#1439, Tuesday, June 2: Brian Wilson reverie

Post 1439, Day 153 of 2015
- 1,614 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys are probably one of my less likely musical preferences.

Back in the early 60s, in high school, my best friend Thom couldn't find a single think about them to like. For me, they were weirdly exotic. Talking about a California scene about which I had no knowledge or understanding. Initially, the songs weren't very sophisticated, but the performances, those choir harmonies, were so attractive, and the studio musicians (I thought they were playing the instruments on their recordings) gave the sound a polished, danceable groove. That was enough in those days.

And then came Good Vibrations. Then, the Pet Sounds album. Then, Heroes and Villains, and the songs had become more complex, more immediately relevant, better constructed, and there were still those beautiful vocals.

Then came the Brian Wilson meltdown, and the death of Dennis Wilson, and, oddly, some of my favorite Beach Boys albums. The songwriting wasn't as good, but the songs were more relevant, and, in some cases (like on the album Holland), achingly beautiful in a very different way. This coincided with my first exposure to the group live (Brian-less, though).

Which brings us to the mid-70s, and the end of my interest in the Beach Boys.

At least until Brian recovered, got his performing mojo back, and made the best live Beach Boys album ever, his solo album, Brian Wilson Live at the Ritz. Now, it was mostly nostalgia, but the performances were great, and really evoked the original band's sound (he lost the Beach Boys in a lawsuit with dirt-bag Mike Love).

All these recollections come from a friend's dismay over the hype/advertising for the biopic Brian Wilson, claiming he was the 'greatest American songwriter'. Which he may be, although, probably not. It's subjective, right? My friend thinks that title belongs to Steven Sondheim. I think there's no such thing.

For the record (pun intended), my favorite Brian Wilson songs are Caroline, No, Friends, Heroes and Villains, God Only Knows, and Wouldn't It Be Nice. Besides being Brian Wilson compositions, the bass player on all of these is one of my idols, Carol Kaye.

Delicious stuff.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   206.0 lbs

Previous Weight (6/1):            208.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                - 2.0 lbs

Diet Comment

That's a nice weight drop, and surprising, given my late-night snacking.
 

Food Log

Breakfast
A cocoa-hemp-kale protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kefir, kale, large organic egg, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), raw organic cacao powder, fermented coconut water, chia gel, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon, celery and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch

Roasted turkey breast chopped salad: shaved Parmesan cheese, baby kale, baby spinach, chard, cole slaw mix and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner

Scrambled eggs with onions, peppers and cheese, and bacon and toasted, buttered Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame sprouted grain bread.

Snack

A couple of Quest bars.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  28 oz.   Water: 112+ oz.

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!