Brian Wilson passed away this week. The co-founder and arguably the main creative force behind the Beach Boys, his life was a series of ups and downs, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.
Wilson was a musical prodigy, learning numerous instruments and writing his own songs before he was a teenager. His parents gave him a two-track tape recorder for his 16th birthday, beginning a lifelong love of musical editing. As a high school senior, he wrote an essay in which he said he would someday make a name for himself in music.
With his brothers Dennis and Carl, cousin Mike Love, and classmate Al Jardine, Wilson formed the Beach Boys, and the group gained early fame by singing about the surfing culture of southern California. Within just a few years, the Beach Boys were one of the biggest pop/rock groups in the country, and the young Brian Wilson was quickly becoming a top-notch songwriting and producer.
The British Invasion of 1964 saw many American bands squeezed out, but Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys saw it as a challenge to overcome. When the Beatles released Rubber Soul in 1965, setting a new standard for what an album could be, Wilson hunkered down in the studio to produce Pet Sounds, which many critics consider to be one of the greatest pop/rock albums ever made.
Yet the work was taking its toll on Wilson. He was experimenting with drugs, including LSD, and while his creativity skyrocketed, his mental state suffered. Wilson had several nervous breakdowns, including one that caused him to stop touring with the band.
He felt incredible pressure to make something even better than Pet Sounds. He recorded 90 hours of tape of not only his bandmates but over 30 session musicians for more than six months in an attempt to create the perfect single. After all that work, the result was what many consider to be one of the greatest pop/rock songs in history:
Yet it wasn’t enough. Wilson wanted more. The Beatles’ 1966 release of Revolver sent Wilson into a fit of creativity. He returned to the studio intending to build an entire album of the caliber of Good Vibrations, yet his mental state grew worse, and eventually the project was shelved. The Beach Boys carried on for many more years, sometimes with Wilson and sometimes without, but their peak of creativity had passed.
Wilson himself later rejected the “genius” label, saying it just created unrealistic expectations. However, there’s no denying that his name deserves to be mentioned alongside the great musicians of history. Wilson was one of the first to use the studio itself as an instrument, as important as voices and instruments in bringing the vision of a song to life.
As I pondered the life of Brian Wilson in the wake of his passing, it made me think of what lessons we might learn from his story:
- First, I recommend staying away from drugs. While there might be some link between LSD and creativity, the paranoia and mental instability just isn’t worth it.
- Second, the perfect is the enemy of the good. Whether it’s producing a rock album, writing an essay, or crafting legislation, at some point you have to call it good and send it into the world. Wilson drove himself crazy for the better part of two years trying to make the perfect album, and the end result was nothing. We finally heard his version of Smile in 2004.
- Third, while competition can drive us to greater things, don’t let it consume you. Wilson later admitted that the competition wasn’t worth all the downsides, and that he was better off just making nice music.
- Fourth, don’t be too hard on yourself. Despite critical acclaim, Pet Sounds wasn’t an immediate popular hit, and that was devastating to Wilson, who had put his heart and soul into producing the album. Shaking off disappointment is an important skill for all of us to have. You miss the basket? Hustle back on defense. Your article doesn’t go viral? Start writing another. Your bill is defeated on the floor? Get to work on your next one.
- Finally, beware of burnout. No matter what work into which you’re putting your energy, make sure to stay grounded. Go outside, play with your children, relax, pray, meditate, read a book, take a vacation. Nothing any of us is doing is worth losing ourselves over.
We’ll never know what might have happened differently if Brian Wilson had not burnt himself out, yet he still left us a treasury of great music. He drew pictures of endless summers, gave voice to the doubts and insecurities we have all felt, and most of all, shared happiness with millions of people.
Perhaps that is the most impactful lesson of all: let us all strive to leave our world a little bit better than we found it.
Feature image by Michael Ochs | Getty Images
About Brian Almon
Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.
