Meeting Brian Wilson backstage

As Brian Wilson might say, “Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true.”
And it did. I got to meet Brian Wilson last week before his show at the Keswick Theater in Glenside.
It’s not often one gets a chance to actually meet the person whose work has had such an impact on one’s life.
I could go on and on about that, but fans of the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson know what I’m talking about. The music has moved me, touched me and helped shape me along the way. It has helped define me as the person I am today.
But there I was, with my wife The Blonde Accountant, backstage at the Keswick, shaking hands with Brian, courtesy of his band director Jeffrey Foskett, who I had interviewed for a preview story on the Glenside concert.
Of course, I immediately turned into a 12-year-old boy who had just discovered girls for the first time — sweaty, trembling hands, knees visibly shaking, blathering something completely incoherent.
Brian has a nice, firm handshake. I knew he was taller than me, but he seemed even a little taller than I expected. He signed a copy of my story, as did Jeffrey. I had previously purchased a 45 rpm record of “Surfer Girl” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in August, and Brian was gracious enough to sign that as well.
Then we had our picture taken, and Brian threw his arm around my shoulder. As you can see in the picture that accompanies this story, Brian, Jeffrey and I all got the “blue shirt” memo that day and flawlessly executed the pre-concert procedure.
As an added and humbling bonus, Jeffrey mentioned that his friend Roger McGuinn — the Roger McGuinn, lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds’ records — called Jeffrey and told him what a nice article I had written.
Wow. With apologies to The Mamas and The Papas, McGuinn and McGuire couldn’t get no higher . . . and neither could I.
The whole exchange probably didn’t last more than a few minutes. Those that know Brian’s history know that while gracious with fans, he isn’t particularly chatty or comfortable in meet and greet situations.
Still, the few moments I got to spend with him answered the question, “Wouldn’t it be nice . . . to meet Brian Wilson?”
It was all of that. And so much more.