Musician and legend, Brian Wilson, has passed.
I still remember my brother getting a Beach Boys record for his birthday when I was probably five. It was a Greatest Hits, and the pop-surf classics that made oldies radio play. And we dug it.
But as a kid, I took the Beach Boys for granted. Their music was everywhere - absolutely on the radio, at restaurants, and in every fifth commercial when summer rolled around. Like Elvis, they simply were.
It wasn't until college that two folks flipped me from "oldies station Beach Boys" vs Pet Sounds Beach Boys. One was NathanC, and the other was a fellow named Robb, who was absolutely grooving out to Pet Sounds when I dropped in at his place one afternoon. Robb was also my compatriot in discussing Phil Spector and The Wall of Sound, so this all lined up pretty neatly.
I'm absolutely one of those guys who thinks Brian Wilson was pretty great, but also one of the great American tragedies. This is not an original insight, but I don't know how else we can discuss him. He has a certain genius that was still very much in force when I picked up Smile several years ago, and you always wondered what could have been.
But mental illness is a real sonuvabitch, and he struggled with his issues for so many years. His family managed to keep him healthy and making music, and I can't imagine the love and care that took.
Still, what a legacy he left behind.
Go put on Pet Sounds and Smile today, if you can. And here's the the Wilson family today.