Smile

[cosmolinguist]

Yesterday morning I woke up to something that had never happened before. Andrew put his arm around me, kissed my shoulder, and said, 'It's almost time to get up.'

All I could say was 'What?' He repeated it. Apparently I hadn't been dreaming, I'd heard it right the first time .. but that couldn't be right. He may look and feel like the person I fell asleep next to the night before, but the Andrew Hickey I know would not say such a thing.

I enquired as to the occasion. 'Why?'

'Brian Wilson!' he replied, as if I should've known. And, I suppose, I should have.


Explaining the appeal of Brian Wilson can be difficult. Most people know him as the Bech Boy, and most people know the Beach Boys as the group that did things like 'Surfin' USA' and 'Kokomo.' Some people talk about how much they like Pet Sounds, but that's all.

The people who know any more than that always end up ... well, I'm not trained as an anthropologist so I don't think I can properly explain the difference in culture. No one outside can describe the strangeness, and no one inside can appreciate it, except to ask the obvious outsiders (like me; I was wearing a skirt and females are virtually unknown to them) questions like 'We must seem scary, don't we?' or 'So, uh ... what kind of music do you listen to?'

If you're thinking, 'This sounds a bit like a cult or something ...' you're getting the idea. (And no, they didn't scare me. They reminded me of the computer geeks I know.) Andrew mentioned that Beach Boys fans are forever splitting into little groups and arguing with each other. I laughed. 'You mean like the Christians?' 'Oh,' Andrew said, 'they've got nothing on us.'

'Us', that's right, he is one of them. He says the others consider him something of a lightweight Beach Boys fan, and while I have no doubt that much higher levels of nerdiness could be attained, the fact remains that when I asked why he wanted to get out of bed, it was because of a Brian Wilson concert ten hours hence (well, twelve actually, but he thought it was ten at the time).

Here's what you do to make a Brian Wilson concert take all day:

• boring quotidian things like baths and coffee--necessary, but insignificant here
• find the t-shirt (which, in an impressive display of foresight, has been washed and even dried for the occasion) given to you for free with the picture of a Beach Boys bootleg cover on it, which Bruce Johnston--a Beach Boy ... more or less--once said he liked
• get the Carl Wilson badge that is special for some reason you told me but I forgot
• make a big deal about how you're abstaining from wearing the other one (Al Jardine maybe?) as well, since I've been calling you a psychopath all morning
• find Stew's album Guest Host in case you meet Probyn Gregory (who plays with Stew, Brian Wilson's band, and about half a dozen other bands) and then lose it again
• get me to find the Pet Sounds Live DVD inlay so you have something for people to sign if you get to go backstage this time
• note that people are meeting at pub behind the Apollo (where the concert is) beforehand
• leave house at 2:30
• get to pub, meet people
• turn down offers of drinks from them because you only have £5 in the world and can't buy a round of anything with that
• spend £2.75 on fan-zine
• get drinks from your friends anyway
• go to the toilet because the guy who just came out of it said he could hear the orchestra doing sound-check and heard some exciting song
• be part of nerd-cult (mostly constituted of people called Andy) for four hours or so
• go to concert

We were going to see Smile, which was unknown to me before I met Andrew but legendary to Beach Boys fans. It was meant to be the album after Pet Sounds, but a bunch of stuff prevented that from happening. Some of the songs were later released in various forms (with varying degrees of legality and adherence to the originals), but Smile, unfinished and abandoned, remained numinous and intangible.

They were all surprised when Brian started touring again six years ago. His mental issues had made it impossible for him to even be involved in the Beach Boys in the last 15 years or something. More surprising was that he re-did the Smile stuff and toured doing that, in February. No one really knew what to expect, and at least one guy who was expecting a great, Zen-like, Life the Universe and Everything sort of thing was quite disappointed. But most people who heard it seemed to find it just really good music by a really good guy.

Brian Wilson is such an interesting character. Andrew once called him 'the world's oldest preschooler,' and I think that sums it up well. He has to read his lines off a teleprompter, and he only smiles when it reminds him to ... but when he does it's the sort of smile that really deserves to be described with words like 'beaming' and 'radiant.' I call him a dork all the time, and he is, but in the best possible way. He's impossible not to like.

Andrew was excited to take me to my First Proper Gig, and he was sure I'd like it. (And I did like it. I might write about it specifically later, I just wanted to give some version of the general atmosphere I was immersed in yesterday.) I remember well that a while ago gentleman_lech posted a simple question in his journal, 'What's better than sex?' and Andrew's answer was 'seeing Brian Wilson perform movement 2 of Smile live.' He's told me that at Brian Wilson concerts he's seen people in tears, people saying things like 'I've just seen God.' And he says it's the closest he's ever come to a religious experience.

All the nerd-cultists call him by just his first name when they sit around the pub and argue. They may argue about whether or not 'City Blues' has any redeeming qualities at all, but they do, in the end, simply really like Brian Wilson. They know each other because of him and the Beach Boys. The last song he plays at his shows is always 'Love and Mercy,' a nice little song, the chorus of which includes 'Love and mercy, that's what you need tonight.' But I think it's what he needs too.

Comments

[blanx73.livejournal.com]

I know Probyn's sister pretty well.

[cosmolinguist]

Andrew says this is evidence of how small the world is. I say involving the Internet and famous people is cheating.

[kalieris.livejournal.com]

The two of you really are delightful. I enjoy seeing the same event from both perspectives, and you've done that more than a few times now.

I think, my dear Holly, that you have become an Initiate into the Holy Temple of Brian. At least the vestments include t-shirts and jeans... ;)

[cosmolinguist]

I don't think they'll let me unless I changed my name to Andrew. All of them seem to be named Andrew (and athey all go by Andy).

[kalieris.livejournal.com]

Isn't there a Python skit like that? Not Andrew, per se, but "Bruce"?

[cosmolinguist]

I wouldn't be surprised. Those crazy Brits.

[angel-thane.livejournal.com]

Actually the Bruce sketch involves Aussies.

[stealthmunchkin.livejournal.com]

She's right though - at one point I was talking with Andy O'Brien, Andy-who-is-called-Robbo and new-Andrew-who-I-don't-know about Andrew Doe (who wasn't there).
However, Andrew isn't the *only* acceptable name for a Brianista. You can be called Sean or Dave too. No other names though.

[kalieris.livejournal.com]

I think Holly's more of a Sean. She's certainly not a Dave.

[cosmolinguist]

Certainly not. Especially since my dad is; it would cause confusion if we had the same name.

[harry-t-skull.livejournal.com]

The andy-who-you-don't-know was a Gilday

The was a jon there however he be The Master Bluesman, and I supose doesn't need to be called Andy cause he only owns about 10 BB albums

[ted-souleater.livejournal.com]

Brian Wilson fanatics are similar to Deadheads, in their fanaticism. Although Deadheads are far more numerous, obviously. If there was a war between the 2, the Deadheads would simply over-run the Brianistas and trample them to death.

There are lots of things in life that are better than sex....which is the most over-rated activity ever. Generally speaking, personal achievement is at the top of the list....achieving something that you've worked long and hard (no pun intended) for. Also, when you experience that feeling of "being in the zone," whether it's in golf, tennis, basketball, long-distance running (in my case), or whatever.....that's a really cool feeling. It's that moment when mind and body are totally in sync with each other, and you're performing like a perfectly programmed machine. In running, it's known as runner's high......it comes from endorphins and adrenaline. Your body is moving, the pain is gone, and you're just gliding along like a bird in the breeze....you're running, and you know you're running, but you're not doing it consciously anymore. I didn't feel that until I started running long distances (and most of the time that feeling never comes, but when it does, it's awesome).

I guess there's more Dennis Wilson in me than Brian Wilson. :)

[cosmolinguist]

I know there are mnay things better than sex--I contributed some answer myself--but having now seen movement 2 of Smile performed live, I can see why Andrew said that. :-) That was my only point.

[ted-souleater.livejournal.com]

I have to wait until September to hear Smile (when it gets released on CD). I'm sure it'll be great....although I have my doubts about how much Brian was involved (creatively) in putting together this 2004 version of Smile.....

[gentleman-lech.livejournal.com]

It brings a smile to my face to know that things I've done are remembered so well. And fondly - that's kind of important. :)