[The following was gleaned from two conversations with Brian Wilson. His publicist had warned: "You don't just sit down and interview Brian. Hell talk for ten minutes and then be gone." Au contraire, we found that Brian spoke candidly and at length, until—without warning—he ended the sessions with an abrupt "That should about wrap it."

The first talk was over lunch at a Beverly Hills restaurant. Attending were Brian, his wife Marilyn, his press agent, his psychiatrist, and his psychiatrists assistant, who ^described Brians current therapy: "Hes learning how to develop a style of being able to take care of himself, to feel accepting, feel OK about who he is and what he can y create." We dont know about that; sounds suspiciously like the ubiquitous est—TM, sorry—thats fueling the BBs now, in-place of milkshakes and surfs up and sunny Cal-i-forn-i-ay. At any rate, Brian, a hulking behemoth of a man (though hes slimmed down somewhat) arranged a second meeting at his house, and although going over the traumas of the past seemed to cause him pain, once he got going on the present he relaxed and started to enjoy himself. Without his psychiatrist present. Read on—Ed.]

CREEM: Why did you finally return to the studio on 15 Big Ones?

BRIAN: Well, we did it for two reasons. One, the natural spring cycle had arrived and we felt creative this time. Two, we had an obligation to Warner Brothers to make the delivery of the album, and we hadnt really been fulfilling our commitment, so we had to get with it and get the stuff done.

CREEM: Why had it been so long since you worked?

" I was hiding in my bedroom from the world. I was unhealthy I was way overweight I was totally a vegetable. It happened through my starting to take drugs. "

BRIAN: I was hiding in m^) bedroom from the world. Basically, I had been just out of commission. I was unhealthy, I was way overweight, I was totally a vegetable. In other words, my life got all screwed up. It happened through my starting to take drugs. I started taking a lot of cocaine and a lot of drugs, and it threw me inward—I imploded. I withdrew from society and continued to do so for about four years, until J anuary or February of this year.

My wife had a psychiatrist, Dr. Gene Landy, commissioned to straighten me up. It took a couple of months, but they did it, through enforcement of no drugs, bodyguards at my house, working, a physical-education program and so on.

CREEM: Yoy were just sitting in your room?

BRIAN: Yeah, I was meditating. I took up meditation a couple of years ago, and that turned me inward too.

CREEM: There was a mystique that # grew around you in the Sixties when you were working on Pet Sounds and Smile about being reclusive and all that. How did you relate to that mystique?

BRIAN: Well, I got behind that, because its all true. I was a hermit. I was a musical hermit and I did stay alone. Its true that I did have a sandbox in my house. It was the size of one room and we had a piano in the sand. The story about staying home and writing in the sandbox is all true, and it's pretty close to how I really am.

The mystique grew, and I was getting fascinated with the fact that I was becoming famous and that there was interest in my style of life. I had a certain style of life, you know, a very eccentric person, and people began making note of that. j|ff

CREEM: Why did you stop touring with the Beach Boys?

BRIAN: Well, I had a nervous breakdown at the end of 1964.

CREEM: Is touring what led up to the nervous breakdown?

BRIAN; Yes, it really was . . . The grueling touring life; thats a strain on the nervous system. The worst part of it was the loud sounds that came out on stage. See, I have only one ear that works, so I have twice as much sound going in one ear, and all that sound drove me nuts, drove me to a nervous breakdown.

I just remember that I started to flip out and I slammed the door on Carl [Wilson] and said “Get out of here. I dont want to see anybody. I told an airline stewardess that I didnt want any food, to get away from rne, things like that. I was crying on the plane and everything. That was the start of the secluded period, which ended with "California Girls."

Then I had another nervous breakdown in 1972, after jve went to Holland. Id been away from home too long. See, my wife pulled our studio out of my house in 72, so in June of 72 we all hauled off to Holland and built a studio, did some recording and ended up staying five and a half

"The Beach Boys were going through a rebellious period, and they were actually denying the eongs that made them famous."

months. Well, as a combination of things that happened over there, plus being away from home, I had a little, breakdown over there. I couldnt take the idea of being away from home that long. Im almost a Cancer, Im June 20th, so I have a little Cancer in me, which is very devoted to home and wanting to stay there. The security is the home—California and this place.

CREEM: Ive read that you dont relate to the California mystique anymore. BRIAN: We summed up our desire to get back to that feeling in "Do It Again." Its not just surfing; its the outdoors and cars and sunshine; its the society of California; its the way of California . . .

I dont feel thats past, no. Were fools to neglect that aspect. I relate to it more than I did because Im more aware of the beauties of that type of social concept. Those types of records, those types of ideas; I mean theyre gold, theyre sheer gold, and those are the kinds of things the Beach Boys should stick with.

CREEM: Tl^ere was a point where the group seemed to be rejecting the surf songs.

BRIAN: They were denying that whole success period. They were going through a rebellious period, and they were actually denying the songs that made them famous, but then they got back into what I call being prou4 of ones thing, and I think its working better for them now. They got very arty and they thought maybe they didnt have to carry that with them. But any artist should know that you carry along that which made you famous when you do your show.

■ CREEM: How did it feel to be back in the studio again?

BRIAN: Well, it was a little scary, because we werent as close. We drifted apart personality wise. A lot of guys had developed new personalities through meditation. There had been so many changes in our personalities that our getting back together was a bit scary and shaky. But we socked into that studio with the attitude that we had to get it done, so we worked out of necessity.

After a week or two of being in the studio we started to get into the niche again. But it took a while, because we hadnt been together in the studio in those conditions in so long.

CREEM: Are your days of experimentation in the studio over?

BRIAN: No. We have some ambitions. Were thinking about that right now ... I want to try to get into that in the future, to make another Smile.

CREEM: But the Smile album never came out. What happened?

BRIAN: Well, we got a little arty about it, and it got to the point where we were too selfishly artistic and we werent thinking about the public' enough. It got to that level. Partially because of drugs . . .

CREEM: Was there ever a point when you were taking drugs that you felt it was beneficial?

BRIAN: Yes, several years ago, back when I was working with Van Dyke Parks, he and I both took drugs to work TURN TO PAGE 76 together and it worked to the positive.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30.

CREEM: What was the reaction of The rest of the group to the stuff you were doing for Smile and Pet Sounds?

BRIAN: I think They thought that it was for Brian Wilson only. They knew that Brian Wilson was gonna be a /separate entity , something that was a force of his own, and it was generally considered that the Beach Boys were the main thing. So with Pet Sounds there was a resistance in that I was doing most of the artistic work on it vocally, and for that reason there was a little bit of intergroup struggle. It was jresolved in the fact that they figured that*t was a showcase for Brian Wilson, but its still the Beach Boys. In other words, they gave in. They let me have my little stint:

CREEM: How did you feel about Pet Sounds being hailed as a masterpiece, the first concept album?

BRIAN: Well, I felt that the production was a masterpiece. Pet Sounds was an offshoot of the Phil Spector production technique. Im proud of it for that reason, in that we were able to produce tracks that had a monumental sound to them. It had that wall of sound touch to it. My contribution was adding the harmonies, learning to incorporate harmonies and certain vocal techniques to that Spector production concept that I learned.

But Pet Sounds wasnt really conceived as a "concept album." It was a production cpncept album. It wasnt really a song concept album or lyrically a concept album.

CREEM: What do you think your other important contributions have been?

BRIAN: I think that "Good Vibrations" was a contribution in that it was a pocket symphony, it had a pocket symphony effect ... It was a series of intricate harmonies and mood changes.1 We used a cello for the first time in rock “n roll, so I think in that respect it was an innovation . . .

"Good Vibrations" ... an adult could even say, “Yeah, now there is a deep thought! I think "Good 'Y^ra' tions" is the most adult masterpiece weve ever done and Im very proud of it.

CREEM: How did "Good Vibrations" come about?

BRIAN: My mother used to talk about vibrations when I was a kid . . . She told me that dogs pick up vibra-' tions, and they bark at some people and dont bark at others. She said that people pick up vibrations too/ Then some years later, I came up with a song which was about that very concept, about people picking up vibrations from other people.

CREEM: What did you. think of Todd Rundgrens version of "Good Vibrations" on Faithful?

BRIAN: Oh, he did a marvelous job, he did a great job. I was very proud of his version.

CREEM: Are you still interested in' progressive records?

BRIAN: I am, but I havent found as many as I used to find, though now and ■then you will find, for instance, Queen. They made a record called "Bohemian . Rhapsody"/which to me was a fulfillment of artistic music. I studied the record, I became very familiar with it, and Im very, very fond of it and scared of it at the same time.

CREEM: Why, because of the competitive thing?

BRIAN: Oh, its the most competitive thing thats come along in ages. Its just totally amazing what people do when they lose their noggins, when they lose their heads and go in there and freak. Thats exactly what Queen did. They had enough of what was happening, and by God, they/went in and did their thing and stomped. And I appreciatefhat and Im very fond of it:

I think records have now gotten to the point where now everything is its own identity. There are not very many fads nowadays that>you can really follow. Especially in production. I think the great era of production is over.

CREEM: Could you talk about the contribution or role of each person in the group?

BRIAN: I see Mike Love as one of the best lead singers in that he sounds young . . . Hes in tune with the teenagers, with the 16 to 25 age group. Dennis Wilson maintains a steady image of his own kind of singing. I would consider him hitting the 25 to 35 age bracket. A1J ardine is also like Mike Love; he sounds young. So A1 and Mike are responsible for our youth, Carl Wilson and Dennis are responsible for 25 to 45 and I tljink Im responsible for 25 to 45 .'So its a careful blending of age groups that we hit.

CREEM: Do you think like that a lot, in terms of age groups?

BRIAN: Yeah, I do, because I think theft music has become stereotyped and its been bagged. I think that if you spread your music around, youll take in an older audience. But I think you have to be constantly aware of the teenagers. We still should be making music for the kids. I see no reason to desert that audience.

CREEM: That audience deserted you for a while „ right?

BRIAN: Yes, they did. They deserted us. We made records that just didnt make it.

CREEM: Why have the Beach Boys remained together as long as they have?

BRIAN: Because were a family, and the family that sings together stays together; Thats been proved by the Beach Boys a hundred times over. Thats the overwhelming reason weve had our success and why weVe stayed together.

The other minor reason was me, my love for music and my competitiveness.

I Was a "better, better, better" type, whats that called? . . . One-upsmanship, yeah. I was glued to that aspect. I thought that was the way. And that is the way. You should never think that what you did before is gonna be as good as what youre doing now.