Brian Wilson. Go Figure.

What does one do on a 14-hour flight across the Pacific?

Well, I’m one to peruse the extensive movie catalog that American Airlines offers. I got to see a few that, because of COVID, I didn’t get to see in the theaters. The Batman (hmmm…not bad). Sing 2 (loved it, but caught an earworm). Spiderman: No Way Home (not bad, but these Spiderman (and multiverse now) movies are getting a bit rote).

And then I saw this: Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road.

I’ve never been a Beach Boys fan. Never really liked their sound. It seemed cheesy. But for some reason, I found myself watching this documentary. And I learned something.

I’d known that Wilson had problems. I also seemed to recall that one of the Beach Boys drowned (didn’t know which one — thought it could’ve been Brian himself, but turns out it was his brother Dennis). Brian is still very much alive, and just had his 80th birthday a few weeks ago. And he’s getting by. Still touring. Still performing. But he’s also struggled mightily with mental health issues. Has been since his early Beach Boys days.

The documentary included interviews of some heavy hitters in the industry — most notable, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. And they were absolutely singing the praises of Wilson. I’m not much for Springsteen, but when Elton John — an absolute musical genius himself — speaks, I’ve got to listen. And he (along with Springsteen) recognized Wilson’s musicianship and abilities as a producer as brilliant. “Genius,” they said. Now, Rick Beato taught me how to listen to music — looking for these production quirks and details — so I decided to give the Beach Boys another chance.

And hey, these guys are right. There is some incredible depth in some of these songs, even if they’re not smash hits (their album Pet Sounds has been hailed as groundbreaking, and yet isn’t filled with mega-hits (there are a couple), but the production on the album is amazing).

I’m quite happy now that I gave the film a chance. It opened up my catalog a bit (not to mention that there is a certain nostalgia behind the Beach Boys and their popularization of the SoCal surf scene of the 60s). I certainly recommend it.

Ahead of their time…