RIP: Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, aged 82

[thewayne]

Brian was the last of the three Wilson brothers, Brian played bass, Carl lead guitar and Dennis drums. The other two members of the Beach Boys, Mike Love - a cousin - and Al Jardine, are still alive.

Brian has been in a medical conservatorship for the last year. Trouble with alcohol and drugs probably accelerated things. He met his last wife at a car dealership where she was working, which began a chapter where it was found that Wilson's psychiatrist was exploiting him and his finances, eventually resulting in a restraining order. When his wife died, Wilson entered into a decline, finally culminating in the conservatorship.

There's so much that can be said about The Beach Boys and their influence on music and various groups and musicians, and their being a core for surf/beach music in the '60s. I spent a few hours tonight revising a bunch of my Beach Boys music for my band in Lord of the Rings Online and adding some more songs to my catalog, I think I'll be performing them tomorrow night in an impromptu concert as I need to do some testing on my band as I've been having some system problems.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/brian-wilson-beach-boys-dead-1234810073/

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/brian-wilson-beach-boys-visionary-165711806.html

Comments

[acelightning2]

Both Sly Stone and Brian WIlson died from the enthusiastic substance abuse common to musicians - not that I have anything against substance use, but I tried not to let it incapacitate me too severely.

[thewayne]

I had, and continue to have, so many health problems that for me substance abuse seemed/seems an accelerated form of suicide, so I never touched drugs.  In the end, we're all dead, getting to choose our exit is one of the purest decisions we can make.

[acelightning2]

I have actively sought out and enjoyed drug experiences. There does seem to be some sort of innate desire to change one's perceptions - elephants and pigs seek out fallen overripe fruit that has fermented into alcohol, and many creatures seek out "hallucinogenic" mushrooms or intoxicating plants of other types. But I respect a person for eschewing such experiences, if they don't enjoy them. Working in radio is very close to working in the music industry, and there are drugs everywhere. As soon as I discovered how high I could be without it interfering with my audio skills, I fit right in.

[thewayne]

In the late '70s when I was in high school, beer and alcohol that teens could get their hands on suuucked.  I couldn't stand the taste of it, so it was easy to avoid.  I had asthma pretty bad as a kid, so smoking pot held no appeal.  I've tried marijuana edibles that my wife bought, they did nothing for me, though I'd certainly try them again if I had a medical problem and needed pain control.  I have very specific taste in alcohol and drink occasionally, but have been drunk twice, and can give you an exact description of both occasions: house-sitting for a friend and going out for dinner with two friends at San Diego ComicCon.  So for me, there's also a 'loss of control' aspect to it: I want to maintain control of my faculties.  If I decide to drink a lot, I'll have a safe driver and never drink to incapacitation, so I'll keep at least that level of control.

[acelightning2]

I determined fairly early on how much liquor it took to make me feel I wasn't driving safely. However, no amount of cannabis would make me feel unsafe. Several friends of my family made a project of finding a kind of liquor my mother could stand the taste of, but they never succeeded. THere are times when I want to lose control, because I spend too much time IN control. And I understand those elephants and pigs and tigers who get high on what they can find