FAINT WAVES

It would be a near impossible task to encapsulate the life and times of Brian Wilson, much less the legacy of him and his work, and the impact he has had. I’m not even going to try; it would take thousands and thousands of words to do it justice, there are books and lengthy editorials that bear that burden (and do it to varying degrees of success). What I will do is celebrate the man, some of his music, and talk a little bit about his importance (from both a listener’s and a musician’s standpoint).

As I’ve talked about, my childhood was filled with all sorts of powerful musical figures that have continually impacted my life. Acts and bands like Billy Idol, Metallica, Chris Isaak, and Fleetwood Mac, to name a few. One of those acts that I’ve yet to mention in the time of this website is The Beach Boys. While I don’t produce music that would necessarily be seen as analogous to what Brian and The Beach Boys were doing, it’s not far-fetched that they might be an influence of mine. Pervasive elements in my work—marimba, vibraphone, steel drums, some of my earliest exposure to those things came from The Beach Boys. Of course, later, I would get into records that maybe helped inform their use of those things, works from the likes of Lex Baxter, Arthur Lyman, and even Burt Bacharach. As a kid, though, with limited exposure to the vast array of music out there, The Beach Boys felt (and still feel) singular, even among contemporaries of theirs. It was unlike anything else from their time, unlike anything else from my time, and it struck a chord with me. It struck such a chord that The Beach Boys are one of the few persistent things that I’ve enjoyed throughout my life, at every age.

In terms of popular music, though, beyond my own enjoyment, I’d argue that The Beach Boys were a critical, watershed catalyst. So much so that if you attempt to imagine a musical world where they never existed, Pop music and Alternative music don’t look remotely the same. So many musicians, bands, and acts either wouldn’t exist or would sound completely different if The Beach Boys never existed. Brian is crucial to that, as he was one of the pioneers of the “studio as an instrument” approach and ideology. By that, I mean all the studio magic we take for granted today and the practice of using a studio, a computer, a DAW as an instrument? He was one of the first to do it. There’s so much technique, methodology, and process that is owed to Brian Wilson and his approach, an approach spurred on by his inspirations, the likes of Phil Spector and George Martin. Combine that with the experimentation, musicality, harmony, and richness of the early Beach Boys catalogue, you’ve got something unlike anything that had been done or has been done since. From The Ramones all the way up to Foster The People, some of your favorite acts would be completely different if it weren’t for Brian and The Beach Boys.

Brian, with respect to his genuine mental struggles, was a proverbial mad scientist when it came to music. Often, The Beach Boys were his artistic canvas, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his notable solo works. From his late 80’s self-titled debut to the long-gestating Smile album that was finally realized in 2004, Brian was largely productive and prolific compared to some of his contemporaries; he seemed compelled to create. There were times in Brian’s life where his health, both mental and physical, may have served as an obstacle to his creativity. However, as time went on, he seemed to mostly overcome these hurdles and embrace the music wholly. This is best illustrated not only by the amount of music he would go on to record but by the amount of touring he would do as well. As a solo recording and touring act, Brian Wilson was very active from 1999 to 2019. In that time, too, the road led back to The Beach Boys. The band (what remained of them; Dennis and Carl Wilson had sadly passed away in 1983 and 1998, respectively) reunited for an all-new album and a 50th-anniversary tour in 2012. That album, That’s Why God Made The Radio, proved to be the final studio album of the band before Brian’s death here in 2025. That’s Why God Made The Radio, in my opinion, is a fitting end to an incredible (and varied) musical tenure for the band. It’s a great, if slightly melancholy record, that both pays homage to the past of the band and creates something slick and new, thanks in large part to Brian Wilson, who produced and wrote (or co-wrote) the vast majority of the material.

In 2015, Brian followed up That’s Why God Made The Radio with No Pier Pressure, a solo Pop/Soft Rock album packed with notable guests. Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities, Zooey Deschanel, Kacey Musgraves, Nate Reuss, and Mark Isham were among the featured artists. Beach Boys members Al Jardine, Blondie Chaplin, and David Marks also make appearances on the record, so a touch of that spirit is present too. While perhaps not as consistent as That’s Why God Made The Radio, the album proved to demonstrate Brian’s staying power and the impact he’d had on younger performers and musicians, all while feeling like a sort of farewell. I may have rolled my eyes at the inclusion of some of these artists, as a few of them felt merely like Top 40 cannon fodder at the time, but I understand it was likely a great honor and joy for them to be a part of the project. All I can say for certain is what Brian and Joe Thomas, his co-producer, told the world at the time of release: there was a lot of talent out there and that a lot of musicians had been brought to their attention by their children. Even with the inclusion of these artists, I was pleased to find that none of it really felt like a desperate attempt at Billboard success; it did feel genuine. If That’s Why God Made The Radio was intended to be the final Beach Boys record, No Pier Pressure felt as though it was intended to be the final solo record from Brian Wilson. While he did go on to release an album of instrumental re-recordings in 2021, No Pier Pressure proved to be his final album of original material.

Brian passed away June 11th, 2025. When I first read the news, I was on the computer and happened to see the headline; my stomach sank. I’ve spoken on my habit of eulogizing people I admire, but this one felt strangely difficult to process, even more difficult than I would’ve expected. It’s in that moment that you realize the impact a person has on you, a person you never met; it might be even greater than you thought. With Brian Wilson, I think it was the enormity of it; the weight of his name, his work, his legacy. I knew that with the loss of Brian, a true musical giant among men had passed, someone who changed Pop music and paved the way for so many great artists. It’s an enormous loss. The final Beach Boys song was “Summer’s Gone” and Brian’s final solo song was “The Last Song”, it’s a poignant reminder that nothing lasts forever and that all things come to an end. It’s up to everyone who remains to honor and remember him. While he may be gone, he will never be forgotten, because he will live on in music.

We should all be so lucky.

~ FW.