Plenty of Reasons to Smile

By Gina Vivinetto

Nearly 38 years ago, a troubled Brian Wilson abandoned a masterpiece. The album was Smile, a concept record the solo Beach Boy, then 24 and struggling with drug addiction and depression, called a "teenage hymn to God."

Smile became the most famous unreleased album in rock history. Wilson, who had declined further into illness and addiction, lived for years as a recluse before tending again to his solo music in the late 1980s.

By the late 1990s, Wilson was able to tour again. He and an orchestra set out to perform the music from the landmark Beach Boys album Pet Sounds, much to fans' joy.

But all the while, Wilson had been tooling away in studios to complete Smile.

At last, the album has been released, to critical raves. Wilson and his orchestra have been performing the two-disc set in Europe and now are bringing the show to the United States. They'll be in Tampa on Thursday.

Wilson talked to the St. Petersburg Times four years ago, during the Pet Sounds tour, and although he said he was happier than he used to be, he sounded remote. It was tough to get more than one-word answers out of him.

He's still a man of relatively few words, but last week as he chatted on his cell phone, he sounded downright ebullient. While waiting on the set of The Tonight Show, Wilson answered 10 Pressing Questions about the timeliness of the jovial Smile, his famous daughters' pregnancies, what makes him happy and why today's music stinks.

How's your mood, Brian?
I'm feeling so good.

The tour is going well?
We're having even more fun because it's happier and more jovial music than Pet Sounds. I'm so happy.

Are you mindful of Smile's contrast with the current vibe of the world?
Oh yes, we need it. My wife and I are going to ship 100,000 copies of Smile to the troops in Iraq.

Do you have any favorite songs on the record?
I like Heroes and Villains, Wonderful and Surf's Up. Those are my three favorites.

Is it true that your daughter Carnie is pregnant?
Yes! Carnie is pregnant, and Wendy just had a baby a few days ago. It's very exciting. I like being a grandfather.

The late Leonard Bernstein called you one of the most important composers of the modern era. Do you agree?
I'm a composer, but I am not that great. I've been called a genius, but I'm just a clever songwriter and a clever singer. I'm not a genius. I'm humble to God, believe me I am. I'm humble to God.

Recently you've worked with younger musicians, including Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins. Is there someone that you particularly enjoyed collaborating with?
Paul McCartney and Elton John.

Those are guys from your generation.
Yes.

The music of the 1960s had something special?
I think the music of the 1960s was far superior and much happier than what we're hearing now.

What happened to music?
People's wells ran dry. People ran out of melodies, and music turned into rap and a bunch of crap. It's a bunch of bulls--.

If you had to teach songwriting, what would you tell your students?
I'd tell them to listen to Phil Spector's records to get a good education in rock 'n' roll (laughs heartily).

When you want to listen to good rock 'n' roll, what records do you put on? Phil Spector and Paul McCartney.

Do you write on piano or bass?
I write on a synthesizer.

Do you watch TV?
I don't watch TV anymore. I'm scared of TV. All of the negativity. It makes me uptight.

The last time we spoke, you mentioned you had taken up running.
I run every day. A couple hours a day.

What else do you do to stay happy?
I get up early in the morning, go to my keyboard. I sing about an hour and a half.

How many songs have you written?
About 340.

How many are good?
About 280.

How many more will you write?
About 25 more.

What inspires you?
I play Be My Baby by the Ronettes, produced by Phil Spector, every day. That gets me going.

Is the story true about you hearing that song in your car as a young man and you had to pull over because it so affected you?
Yes, it's my very favorite record. There's never been another record like it.

It still excites you like that?
Absolutely.

What do you like so much about it?
It's the melody, the way the drums sound, the echo on the guitar, the way Ronnie Spector's voice sounds and the background singers. It's just a great record.

You know Phil Spector's gotten himself into a little trouble recently.
Yeah, but I really think he's going to get off.

Is Smile a better album than Pet Sounds?
(Emphatically) Much better, much happier, much more uplifting.