JJ-208

SHOT OF SHINY DARK BLUE PIANO WITH MIC STAND. WHERE BRIAN WILSON WILL SIT FOR INTERVIEW

BRIAN CHATS WITH INTERVIEWER OFF CAMERA ABOUT A PREVIOUS INTERVIEW THEY HAD DONE TOGETHER.

INTERVIEWER STANDS NEXT TO WILSON AND THEY LOOK AT PHOTOS.

INTRODUCTION OF BRIAN WILSON

INTERVIEW BEGINS:

Pete Fornatale 5:15
just like the opening of

Brian Wilson 5:17
the beautiful dreamer documentary.

Pete Fornatale 5:19
Yeah, yeah. Fantastic.

Brian Wilson 5:21
That's the greatest documentary I ever produced.

Pete Fornatale 5:23
You know, I know that we're both impartial about this, but I agree with you.

Brian Wilson 5:27
Yeah, This this is really happening to me.

Pete Fornatale 5:30
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I've seen everything done about you, Brian, the biography two hour show the legend of a band, whatever I'm gonna call, this is the best thing I've ever seen about you.

Brian Wilson 5:42
I've never seen anything better either about me.

Pete Fornatale 5:44
And I think there's a person in the room with us who's probably more responsible for that than anyone, don't you agree?

Brian Wilson 5:50
Mr. David Loaf actually David leaf. Mr. David Leaf is here.

Pete Fornatale 5:54
David leaf is the producer of the beautiful dreamer documentary. And kudos to you, my friend for a terrific job.

David Leaf 6:02
Thank you it as you know, Pete, we've known each other for a long time, and it was a complete labor of love. Because finally, there was a happy ending to the smile story. So for me to be the person who Brian, it was really a privilege that Brian let me be the one to bring it to the screen. And it really, it was really our cameras were witnessing a miracle as it happened. It was it was so exciting. And an emotional roller coaster every step of the way. But it was worth every moment

Pete Fornatale 6:36
Very worth it. I take it even further than a happy ending. I'd call it a triumphant ending.

Brian Wilson 6:41
Yes, I agree with you. Yeah, that Yeah,

David Leaf 6:44
I think the thing that surprised me the most. There was there were three other producers on the project with me. And I wrote and directed the film, we went into it, making a film, a documentary about the most famous unreleased album of all time, what we didn't expect to come away with was a movie that was about the triumph of the human spirit. And I think that's what's most exciting is that what this shows is if you believe if you have enough faith, that anything is possible doesn't matter how old you are, doesn't matter what how scarred you might be what damage may have occurred to you in life. If you are willing to put it all on the line, great things can happen.

Pete Fornatale 7:22
And that is the story of Brian Wilson. Isn't it? Beautiful Dreamer. how did the title How did you pick that as the title?

Brian Wilson 7:28
I played it for David, you know, he should play something. He said fool around on the piano and played it and move beautiful dreamer. And sure enough, he liked it. And he said, Well, we'll use it. We'll use it for the documentary.

Pete Fornatale 7:40
Brian, do you know the expression? It's the phrase snatching victory from the jaws of defeat? Have you ever heard that?

Brian Wilson 7:48
No, I haven't.

Pete Fornatale 7:49
It sort of means that something that looks like it's going to go down in flames in defeat at the last second by some miracle, or by some redemption becomes a huge victory. That's what a lot of us feel that the smile project has been for you. Is that what you feel about?

Brian Wilson 8:10
Yeah, I think it was a victory over fear and a victory over boredom. Because I was sitting around not doing that much, you know. And meanwhile, my wife decided it was time for me to get off my my chair on my chair and do some work some solo work. So we had a little bit of work to do.

Pete Fornatale 8:27
I've told you this once before, but using the title of one of the songs from smile, there have been many heroes in your life and many villains, right your life. David has certainly been a hero. Right? Melinda, your wife is a hero as a hero. Yes. Tell. Tell us a little bit about her.

Brian Wilson 8:45
Well, she's a sweet gal. 58 years old, blond hair, five, five foot nice used to model and she's just a great influence on my life.

Pete Fornatale 8:56
Do you think that if there was one person who got you back out into the public performing, which would she be that person?

Brian Wilson 9:07
Her and I believe David, my friend David would be the two that they got me out of my chair.

Pete Fornatale 9:13
David, I know you're an East Coast guy who sort of went to the west coast because of Brian. But I don't remember how the two of you first crossed paths. Would you remind me

David Leaf 9:24
I moved to California with a specific goal. In my youthful days, I wanted to be an Edward R. Murrow type journalist. And when I read about Brian as a 19 year old I said you know what, I gotta move to California write a book about Brian. And with with the arrogance of youth, I moved to California and I was there about a year and not having any great success in my career. I decided to start a what was called a fanzine called Pet Sounds that would be devoted to Brian Wilson in the music of the Beach Boys. And so after I'd been in Calif In a little over a year I met Brian at a at a after a concert at the at the form Los Angeles and told him a little bit about myself and he wasn't particularly interested. But I was persistent. And I got to know him a little bit and got to notice know his friends more importantly, and they decided that my my motives seem good and they helped me write a book which came out in the late 70s, The Beach Boys

Pete Fornatale 15:04
Which ones do you feel you made a contribution to that were worthy of the album's Brian Wilson songs or albums?

Brian Wilson 15:12
Oh, say I have to say surfer girl surfing USA

Pete Fornatale 15:16
those were before until. Here's what I'm talking about Brian. I'm talking about after smiley smile. There was Friends wild honey or wild honey there was friend right? Then there was the very slow comeback in the 70s. The Sunflower album and 70. Surf's Up finally in 71 did what did you feel actively involved in those projects?

Brian Wilson 15:42
I didn't really feel involved because I felt a little bit insecure. But I I managed to squeeze out a few of those albums over a period of time.

Pete Fornatale 15:54
And there are moments of sheer Brian Wilson brilliance on on many of them on Surf's up the one that comes to mind is the one you refer to in the documentary till I die. Yes, tell me about that song

Brian Wilson 16:08
Till I die till I die was inspired by I was sitting you know, I had taken some Hashish. Have you ever heard of hashish? and I was in a sensitive to kind of mood, right. And I started thinking about how small it was in the overall scheme of things. So I just went to the piano and I'm a I'm a cork on the ocean. Roy wrote them a regency I went on leaf leafy day, pretty soon I'll be blown away, you know, just like, hey, I'm very insignificant and small. So I made that July die was born out of that kind of thing.

Pete Fornatale 16:38
Okay. Brian, this is perhaps the most serious and important question.

Brian Wilson 16:46
All right. Gotta Shoot. Shoot. Okay, shoot.

Pete Fornatale 16:49
Tell me the name of your favorite vegetable.

Brian Wilson 16:53
My favorite vegetable is squash. I'm sorry, broccoli, broccoli. I like broccoli. I like Bella Lagosi I like and I like was the guy who's the guy. I can't remember his name. Somebody Warlock, Boris Boris Karloff. Boris Karloff. Ah, yes. Yes. And I love the albums I did

Pete Fornatale 17:22
you know why I asked you about the vegetable?

Brian Wilson 17:24
Of course. Yeah, of course. We did a song called vegetables. Yeah, yeah. And we mentioned toss me a carrot in there. Right? Once you taught me a carrot. But I like broccoli.

Pete Fornatale 17:35
And you also say, you feel that? You don't feel bad when you send us in a letter the name of your favorite vegetable? Are people still now with the DVD and the album? Are they sending you the names of their favorite vegetable?

Brian Wilson 17:50
No, they're not actually we haven't been having much luck with that one.

Pete Fornatale 17:52
Oh, my will start a campaign right here.

David Leaf 17:55
Okay, just don't send vegetables.

Brian Wilson 17:58
Don't Don't do that.

Pete Fornatale 17:59
No, please don't

Brian Wilson 18:00
stay with me. That's the killer.

Pete Fornatale 18:03
Please don't do that. I'm gonna make one last comment about the documentary. As I said earlier, I've seen everything done on you. And the difference with this one is that it's told by an insider. It's told the every one of the talking heads in the documentary is the right one to be telling their part of the story. The cast of characters is extraordinary. But I think over and above anything else, the main ingredient of this program is that it was done with love. And affection,

Brian Wilson 18:42
love and affection is what got us got us to get those. Yeah, love and affection

Pete Fornatale 18:47
and well deserved.

Brian Wilson 18:50
Well, thank you.

Pete Fornatale 18:51
As I said, I can't. I'm supposed to at times take on this objective journalism point of view. I just can't do that with you. Or your music. There's a whole bunch of stuff. I'm going to ask you I just last night sat down and said What are things that I haven't asked Brian about?

Brian Wilson 19:07
Go ahead and shoot and let's see how it goed

Pete Fornatale 19:08
all right let's see how it plays out. How do you spend your time when you're not writing, working or touring?

Brian Wilson 19:15
I spend my time exercising I exercise two to three hours a day. I go to go to lunch. I do a couple hours of meditation. I hear auditory hallucination in my head all day. So that takes a lot of my time up.

Pete Fornatale 19:30
Do you mind talking about that a little

Brian Wilson 19:31
I took some drugs since 1965 and ever since I've had voices in my head auditory hallucinations and I can't get them out of my head you know it's like I'm it's a real handicap for me. You tell me how I spend my day I spend my day dealing with with voices that I've managed to squeeze out a little exercise and get a little bit to eat and hear enjoy some tuna or something you know

Pete Fornatale 19:54
those voices is it like a radio is the volume sometime

Brian Wilson 19:57
no, no, no. It's one level is one level of sound or at all for 42 years now, it's been one sound level.

Pete Fornatale 20:06
And they're saying pretty nasty

Brian Wilson 20:08
Nasty negative uncool things.

Pete Fornatale 20:11
Yeah, yeah. So I guess one way to counter that is with positive things like the messages that you put into your song. Like the message that is the

Brian Wilson 20:23
right love messages, love messages and just whatever we can do.

Pete Fornatale 27:33
But you're not putting that in a negative category.

Brian Wilson 27:35
No not negative. I just say that good vibration doesn't rock brings back bad memories.

Pete Fornatale 27:42
Well, it is part of the smile project

Brian Wilson 27:44
Yeah, it brings back memories of drugs and man was all cluttered up fogged up and you know, but that's okay. It's alright to have the memory.

Pete Fornatale 27:52
But you know, see if you follow me on this, Brian, all right. When an artist whether it's a poet or an playwright or novelist, when they put their work out into the world, oh, it's not theirs anymore. It's not theirs anymore. You know, if I say that this is my number one choice for my Wurlitzer Jukebox. Right. That's as valid as you saying, I'm I'm sorry, that brings up bad memories for me, so I wouldn't

Brian Wilson 28:20
so so what was number two?

Pete Fornatale 28:24
That would be well, the I you know, I just flipped through and pick them. Do you believe in magic lovin spoonful?

Brian Wilson 28:29
No kidding is definitely present high for that. Hi, Phyllis.

Pete Fornatale 28:33
Yeah, sure. Yeah, yeah. Because because of the line that says, believe in the magic of young girls start up right, believing the magic of a young girl's soul believe in the magic

Brian Wilson 28:45
rock and roll roll. I love that fucking record. Delete that word fucking please.

Pete Fornatale 28:50
We're on a satellite. So

Brian Wilson 28:52
I absolutely adore that record. I adore that record.

Pete Fornatale 28:57
Well, okay. You know, I bet you that we would probably overlap on many of

Brian Wilson 29:02
the right what was number three that you remember

Pete Fornatale 29:04
that many of the 40 choices are I'm going to try and think of one where when I saw it, I said, I got to have this. I've got to have this in there. Let me see. Let me try and think of a surprise one that one might not automatically assume would be there. Well, you know what I kept? You might I don't even know if you remember this. I kept one called roses and rainbows by Danny Hutton.

Brian Wilson 29:28
I remember. I do remember that.

Pete Fornatale 29:30
He was Was he supposed to record Good Vibrations. Is that the story? What was with Danny? Well, David, you might even know more about what he's supposed to. Why was he supposed to record Good Vibrations was that no, he's single. That's a that's a myth.

Brian Wilson 29:45
That's a myth. That's not true.

Pete Fornatale 29:47
But he did. He did work with you before

Brian Wilson 29:49
I worked with he and Chuck and Cory on song called Darla. And then they left and we pulled back to Ireland and put it another way different things

Pete Fornatale 30:01
but he did some solo things before three

Brian Wilson 30:04
roses and rainbows and new he did I remember that roses and rain great record that was a good record it

Pete Fornatale 30:14
was it should have been a hit. It's one of those was one

Brian Wilson 30:17
of the records you can you can play anytime of the day or night. You like it

Pete Fornatale 30:20
Yeah, absolutely. Two and a half, you know, at their best singles for two and a half to three minutes. Pure.

Brian Wilson 30:26
Absolutely.

Pete Fornatale 30:27
The way you hold my hand.

Brian Wilson 30:29
I loved it. I thought it was fantastic music. That's, I love it. I thought it was very, very, very, very sweet and sensitive music. Yeah,

Pete Fornatale 30:38
yeah. And he's one of the witnesses as they are called. In the smile documentary, the beautiful dreamer. Yeah, documentary,

David Leaf 30:46
Danny was actually in the studio. And we wanted to get as many of the people who were there when the record was being made to talk about both the environment in which it was being created and Brian studio prowess because without, without the witnesses, it's hard to understand the alchemy that was at work

Pete Fornatale 31:04
completely. And the way the story is woven together, you really feel as if you get the complete picture, David and release recollections mixed in with Van dykes certainly make so many salient points about what was going on at the time. Brian talked to me about Van Dyck for a minute because there's a wonderful moment at the end of the documentary where you bring him on stage and it's almost like,

Brian Wilson 31:30
cheers, cheers. Yeah, did you cry.

Pete Fornatale 31:33
Very, very, very emotional. I felt myself.

Brian Wilson 31:36
I got a little bit emotional myself when I'm not happy here. I can hear and know he and I are not unreal. We're not real good friends. You know what I mean? But we respect each other's ability. But we're not really that close friends.

Pete Fornatale 31:54
Well, there was that big gap in your working relationship.

Brian Wilson 31:57
Right? Yeah, exactly.

Pete Fornatale 31:58
But wasn't it your notion to have him come back into the smile?

Brian Wilson 32:03
Oh Yeah. Cuz I knew I knew right away that he was the right man for for the third movement of the smile thing. He was like, one of the men of the whole deal.

Pete Fornatale 32:14
Yeah, yeah. And, again, your acknowledgement of him at the end of the show, right? That's chilling.

Brian Wilson 32:21
Hey, he and I both talked about you talking about when we both took a bow? Yeah, I remember that. Yeah, that was like, really something.

Pete Fornatale 32:27
You almost made yourself sick before that show Didn't you.

Brian Wilson 32:30
I was almost ready to throw up. I was so nervous.

Pete Fornatale 32:34
Was your biggest fear that the demons would come back was

Brian Wilson 32:38
that yeah, I was afraid of that. Yeah, they come back in the demon from bombarding me with things so loud that I will be able to do my concert, the voices, but I forced myself to do it. And they the voices backed off a few feet. I forced myself to do it.

Pete Fornatale 32:55
There was never a time, Melinda says that there was never a time she asked you once or twice. You want to cancel and you said no. I'm going to do this.

Brian Wilson 33:04
I was given the option. And I didn't take it. Because I wanted to be a man and face up.

Pete Fornatale 33:10
Did you feel sort of like the lion tamer who goes into the cage to try and control Yes.

Brian Wilson 33:14
To handle the tiger you me? Yeah. Yes. I just feel like that kind of guy.

Pete Fornatale 33:20
And not only that, but but but but to beat it to

Brian Wilson 33:24
to be victorious. So yeah, yeah. Yeah. That's the last name Wilson. You know, there's the will to live in the world to succeed in my name. So that's my secret. Nobody knows that. Nobody really knows.

Pete Fornatale 33:37
Fornatale in Italian means Christmas oven. No kidding.

Brian Wilson 33:43
That is amazing. fascinating thing.

Pete Fornatale 33:46
Do you like Christmas?

Brian Wilson 33:47
Oh, I don't know. I'm never happy at Christmas. Isn't that weird?

Pete Fornatale 33:50
No, it's not.

Brian Wilson 33:51
Christmas season is always a depression for me now know why that is?

Pete Fornatale 33:55
Okay. Listen, why do you think

Brian Wilson 33:58
that's I feel like Christmas. I can't explain

Pete Fornatale 34:01
why. No, I know exactly what you mean. I used to be I don't want to. I don't want to overdramatize this. But on New Year's Day. I used to feel this tremendous emptiness.

Brian Wilson 34:13
Me too. You mean like the seasons holiday season's over right back? eggnog and on gin and

Pete Fornatale 34:18
draw? Exactly on Yeah,

Brian Wilson 34:21
well, Pete, I share that with you. I get that way too

Pete Fornatale 34:25
deep do you? Do you buy gifts for the kids and

Brian Wilson 34:29
we buy we go to stores and we buy gifts for kids and our friends and you know we get as much as we can. We try to get it done in early I mean late November not you know just before December, so we don't have to get all mom ago. You know, get out of my way to shop in a crowded store. You know

Pete Fornatale 34:45
Actually this would be a good time to do Christmas shopping.

Brian Wilson 34:48
Yes.

Pete Fornatale 34:49
Avoid the crowd.

Brian Wilson 34:52
Yes Pete

Pete Fornatale 34:53
Listen, you even infiltrated holiday music. It's not Christmas for me unless I've heard little St. Nick. What 30 40 times

INTERVIEW RESUMES:
Pete Fornatale 35:15
you should do one of those animated specials. Oh, we could do that to that song. We could be right there with Charlie Brown. And what's the other one? Rudolph?
Brian Wilson 35:24
Rudolph the reindeer Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Oh, next question.
Pete Fornatale 35:29
Moving moving right along. Who's your favorite comedian who makes you Brian Wilson 35:32
comedian?
Pete Fornatale 35:33
Yeah, who makes you laugh?
Brian Wilson 35:35
Who makes me laugh my wife
Pete Fornatale 35:44
Okay, these are non professionals. I'm talking. I'm talking more about somebody comedians. Yeah. Somebody who does what they called Stand up
Brian Wilson 35:51
Bill Cosby
Pete Fornatale 35:52
You Like Cosby, Cosby
Brian Wilson 35:52
makes me that he's a very funny man.
Pete Fornatale 35:55
Because he touches it because
Brian Wilson 35:56
he gets to my gut. He's there's something about that guy that makes me laugh. You know?
Pete Fornatale 36:02
This also is a this has a little sadness attached to it. But I know, like myself, Johnny Carson was a favorite of yours. Yes.
Brian Wilson 36:12
Yes, he was. He was quite quite the man quite a stud.
Pete Fornatale 36:20
I felt very badly twice Brian Wilson 36:22
when he died.

Pete Fornatale 36:23
Yeah, when he died, but also when he left the show.

Brian Wilson 36:26
Yeah, everybody felt that, you know.

Pete Fornatale 36:28
And you wrote a tribute to him?

Brian Wilson 36:31
Yes we did
Pete Fornatale 36:33
do you remember why you did that song?
Brian Wilson 36:35
On the beach? Boys love you. Yeah. Well, how did I go? I remember where

INTERVIEW CONTINUES:

Pete Fornatale 36:57
did he do you know if he ever heard it. Did he ever get have in response?

Brian Wilson 37:01
I never found out.

Pete Fornatale 37:02
Okay, fair enough. What's your favorite movie of all time?

Brian Wilson 37:07
My favorite movie? Gosh, I don't know. I mean, think about that. 13 days probably was what my favorite

Pete Fornatale 37:15
really? Yeah. Wow.

Brian Wilson 37:16
Did You see it?

Pete Fornatale 37:17
year you were a little while ago?

Brian Wilson 37:19
Yeah. You seen it? Right?

Pete Fornatale 37:20
Yeah.

Brian Wilson 37:21
Is that one of your favorites?

Pete Fornatale 37:22
I wouldn't have come up with that. One of my favorites. I'm more in the

Brian Wilson 37:25
third year and Bobby Kennedy was plagued by, you know, wonderful performance for Bobby Kennedy was really wonderful.

Pete Fornatale 37:32
Now that's very funny because that event happened in 62.

Brian Wilson 37:36
Right?

Pete Fornatale 37:37
The Beach Boys were probably

Brian Wilson 37:39
just starting out on that rocket during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Yeah, right.

Brian Wilson 37:43
You wrote a song on the night JFK was killed

Pete Fornatale 37:46
Yeah. Even though, you know, no one would necessarily know from the lyrics that it was. Yeah, that was written. But the feeling you can't that's the thing you do is you capture these emotions. In music, and you certainly did that.

Brian Wilson 38:13
Yes I did. Okay.

Pete Fornatale 38:16
What about do you go to the movies? Do you go out to a theater or do you rent?

Brian Wilson 38:19
You know what we don't we rent movies? We don't go to theaters.

Pete Fornatale 38:22
What are your last two or three rounds?

Brian Wilson 38:24
Well, we got we bought. We're not cabaret. What's it called? That movie? Where the guy goes to heaven and he goes back down to the

Pete Fornatale 38:34
heaven. Heaven can wait with Warren Beatty? No,

Brian Wilson 38:37
it was carousel. So we're moving on carousel.

Pete Fornatale 38:42
That's that was a Broadway show originally? Is that the one with the soliloquy in it where the guy is going to? He's thinking about having a baby.

Brian Wilson 38:50
no not carousel.

Pete Fornatale 38:52
What can it be? There's a lot of those movies with not not sixth sence or

Brian Wilson 38:59
something. Anyway, forget it. I

Pete Fornatale 39:02
can't remember what something else that you do remember renting and liking at home

Brian Wilson 39:06
Renting and liking it

Pete Fornatale 39:07
Is it a cartoon is it a comedy?

Brian Wilson 39:10
the movie Ray? the story of Ray Charles. Yeah, I thought that was pretty cool.

Pete Fornatale 39:15
What did you like about it

Brian Wilson 39:17
I just liked the way that guy sent sang. You like Ray, he really really got across a vibe. You know about Ray.

Pete Fornatale 39:28
I'm getting ahead of myself here. But did you ever have any collaborations with Ray

Brian Wilson 39:32
With Ray? I never he played with me one time in 1986 in Honolulu, he played San Jose there and he was one of the one of the acts on the show. That show cost the spirit of rock'n'roll

Pete Fornatale 39:45
right because of your position Brian. There are a lot of people that want to meet you. There are probably also people that you want to meet and work with.

Brian Wilson 39:55
You know, I wanted to meet Frankie Avalon never got to meet. Really? Yeah, I really wanted to. And then also wanted to meet Chuck Berry and I never got to meet him

Pete Fornatale 40:07
man although he's shares a credit on

Brian Wilson 40:10
He's got to be in his 80's by now right?

Pete Fornatale 40:12
Close to not quite it his longtime collaborator Johnny Johnson, who passed away recently was 80. And he was slightly older than Chuck. So Chuck somewhere

Brian Wilson 40:23
78 79 Somewhere in there. Anyway, I never met him and I wished I could have

Pete Fornatale 40:29
Is there a television show that you try? Nevertheless?

Brian Wilson 40:32
Yeah, Wheel of Fortune believe it or not. I love that show.

Pete Fornatale 40:35
Is it vanna white or is it the

Brian Wilson 40:37
No you're way ahead of me, aren't you?

Pete Fornatale 40:40
Well, I asked you what made you happiest and

Brian Wilson 40:42
You enjoy looking at Vanna White's legs when she walks by

Pete Fornatale 40:46
Nobody turns those letters.

Brian Wilson 40:49
I know. I don't know. Wheel of Fortune Yeah, but you know what? I think a bachelor, the Bachelor is a pretty good TV show. All about all my guys choosing girls choosing guys or actually even girls.

Brian Wilson 47:45
I would say, good luck. I don't want to go into it. I would say good luck in trying I'm trying to make it these days. But have fun trying.

Pete Fornatale 47:57
Yeah. Do you think the business is more difficult now then when

Brian Wilson 48:01
Oh, much of the business is in a in a very embarrassingly low place?

Pete Fornatale 48:09
Yeah, I I agree with you.

Brian Wilson 48:12
It's embarrassing, but you know, you don't have to get embarrassed about it. But it is embarrassing.

Pete Fornatale 48:19
A lot of pop music is disposable. Right? It comes and goes. It has long been my feeling. I'm not the only one. That 100 years from now. People will still be listening to Brian Wilson songs

Brian Wilson 48:38
And the Beach Boys music. Yes.

Pete Fornatale 48:40
Yeah. How do you feel about that? What is what is the Brian Wilson legacy?

Brian Wilson 48:46
Well Bach. Bach was an innovator. And my group was an innovator for group sound harmonies. So I'm most proud of the harmony.

Pete Fornatale 49:01
What do you miss most about Carl and Dennis?

Brian Wilson 49:04
I missed the friendship. The cocaine days with Dennis and I used to snort cocaine. I miss those days. I really,

Pete Fornatale 49:10
Brian. That's what partially got you into some trouble though.

Brian Wilson 49:14
I know. But I wished I could have kept doing it. I put into a doctorate program. And they took me off alcohol, cigarettes and drugs all in one. On one time. It was the toughest thing I ever had to go through. You know, toughest thing just kicking cigarettes, alcohol and cocaine all in one. One swoop. You mentioned

Pete Fornatale 49:32
You mentioned earlier that you still meditate Is it is it the transit No

Brian Wilson 49:36
no no no. I don't meditate with transcendentally well I can't do that i i tried to do it but I can't

Pete Fornatale 49:40
so what what do you know I

Brian Wilson 49:43
go I go like I close my eyes and I go come on come on. Come on, get on get on and get it up again. Everything like that and I felt like I was doing let's do it. We can do it. I know I can do it. I know you know

Brian Wilson 49:55
before show Yeah, yeah.

Pete Fornatale 49:57
Questionn for you. Do you pray?

Brian Wilson 49:59
Oh, yeah, sure.

Pete Fornatale 50:01
Do you pray in your mind or out loud?

Brian Wilson 50:04
I pray inside my head and bed at night. I pray mostly when I'm in bed.

Pete Fornatale 50:08
Would you share any?

Brian Wilson 50:10
Yeah, I say prayers for my wife and my kids, my friends. And I asked God that he, he'll be good to my people I know. And then like, go to sleep, get the next day. Forget all about my prayers till the next night

Pete Fornatale 50:25
and start all over. Yeah. You know, your music, of course, has been described by many as spiritual.

Brian Wilson 50:33
Spiritual is not the word way spiritual. Very spiritual.

Pete Fornatale 50:38
I was listening to the Pet Sounds bucks set just the vocal. Oh, yeah. And heard Carl. Oh, cause lead vocal on God Only Knows. That could make you cry and of course, it happens. On the smile project, too. With our prayer, we're certainly not going to ask you to recreate that here. But yeah, I was lucky enough to be at Carnegie Hall, where we call what at Carnegie Hall

Brian Wilson 51:24
Carnegie Hall, the great Carnegie Hall. It was a thrill was a very big thrill for me to sit there. And Carnegie where George Gershwin was like 20 40 years ago, 50 years ago, or even more than that, yeah. 60 70 years ago. Yeah. Same stage as George Gerswhin was one that was blown out. It was very, very proud.

Pete Fornatale 51:42
Do you know that joke about Carnegie Hall?

Brian Wilson 51:43
No.

Pete Fornatale 51:44
Man's on the street in New York. And he asked another guy, how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Yeah. And the guy says, practice.

Brian Wilson 51:52
That's a great damn great saying that's really cool. That is very, very funny.

Pete Fornatale 51:57
That's one of the oldest jokes in humanity. But if you're hearing it for the first time

David Leaf 52:03
Aren't you embarrassed?

Pete Fornatale 52:05
No, no, absolutely not.

Brian Wilson 52:07
I wish, I wish. I wish people good luck, making it to Carnagie Hall

Pete Fornatale 52:12
And then, one, one last reference. And David again, I addressed this to you or, or making a statement to you as well as Brian, there is a built in drama in the film in the documentary because you didn't know if this thing was gonna fall on its ass, or its face or not. And right up to that moment, where the band is onstage. And Brian walks out, and our prayer begins. You're not really sure what's gonna happen. And when you guys finish our prayer, and that audience goes berserk. That must have been the moment for you, Brian, where you said, I did the right thing.

Brian Wilson 52:56
Yeah.

Pete Fornatale 52:59
I'm glad you did it. I once told Bruce Springsteen that he was the bravest man in rock and roll when he put out his Nebraska album and Tom Joad album, right. But I think you're right up there, right up there with Bruce as as one of the bravest.

Brian Wilson 53:14
Or he's a rock star. I'm a pop star. I see. I'm not a rock star. I'm a pop star.

Pete Fornatale 53:20
Well, and he's a working class hero. You're a genius. I mean,

Brian Wilson 53:20
well, so are you

Pete Fornatale 53:26
You're too kind, you're to kind David,

David Leaf 53:28
you know, the drama of 2003 2004. There was nothing artificial about it. We lived it every day. Our cameras were rolling every day. And we really didn't know what was gonna happen. We didn't know if Brian was gonna walk up the steps to the stage. I mean, it was it was a real drama

Pete Fornatale 53:44
And you don't whitewash it. Because there are moments in the film like the first day of the vocal rehearsals where Brian you you might as well have been on Mars. You looked a little scared, a little bored, a little angry, a little disinterested. And if you're a viewer, you're saying, Oh, my God, I already know the ending and I'm saying, Oh my God, is he going to do it?

Brian Wilson 54:09
Well, you know what, in order you did, you wound up doing it?

Pete Fornatale 54:14
Yeah, he had the courage to go through with it. He's an amazing guy.

Brian Wilson 54:17
He had the courage to go through that whole trip.

Pete Fornatale 54:20
Yeah. David, how do people add this to their DVD collection? What's the best way to stay in touch with

David Leaf 54:27
with Brian Wilson

Pete Fornatale 54:28
with this project and what you're doing

David Leaf 54:30
Brian Wilson present's smile is available, as he said find record stores everywhere in the 21st century, I'm sure amazon.com And all the online distributors have at Brian wilson.com you've got you know Best Buy Costco all the places where you would expect to see a DVDs, tower and Virgin Megastore. Oh rhino.com You don't want to forget rhino.com Because rhino is the company that that put this all together. Put it out

Pete Fornatale 55:00
terrific. As I said, I can't be objective about it but I advise everyone listening to the show whenever and wherever they're listening to go out and get one for their collections

David Leaf 55:12
Pete it's been a pleasure talking with you

Pete Fornatale 55:14
Brian, you end your concerts with love and mercy why? Why do you do

Brian Wilson 55:19
well we try to take people down off a rock and roll like make the show come to an end

Pete Fornatale 55:32
would you make the show come to an end?

PETE FORNATALE GETS UP AND HUGS BRIAN WILSON WHO IS SEATED AT HIS PIANO. PEOPLE IN STUDIO APPLAUD.

SHOT OF BLUE PIANO. FORTNATALE AND CREW WALKING IN FRONT OF CAMERA. (NO AUDIO)

WILSON FINISHES. PEOPLE IN STUDIO APPLAUD

END REEL