A Little Sunday Shout

About an artist I love.

Some quick thoughts on Brian Wilson. One of the singular nights of hearing live music was hearing Brian and his band perform the SMILE album at Royce Hall. It was so pure, so filled with joy that you couldn’t help but see the years melt away for Brian. I read after he passed about Al Jardine’s last visit with Brian, and how still filled with joy he was. Al said that when they sat together, Brian blurted out, “You were the one who said we should start a band!” Al blushed, but later said that was Brian. A pure expresser of Joy. and Angst and loneliness. I would say that is something to shoot for. Be a pure expression of what you’re up to. It helps not just you but everyone around you. Today, I’m feeling sad. It’s nothing huge, and god knows there’s big things to be sad about. But a vendor at the farmer’s market we go to is leaving, and it brought up all the loss of folks we would see every Sunday morning when we shopped. Lots of loss. Lots of sad today. But Don’t Worry, Baby, I’ll be all right tomorrow. P.S. don’t pack up books and stuff that will also take you back to times before when you’re already feeling sad. That’s just dumb.

I remember the first album I ever heard of The Beach Boys. It was “Holland,” and it was at my Uncle Dave’s house. He played it and did what he usually did when he was flipping from the A side to the B side, gave me an education, but through his lens. He explained that Brian was the songwriter and that these guys were as good as the Beatles. Loyal readers will also know how he thought The Rolling Stones were better than the Beatles. I was too young to be into cars and girls at this point in my life. So “Sail on, Sailor, “ was the first big hit of theirs I had that hit me hard. A song about sailing out on the ocean which I suppose most artists use to talk about freedom or openness, or dreams.

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I sailed an ocean, unsettled ocean
Through restful waters and deep commotion
Often frightened, unenlightened
Sail on, sail on sailor

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So there you go. Things aren’t going great. There’s trouble. I suppose troubled waters have been spoken of in song before. Building bridges over them, etc. But then the next thought is, "I’m scared and I’m not sure what to do next.” Then a tiny breath, and in the structure of the song, it seems like the singer is coaching themselves up with the only thing they have available to themself, being scared and not accomplished to get out of trouble. “Sail on, sail on, sailor.”

Just keep going. And if being frightened and unenlightened is happening, that’s okay. Just keep going.

Said many years later by Ellen Degeneres, but not as poetic in Finding Nemo. “Just keep swimming.”
Then there’s this little bit later on in the song.

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Seldom stumble, never crumble
Try to tumble, minor rumble
Feel the stinging I've been given
Never ending, unrelenting
Heartbreak searing, always fearing
Never caring, persevering
Sail on, sail on sailor

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Thank you Brian, and thank you Uncle Dave. And thank you to my friends in this band below, for doing a cover version of this song that fucking rules.

This whole album transcends. L.A.’s Native Sons doing versions of songs by their heroes from L.A. It won the Grammy for Best Americana Album in 2022. And when I saw on TV when they played some quick shots of “Grammys that were awarded before the televised ceremony,” and saw my pal Steve Berlin on stage, I texted him.

Me: You guys won?
Steve: Yup
Me: I didn’t see the rest of the guys.
Steve: Nope. Just me. They didn’t think we’d win and neither did I

Let’s go make a great week happen, because why not? It’s only got like seven days in it, we can keep sailing on for seven days, right?

The Most Important Chicano In Hollywood That You Don’t Know About.