslides etc.
It’s cos they don’t serve hotdogs, never have, and never will.
Also cos it’s not as ‘feud friendly’ as Larry’s, so get drivin’ fella, or catch the train past Trestles…
God only Knows / Pet Sounds for me too.
an amazing album for quite a few reasons. the actual production aspect was awesome, let alone the writing and music.
‘Walk Hard’ took the piss out of it really well.
I’m pickin’ up good cremations…
The Beach Cunts
Hey…that’s us!
I wish they all could be coffin-bearer girls..
Though he never surfed, Brian Wilson’s daddy issues that drove him to greatness were right up there with surfing’s best: Kelly, Medina, JJF.
I put on Pet Sounds, Wouldn’t It Be Nice came through the speakers, and completely unexpectedly I cried like a baby.
I’m generally coldly clinical, and don’t really care about celebrity heroes. Only other time this has happened was Mr. Rogers (and of course Osama Bin Laden ;).
Not sure why the dramatic emotional impact; felt like the end of something bigger, flooded me with childhood memories of my deceased father.
But better to not explore; stuff it in a dark jar and move on.
Surfs Up and ‘Til I Die carry an emotion that lingers after listening. Both on Surfs Up(1971).
Manopause
God help me. Better get down to the t clinic.
Yeah its these kinds of things that suprise you when you go through their discography. Like when there’s questionable stuff like the lyrics you’d wonder if its because of generational differences, mental illness, or from parental abuse. Songs like “Lazy Lizzie”, “Hey Little Tomboy”, “All Dressed Up For School”,”Don’t Hurt My Little Sister”, “Roller-Skating Child”, “I Wanna Pick You Up”, ” Daddy’s Little Girl”, atbp.
There’s also some age-relationship issues like his teenage girlfriend back in 1976 which apparently inspired “The Night Was So Young”
There’s a neuropyschologist’s analysis on Wilson’s mental being and how his mental illness affects his executive functions, albeit from the outside looking in: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24997713?seq=1
heres the bootlegged version too: https://sci-hub.se/10.1038/scientificamericanmind1205-36
big fan of Never Learn Not To Love given that Charles Manson wrote it
Theremin sales are set to soar for the first time since Good Vibrations was released…
Good Vibrations, lost in space and Dr Who!
Though apparently..
..Yes, a bit and None !
(you might, or not, find this interesting)
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Awesome info! still sounds amazing, timeless
Definitely in the category of “oh shit i thought he was already dead”
100 percent me too eeeeeee
The beach boys taught me that surfing the thing that I did is completely different than the idea of surfing in broader culture.
For some reason these lines always come to mind when think about the Beach Boys:
Well you know i hate to be a downer /
But im the guy she left before you found her
Also, Sloop John B – a firm favorite.
The music is so broadly appealing because presents saccharine teenage sentimentality with a very loud subtext of alienation and loneliness.
‘God only knows’ makes a great ringtone
Good Vibrations. Maybe not today.
If Pet sounds was a Beatles record, it wouldnt be in their top 6
agree, but a lyric has never fitted a melody as perfectly as God only Knows
What about, I get Around.
my shout.
Feel Flows
The Beach Boy songs from 5 Summer Stories were their best. “The Trader” with Shaun at Haleiwa and “Sail on Sailor” with the hang glider over Kauai.
As someone who started surfing in the mid 70’s such great memories of that movie and the music.
And feel flows
I heard Greg McGillivray say in an interview that they got those rights for really cheap because Brian Wilson felt he owed it to surfing.
God Only Knows near the top, but Sloop John B has always been the one that stuck w/ me.
RIP Brian
I resent that indie-rock hipsters co-opted Pet Sounds after they first heard it in 2014. Copied the unique, bouncey psychedelic guitars in their own stupid bands, prattle on endlessly about the details of the album and Wilson’s circumstances.
It’s not theirs, it’s ours. They can’t have it.
absolutely
The surfing as the beach boys thing isn’t actually surfing the thing we do. It’s an eternal youth utopia myth from 1960’s. Not really surprising that idea resonates with both hipster millennials and surfers.