The Beach Boys Band • Page 4

Oh nooooo

 

I hope he gets his flowers come next Grammys. Dude basically created modern pop music as an artform as we understand it today.

 

Is there an essential Brian Wilson biography I should read?

 

I Am Brian Wilson is the one to read

 

I Am Brian Wilson is his autobiography. There’s a few important Beach Boys books (which I haven’t read yet) by David Leaf and Steven Gaines.


I’d strongly recommend checking out the Jokermen podcast and their series on the Beach Boys. Does a great job synthesizing the texts and albums and they get some great guests.

 

this is the one I've read

 

Wow.

So stoked to have seen them live back in 2012. So many of their songs changed so much for me.

Also, this is my favourite ad of all time:

 

The last three tracks on That’s Why God Made the Radio are fitting for today. Beautiful stuff

 

"Today, the world lost a genius, and I lost a cousin by blood and my partner in music.

Brian Wilson wasn’t just the heart of The Beach Boys—he was the soul of our sound. From the first time we sang together as kids in my living room, I knew there was something otherworldly in him. His musical gifts were unmatched. The melodies he dreamed up, the emotions he poured into every note—Brian changed the course of music forever.

Our journey together was filled with moments of brilliance, heartbreak, laughter, complexity and most of all, LOVE . Like all families, we had our ups and downs. But through it all, we never stopped loving each other, and I never stopped being in awe of what he could do when he sat at a piano or his spontaneity in the studio.

Brian’s unique artistry and our collaboration gave the world the American dream of optimism, joy, and a sense of freedom—music that made people feel good, made them believe in an endless summer and endless possibilities. It was one of the greatest blessings of my life to experience that creative space with him.

It was our privilege to make the world believe in sunshine, surfing, and teenage dreams. My life was forever changed by Pet Sounds, God Only Knows, In My Room, Good Vibrations, The Warmth of the Sun and a hundred other pieces of his soul wrapped in music. He allowed us to show the world what vulnerability and brilliance sound like in harmony. He was fragile, he was intense, he was funny—and he was one of a kind.

My wife, Jacquelyne, and I are heartbroken. She stood beside me through so many chapters of this story, and we both send our love and prayers to Brian’s family, his children, and all who were touched by his life and gifts.

Brian, you once asked, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older?” Now you are timeless. May you rest in the peace you so deeply deserve, surrounded by the heavenly music you helped create. May your spirit soar as high as your falsetto, may your wings spread in effortless flight.

Thank you for the harmonies, the memories, and the love. Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, Love leaves a memory no one can steal.

I’ll miss you forever, my beloved cousin.
– Mike"

thought this was worth sharing, i know he is a divisive man but this was really heartfelt stuff

 

Welp, now I’m crying.

 

Same

 

beautiful stuff from Mike. I'm really struggling with this one

 

I found this piece by Ty Burr (former Globe film critic) very well-written and moving:

Brian Wilson 1942-2025

 

listening to my copy of Pet Sounds - the first LP I've ever purchased - and belting every goddamn lyric

 

Can anyone recommend a good Beach Boys greatest hits collection to pick up? I once had a copy of Sounds of Summer that's now been lost, and I'm seeing there are more than 50 compilations of their music over the years. Endless Summer seems to be favored but I figured this would be a good place to ask.

 

Sounds of Summer/The Warmth Of the Sun have always been my favorites

 

endless summer is really nice because it spans the period before they became album artists so it saves you from having to wade through songs like chug a lug to find the gold lol. generally i think their post pet sounds period is pretty poorly covered by comps tho