Brian Wilson
I meditate and I also think about meditation. Which is funny. I think about Maharishi, about just the idea of meditating. It gives me something.Collection: Funny
The keyboard is my whole life. My life is centered around either sitting at my keyboard or driving my car. Those are the two most important things, more than anything else. Being at my keyboard, it's the happiest time for me.Collection: Car
You know what? I'm not always in a positive, happy place. But I'm able to concentrate enough to come up with a really good song.Collection: Positive
I earned my famous name.Collection: Famous
Summer means happy times and good sunshine. It means going to the beach, going to Disneyland, having fun.
I think I need the demons in order to write, but the demons have gone. It bothers me a lot. I've tried and tried, but I just can't seem to find a melody.
I think I'm a vocal genius, not a musical genius. I like background vocals. I consider myself a voice, not a singer. A voice is a sound, and singing is what you do with that sound.
What in the world is a hangover cure?
I think in terms of emotions. And feelings. So sometimes what I say may not always be clear. But creatively, there's a lot to be said for that way of thinking.
I always do get a little bit paranoid when I get a lot of attention. But I get used to it.
To wear a floral shirt is an experience.
I'm not a genius. I'm just a hard-working guy.
There's no outdoing The Beatles.
I'm just a shy and retreating kind of person. Sometimes I get in a real talkative mood - but not very often.
Pop music has been exhausted. The innocence has been exhausted. I think we've lost the ability to be blown away by music.
If there's not love present, it's much, much harder to function. When there's love present, it's easier to deal with life.
I still believe that something is right only when it feels right.
First of all, I want people to understand that I'm here to create for them. To create music for people so they'll know that I'm a source of love. And they can depend on my name.
I have to tell you that J.S. Bach was easily the greatest musical innovator in the history of the world. He was so advanced for his time. There's a spiritual depth to his music. You can listen to it and it's like meditation.
I'd earned over a million dollars by the time I was old enough to vote.
I have stage fright every single concert I've ever done. I have at least four or five minutes of it. It's absolute living hell.
I think cursing is a bunch of malarkey.
I play piano all the time. I'm always at my piano, playing music.
Gershwin inspired me very much. The concept of 'That Lucky Old Sun' was inspired by 'Rhapsody in Blue' - not influenced, but inspired.
If you're going to write a song, try to get together with a collaborator because it's better to write with collaborators.
Probably not much of a song left in me, you know, if any, because I've written so many, some 250 songs or 300 or whatever it is.
I believe that writers run out of material, I really do. I believe very strongly in the fact that when the natural time is up, writers actually do run out of material. To me it's black and white. When there's a song there's a song, when there's not there's not.
Any article's good. Long as it's publicity, I think that's all that matters. I think it's advancement for my career.
The Beach Boys have always been a part of the '60s spectrum, with The Beatles and that kind of thing. They were a part of the music business like everyone else. And they did quite well as a singing group, and I finished a lot of good records, and I'm very proud of them.
It's like when a guy gets a divorce from his wife. You part ways. That's what I did with The Beach Boys.
I wake up in the morning and I say 'Ahh! Today's the day for a song! I'm going to write a song today!' And I do. I write a song.
Politics goes in one ear and out the other. I don't even know the president's name for sure. That's how stupid I am.
Don't get married until you're certain that you're marrying the right girl. How did I know my wife was the one? I'd seen her for a couple of months. I liked her. She was a very creative person and she had a very good grip on politics and business.
The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Phil Spector. Those were my idols.
I'm happy; I'm a happy person.
The audiences in the U.K. like me more than in America.
I would listen to Little Richard and Fats Domino and Chuck Berry, and I would listen to how they played their riffs, and after I taught myself that, I taught myself to play my own kind of stuff.
I wanted to emulate Bob Flanagan, the high voice in the 'Four Freshmen.' I wanted to sing high like he did.
My skills are musical, not lyrical.
I was very, very financially secure my whole life. I have been very lucky to say that.
You know, Rolling Stones songs all sound kind of the same.
Every now and then I hear voices in my head, but not very clear. I can't understand what they are saying. It's a mental illness. I have been diagnosed as a manic depressive.
I consider myself to be a crusader of love. I try to spread love around the world as best I can because I know I have a handle on love.
You want to know my real pleasure? Food. I love chocolate. I can't get enough chocolate. I can't help it. But my biggest pleasure of all is exercise. I really get off on exercise.
I like the piano - I'm always about 15 feet away from a piano.
My brother Carl taught me how to play bass. I'm a self-taught keyboard player, though - I figured out our harmonies at the piano.
I listen to oldies but goodies stations, '60s and '70s music.
I get off on hearing other people's voices. I like voices: they're my favourite things on records.
I can write songs, I've had songs in movies, but I can't compose film scores, you know?
When I can't write, it depresses me.