Brian Douglas Wilson 1942-2025
Another piece of my childhood is gone today, as news of the passing of the co-founder and CREATIVE GENIUS of the The Beach Boys - Brian Wilson, is rapidly populating the internet news outlets as we speak.
As a child of the 1980s, raised by Baby Boomers and their musical and cultural tastes - I grew up listening to “oldies” radio. The hard truth is, however, is that the cultural boom of the entirety of the 1960s only predates me by 12 and a half years. I have cousins that much older than me - which honestly - isn’t a lot. But for the sake of argument - we’ll concede that the pop melodies of that era which are wide and diverse in so many ways are “oldies” and/or “classic rock”. That can be debated another time.
My aunt Kathryn is the biggest Beach Boys fan I know. She introduced me to them (amongst other things). I really started liking their music, and particularly the song “I Get Around” when it was featured in the movie “Flight of the Navigator”. The songs were catchy and the undisputed songs of summertime. I started TRULY appreciating them, however, in my mid to late 20s. This was when I acquired a copy of Pet Sounds on Mono. (I also own a stereo version.)
Appreciating them led me to do a bit of a deep dive into the mechanics of the band (by bit I mean not very deep, but enough to know about some of the struggles) and grow an appreciation of the musical genius of Brian Wilson. About his mental health struggles (putting it lightly) and how it related to his creative output. As a person with her own mental health problems, and constantly discovering and uncovering a trove of generational trauma and all sorts of issues - I could relate. I also love someone with mental health diagnoses. I cannot elaborate out of privacy on how I can relate Brian’s problems with our problems - just trust that I can.
A little over a decade ago, I was facing a minor crisis of self-worth. Things were what I could describe as “not great”. One of my touchstones that seemed to set me right and put me in a better place was the song “Don’t Worry Baby”. The repeat of the chorus over and over reassured me that things would be OK.
“Don't worry baby
Everything will turn out alright”
I am glad that ultimately, Brian managed to overcome the major mental health issues and entanglements in his life. And he managed to live a pretty full life - he would have been 83 on June 20th - doing what he loved and was talented at. I will always remember his contributions to music and his absolute genius. Rest in power, good sir. Say hello to Dennis and Carl for us.