#253 | In Honor of Brian Wilson: 5 Quotes on the Power of Songs, Sharing, and Intuition from the Musical Genius Behind the Beach Boys—My First Concert Ever!
Quick SUMMARY:
Douglas Vigliotti pays tribute to the late Brian Wilson by discussing his memoir, "I Am Brian Wilson." Douglas explores Wilson’s influence as a musician, reflects on his struggles with mental health, and highlights memorable quotes from the book. He shares personal stories about the Beach Boys’ impact on his life, emphasizing the transformative power of songs, love, sharing, and intuition, and underscoring the enduring legacy of Brian Wilson and the significance of music more broadly.
Listen to the episode:
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TOPICS COVERED IN the EPISODE:
Introduction & Book Announcement (00:09) - Douglas introduces the episode, mentions his new book, and outlines the focus on Brian Wilson’s memoir.
Honoring Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys (01:15) - Tribute to Brian Wilson, his recent passing, and his legacy with The Beach Boys.
Brian Wilson’s Musical Impact & Pet Sounds (02:49) - Discussion of Wilson’s influence, Pet Sounds, and the creative rivalry with The Beatles.
About the Memoir & Wilson’s Life (04:08) - Overview of the memoir’s content, Wilson’s struggles, and the collaborative writing process.
Mental Health & Personal Struggles (05:27) - Exploration of Wilson’s mental health challenges and his relationship with psychologist Eugene Landy.
Book’s Tone & Transition to Quotes (06:46) - Comment on the memoir’s tone and transition to sharing favorite quotes.
Quote 1: The Power of Songs (07:49) - Reflection on how songs can shape personal growth and perspective.
Quote 2: Good Vibrations & Musical Connection (09:24) - The spiritual impact of “Good Vibrations” and the meticulous effort behind its production.
Quote 3: Sharing and Karma (09:24) - The importance of giving, service, and karmic reciprocity.
Quote 4: The Power of Love (10:45) - How love makes life easier and its significance, especially for men.
Quote 5: Intuition and Feeling (12:05) - Trusting intuition and bodily responses over rationalization.
Bonus Quote: Bob Dylan on Brian Wilson (13:18) - Bob Dylan’s praise for Brian Wilson’s unique sound and recording genius.
Closing & Listener Engagement (13:18) - Encouragement to subscribe, connect, and learn more about the podcast and Douglas’s work.
READ THE TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome back to “Books for Men”, a podcast to inspire more men to read and bring together men who do. So this week I am turning back to a work of nonfiction. It is a memoir titled “I Am Brian Wilson” by Brian Wilson, and it came out in 2016. It is around 350 pages or so. Of course, I will share a lot more about this book. The author, why I am sharing this book, and instead of doing my three large takeaways in this episode, I am going to be sharing five of my favorite quotes and why they are my favorite quotes. Actually, there will be a bonus quote as well if you stick around till the end of this episode. Now, before we get started, I did want to quickly remind you about my new book that is out, “Aristotle for Novelists: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story”. If you are a novelist, an aspiring novelist, or just trying to tell a story in any kind, whether it's on the screen, the page, or even in your life, then I think you will find a lot to like in this book.
01:15 - If you are interested in learning more about it, all you have to do is visit the website AristotleforNovelists.com. All right, so now let's pivot to the book that I am sharing with you today. Of course, I always like to start with the author. And although I don't feature music or albums on this podcast, that might not be a bad idea for the future, as it's a huge part of enjoyment and inspiration for me. I did want to honor Brian Wilson, the great singer, songwriter, and composer who recently passed away in June at the age of 82. I did a similar in memoriam episode for David Lynch back in February following his passing, but Brian Wilson holds a special place in my heart. He was definitely a legend and often cited as the backbone to one of the greatest American rock bands of all time, the Beach Boys, who of course, also featured his brothers Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and a friend, I guess, Al Jardine. And as I was just saying moments ago, they have a very special place in my heart because they were the first concert that I ever attended as a kid, and I have really fond memories running around my childhood house listening to one of their greatest hits albums that featured California Girls, Barbara Ann, Good Vibrations, Help Me Rhonda, Surfing USA, Surfer Girl, Little Deuce Coupe, I can go on and on.
02:49 - There are just so many songs, and many people conclude them as probably the greatest harmonists of all time. I think among many other qualities, that is the one they are probably most known for in rock history. That and of course, the production of the songs, which has a lot to do with the person that I'm sharing with you today, Brian Wilson, who many consider to be a musical genius or one of the greatest musical innovators of the 20th century. And this was highlighted and really emphasized with the 1966 album Pet Sounds, which really put Wilson in the spotlight. That album featured so many great songs like God Only Knows, Wouldn't It Be Nice? And historically, as the legend goes, it pushed the Beatles, or Paul McCartney more specifically, in 1967, to make Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which many consider to be the Beatles’ most psychedelic and innovative album. Among a catalog of a lot of innovation, I would say. And on that album, you could definitely hear Brian Wilson all over the place in the book.
04:08 - It's interesting. He cites Rubber Soul as the best album of all time, which of course came out in 1965. And to me, this is just an example or a reflection of the healthy competition between him and the Beatles. And that influence was definitely a two-way street. So I can go on and on talking about Brian Wilson and his impact as a singer and a songwriter, and a composer. But I should share more about what this book is about specifically, since I am sharing his memoir with you today, and it is one that I read several years back. It was written in conjunction with a New York City-based writer, Ben Greenman, which, as you've heard me talk about on the podcast before, is pretty typical for any of these, quote-unquote celebrity memoirs. I've featured a couple of them on the od “Life” by Keith Richards comes to mind. So does Michael K Williams’ memoir. The name of it is escaping me. I can link both of those episodes up in the show notes. But this book is about the life of the musical genius Brian Wilson, which features so much on the making of these great songs, many of which you heard me already talk about, and band life, but also his struggle with extreme mental illness.
05:27 - So psychosis, institutionalization, severe manic-depressive disorder, and a slew of other issues really, that influenced not only his life but his art. And it sidelined him from touring in the 60s. Fortunately for me, selfishly, he resumed on a case-by-case basis later in his life. So I got to actually see him in that concert that I mentioned at the top of this episode. But among the many other things that the book discusses, it delves into the strange and troubled business and personal relationship with his psychologist, Eugene Landy, which is also the subject of the biopic that came out several years back titled “Love and Mercy”, also the title of a great Brian Wilson song. But I thought that this movie was quite tasteful for a biopic. It features Paul Dano and John Cusack as Wilson, both younger and older. And for what it's worth, Wilson has also said he thought the film was pretty accurate to his life and how he remembers it. Take that for what it's worth. I will say that this book has a very simple and calm tonality that just feels very Brian Wilson to me, but I think you have a good idea of who Brian Wilson is. What is this book going to be about? It's pretty self-explanatory as a memoir.
06:56 - On that note, let me turn to five of my favorite quotes from this book to close this out. And of course, that one bonus quote, which comes from another legend who, like many others, has been very complimentary to Brian Wilson. And for what it's worth, has also been featured on this podcast before, and I will link that episode up in the show notes as well. On that note, let's turn to the first quote he writes. “When you think songs are just for you. You pay attention to them, and then you grow from them. It's like a building going up. You have a foundation, and then you keep adding stories until you look down, and you're so far from the ground that you don't know how you got up there. That is how it's always been for me.” I love this quote because it's really an ode to the power of songs, or more specifically, their ability to change.
07:49 - You and I can speak from experience in this sense that there have definitely been single songs that as I listen to them, they grow inside me and alter the way that I see the world or perhaps see myself. And I love this quote for highlighting that and drawing attention to the power of a single song. The second quote that I wanted to share with you. Comes about a third of the way through the book, and he writes, “Any minute playing Good Vibrations is a minute that I feel spiritually whole. I hope that any minute hearing it is the same.” Again, it's this idea that songs in their simple 3 to 5 minute form are conduits and vessels by which a musician can connect with the listener and alter their experience of the world. And I also wanted to mention that later in the book, he talks about the production of Good Vibrations. He says that as far as resources are concerned, it took over 80 hours, seven months, and over $50,000 to produce it. And so the amount of attention to detail and precision that went into creating that song is astounding.
09:24 - And it showcases the nuance and level of desire that Brian Wilson had in order to create the vision that he had in his head. Quote number three is: “You share what you have with people who need it, and maybe when you need something, someone will share it with you.” I'm not going to belabor this because it's pretty on the nose, but I love it because it spotlights this idea of giving and acting in service instead of selfishly or via taking. It's like you do what you can for people who need that, and hopefully, those people will find it. And when you're in need in life, hopefully someone will pay you back. It really feels karmic to me and eastern in its philosophy. And that's just something that I can totally jive with. Quote number four is: “If there's not love present, it's much, much harder to function. When there's love present, it's easier to deal with life.” Something that I feel is overlooked or not talked about enough. Because, especially in a masculine sense, it's hard to talk about love.
10:45 - But the power of it and the importance of it in one's life could not be overstated. And I think he was on to something with that quote. Quote number five is: “I still believe that something is right only when it feels right.” It's taken me a really long time to come around to the importance of intuition and feelings. But there is something about your body's response that to me is fundamentally truer than your head's response. And this has been a tough learning curve for me. But to me, the body responding is nature, and the head responding is nurture. And so the closer that we could get to how we feel, truly feel in an unaltered state about something, the closer we get to biological truth or natural truth, something that is uninhibited by story. And the way I always like to explain that, at least from the male point of view and to other men, is when you're attracted to someone, your body has a physical response. Your mind doesn't create a story about it, meaning you get a hard-on.
12:05 - You may then go on to try to rationalize and create a story of why you had this physical body response, but the response was physical, natural, and was purely your body feeling what was right, even if it was inconvenient. And now, if we turn back to Brian Wilson's quote, I still believe that something is right. Only when it feels right. How could we get ourselves to a place where we can trust what we feel, because what we feel has a lot more information than we think it does? All right. And as I promised, there is going to be one bonus quote. And it comes from none other than Bob Dylan. And he says, “The records I used to listen to and still love, you can't make a record that sounds that way. Brian Wilson, he made all his records with four tracks, but you couldn't make his records if you had 100 tracks today.” All right, so that's all I've got. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. At the very least, I hope you'll go and listen to some Beach Boys or Brian Wilson today in honor of his passing.
13:18 - Either way, I'd love for you to take two seconds to click subscribe on this podcast, because it is the best way for new listeners to find the show and, in return, inspire more men to read. If you want to tell me more about what you thought about this episode or the podcast more broadly, there are two ways that you can contact me: either on Instagram @DouglasVigliotti. It's the only social media that I have or via my website DouglasVigliotti.com. As I mentioned at the top of this episode, I have a new book out. It is titled “Aristotle for Novelists,” and you can find out more information about it at AristotleforNovelists.com. Last but not least, I wanted to thank you so much for tuning in and listening. And if you want more information on this podcast specifically, which includes signing up for the monthly newsletter, then all you have to do is visit the website BooksforMen.org.
