This story was originally published in the Octaber 14, 2004 Issue of Rolling Stone.
Brian Wilson Is Waiting in the Driveway of His Mediterranean-Style Beverly Hills House, Dresseed Entirely in Brown Corduroy, Bouncing on his Toes.
“Let's Go!” Heys, Jumping Into the car. “Go Down here, make a U-Turn, I'm Give You Directions.” His Silvery Brown Hair is uncombed, and he's unshaven, in a Relaxed, Sunday-aafteroon way. His face is tan; His Smile is gentle, Easy. Wilson Looks Good. “We don't have to introduce Each Other, Because We've Met Before,” Heys. “I know, how you been?”
“Good. How about you?”
“I'm good,” Heys. “I'm Great. Doing a Lot of Work. It's a Big Relief – Whew! – Because, You Know, I've Been Through Some Rough Times in My Head, But I've Been Fighting it off.”
Wilson is More Active Now Than He's Been Since The Beach Boys Were America's Top Group in The Mid-Sixties. He tours relentlessly with his superb band; he released a album only This Summer, You get in Over My Headwith Cameos from Elton John and Paul McCartney; and now he's preparing to put out out What May Be His Crowning Achievement: an Entirely New Recording of the Legendary, Unfinished SmileWhich was scrapped in 1967 and has become the mons Famous unheard album in Rock History.
Launched as the Follow-up to the Beach Boys' Classic Pet sounds– And in Response to the Beatles' Masterfulful Rubber Soul and and Revolver– Smile Was intended to be the grandst, mons complex rock & roll production ever: a Loosely themed concept album about-to-coast “American,” from plymouth rock to “Blue Hawaii,” Built from Modular, Cut-and-and-pass of pop Melody, Orchestral Instrumentation, recurring vocal, recurring vocal. Themes and Even the Sounds of Crunching Vegetables and Barnyard Animals. Wilson, then Twenty-Four, Described His Epic Musical Tapestry As a “Teenage Symphony to God.”
Wilson's Ambition, However, Was Undercut by Intensifying, Unreated Mental Illness as Well As by Drug Use (Including hashish and amphetamine) and pressure from the other Beach Boys and the group's Label, Capitol, to Stop Messing Around and Start Cranking Out Hits. Beach Boy Mike Love was the Harshest Critic, Reportly Calling Smile “A Who Goum of Brian's Madness.”
Wilson's Behavior Became Erratic and Paranoid. His Smile Collaborator, The Lyricist Van Dyke Parks, Remembers Going Into Wilson's Swimming Pool Fully Clothed for A Business Meeting, Because Wilson was Afraid His House was Bugged By His Controlling Father, Murry. One Night, While Recording to Secation of His “Elements” Suite About Fire Called “Mrs. O'Lary's Cow,” Wilson Distributed Plastic Fireman's Helmets to the Orchestra and Lit A Small Fire in the Studio SOv They Coulo Smell Smoke. Later, Wilson learned that a Building Near The Studio Burned Down and that there Had Been Several Other Fires Across Southern California. Wilson Believed His Music Caused the Fires, and Immediately Stopped Work on the Song and Locked The Tapes Away in A Vault.
By May 1967, After More Than Eighty Recording Sessions, Wilson's Masterwork was unraveling, and So was he. Smile Was Abandoned. Its best tracks – “Heroes and Villains,” “Wonderful,” “Surf's up” – Turned up on subsequent beach boys albums such as Smiley smile; Bootleggers Tried to Piece Together The Rest.
Some Say Wilson Never Recars From The Monumental Disappointment of Smile's Failure. “He was a man I know Lonely and So Abused and Maligned, Ostracized,” Says Parks. “It was an outray what he suffered.”
TODAY HE WON'T SAY MUCH ABOUT THAT TIME Except That Smile “Was Too Far Ahead of Its Time, I know the junked it.” Until Recently, he didn'T Seem Interested in Revisiting The Work (“Bad Music, Bad Memories,” He Told Me in 2001), But A Year and A Half Aug, Looking for a New Live Project, Wilson's Wife, Melinda, Suggestted Trying Smileand his bandleader, Darian Sahanja, Began to Organize The Project. “It Took Courage,” Says Wilson Over Steaks and Heinekens at the Mullholland Grill, Near His House. “We world on it Little by Little, Week by Week, Until Finally We Got It Right.”
“You can Hear That Brian Has a Glimmer,” Says Parks, who world with wilson on the new Smile (differentiated in Typography from the original Smile). “That is what I Think is Wonderful About This Project … It Bathes Brian in Some Real Redempative Light. It Shows That He is very sono and very Thaled, and that he uses as talent to console, in a Powerful Way.”
Work on the New Smile Began in the Fall of 2003, Sahanaja Showed up at Wilson's House One Morning With All Existing Fragments of Smile He Could Find (Both From Bootlegs and the Capitol Vaults) Loaded Onto His iBook. “The knews Smile Is Not Brian's Favorite Topic, “Says Sahanja.” and he has a look, like he was look over the edge of the empire state building with no support. “
At First, Wilson Offered Little Reaction. “He was quiet for a long time,” Says Sahanja. “Then i played him 'do you like worms?' and the Thought He Was Going to Freak Out. And it Just Started Going, Grouping Different Secations and Songs Together. “
To sahanja's amzement, Wilson Began to Remember Harmonies and Arrangements that Were Never Recorded. At One Point, They Were Working On a Portation of “Do you like Worms?” (Now Renamed “Roll Plymouth Rock”), and Wilson Coundn'T Read Parks' Thirty-Eight-Year-Old Lyric Sheet. “We Just Couldn'T Figure It Out,” Says Sahanja. “Brian Goes, 'Van Dyke Will Know.' I know He Picks Up The Phone – Hasn'T Called Van Dyke in Years – Goes, 'Yeah, Van Dyke. What's this line? ' “The Next Morning, Van Dyke Parks Showed up at Wilson's House to Begin Five Days of Work.
Parks Says His Main Goal Was To Bring Smile Out of the Past, to make it the work of a man looks back at his youger days, not to try and simply re-create material thirty-seven years old. “It was important this this not arrives Ironvant and Brain-Dead,” He Says. PARKS MADE MONTLY SUBTEL CHAGANGS. At the Start of “In Blue Hawaii,” for Example, Parks Aided the Line “Is it hot as Hell in here? Or is it me?/It Really is a mystery.”
“These Words Reveal Brian in the Present Tense,” Says Parks, “Reflecting on this situation This Happened to Him All Those Years ago.”
The New Smile Was First performed by Wilson on Tour in the UK in Febary, to Rave Reviews, then Recorded at Sunsed Sound and Your Place or Mine Studios in Los Angeles. It Wasn'T Always Easy. “Darian's a Perfationist – He Henpecks me,” Wilson Says. “It's Hard Work, but it's world it.”
Adds Sahanaja, “Sometimes Brian Was a Little Impatient. He would say, what do we need to do next? When am I Getting My Steak? '? Sometimes I Think He would have Rather Stayed at Home, and, Technically, He Didn'T Have To Be there a Lot of the Time. We'd Get to the Last Chord, and We're all the therere with our headphones on and we'd Hear Him Scream, 'Right the Fuck On!' That's so inspiring for US Musicians. ”
Tonight It's Hard to Tell How Excited Wilson is about Smilebut he's Defintely Excited About Dinner. “They have an excellent sara here; i Think you Should Get it,” He Advises, then calls the Waitress Over and Orders Two Iceberg-and-Blue-Caese Salads and Two Rib-Eye Steaks, medium rare.
Wilson Seems Relaxed-Or As Relaxed As I've Seen Him in Recent Years-AS He Drinks Beer and Talks About His Courtside Seats to the Lakers Playoff Games and About His Four-Month-Ode Adopted Son, Dylan. (Just Saying Dylan's Name Makes Brian Burst Out Laughing.) “Life's Better Than It's Been in the Past Twenty Years,” Heys.
Still, he admits that he works hard to keep depression at bay. “Every day i have an anxiety attack,” Heys. “I Can't Explain Why. It Just Comes Hon.” He takes medication for anxiety and depression, and he sees a Therapist Three Times a Week. “I'm in Bad Mental Shape, I know I need it,” Heys. A Routine of Work and Exercise Helps, Too. Each Morning Before doing anything Else, he spands an hour at the piano. He Says He's Written Three New Songs in the Past Week. “The Creative Process Blows Me Out,” Heys. “It's an amazing trip. Amazing. Just Amazing. I'm older, wiser, more knowledgeable Thanks to be to be, so i can get it together pretty quick.”
He smiles, stoes off for a While, Gulps His Heineken, then Looks up at Me with Pale Greenish-Blue Eyes. “I'm Tell You Something I'm learned,” Heys. “It's hard work to be happy.”
