Speaker 1: Double Elvis. Blood on the Tracks is a production of
Speaker 1: I Heart Radio and Double Elvis. Brian Wilson was a
Speaker 1: musical genius and one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
Speaker 1: He caught melodies like they were waves. He bottled good
Speaker 1: vibrations like no one else, and he picked up bad
Speaker 1: vibrations too. He broke down, he tripped hard. He didn't
Speaker 1: just hear music, he heard voices. He tried to lose
Speaker 1: those voices by making a teenage symphony to God called Smile.
Speaker 1: But somewhere along the way, Brian Wilson lost his mind instead.
Speaker 1: This is his story. Good morning, this is Rhonda Mosson
Speaker 1: back with you. It's been a couple of days since
Speaker 1: my last update. I've been going in deep on these
Speaker 1: Brian Wilson tapes. Sometimes you come across a classic song,
Speaker 1: sometimes you come across a game they were playing in
Speaker 1: the studio, and then sometimes you get something like this.
Speaker 1: This is something we've not really hurt so far. This
Speaker 1: tape has just labeled psychedelic sounds. Oh no, help, help,
Speaker 1: I'm trapped. I'm stuck in the microphone. I'm trapped in here.
Speaker 1: Van Dyke, help me, Vandyke. Oh, come on, man. Right now,
Speaker 1: what's that? Don't use your name? Oh sorry, man, we're
Speaker 1: just having fun. We got to keep the tape rolling.
Speaker 1: Who knows where this will end up. Oh no, I'm
Speaker 1: stuck again. I'm over here in the piano. Help me,
Speaker 1: help me, Van Dyke, I mean help me, Anonymous man,
Speaker 1: help me? Mr Lyricists. All right, I'm sorry man, Let's
Speaker 1: get back to work. Okay, no more joking around it.
Speaker 1: It's time to get on with this, time to get
Speaker 1: this all down. We're rolling, see what I mean. Brian
Speaker 1: seems a little bit more lighthearted on these particular tapes,
Speaker 1: but it's not long before there's some blood on the tracks.
Speaker 1: Chapter three, Brian Wilson is trapped. This story isn't mine. Well,
Speaker 1: the first part isn't anyway. But I'll tell it to
Speaker 1: you the best I can, because you need to hear it.
Speaker 1: It begins with him speeding through Laurel Canyon, the part
Speaker 1: where the road snakes up through the hills. It's late
Speaker 1: and the lights twinkle in the valley. It's quiet. It's
Speaker 1: always quiet round here. You're close to one of the
Speaker 1: world's most famous cities, but you feel like you're in
Speaker 1: the middle of nowhere. Especially at night. It feels like
Speaker 1: anything can happen. He's on his Triumph Tiger and he's
Speaker 1: gunning it. The road before him is as open as
Speaker 1: his mind. He feels the excitement of change in the air.
Speaker 1: It makes him go even faster. Out of the corner
Speaker 1: of his eye he sees a red flash. It disappears
Speaker 1: almost immediately, but then it comes back. Before he can
Speaker 1: work out what it is, it reveals itself with a siren. Cops, Oh,
Speaker 1: come on, man. The officer accelerates quickly and aggressively. The
Speaker 1: man thinks he can shake Johnny Law takes the next
Speaker 1: left abruptly, and the red light disappears to his right.
Speaker 1: He's lost him. He pulls over and gets his bearings,
Speaker 1: and then, in one quick movement, he pulls the pills
Speaker 1: that he's been carrying in his pocket into his shoe,
Speaker 1: just to be sure. Okay, no more joking around. When
Speaker 1: he's back on the road, he starts to think about
Speaker 1: what brought him to Laurel Canyon that day. Excitement grows
Speaker 1: as he pumps the accelerator. He's flying now. Nothing can
Speaker 1: stop him. Well, maybe something can stop him. He slows down,
Speaker 1: blocking the road ahead as a motorbike. The cop from
Speaker 1: before comes into view. He has no choice but to stop.
Speaker 1: It feels like it's ages before the bike comes to rest. You,
Speaker 1: the boy from before, the cop asks, sternly, before he's
Speaker 1: even off his ride. Oh, come on, man, right now? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm sorry. Did you want me to stop? Comes the
Speaker 1: cool reply. The policeman senses the sarcasm in a disapproving
Speaker 1: sort of way. He asks, your name, don't use your
Speaker 1: name Van Dyke parks, sir. The man replies, like Mr.
Speaker 1: Dick van Dyke, The officer asks, as he writes the
Speaker 1: name down Vandyke. Yes, sir, but I'm not a Dick, sir,
Speaker 1: he smiles. The officer misses the Van Dyke Parks joke,
Speaker 1: instead choosing to note that he looked like a quote
Speaker 1: unquote bum. The cop asks the man if he has
Speaker 1: a driver's license, to which Van Dyke confesses that it's
Speaker 1: not on his person. The cop walks around him slowly
Speaker 1: right in the middle of the road. He studies Van
Speaker 1: Dyke's long, unbrushed hair and messy beard. What's a guy
Speaker 1: like you doing around Beverly Hills, Boy Van Dyke explained,
Speaker 1: is that he's off to see a work associate. When
Speaker 1: the officer asks him what his line of work is,
Speaker 1: the reply that comes is storyteller. That's when the cop
Speaker 1: places his right hand on the butt of his gun.
Speaker 1: Oh sorry, man, we're just having fun here. All of
Speaker 1: a sudden, the cops seems annoyed, angry even I don't
Speaker 1: like your bullshit attitude. He says, without unclenching his teeth.
Speaker 1: I'm going to ask you again, tell me properly. Where
Speaker 1: are you heading tonight? Van Dyke states once again that
Speaker 1: he's off to see a work associate. The cop pulls
Speaker 1: the gun from its holster and raising it up quickly.
Speaker 1: He asks Van Dyke if he has a hippie, if
Speaker 1: he's a criminal, if he's got drugs on him? Oh no,
Speaker 1: hell hell. Van Dyke could feel the pills in his shoe,
Speaker 1: but he tries to forget them. No, he cries, and
Speaker 1: then adds, I'm off to see Brian Wilson. We met
Speaker 1: the other night and he wants me to work on
Speaker 1: some songs. The cop freezes. He looks at the man
Speaker 1: before him, and then he lowers his gun and looks
Speaker 1: a few hundred yards up the road. Well, we'll see
Speaker 1: what Mr Wilson has to say about that. That's when
Speaker 1: I joined the action. I was sitting at home and
Speaker 1: there was a hard knock at the door. I knew
Speaker 1: it wasn't Van Dyke, who I had been expecting. Remember
Speaker 1: what I said about vibrations. I could tell that the
Speaker 1: person on the other side of the door wasn't him,
Speaker 1: or at least he wasn't alone. It just felt off somehow,
Speaker 1: no joking around. I opened the door and there was
Speaker 1: a cops standing in front of me. Van Dyke was
Speaker 1: to his left. Vandyke, do you know this man, Mr Wilson,
Speaker 1: the cop asked, not even a hello. I sure do,
Speaker 1: I said. The officer seemed a little disappointed, but there
Speaker 1: was something else there too, disdain. He tried to hide
Speaker 1: it when he looked at me, but I could tell
Speaker 1: I can always see it. You can hide a lot
Speaker 1: of things, but disdain that always drips through. Just checking.
Speaker 1: The cops said, you can never be too careful. Van
Speaker 1: Dyke stayed silent. He just walked up to me and
Speaker 1: nodded before disappearing inside as quickly as he could. I
Speaker 1: said good night to the cop, but I knew we
Speaker 1: weren't done with people like that. They always want a
Speaker 1: little more, a little more control, and who knows where
Speaker 1: this will end up. Your friend, he didn't have a
Speaker 1: license on him, he said, his tone darkened. That's so,
Speaker 1: I replied, Oh, come on, man, right now, he explained,
Speaker 1: he'd have to call it in unless, believe me, I
Speaker 1: knew what was coming. That's the one thing I've noticed
Speaker 1: right from the start. People are always on the take,
Speaker 1: that always want something unless, I repeated, Oh no, hell
Speaker 1: my sister, the cops said quietly. She's just the biggest
Speaker 1: fan of yours. Do you have something I can just
Speaker 1: to smooth this all over. I really don't want to
Speaker 1: call this in. I grabbed an autographed copy of Summer
Speaker 1: Days and Summer Nights and politely handed it to the officer.
Speaker 1: Give my regards to your sister, I said, before closing
Speaker 1: the door firmly enough to let him know I didn't
Speaker 1: ever want to see him again. It's time to get
Speaker 1: out of this. I came through to the back of
Speaker 1: the house where Van Dyke was sitting looking shocked. You know,
Speaker 1: I began, it was kind of perfect that we met
Speaker 1: Johnny law tonight. I want to work on something, a track.
Speaker 1: It's called Heroes and villains. Maybe we can dedicate it
Speaker 1: to our cherry top. Van Dyke looked, did me and
Speaker 1: beamed one on five point four b R I A
Speaker 1: n F M. We're still broadcasting, and don't you forget it.
Speaker 1: There are reports this morning of high pressure, high high pressure.
Speaker 1: Stay safe out there, have a great day. Van Dyke
Speaker 1: Parks was a big part of our album Smile. He'd
Speaker 1: go on to have a pretty interesting solo career too.
Speaker 1: He worked on the Bare Necessities Classic. He was quickly
Speaker 1: gaining a reputation in l A as a great songwriter,
Speaker 1: a different kind of songwriter. He came on board just
Speaker 1: as quickly for Smile. I kint him a check for
Speaker 1: five thousand dollars the night he came to my house.
Speaker 1: That same night he had to run in with the
Speaker 1: cop help me, Van Dyke. He told me he wanted
Speaker 1: to get a car, so that was my down payment
Speaker 1: to him. He got a Volvo, a Volvo. He told
Speaker 1: me he wanted it because of his safety rating. I
Speaker 1: guess rock and roll, isn't it help me? Anonymous man?
Speaker 1: We pretty much wrote heroes and villains that night. It
Speaker 1: was real quick. I could feel the energy and the creativity.
Speaker 1: It impressed me. Van Dyke brought words to my songs
Speaker 1: that matched the ambition of the music. I needed that
Speaker 1: these complex songs needed themes and ideas that were complex too.
Speaker 1: I liked what I had achieved on good Vibrations, and
Speaker 1: I wanted to do that more, but move on it
Speaker 1: even further. I continued that modular approach in the studio.
Speaker 1: Each song had sections like movements pop symphonics, I called them.
Speaker 1: I was excited about one song in particular, Cabanescence. Van
Speaker 1: Dyke wrote some beautiful verses for that. It began with
Speaker 1: a section called Home on the Range, which featured a
Speaker 1: gentle banjo flute kind of sound, and then we moved
Speaker 1: to a part called who Ran the Iron Horse, which
Speaker 1: was like a tidal wave of sound. Then we finished
Speaker 1: with a section called grand Coolie Damn, where that tidal
Speaker 1: wave turns into a swirling whirlpool. I was proud of
Speaker 1: the music, no doubt, but I was as proud, no
Speaker 1: as impressed with Van Dyke's words. I felt like we
Speaker 1: really had something, But all my excitement seemed to disappear
Speaker 1: in the studio. I don't know what it was about
Speaker 1: those Smile sessions, but they had a bit of opening
Speaker 1: black holes where everything was sucked in. When it came
Speaker 1: to recording Cabinescence, we had a repeat of what happened
Speaker 1: in the studio during pet Sounds. Different album, different songs,
Speaker 1: different lyricists, same problems. What does that tell you? It
Speaker 1: was Mike Love of course, Okay, no more joke. When
Speaker 1: we were all in the studio to cut the vocals,
Speaker 1: he was once again standing in front of the microphone
Speaker 1: reading them through. I'm stuck in the microphone. I thought
Speaker 1: our work together on Good Vibrations would have meant this
Speaker 1: sort of thing wouldn't happen again. But I was wrong. Actually,
Speaker 1: maybe it was our work on that song that perpetuated this.
Speaker 1: Maybe Mike felt like we've done something great as a
Speaker 1: pair on that song, and after I had just gone
Speaker 1: off and found someone else to work with while he
Speaker 1: was busy touring. Maybe that's it. Actually, that sounds like
Speaker 1: a good theory, because he directed as much anger at
Speaker 1: Van Dyke Parks as he did to me. He was
Speaker 1: muttering under his breath as he read the lines Uncover
Speaker 1: the Cornfield. However, the wheat I could tell he was
Speaker 1: about to go off. Can anyone tell me what the
Speaker 1: fun this means, he shouted, It was a genuine question.
Speaker 1: We were all silent. It was so uncomfortable. God, it
Speaker 1: seemed to last forever. My brother Dennis looked at me
Speaker 1: in a kind of hopeless way. Let's get back to
Speaker 1: Only minutes before, he had given me a glowing review
Speaker 1: of Van Dyke's work on the songs he loved Heroes
Speaker 1: and Villains, as well as another song called surfs Up
Speaker 1: favorite of mine too. I hoped Mike might like that one,
Speaker 1: at least, as it sounded a little more like the
Speaker 1: old Beach Boys in its lyrical form. But alas I
Speaker 1: was wrong. Carl excused himself from the room, sensing we're
Speaker 1: about to have another shooting match, and Al followed him
Speaker 1: out without a word. It was down to me, well,
Speaker 1: I said, we could ask the author of the material
Speaker 1: if you'd like Mike's side. Yes, yes, let's get the
Speaker 1: author of the material, shall we, he said sarcastically. Man,
Speaker 1: So I went and grabbed Van Dyke for his interrogation.
Speaker 1: Almost instantly, Mike was towering over Van Dyke screaming at him.
Speaker 1: You're not hearing me, he was yelling, just tell me
Speaker 1: what the hell it means. That's all. As I stood
Speaker 1: watching them both, I couldn't believe that Mike was even
Speaker 1: more annoyed than when we'd had this argument. Van Dyke
Speaker 1: as a guy, was kind of small, well smaller than
Speaker 1: Mike anyway. I think Mike felt like he could dominate him.
Speaker 1: But you know, Van Dyke held his own. If you're
Speaker 1: looking for a literal explanation of that line, of any
Speaker 1: line of verse, I don't have it, He explained, what's that?
Speaker 1: He don't know what it means. Mike laft, you wrote
Speaker 1: it and you don't know what it means. Fuck, we're
Speaker 1: all doomed, doomed, We're singing nonsense to each other over
Speaker 1: some whacked out music. This is what it's come to.
Speaker 1: I have no excuse, because I don't need one. Van
Speaker 1: Dyke said, good for you. I thought. Mike shouted something
Speaker 1: about being pretentious and an acid head. Van Dyke just
Speaker 1: stood there, looking not particularly interested. Okay, when he realized
Speaker 1: his protests weren't going to get him anywhere, Mike stopped.
Speaker 1: Something changed in his face. Look, he said, just because
Speaker 1: I don't understand them doesn't mean I don't like them.
Speaker 1: I just think we should be writing more boy girls. Songs,
Speaker 1: songs connected to people without hesitation. Van Dyke turned on
Speaker 1: his heels and walked straight past me out the door.
Speaker 1: He climbed into that vovo he bought with the five
Speaker 1: grand I gave him help me. I didn't see him
Speaker 1: again for months. I hope you're happy, I yelled at Mike.
Speaker 1: What are we gonna do now? Will sing some songs?
Speaker 1: That makes sense, he replied. I told him to smarten up,
Speaker 1: and I marched into the control room. Next time I
Speaker 1: stood opposite Mike. Love in the studio was a couple
Speaker 1: of weeks later, when we were cutting the vocals for
Speaker 1: Heroes and Villains. It was supposed to be our next single,
Speaker 1: the song that would launch Smile, but it actually ended
Speaker 1: up becoming the song that would derail it. We'll be
Speaker 1: right back after this word word good morning. This is
Speaker 1: one or four point five b R I A N
Speaker 1: F M or anxiety less songs. We're sticking strictly to
Speaker 1: a playlist. No new material here, said, don't even try.
Speaker 1: Don't even try to even Van Dyke came back. Of
Speaker 1: course he did, but it wasn't the same. It was
Speaker 1: the beginning of the end, and then after the end.
Speaker 1: There was nothingness, just nothingness, but that was all still
Speaker 1: a ways off at this point. Thankfully it took so
Speaker 1: long to get heroes and Villains right. I was trying
Speaker 1: to decide what version we should go with, as there
Speaker 1: were a few, a three minute cut, six minute version,
Speaker 1: one that ran for nine minutes. There was even an
Speaker 1: eleven minute epic. I think it's all a bit hazy
Speaker 1: around that time, a bit hazy, but I'm sure I
Speaker 1: remember that being somewhere after that. All we had to
Speaker 1: do is release it. But like I said, it was
Speaker 1: our next single, and after the success of Good Vibrations,
Speaker 1: I knew we had to release it at the right time.
Speaker 1: It had to be right. If it wasn't right, if
Speaker 1: it wasn't perfect, well, the pressure would come back, and
Speaker 1: I couldn't stand that. You don't want to fall up
Speaker 1: on your hands, Brian. You know I released You've Lost
Speaker 1: that Love and feeling and unchained Melody with the Righteous
Speaker 1: Brothers in that same year, the same year. It's almost
Speaker 1: taken you a year to record yours yours, Briant, HiT's
Speaker 1: our money. You're not going to make your old dad penniless,
Speaker 1: are you? Come on? Brian, release the song. The pressure
Speaker 1: was getting to me. I'll admit that it was a
Speaker 1: crucial time for Smile, crucial time for me, crucial for
Speaker 1: the beach boys. It had to be perfect. The moment
Speaker 1: came when we were all at my place one night.
Speaker 1: We were sitting around smoking. It was late. Arnie Geller
Speaker 1: was there, so was Dennis and the record producer Terry Melcher.
Speaker 1: There was a loud knock at the door. I stared
Speaker 1: at it for a second. I could feel the bad news.
Speaker 1: It was the vibrations again, cops, my dad Mike, wanting
Speaker 1: to go another round. I didn't know what it was,
Speaker 1: but I didn't like it. I walked slowly over the door.
Speaker 1: I stopped and took a breath. You can't be afraid
Speaker 1: of everything, Brian, I said to myself. I grabbed the handle,
Speaker 1: thrust it downwards and prayed for what was behind it relief.
Speaker 1: It was Genevelyn, my astrologer. I had known Genevelyn for
Speaker 1: a while. She was a real trust that voice for
Speaker 1: me at that time. I threw my arms around her.
Speaker 1: I told her I was picking up on something bad.
Speaker 1: I told her I was worried. You're right to be worried,
Speaker 1: she told me, it's time, Brian. Now we have to
Speaker 1: do it now. Now, wasn't it too early? What would
Speaker 1: the record company say? Forget them? She said, it's time.
Speaker 1: I can feel it. It's time to get on with us.
Speaker 1: I was dazed, like I had just taken a hit.
Speaker 1: I knew Genevelyn was always right, and I didn't question her,
Speaker 1: not even for a second. But something wasn't right. I
Speaker 1: ignored that feeling. We need a radio station, I said
Speaker 1: to the room, time to get this all down. Genevelyn
Speaker 1: said we should head to one right away. After I
Speaker 1: had cut her a check. She got little bonuses like
Speaker 1: that for moments of clarity. That's what we all them,
Speaker 1: moments where she would give me advice that I didn't
Speaker 1: know I needed it. I ran up the large curved
Speaker 1: staircase and went into my room. I saw it sitting
Speaker 1: there in the same spot it had been in for
Speaker 1: almost a month now. It was on a table by itself,
Speaker 1: directly under a light. Like the Crown jewels, it might
Speaker 1: as well have been behind glass. Before I picked it up,
Speaker 1: I just stared at it. The deep black, shiny surface,
Speaker 1: crisp white cover, no art whatsoever, just blank. It looked
Speaker 1: hopeful possibilities were endless. I picked it up and flipped
Speaker 1: it over, and there were the words on the back
Speaker 1: Heroes and Villains, test pressing which time to get on
Speaker 1: with this? I almost salivated with excitement. I ran downstairs
Speaker 1: as everyone was already getting into the limos. Did I
Speaker 1: ever asked where to and I told him K H
Speaker 1: J A M. The excitement was palpable in the limo
Speaker 1: as we raced down Hollywood Boulevard. At one point we
Speaker 1: passed Pickwick Books and I heard the notes of California
Speaker 1: girls buzz in my ears. I rubbed them quickly with irritation.
Speaker 1: Oh no, hell, you okay, Dennis asked me. I told
Speaker 1: him I was fine, which was a lie. Trying to
Speaker 1: forget it, I wound the window down and stuck my
Speaker 1: head out. I felt the wind rushed through my hair
Speaker 1: and heard the din of the city. But I also
Speaker 1: heard something else, a very low, buzzing sound. I pretended
Speaker 1: it was because I had just rubbed my ears, but
Speaker 1: I knew what it was. It was the same thing
Speaker 1: I had heard on that canceled good vibration session, the
Speaker 1: same thing I'd heard when I was trying to burn
Speaker 1: the fire tapes. It was not good. All of a
Speaker 1: sudden we were at k h J A M. This
Speaker 1: is one of five point four b R I A
Speaker 1: n f L taking over k h J A M
Speaker 1: and blowing your mind. The guard at the front desk
Speaker 1: took one look at me and grinned, you're welcome anytime,
Speaker 1: Mr Wilson. Soon we were all marching down the corridor
Speaker 1: like an invading army conquering a city. We were shouting, singing,
Speaker 1: and banging on the walls as we went. We're just
Speaker 1: having a fun here. We found our way to the
Speaker 1: main studio and I hammered on the glass. We gave
Speaker 1: the overnight DJ quite the shock. Tom Mall that was
Speaker 1: his name. I'll never forget his name or the way
Speaker 1: he looked at us when we arrived. I burst into
Speaker 1: the studio. Hi, I'm Brian Wilson. It's your lucky day.
Speaker 1: He looks shocked. He couldn't even speak. Here's the new
Speaker 1: Beach Boys single, I told him, and I'd like to
Speaker 1: give you and k h J and exclusive on it.
Speaker 1: I didn't want to beat around the bush. I wanted
Speaker 1: to get this thing on the air as soon as
Speaker 1: poss like Jenevelyn said the time was right, okay. He
Speaker 1: sort of stalled and then said he'd have to check
Speaker 1: with his boss. Your boss, I yelled, this is the
Speaker 1: follow up to Good Vibrations, Man, one of the most
Speaker 1: important popular music songs of the last decade. This has
Speaker 1: taken a year of work to create. You don't need
Speaker 1: your boss, you just need to play it. He apologized
Speaker 1: and told me he could call the station controller for
Speaker 1: guidance whatever. I told him, just just do it. I
Speaker 1: was stammering. I started to feel sick. I thought we'd
Speaker 1: missed the right time. I stood in that damn studio
Speaker 1: and watched Tom Maull make a call to his boss.
Speaker 1: I felt that low buzz rise and rise in my
Speaker 1: ears again. I couldn't believe it. The Beach Boys were
Speaker 1: one of the biggest groups of the moment, and we
Speaker 1: were making music to rival everyone, even the Beatles. I'd
Speaker 1: spent so along perfecting every last second of this, and
Speaker 1: we wouldn't even get it played by some overnight DJ.
Speaker 1: Oh come on, man. My mind raced while the buzzing
Speaker 1: got louder and louder. Maul was talking so quickly into
Speaker 1: the studio's phone receiver. I couldn't take my eyes off him.
Speaker 1: It's not on the playlist, he was saying. And I
Speaker 1: heard the station controller scream from the other end of
Speaker 1: the phone. Just play at you, idiot. That was the
Speaker 1: last thing I heard. Idiot was drowned out by the
Speaker 1: buzzing in my ears. It completely took over my head.
Speaker 1: My eyes began to close, and my legs felt weak.
Speaker 1: I stumbled and then fell into a rack of seven
Speaker 1: inch singles, still clutching mine. As I hit the floor,
Speaker 1: all I could see was Phil Spector's face. He was
Speaker 1: laughing at me. Brian Wilson sits alone in his bel
Speaker 1: Air mansion. The lights are off and the TV set
Speaker 1: plays static. He stares at it, the snow like gray
Speaker 1: color lighting his face and accentuating his tired eyes. In
Speaker 1: his right hand as a phone receiver. The voice on
Speaker 1: the other end is that of his astrologer, Genevelyn. She
Speaker 1: informs her client it is not time. Brian slams the
Speaker 1: phone down on the receiver. When is it going to
Speaker 1: be time? He stands up and brings the seven inch
Speaker 1: test pressing of the Beach Boys unreleased new single Heroes
Speaker 1: and Villains back to his bedroom for safe keeping. In
Speaker 1: a week's time, he'll dry if to the radio station
Speaker 1: kh J a M and present his latest work to
Speaker 1: the world. In the same month, the single will be
Speaker 1: deemed to flop in comparison to his previous hit Good Vibrations,
Speaker 1: But at least for tonight, Brian Wilson has other things
Speaker 1: on his mind. He's been putting something off. Tonight it
Speaker 1: has to happen. He walks to the kitchen, where he
Speaker 1: sees a large brown parcel inside or some tapes. Tapes
Speaker 1: have been ruling Brian's life for a while now. But
Speaker 1: these tapes, they're not Beach Boys tapes. There's something else.
Speaker 1: He pulls open the parcel and tips the contents onto
Speaker 1: his counter. He reads the label Monterey International Pop Festival.
Speaker 1: The buzzing returns to Brian's ears as he carries the
Speaker 1: tapes to the studio he accustomed built in his home.
Speaker 1: Once inside, he draws a deep breath as he presses play.
Speaker 1: Monterey Pop was where the Beach Boys planned to present
Speaker 1: Smile to the world, but only two weeks before the festival,
Speaker 1: the band pulled out. Brian had replayed in his head
Speaker 1: the phone call that he had with Derek Taylor, the
Speaker 1: Beatles press officer and Monterey Pop's organizer, so many times
Speaker 1: since it had happened some nights when he couldn't sleep
Speaker 1: and he'd given up on his songs, he actually re
Speaker 1: enacted the conversation to addict the phone. We can't play,
Speaker 1: he told Derek Jesus Brian, why not. Brian rambled on
Speaker 1: about releasing Heroes and Villains, about how the Smile album
Speaker 1: was beyond repair, about how the band needed to think
Speaker 1: about what was next, and he was exhausted and it
Speaker 1: was just too much going on. Is that all? Derek asked.
Speaker 1: Brian paused in his mind. He saw the yellow and
Speaker 1: Pink Festival poster for the event. He scanned the names
Speaker 1: of the artists scheduled to play, and the name scared him.
Speaker 1: As he read each name, he felt a little stab
Speaker 1: into his heart and stomach. The who Jimmie Hendrix, the Birds, Stab,
Speaker 1: Stab Stab. Derek broke the silence. He knew the Beach
Speaker 1: Boys felt out of place with the other performers on
Speaker 1: the bill, but Brian didn't need to worry. Just because
Speaker 1: they wore striped shirts didn't mean that has nothing to
Speaker 1: do with it. Brian shouted. His eyes were close tight.
Speaker 1: All he could see was Jimmie Hendricks thrilling the crowd,
Speaker 1: Pete Townsend smashing his guitar against the stage. Nothing you
Speaker 1: hear me. The phone call was a month ago. Brian
Speaker 1: is still replaying it in his mind as he pressed
Speaker 1: his play on the tape machine in his bell Air
Speaker 1: home studio. He had a recording of the entire festival
Speaker 1: sent over to him as soon as it was over,
Speaker 1: but only now, and he worked up the courage to listen.
Speaker 1: As the sound of the crowd fades, Brian sits patiently
Speaker 1: and listens, says Simon and Garfuncles start their set only
Speaker 1: seconds in. He can't take it anymore. He jumps up
Speaker 1: and pushes the tape along. He holds down the heavy
Speaker 1: fast forward button until it hurts his finger. He releases
Speaker 1: the button and he hears it. Jimmie Hendrix brings his
Speaker 1: song Third Stone from the Sun to a thundering clothes.
Speaker 1: Feedback swells from the speakers, and the crowd goes wild.
Speaker 1: Hendricks has just blown their minds. He's the breakout star
Speaker 1: of the whole weekend. And the cheers are louder and louder,
Speaker 1: and the feedback squeals, and as Brian's pulse reaches maximum velocity,
Speaker 1: Hendrick shouts into the microphone, and You'll never hear surf
Speaker 1: music again. Brian's heart leaps. He jumps toward the tape
Speaker 1: machine and flicks the rewind button. Surely he misheard something
Speaker 1: where the voices in his head playing tricks on him?
Speaker 1: Was this a joke from someone at the festival, someone
Speaker 1: who overdubbed that line onto the tapes? Were they fucking
Speaker 1: with him? He plays the section for a second time,
Speaker 1: and he hears it again, clearer this time. And You'll
Speaker 1: never hear surf music again. Brian falls into his chair.
Speaker 1: It's hard to breathe. He closes his eyes. He doesn't
Speaker 1: know it, but Hendricks was actually paying homage to the
Speaker 1: gravely ill surf guitar legend Dick Dale. Even if he
Speaker 1: did know that, it wouldn't matter, though in Brian's current state,
Speaker 1: no one could convince the otherwise. The damage was done,
Speaker 1: The die was cast. The blood was on the tracks.
Speaker 1: Blood on the Tracks produced by Double Elvis in partnership
Speaker 1: with I Heart Radio. It's hosted an executive produced by
Speaker 1: me Jake Brennan also executive produced by Brady Sadly. Zeth
Speaker 1: Lundy is lead editor and producer. This episode was written
Speaker 1: by Ben Burrow, mixing and sound designed by Colin Fleming.
Speaker 1: Additional music and score elements by Ryan Spraker. This season
Speaker 1: features Chris Anzaloni as the voice of Brian Wilson. Sources
Speaker 1: for this episode are available at Double Elvis dot com
Speaker 1: on the Blood on the Tracks series page, follow Double
Speaker 1: This on Instagram at double Elvis and on Twitch at
Speaker 1: Graceland Talks, and you can talk to me per Usual
Speaker 1: on Instagram and Twitter at disgrace Land Pod, Rock and Roll,
Speaker 1: That Crazy, or dayd