One more run at fun in the sun

Although I’m not normally one for awards shows, I did watch the 2012 Grammys from start to finish.
And I’m glad I did. For those of us who have been around for a while, the show offered great performances from some of rock’s biggest names, from Bruce Springsteen leading off the show to Paul McCartney closing the festivities.
But I tuned in for the 50-year reunion of all the surviving members of the Beach Boys. The band’s music — and more specifically the music of the group’s co-founder Brian Wilson — have played an important role throughout my life.
Essentially, the Beach Boys have been the foundation of the soundtrack of my life. So it was a personal pleasure for me to watch them reunite publicly for the first time in more than two decades on what was such a big stage for the music industry.
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing nearly all of the surviving members — Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston — at one time or another in my career. They were all interesting and unique conversations in their own way.
As a matter of record, David Marks, who was one of the original Beach Boys performing on the band’s first four albums before quitting over financial and managerial issues in late 1963, is part of the 50-year reunion tour and was included in the Grammys appearance. It would be interesting to score an interview with him and get his take on the reunion.
And Bruce Johnston, while not one of the original members, joined the group in 1965, replacing none other than Glen Campbell, who was briefly with the group and was himself subbing for Brian Wilson, who had decided not to tour with the band anymore at that point.
Joining the Beach Boys tribute at the Grammys was Maroon 5, which did a credible job on the Beach Boys’ hit “Surfer Girl,” and “Foster the People,” which did likewise on “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” There are those who didn’t think these other two bands were needed to sing Beach Boys songs in a Beach Boys tribute at the Grammys, but it didn’t matter much to me. The Beach Boys themselves and their performance of “Good Vibrations” was the main event.
There is supposed to be a new CD and tour scheduled around the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys. The hope here is that they will perform here in Philly.
If so, I’ll be there for all the fun, fun, fun.

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.